An author interview questions template is a pre-organized set of questions you can use to interview any author — for a podcast, blog feature, book club, media appearance, or self-promotion on your own website.

In this guide, you’ll get:

  • A ready-to-use template with 101 questions sorted by category
  • Tips for tailoring questions to fiction vs. nonfiction authors
  • A framework for preparing author interviews that actually get shared
  • Advice on using your interview answers for book marketing

Here’s the complete template.

What Makes a Great Author Interview Question?

A great author interview question is open-ended, specific to the author’s work, and designed to reveal something readers can’t find on the back cover. The best questions make authors think — and make their answers worth reading.

Generic questions like “what inspired you to write?” get generic answers. Instead, reference a specific scene, theme, or choice the author made. That’s the difference between a forgettable Q&A and an interview people actually share.

Before you use the template below, spend 15 minutes reading the author’s most recent book (or at least the synopsis and reviews). Your questions will be 10x better.

Author Interview Questions Template: 101 Questions by Category

This template organizes questions into eight categories. Pick 8-12 questions per interview, pulling from categories that match your format and audience.

Questions About the Book

These work for any interview focused on a specific title. They’re the bread and butter of book launch press coverage.

  1. What’s the one-sentence pitch for your book?
  2. Where did the initial idea for this book come from?
  3. Which scene or chapter was the hardest to write — and why?
  4. Did the book end up where you expected, or did it surprise you?
  5. What do you hope readers take away from this story?
  6. Is there a scene you cut that you still think about?
  7. How did you choose the title?
  8. What’s something readers won’t know about this book just from reading it?
  9. Which character changed the most during the writing process?
  10. If you could rewrite one part of this book, what would it be?
  11. What research did you do for this book?
  12. How long did it take from first idea to finished manuscript?
  13. What was the first scene you wrote?

Questions About the Writing Process

Process questions appeal to aspiring writers and give experienced authors a chance to share practical writing advice.

  1. What does a typical writing day look like for you?
  2. Do you outline before you write, or do you discover the story as you go?
  3. What time of day do you write best?
  4. How do you push through writer’s block?
  5. Do you write in order or jump around between chapters?
  6. How many drafts does a book go through before you call it done?
  7. What’s your editing process look like?
  8. Do you write by hand, on a laptop, or with AI writing tools?
  9. How do you know when a book is finished?
  10. What software or tools do you use for writing?
  11. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what?
  12. How do you handle feedback that contradicts your vision?
  13. What’s your word count goal per day?

Questions About Craft and Technique

Craft questions let authors teach. These pair well with posts about writing craft and storytelling fundamentals.

  1. How do you develop your characters before you start writing?
  2. What’s the hardest part of writing dialogue?
  3. How do you create tension in a scene?
  4. Do you write more by instinct or by structure?
  5. How do you handle point of view choices in your stories?
  6. What’s your approach to world-building?
  7. How do you balance showing versus telling?
  8. What writing rule do you believe in — and which one do you break?
  9. How do you find the right voice for a new project?
  10. What’s your approach to writing the first draft vs. revision?
  11. How do you write authentic characters from backgrounds different than your own?
  12. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Questions About the Author’s Journey

Journey questions reveal the human side. These work especially well for author platform features and profile pieces.

  1. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
  2. What was the moment you decided to take writing seriously?
  3. Tell us about your path to getting published.
  4. What’s the biggest rejection or setback you’ve faced?
  5. How did you find your literary agent (if applicable)?
  6. Did you self-publish or go traditional — and why?
  7. What was it like holding your first published book?
  8. How has your writing evolved since your first book?
  9. What’s the best thing about being a published author?
  10. What’s the hardest thing about being a professional author?
  11. If you could go back and give your debut-year self one piece of advice, what would it be?
  12. How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

Questions About Reading and Influences

These questions reveal taste and personality. They’re great for book clubs and literary blog interviews.

  1. What book changed the way you think about writing?
  2. Who are your biggest literary influences?
  3. What’s the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?
  4. Do you read in the same genre you write?
  5. What book do you recommend most often?
  6. Is there an underrated author more people should know about?
  7. What book do you wish you had written?
  8. How has your reading shaped your writing style?
  9. Do you read while you’re actively writing, or does it interfere?
  10. What’s your favorite book from childhood?

Fun and Personal Questions

Fun questions make interviews shareable. Use 2-3 of these to break up the serious stuff and show the author’s personality.

  1. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve Googled for research?
  2. If you could have dinner with any author, living or dead, who would it be?
  3. What’s your most unpopular bookish opinion?
  4. Do you have any writing superstitions or rituals?
  5. What would you be doing if you weren’t a writer?
  6. Coffee, tea, or something else while you write?
  7. What’s your guilty pleasure read?
  8. If your latest book were a movie, who would you cast as the lead?
  9. What’s the strangest piece of fan mail you’ve received?
  10. Do you name your characters after real people?
  11. What’s on your desk right now?
  12. Hardcover, paperback, or e-reader?
  13. What’s the funniest thing that’s happened at a book event?

