Talk shows, radio talk shows in particular, are a great
medium for publicizing books. You can do an interview from your home for a
radio station anywhere in the country.And radio
talk shows sell books. Notice how many radio talk shows interview authors.
It's a great match. The show gets an expert who is entertaining and
informative and doesn't charge a fee. The author gets to let people know
about his book.
It's worth your while to spend a fair amount of energy
trying to get on talk shows. Mapletree will partner with you in trying to
book these appearances, and we will help coordinate those interviews with
bookstores so that the stores in the area have books on hand to sell.
Who books the talk show? In the case of nonfiction
authors, either Mapletree or the author can book it. You may have more
time, since our efforts are spread out over many books, but we can book
some of those for you. In the case of fiction authors, it's the author
herself who needs to call the station and book the show. The reason—the
producer who is booking you wants to hear your voice and get a feel for
how you come across on the air. Nonfiction authors are often booked just
on the subject matter of their expertise. If you've written a book about
homeschooling and they're interested in homeschooling, they'll have you
on. But fiction authors are booked almost completely on the basis of their
personality—if you're lively and entertaining they'll have you on.
Usually, radio producers like to have a list of
suggested questions. They may or may not want to look at the book ahead of
time. One of the questions we should always suggest is, "Where can our
listeners buy your book?" The people at the radio station understand that
the reason you're doing this interview for free is so that you can promote
your book, and they'll give you a chance to mention it. However, remember
that what they want is information and entertainment. The interview
isn't a fifteen-minute commercial for your book—they want you to be
looking out for the interests of their listeners. So, mention the book,
but keep the interview focused on the needs of the audience and responding
to the host.
