Trust Me, I’m A Scientist has always been open to outside contributors. But in the last 3 days, I’ve gotten more queries from prospective writers than I have in the past 6 months. That’s because in this month’s issue, I did something we all forget to do sometimes. I asked.
It sounds obvious — And that’s precisely why people don’t do it often enough.
I sometimes get approached by new writers who have a great story idea, but are unsure of whether they can pull it off. That’s usually because their story requires an interview with a well-known artist, inventor, thinker or businessperson.
I’ve done a good handful of these kinds of interviews over the past few years, and my instincts about it have become pretty simple. All I can really say is: “Well, have you asked?”
Sure, some people are harder to reach than others. But when you have a good excuse (like writing for a magazine with a decent circulation) some very busy people are often more receptive than you might imagine.
I’d offer similar advice to musicians planning to record a new album: Is there a producer or engineer whose work you really admire? Reach out. They’re not going to magically end up working on your music otherwise.
If you can find a direct connection to your subject through a mutual acquaintance, that’s always best. (Start asking around now.) But if you don’t have one, finding personal contact info or a management company to reach out through is rarely as tough as you might think. (Just ask Google.) High school student Shirley Blaney asked back in 1953. She got one of the last-ever interviews with JD Salinger.
Asking isn’t just good for your professional life. I can’t imagine a decent relationship where two people walk around nervous about asking honest questions of each other (although it seems that’s how things turn out too much of the time.)
I say we should practice this thing right now. Here, I’ll go first:
“Dear reader, would you like to write for Trust Me, I’m A Scientist? Do you need help recording or mixing an album or an audiobook? How about designing or building a studio? Just ask.”