Interviews: The query, the interview, and writing the story: Part I

What comes first?

You remember the old chicken-vs-egg saying. Well, interviews present somewhat of a what-comes-first dilemma: do you query the editor with an idea first, or do you make sure the interviewee will give you the time to ask him or her questions? A lot depends on the person you have in mind, so think it through. It really can go either way, depending on your network and contacts.

For example, if you plan to speak with First Lady Michelle Obama on what she thinks of the nurse’s role in health care reform, you had better be sure that landing an interview with her is within your ability to do so before you query an editor about his or her interest in publishing it.

On the other hand, if you want to interview a colleague you work with about an issue, and you know they will talk to you about it, then go ahead and query the editor. As you decide what to do first, keep in mind that you do not want to get a reputation for promising an interview article and not being able to deliver it.

Here is an example of an interview I conducted with my HIV editor-in-chief, David Margolis, for Contagion, an ID review journal I worked on in 2005. Take a look and I’ll go through the interview process in more detail in my next few posts.