Questions About Publishing and Book Marketing

Business questions appeal to other authors and industry watchers. These complement posts about book promotion and marketing plans.

  1. How do you approach marketing your book?
  2. What’s the most effective marketing strategy you’ve used?
  3. How important is social media for authors today?
  4. How do you build and maintain your author newsletter?
  5. What role do book reviews play in your marketing?
  6. How do you prepare for a book launch?
  7. What’s your experience with Amazon advertising?
  8. How do you handle negative reviews?
  9. What’s the biggest misconception about the publishing industry?
  10. How do you decide between traditional publishing and self-publishing?
  11. What’s your take on using AI tools in the writing and publishing process?
  12. How do you approach book pricing?
  13. What’s your author bio strategy for different platforms?

Questions for Specific Formats

Tailor your template to the interview format. A podcast interview needs different pacing than a written Q&A.

  1. For podcasts: What’s the one thing you want listeners to remember from this conversation?
  2. For podcasts: Can you read a short passage from your book for our audience?
  3. For blog features: What advice would you give to someone writing their first book?
  4. For blog features: How can readers support your work right now?
  5. For book clubs: What discussion questions would you suggest for your book?
  6. For book clubs: Did you write this book with a particular reader in mind?
  7. For media/press: What makes this book timely right now?
  8. For media/press: What’s the news hook behind your latest release?
  9. For social media: Can you describe your book in three words?
  10. For social media: What’s a hot take from your book that might surprise people?
  11. For classroom visits: What would you tell students who want to become writers?
  12. For classroom visits: How does your writing connect to what students are learning?
  13. For video interviews: Can you show us your writing space?
  14. For video interviews: Walk us through your bookshelf — what stands out?
  15. For any format: What question do you wish someone would ask you about your book?

How to Use This Template (Step-by-Step)

You have 101 questions. You don’t need all of them. Here’s how to build a focused interview from the template.

Step 1: Know your format. A podcast episode needs 8-10 questions for a 30-minute interview. A written blog Q&A works best with 10-15. A quick social media feature needs 5-7.

Step 2: Start with 2-3 book-specific questions. These anchor the interview in something concrete and give the author a chance to talk about their latest work.

Step 3: Add 3-4 process or craft questions. These give the interview depth and appeal to aspiring writers in your audience.

Step 4: Include 1-2 personal or fun questions. These are what make the interview memorable and shareable.

Step 5: End with a forward-looking question. Ask about upcoming projects, advice for new writers, or where readers can find them. This gives the interview a natural close and a call to action.

Author Interview Questions for Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Not every question works for both types of authors. Here’s how to adapt.

Fiction Author Interview Focus

Fiction authors want to talk about their characters, world-building, and creative process. Lean into:

  • Character development and inspiration (questions 9, 27, 37)
  • Plot surprises and story evolution (questions 4, 10, 34)
  • The emotional experience of writing scenes (questions 3, 6, 29)
  • Reading influences and genre preferences (questions 51-55)

Avoid asking fiction authors purely business questions unless they’ve specifically positioned themselves as publishing educators.

Nonfiction Author Interview Focus

Nonfiction authors often have expertise beyond writing. Their readers care about:

  • The research process and methodology (questions 11, 36)
  • Why this topic matters now (question 93)
  • Practical takeaways from the book (question 5)
  • The author’s credentials and journey to expertise (questions 39-44)
  • How the book applies to the reader’s life (question 92)

For nonfiction, swap some craft questions for content-specific ones: “What’s the most surprising finding from your research?” or “What common misconception does your book debunk?”

How to Prepare for an Author Interview

Preparation separates a good interview from a great one. Follow this pre-interview checklist:

Read the book (or at minimum, the first three chapters, reviews, and synopsis). Nothing kills an interview faster than questions that reveal you didn’t read the work.

Research the author. Check their author website, social media, and previous interviews. Don’t ask questions they’ve already answered a dozen times.

Customize 3-5 questions. Take generic template questions and make them specific. Instead of “What inspired you?” try “The opening scene in Chapter 3 mirrors [specific event] — was that intentional?”

Prepare follow-ups. The best interview moments happen in follow-up questions, not planned ones. Listen actively and dig deeper when something interesting comes up.

Test your tech. If recording, do a sound check. If writing, confirm the submission format and deadline. Small logistics failures can derail otherwise great interviews.

Tips for Getting the Best Answers

The template gives you the questions. These tips get you better answers.

