Ever freaked out enough to hide under your desk during a taped zoom session? Ever flashed brighter than a red neon sign during an interview on YouTube? Stammered, coughed, and ummed so deeply as you stared at the ceiling as if heading into a deep meditative state — on live radio — because your mind has gone completely blank while you’re talking about yourself. And your book. So that’s where this little-big-list of 66+ Most Frequently Asked Questions For Authors can help you keep your cool on and off the camera, at your next cocktail party, or writer’s conference.

We broke down the author’s most frequently asked questions into a few categories for simplicity and speed of the scroll, including the dont’s and do’s. So, put on your rollerskates and let’s ask the BIG questions…

THE YAWN LIST: IT’S THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION FOR AUTHORS

This is the yawn list! It’s basically what EVERYONE asks you the same question twenty-seven-gazillion times, throughout your entire author career.

The Yawn List: repeating the same answer to the same question twenty-seven-gazillion times throughout your author career Click To Tweet

But not everyone knows the answer, which is why they keep being asked so many freaking times. And this is a good thing. It means you’re meeting new potential superfans, so put on a smile and sell yourself.

1. When did you first decide to become an author?

2. Or did you want to grow up and be something else and accidentally fell into writing? Or it’s your nineteenth career change because you got sick of working as a cold-room cleaner in Walmart.

3. When did you write your first manuscript?

4. Did you ever publish that first story?

5. How long does it take you to write a book? Let’s stretch that out to how long did it take you to write and publish that book, to land in the lava-hot hands of your fabulous readers?

6. How do you publish your books?

7. What is your book preference, E-books, paperback, hardcover, audiobook, serial story, or that lumbering special enlarged glossy version that’s used to hide that stain on your coffee table?

8. Do you have a process for finding and keeping ideas for your books? Or do you receive that lightning bolt of an idea that chains you to the chair to write, and write, and write?

9. What do you do when you aren’t writing? You can skip the part about getting your toenails clipped, thanks.

10. Has your family read any of your books? What do they think?

11. How many books have you written? And published?

12. Which book did you struggle with the most?

13. Name the most fun book you wrote?

14. Which is your favourite book/ character/ scene?

15. So which character refused to behave, barging their way onto the page?

16. How many hours a day/week/month do you write? When and where? C’mon, tell us your daily word count.

YOU’VE GOT A NEW BOOK COMING OUT – AUTHOR FAQS LIST.

When an author has a book set for release, that’s when they step away from their keyboards to hit the PR trail. The following author FAQs can help you get ready for those interviews. You may find some that overlap with the previous Yawn List which is more to do with you being an author, the focus for this list is to do with your book.

1. Where do you get your ideas? Or… What inspired you to sit for thousands of hours in a chair, staring at a screen, letting your coffee go cold, while you wrote this book?

2. What is your book about?

3. How long did it take you to write this story?

4. Did you learn (research) anything quirky from writing this book?

5. What surprised you the most about this book and its characters?

6. Where did the title come from?

7. Do you love the cover so much that you blew it up into a poster for your office or one of those pull-up banners you see at book fairs? Or did you secretly cringe at the cover, wondering what was that graphic designer doing the night before and why did the publisher agree to it?

8. What fresh new drink mix did you include in your books that is now a regular for cocktail hour?

9. Oh, what about food? Did your characters coerce you into making some new dish that was awesomely disgusting? Or are we to expect you appearing in the next season of Master Chef?

10. Were any of the characters inspired by real people or actual Facebook Live events?

11. What happened to the characters after this book? Did they all have an after-party, to then set sail on separate inflatable rubber duckies to disappear at sunset?

What does an after-party and a set of inflatable rubber duckies have to do with this list of Author FAQs? Click To Tweet

12. Will there be a sequel to this book where side characters become main characters?

13. How did you find the name for this character? Why?

14. Would you hang out with this character after hours? If so, where would you go/ do?

15. What is the hardest scene you ever wrote in this book?

16. What is your favourite book to read that you didn’t write?

17. Where can people find you and your book? Do-do-do have this one ready to go. AT ALL TIMES. And the best way to answer this is….

*drum roll like a toddler bashing those wooden spoons on Mum’s cooking pot in the kitchen*

Direct them to visit your author’s website where they’ll find all the links. And that’s our big tip of the day: always refer them back to your website first, then to the other bookstores.

WHEN ANOTHER WRITER INTERVIEWS AN AUTHOR TRY THESE FAQS

When you publish a book, you have skills. Yes, you do. And there are writers out there who’ll want to tap into your secret formula to help them. These are those frequently asked questions authors are asked by another author…

1. What would you tell yourself as an aspiring author about to write their first book?

2. Do readers ever reach out to you? Where?

3. Has anyone ever read your words as part of their wedding vows that had everyone sharing tissues? Or any other examples you could share?

