Giving Radio Interviews

[Pauline Rowson]

It's always a pleasure to do radio interviews, especially if you're having a bad hair day, and if you need to get up before the crack of dawn to arrive at the studio on time and haven't put on much make-up, or had a caffeine fix. Why? Because, of course, you've guessed it, no one can see you. Only now I'm going to break that rule by posting a photograph of myself and the presenter, Julian Clegg. He's a great guy and a very professional and talented presenter. I was invited on to his programme as part of the BBC's 100 Lives project. I'm fortunate to have been chosen as one of those people's lives to follow over the next few months, interviews of which will be placed in the archives for posterity. Wow!
Getting publicity is very important for authors because it can obviously raise your profile and introduce your work to new readers, critical if you haven't got a huge publisher marketing budget behind you. I love working in radio and TV though, and am fortunate that my background in Marketing has given me many opportunities to do so in the past . I can now use those skills to hopefully make the most of any media chances that come along and to ensure that I sound interesting and 'alive' for audiences. I would recommend any author who wants to promote his or her books to undergo some basic media training - it's well worth it.

This morning I was scheduled to be on air at 7.40am but ended up being interviewed much later at 8.30am, because of a breaking-news story about the sorry state of the National Health Service in Portsmouth, (England that is). But that's the way it goes. I didn't mind. And it's one of the lessons that you quickly learn when working in marketing and the media, never sound-off at the newspaper photographer, producer, presenter or journalist if you are kept hanging around because they may have been covering a big story breaking and, let's face it, that's far more important that the life of a crime writer - unless, of course, I have some scandal tucked up my sleeve... I shall save that for another day.