Testimonials

‘George Miller has twice in recent months publicly interviewed me in connection with my book Modernity Britain. He performs this task in an attractively understated way, draws out the author through perceptive, well-chosen questions, and encourages audience participation while gently but firmly avoiding monologues from the floor. I know from extensive experience that interviewers at literary festivals and suchlike vary greatly in quality; and I can say with confidence that George is one of the best.’

David Kynaston, historian

 

‘Six years, 100-plus authors, over 10,000 monthly plays on Soundcloud and a similar number of downloads on iTunes, George’s interviews for the Faber Podcast have become an essential part of our marketing activity. Going beyond mere soundbites, his in-depth conversations with authors ranging from debut novelists to Nobel laureates lets listeners really get to the core of the books. George’s editorial background – his sympathetic and astute line of questioning – together with his versatility with both microphone and video camera, and his willingness to travel, is much appreciated by the authors themselves. If they’re happy, we’re happy – it’s always money well spent.’

Matthew de Ville, website manager, Faber and Faber

 

‘We work a lot with George. He’s an excellent interviewer – on stage and on film. His podcasts for us are excellent. Most important of all, audiences like his style and his knowledge. Feedback is never less than brilliant.’

Andrew Kelly, Director, Bristol Festival of Ideas

 

‘The bespoke service George Miller provides of researching, interviewing and editing makes him the ideal person to work with Yale’s authors to create unique audio and video content. Always flexible and inventive, George ensures that the process is seamless for both in-house teams and authors, and the end results always intrigue and delight.’

C. Stafford, Head of Marketing, Yale University Press, UK

 

‘I’m a publicist at Penguin Press and George has conducted excellent interviews – courteous but rigorous – with many of the authors I work with.  When I did the podcast with George about the Great Food series I edited for Penguin, I found his questions thoughtful, interesting and probing enough to make me see my own subject a little bit differently.’

Pen Vogler, Penguin Press
 

‘George Miller has produced some fantastic work for Blackwell’s. His engaging interview technique paired with expert editing skills (and a wonderfully soft voice one can’t help but tune in to) makes for genuinely interesting content for our customers. Selecting books from a wide range of genres, his background in publishing and great negotiating skills enable him to secure interview time with some very high-profile authors, which further adds to the appeal of his podcasts. The customer feedback we have had from George’s podcasts has been nothing but positive and we would very much like to work with him again in the future.’

Lucy Johnson, Online content manager, Blackwell Online
 

‘George’s hands are the safest. He is very clever and very nice – he puts his interviewees at ease, then gets the best from them, all with a keen eye on your audience. For what we’re after – engaging podcasts with a writerly bent – there is no one I would trust more.’

Ian Ellard, Communications manager, Faber Academy (creative writing)
 

sebastian barry‘One does not soon forget the erudition, the obvious close reading, the imaginative empathy and, in short, the singular interviewing gifts of George Miller.’

Sebastian Barry, twice Man Booker shortlisted author and winner of the 2008 Costa Prize for The Secret Scripture
 

‘Sometimes when you talk to a literary journalist you feel that your book has been confiscated. You feel it slipping further from you, as you somehow miss the opportunity to say what you mean, and find yourself saying things you certainly don’t mean. George Miller’s interviews are different. Instead of taking your book away and making it into something else, he gives it back to you in a subtly enhanced form. I look forward to our meetings and the insights they produce.’

Hilary Mantel, twice winner of the Booker Prize for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
 

‘My first choice of interviewer would always be George Miller: empathy and insight are both rare qualities, to be prized. I’ve rarely felt so at ease as when talking to him, simply because he understands.’

Colin Matthews, composer
 

‘I have had the pleasure of being interviewed by George Miller three times in the last year, all in slightly different formats, either as podcasts or live stage interviews. The topics have ranged from my personal work, for a podcast and presentation for ECM Records, to the work of Benjamin Britten, which George  has been researching as part of a project for Faber & Faber. George’s ability to absorb the facts of the interview and very naturally process that information into a well-structured series of questions made each of the encounters extremely enjoyable and genuine. I can imagine that his unobtrusive but thorough and thoughtful approach would result in sincere and informative interviews.’

Dobrinka Tabakova, composer

 
alain de botton‘One of the most searching and therapeutic interviewers around, gets to the truths gently and elegantly.’

Alain de Botton, author of The Consolations of Philosophy, Status Anxiety, Religion for Atheists inter al.

 

‘I’ve always enjoyed being interviewed by George Miller. He knows what he’s talking about, he’s read the book carefully, and he’s got a great eye for an interesting question.’

Mary Beard, Cambridge Professor of Classics and TV presenter
 

‘George is an outstanding interviewer: informed, intelligent and probing. He asks the sort of questions all authors should ask themselves, and presents the results in a professional, user-friendly package. I recommend him highly.’