4. What part of the writing process just sucks? Like really sucks. Besides wrestling with commas.

5. Do you play music while you write? If so, they’re gonna ask for your playlist.

6. How is your writing desk set up? At home, office lunchroom, fire escape corridor…

7. Do you have a pre-writing ritual? Light heavily scented candles to make your eyes squint through the smoke as you tap on your singing bowl, signalling your cat to sit on your keyboard.

8. Do you have a process for researching your books? Do you get sucked into the Wiki-spiral that’s deeper than the Mariana Trench?

9. How long did it take for you to become published in that first manuscript? Please, tell us all about those rejection notices you burned in a bonfire that could be seen from the Space Station.

10. Are you a plotter or a panster?

Are we there yet with this list… Hang in there.

11. Do you call yourself a writer or an author?  And what do you consider to be the difference?

12. What is your favourite genre to read, and one you don’t write in?

13. Do you ever get angry, cry, shout, or fight with your characters?

14. Do you write under a pseudonym? Why?

15. Have you employed a fur baby to become your supervising editor? (See #7 for the pre-writing ritual inspiration above.)

16. Who, what, where do you recommend that is a great place for new authors? Facebook Group, Writer’s Association, Front bar, etc.

17. If you could hang out with another author (alive or long-gone) for a day, who would that be and why?

18. How much has your writing changed since the first story you wrote?

19. What do you think an aspiring author should invest in? Dictaphone? Bali Holiday? In other words, what’s in your author’s toolbox!

20. How do you balance your writing time between marketing?

21. If it was going to become a movie, who would you want as your lead characters?

22. Do you plan out your marketing or do you just wing it like a butterfly coming out of that writer’s cocoon?

23. How many unpublished stories do you have hanging out with the dust bunnies under your bed?

How many unpublished stories do you have hanging out with the dust bunnies under your bed and many other author FAQ's you have to read it to believe it. Or not. Click To Tweet

24. How big is the change in your books from the first draft to the published piece? Yes, you can talk about that Wrestle-mania’s Greatest Hits for Comma Placement.

25. What does success look like to you as an author?

26. Got any tips or tricks for dealing with negative book reviews like those one-star mother-fluffers? Any tips on anger management would be good. Anyone?

Phew! That was a big one, but I’m sure there are many more out there.

THE SQUIRM LIST OF AUTHORS FAQS

These author FAQs has forced many to inhale deeply and cross their arms over their chests while squirming in their seat. Some questions in the squirm list of author FAQS are just rude — yet people continue to ask them. The most common culprits are at parties, writing conferences, or when you meet someone new who has never met a writer on their planet.

Unless you are a practised politician with a stack of debating trophies on the bookshelf, you can play a beat-cop and say, “… you have the right to say NO.”

play a beat-cop and say, “… you have the right to say no. N. O. Click To Tweet

Let’s practise that, shall we: No.

No, you don’t have to share your bra size.

No, you don’t have to reveal your tax returns or your quarterly P&Ls.

And, NO, you don’t have to share your phone number with someone to become their midnight booty call for editing tips.

But the Squirm list of Author FAQs is more common than you think. So when you get one, remember to be nice, hold off on that kill look, and bite down that sassy come back by being prepared.

And here we go: Ready to squirm?

1. How much money do you make as an author? And how much money do you make per year? Per book?

2. Are you a bestseller yet?

3. How come I’ve never heard of you?

4. When are they going to make it into a movie so I can watch it then?

5. How many books have you sold? This year, last week, today…

6. Can you read my book? It’s not in your genre or anything, but I know you’ll love it.

7. Are you on Google? (Pst! Google yourself to see if your author platform is working.)

8. Do you write five-star reviews for other authors? Well, here’s my book…

9. Can you hook me up with your publisher, editor, and dental hygienist?

10. Care to share anything freakishly personal and unrelated to your book?

11. Have you written anything I’ve read? (*scoffs over coffee how many times on this one*)

12. What’s your most underappreciated novel on your entire backlist? What’s wrong with it?

13. Do readers ever annoy you? What about a stalking superfan you’ve put on a restraining order like Sandra Bullock and the Queen of England does?

14. Ever suffered from Satan’s Special Writer’s Block! So why aren’t you writing today, then? Huh?

15. Can you follow me on social media?

16. Not on TikTok? How come? Everyone who is anyone is there.

17. So what part of the publishing process sucks that’ll scare me off from ever wanting to publish my books within the next millennia?