Ask one question at a time. Double-barreled questions (“How did you start writing and what’s your process?”) give you shallow answers to both instead of a deep answer to either.

Embrace silence. After the author answers, wait two seconds before responding. They’ll often add the most interesting detail in that pause.

Follow the energy. If an author lights up about a topic you didn’t expect, follow that thread. The template is a starting point, not a script.

Skip questions they’ve already answered. If question 3 naturally led them to answer question 7, move on. Repeating it signals you’re not listening.

End on a high note. Your last question should be something the author enjoys answering — their next project, advice for aspiring writers, or where readers can connect with them.

How to Use Author Interview Answers for Book Marketing

If you’re the author being interviewed — or you’re coaching an author through their book launch — interview answers are marketing gold.

Repurpose for your author bio. Great interview answers about your writing journey can become the personal story section of your bio across platforms.

Pull quotes for social media. Take your best one-line answers and turn them into shareable quote graphics for your author platform.

Seed your newsletter content. Share behind-the-scenes answers with your email list — your most engaged readers love the “how I wrote it” details.

Build a press page. Compile your best interview links and key quotes on your author website. Media outlets check these before reaching out for coverage.

Prepare for future interviews. Once you’ve answered 20+ questions across several interviews, you’ll know which stories land and which fall flat. Refine your go-to answers.

Where to Find Author Interview Opportunities

Having the template is half the battle. Here’s where to put it to use.

  • Book blogs and review sites — Search “[your genre] book blog interviews” and pitch directly
  • Podcasts — Filter podcast directories by genre and pitch hosts who interview authors at your career stage
  • Book clubs — Local and online book clubs frequently host author Q&As, especially for new releases
  • Writing conferences — Panel discussions and featured author sessions often use interview formats
  • Your own platform — Run a self-interview on your blog or newsletter as a creative way to share your story
  • Social media live sessions — Instagram Live, TikTok Live, and YouTube premieres let you answer questions in real time

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Asking yes-or-no questions. “Did you enjoy writing this book?” gets “Yes.” Ask “What surprised you most about writing this book?” instead.

Asking questions you could Google. Don’t ask when their book was published or how many books they’ve written. That information is publicly available.

Making the interview about you. Your job is to make the author look interesting. Save your own stories for your own platform.

Skipping the author’s latest work. Even if you’re a fan of their backlist, the author is promoting their newest release. Start there.

Not following up after the interview. Share the finished piece with the author, tag them on social media, and thank them. This builds relationships for future opportunities.

How Many Questions Should You Ask in an Author Interview?

The ideal number of questions for an author interview depends on your format. Podcast interviews work best with 8-10 questions for a 30-minute episode. Written blog interviews land well at 10-15 questions. Quick social media Q&As need just 5-7.

The goal isn’t to ask as many questions as possible — it’s to ask the right questions and leave room for natural conversation. Over-preparing with 25 questions makes the interview feel like an interrogation rather than a conversation.

What Questions Do Authors Actually Enjoy Answering?

Authors enjoy answering questions that let them talk about their craft, share stories behind specific scenes, and give advice to aspiring writers. Questions about writing routines, character inspiration, and creative breakthroughs tend to produce the most enthusiastic responses.

Questions authors dread: “Where do you get your ideas?” (too vague), “How much money do you make?” (too personal), and “Will you read my manuscript?” (not an interview question). Avoid these unless you want one-word answers.

FAQ

What is an author interview questions template?

An author interview questions template is a pre-organized collection of questions designed for interviewing book authors. Templates group questions by category — book-specific, craft, personal, marketing — so you can quickly build a focused interview for any format, from podcasts and blogs to book clubs and media features.

How do you start an author interview?

You start an author interview by asking about their most recent book or project. This gives the author a concrete topic to discuss and signals that you’ve done your homework. Open with something specific — reference a scene, theme, or choice — rather than a generic question like “tell us about yourself.”

What are the best questions to ask a first-time author?

The best questions for a first-time author focus on their journey to publication, what surprised them about the writing process, and advice they’d give to someone starting out. First-time authors have fresh perspectives on the challenges of finishing and publishing a book, so lean into questions about process and lessons learned.

How do you prepare for an interview as an author?

To prepare for an interview as an author, review common questions in advance, practice 2-3 concise stories about your writing process, and prepare a short pitch for your book. Know your key talking points — your book’s hook, your origin story, and where readers can buy it — so you can weave them into any answer naturally.

Can you use AI to help prepare author interview questions?

You can use AI writing tools to brainstorm, customize, and refine author interview questions. Tools like Chapter help you generate tailored questions based on the author’s genre, book synopsis, or writing style — saving hours of preparation time and producing more specific, engaging questions than generic templates alone.