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, author of Becoming Dickens, fellow and tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford

 

‘I loved taking part in the Blackwell’s Books Podcasts. George asked questions that wouldn’t have occurred to me, and brought out facets of the book I hadn’t thought much about.’

Charles Fernyhough, psychologist and author of The Baby in the Mirror and Pieces of Light

 

‘Yours was the first, and remains the best, of the interviews I did for my last book: searching questions, and imaginatively edited video, adding up to a more vivid impression of my intentions than I could have managed myself.’

Francis Spufford, author of The Child that Books Built, Red Plenty and Unapologetic

 

‘Being interviewed by George is always a pleasure, not only because he reads the book thoroughly in advance (I wish I could say the same for all interviewers) but also because he asks some thought-provoking questions. You have to be on your toes a bit with him, and the result is usually a far more interesting podcast.’

Simon Garfield, author of Mauve, Just My Type and On the Map

 

‘George Miller is the kind of interviewer every writer dreams of meeting; subtle, generous and keenly alive to the work. I felt like I’d learned something about my own writing – as well as the art of interviewing – from him.’

Robert Macfarlane, author of Mountains of the Mind, winner of the Guardian first book prize and The Old Ways, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize 2012, chair of 2013 Man Booker judges

 
‘George Miller has the author / publisher podcast market all sewn up.  No one is more assiduous, well-prepared and intelligent. It’s not unusual, these days, to find yourself being interviewed by someone who hasn’t read your book.  When I made the grave error of assuming this might be the case with George, he was extremely indignant!’*

Lucy Worsley, TV presenter and author of If Walls Could Talk and Courtiers

* mock indignant [GM]

 

Since 2014, I have also been developing a specialist strand interviewing lawyers and law academics:

‘Like many other academics, I am far more comfortable with the written word than with being interviewed.  George, however, immediately put me at ease. His questions were extremely thoughtful and thought-provoking. I have received considerable positive feedback about the interview, which has been widely circulated on social media. The recording offers a succinct account of the main aims of the book situated within a biographical sketch and a wider discussion of the discipline in which I work. By covering a lot of ground in a short period of time, George offers the listener the key points of my work while encouraging them to look into it further. I really enjoyed the interview process and will definitely be contacting George again for the next book!’

Mary Bosworth, Professor of Criminology, University of Oxford
 
‘George has managed several video projects for us, as well as our helping us launch our monthly podcast programme – LawVox. George is a consummate professional and a delight to work with; not only is he adept at filming, recording and editing material efficiently, George’s expertise extends to preparing subjects for filming, and directing a shoot. George has been of enormous help to us in understanding our requirements intuitively, adding value by making valuable suggestions to our output, and in the extensive reading and research he undertakes before beginning a new project.’

Chris Wogan, Marketing Manager, Oxford University Press

 

‘I was very impressed with George’s preparation and organisation for our session – his professionalism and approach ensured that the whole process was completed smoothly.’

Charles Proctor, partner, Fladgate LLP, banking and financial services specialist and author of The Law and Practice of International Banking (2/e, 2015, Oxford University Press)

 

‘The interview was well-organized and the questions were focused and displayed considerable knowledge of the material dealt with in my book.’

Christopher Kuner, Senior Privacy Counsel in the Brussels office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, editor-in-chief of International Data Privacy Law, author of Transborder Data Flows and Data Privacy Law (OUP, 2013)

 

‘I’ve been interviewed on numerous occasions over the years, but rarely have I had the pleasure of engaging with an interviewer who has taken such care to research my involvement in a field of expertise that many regard as too specialist to grapple with, and who has clearly given great thought to how to make an interview flow.’

Jeremy Phillips, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (JIPLP), Founder Editor, European Trade Mark Reports (ETMR), Intellectual Property Consultant, Olswang LLP, Professorial Fellow, Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute

 

‘As a somewhat media-shy don who is not used to be filmed and interviewed, I did not look forward to my appointment with George. However, I actually enjoyed it. He was professional and efficient and, perhaps most importantly, extremely well-prepared. He asked all the right questions with genuine interest, so I almost forgot that I was being interviewed. I would certainly recommend him most warmly.’

Professor Stefan Vogenauer, Professorial Fellow in Law, Brasenose College, Linklaters Professor of Comparative Law

 

‘I am delighted to add to George’s impressive list of testimonials, all of which are richly deserved. George came to my Chambers in the Temple to interview me for the publication of the second edition of my book Professional Conduct Casebook. I was hugely impressed by the professional way George went about matters, starting with our initial contact by email and telephone and progressing to the interview and filming itself and then the excellent video and podcast that George produced in efficient time. It was clear from an early stage that George took a great interest in the subject matter and had undertaken much research. As a result of which he was able to ask pertinent and meaningful questions (which I hope I was able to answer!), and which contributed to a thoughtful interview. It was a pleasure to have been interviewed by George.’

Kenneth Hamer, Barrister and Crown Court Recorder and author of Professional Conduct Casebook, published by Oxford University Press 2e June 2015

 

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