18. Do you write bodice-ripping romances like that book called Fifty-something-or-other?

19. Will the movie be better than your book?

20. Can you tell us about your next book (while promoting your latest release)?

10+ THINGS NOT TO DO WITH YOUR AUTHOR FAQS:

1. Lie.

2. Expand on the truth.

3. Completely make sh*t up.

4. Copy another author’s made-up sh*t.

5. Tell your own version of War and Peace in intricate detail about the forty-seven different ways you tried to fix that leaky tap in the kitchen sink before you called in a plumber who makes you wait three weeks, so now you have to live with it.

6. Sharing a list of questions and answers that don’t make sense, and have absolutely nothing to do with you being a writer and your books.

Prepare for the rant…

Why would anyone want to know about those sticky pineapple fruit boxes you consumed that summer, when you had your first kiss, with the sand between your toes, the sunburn peeling your skin, and the saltwater causing split ends on your hair that hadn’t been brushed in a month. Unless you’re writing books about skin and hair care products, or teen love stories, by all means, go for it. But if you’re doing Sci-fi? Can you say what’s the relevance, Space Cowboy?  Rant over.

7. They’re boring.

They read like a laundry list of everything and nothing. Except we like our Laundry List that doesn’t involve last summer’s swimming trunks, grandpa’s golf pants, and your high school flared trousers the teenager wore to that bad-taste 70s dance.

8.  Everything is clumped into one teeny tiny area that lacks any form of oxygen or white space. People like to scroll like I bet you did with this page. *she nods all-knowingly, slurping on a pineapple fruit box while sporting some sexy flared trousers*

9.  Repeating the same answer told in fifty-two-trillion different ways on how you started writing. And why.

10. Too. Many. Questions.

11. Or… too brief to even be called ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ when you only have one question answered on the page. Did that make sense?

slurping on a pineapple fruit box while sporting some sexy flared trousers and completely making sh*t up for the Authors FAQs – not. But flares are mentioned. Click To Tweet

SO, BESIDES FOLLOWING US ON TWITTER, HERE’S THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THOSE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Having a set of author FAQs is handy for any author to whip out like a gunslinger at high noon — especially for interviews. Press people and podcasters love these because they are looking for something special that connects you to their audience, such as you all enjoy baking gluten-free cakes to share after a session of goat yoga.

1.Be brief.

2. Be honest.

3. Be the wonderfully unique YOU.

4. If putting them on your website, make it scrollable.

5. Be succinct and make it your top 10 hit parade.

6. For bonus points, add images, headings, and links to go somewhere off-the-page, like this one!

7. Oh, and as the title of this nifty little section says, you can follow us on Twitter, here.  

PREPARE FOR YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW USING THESE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR AUTHORS:

To stop those train-wrecking interview stammers, or long awkward ice-berg pauses, while sweat streaks trail down your makeup dampening your shirt, print out a copy of these questions. HERE>>

Then, with a pen, go to the loudest room in the house… Your bathroom.

Close the door and windows to get that tile-bouncing-echoey effect.

Then read aloud every question, scribbling down your answers as you go along.

Then read them again. Out loud. Staring at yourself in the mirror.

And the big tip is to pull faces at yourself in the mirror as you practice. You’ll want to tap into the tongue-wagging inner child for this because you want to have fun because people can hear it in your voice – which makes them want to listen to you.

And if you have fun with the interviewer, they’ll ask you back again for the next book and the next.

Most of all, you’ll enjoy doing these interviews, too.

Extra places to put your Author FAQs besides the bottom of the pantry space where the spuds are kept in your grandmother’s house…

As tempting as it is to want to screw up the invasive author FAQs, it is handy to have them available for your readers, and those potential visitors who may offer some amazing PR opportunities.

Pick your favourites from the Author FAQs (especially those from the YAWN list) to add to your own website on either your About Page and/ or Contact Page.

You can even write about yourself answering these questions in a blog post. As hard as it may be for some authors (I get it), but this is your website, to brag about you as an author.

THE BONUS FOR READING TO THE END…

And for the bonus point, you can then share one answer from the author’s FAQ across social media.

That’s right, if you’re stuck on stuff to share, you could do one answer a week from the above list and post all about your or your book.

Make it a Facebook post, an Instagram Story, or post it on TikTok. You have access to this extensive list of 77+ Frequently Asked Questions for Authors when there are only 52 weeks per year.

Oh, and be sure to update this author’s FAQ annually. Don’t worry, if you get our emails, we’ll remind you without the interrogation.

Don’t forget to print your copy of these Author FAQs HERE>>

Enjoy.