| Situation | Prompt that fits | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation about a specific book | A question built on the book itself | Lead with it. Book-based questions are widely treated as the strongest kind. |
| Reader or book club discussion | “What do you hope readers will take away from your book?” | Gives a group a shared starting point that the author can answer in their own terms. |
| Craft and process | “Did you use a functional outline, or was it just chaos that somehow worked?” | Replaces the generic routine question that authors tire of hearing. |
| Closing a conversation | Future projects, writing advice or what excites the author next | Ends on forward-looking material rather than a repeat of the book. |
| Live reading or event | Anything outside the questions heard at every reading | Check your list against the usual audience questions and cut the repeats. |
| Written interview | Any of the above, with room for longer answers | The format gives the author time to refine each reply. |
These pairings draw on Mountford Writing’s interview guide and John Fox’s advice on good questions.
The strongest questions to ask an author are grounded in the book, open-ended and specific enough that the answer cannot be recycled from earlier interviews; adapt them to genre, career stage and the book under discussion.
A book-based list needs a book to draw from, so settle which book to read first by an author before you write a single prompt. The sections below show what good questions change, how to prepare, and which prompts suit which purpose.
What a good question changes
A well-chosen question changes the quality of the answer you get, and it changes how the author experiences the conversation. John Fox notes that authors are tired of getting the same questions at every interview. A fresh, specific prompt signals that you have done the reading and gives the author something new to think about.
- Better material for listeners and readers. A question tied to a scene, a character or a research choice draws out detail that a generic question never reaches.
- A more comfortable author. Seth Rogovoy argues that nothing is more deflating to a writer than discovering that interest in their work is not sincere. Specific questions are the clearest proof that your interest is real.
- More room to branch. Rogovoy also values open-ended questions because they can lead into many different conversations, which gives a host more to follow up on.
- Less wasted time. A host who has checked earlier coverage avoids spending the slot on answers the author has already given elsewhere.
Preparing before the conversation
Preparation is mostly reading. Mountford Writing advises you to read the author’s latest book, excerpts, reviews and summaries, then to review the interviews the publication has already run so that you avoid redundant questions and can build follow-ups on what the author has said before.
Mark passages that surprised you while you read. Those marked lines become the raw material for questions that only you could ask. If you are short on time, a few excerpts and reviews are better than nothing, but the book itself gives you the most to work with.
Genre shapes the list as well. Readers who arrive at a thriller author through a genre guide such as Dark, Twist-Heavy Thrillers If You Love Freida McFadden (Best Authors To Try In 2026) can carry that context into questions about structure and pacing. Writers who publish under a pseudonym invite their own questions about identity and naming, and Find Your Perfect Pen Name: Quick Ideas, Tips, And A Free Generator Guide (2026) gives useful background on how writers approach that choice.
Question lists by theme
Grouping prompts by purpose makes a list easier to use. Pick the theme that matches why you are talking to the author, then take only a few questions from each group rather than the whole set.
Beginnings and motivation
Open-ended starters give the author room to tell a story. Rogovoy’s list begins with “What made you want to be a writer?”, and the same pattern works for other beginnings.
- Origin of the writing life. Ask what first drew the author to writing, or what made them want to be a writer.
- Origin of this book. Ask about the inspiration behind writing the book.
- Where ideas come from. “Where do you get your ideas from?” is a classic, but it is also one of the questions writers hear again and again at readings, so treat it as a fallback and not an opener.
The book itself
Because book-based questions are considered the strongest, this group deserves most of your time.
- Character. Ask which character is the author’s favorite and why. The “why” turns a simple preference into a discussion of choices on the page.
- Research. Ask whether the author did any specific research for the story, then follow up on what that research changed.
- Reader takeaway. Ask what the author hopes readers will take away from the book. It is a natural question for a book club to put to a guest.
Writing process
Process questions work when they are specific. Mountford Writing points out that authors get tired of generic questions such as “What’s your writing routine?”, so aim at a decision the author made on this particular book.
- Planning. Ask whether the author outlined the book beforehand or wrote directly into the draft.
- Time. Ask how long the book took from start to finish.
- Editing. Ask whether the author worked with an editor or beta readers.
- Getting stuck. Ask how the author handles writer’s block. John Fox cautions against asking whether a writer has had it, so frame the question around how they cope.
Looking ahead
Finish with questions about what comes next. Mountford Writing suggests asking about future projects, writing advice or what excites the author next. These prompts end a conversation on energy and give readers a reason to follow the author’s later work.
Matching questions to the format and audience
The same question lands differently in different settings, so choose by format before you choose by theme. Mountford Writing notes that a question list can be adapted to the author’s genre, career stage and the specific book being discussed. A debut novelist and a long-established writer rarely need the same questions.
- Podcast or live interview. Favor open-ended prompts that the author can answer in a story, and keep a few follow-ups ready. Mountford Writing encourages interviewers not to be afraid to follow up on the fly.
- Written interview. Because authors can take time to refine answers, you can ask layered questions about craft or research that would be hard to answer on the spot.
- Book club. Use the book-based prompts, such as the favorite-character and reader-takeaway questions, so that members can compare their own reading against the author’s intent.
- Reading or panel. The audience will probably raise the familiar questions, so use the host’s turn for something more specific to the book.
Open-ended wording is what makes these formats work. Rogovoy’s point that such questions can branch into many conversations explains why a prompt beginning with “what” or “how” usually yields more than one that invites a short reply.
Pitfalls to avoid
Most weak interviews fail for a small number of reasons, and each one is avoidable with the preparation above.
- Treating questions as small talk. Rogovoy states that his questions are not for chit-chat. Ask only what you genuinely want a complete answer to.
- Leading with the stock question. Routine, ideas and inspiration questions are the ones writers hear at every reading and interview. Use them only if you can add a specific angle.
- Phrasing that invites a defensive answer. Asking whether an author has ever struggled with writer’s block is a case in point; asking how they handle it is more useful.
- Skipping the author’s earlier coverage. A repeated question wastes the author’s time and the audience’s attention.
Frequently asked questions
Should I bring a long list or a short one?
Bring more than you need, then rank them. Mountford Writing says it is better to have too many questions than too few, but you should prioritize so that the strongest ones get asked first.
What if the author gives a vague answer?
Ask a follow-up straight away. A request for an example, a scene or a specific moment usually turns a general reply into something concrete.
Does the list change for a written interview?
Yes. Written interviews give authors time to refine their answers, so you can include more detailed craft and research questions. The same adaptation to genre, career stage and the specific book still applies.
Is it fine to ask about an author’s favorite character?
Yes, as long as you ask why. The reason behind the choice tells you more about the author’s approach than the name alone.
