Fifty fabulous questions to ask an author

Author interviews are a consistent staple of book blogging and writer blogs. But sometimes the questions posed are a little generic, not inviting deeper engagement, or not showcasing well what is most interesting about this author or the book s/he is trying to promote.

With that in mind, I've put together a list of some great interview questions I've been asked by book bloggers or created for guests here--with a bunch of additional new questions sure to get thoughtful and thought-provoking responses.

1. Tell us a little about your story and the story world you've created.
2. What are some comparison titles of books or movies similar to this book?
3. What books, films, and TV shows most inform the aesthetic of this book?
4. Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?
5. What special knowledge or research was required to write this book?
6. What research methods have been most fruitful for you?
7. How did you go about developing the setting(s) for this story?
8. What's the strangest thing you had to do to create this story?
9. Who are your main characters? Tell as a little about what makes them tick.
10. If a film were made of your book, who would you cast in the leading roles?
11. What is something about your hero/ine that only you know?
12. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
13. Are any of your characters based on real people you know? 
14. Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?
15. Which scene was most difficult to write? Why?
16. Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?
17. What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
18. Are there particular themes or motifs wrestle with or address in your story(ies)?
19. How does your faith life/ethical outlook inform your writing?
20. Were there scenes you ended up cutting you wish you could've kept? Describe them and the decision-making process.
21. Who are your favorite authors and why?
22. What book from your childhood has shaped you most as a writer?
23. If you could choose a book character to be for a day, who would it be and why?
24. What led you to start writing? 
25. What life experiences have shaped your writing most?
26. Were you a young writer, a late bloomer, or something in between? What advice would you give to others who took up writing at a similar life phase?
27. What aspect of writing have you most improved in over time? What resources helped you most in this area?
28. What is your writing process like? 
29. What other projects are in the works?
30. Have you ever rescuitated a project you'd shelved? What helped it work better the second time around?
31. What special support people (critiqe partners, writing group, beta readers, editor, agent, author's assistant) do you rely on? How do they help you?
32. How do you balance the demands of writing with other responsibilities? 
33. What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in? 
34. What are some must-read titles in your genre?
35. What are some trends in your genre that excite you?
36. What are some elements that are becoming cliche in your genre?
37. What special challenges did you face making your story stand out from others in the genre?
38. If you were to genre-hop, which genres would you most like to try writing?
39. What aspects of your creative process do you enjoy most? Which are most challenging?
40. Do you prefer writing in silence or to music?
41. Does this story have a soundtrack? A playlist that inspired you while writing it?
42. What technologies do you rely on most when writing?
43. What writing resources have been most helpful to you?
44. What warm ups do you use to get your writing flowing?
45. Do you believe in the concept of a muse? What is yours like?
46. What is the best investment you ever made in your writing?
47. What's the worst writing/publishing advice anyone ever gave you?
48. What do you know now that you wish you'd known at the beginning of your writing/publishing journey?
49. What would you advise young writers trying to build a publishing history or an author platform?
50. What marketing strategies have borne the most fruit for you? 

Any other questions to add?

Categories: blogging, ideas, interview, interviewing, marketing, questions