Podcasts as the "New" Book Promotion Tool
I wish I looked as relaxed as this woman in the photo when I encountered my first podcasts. I likened those to my first television interviews, several decades ago, when I was promoting another book and the publisher had booked me on morning shows in my home town. I was petrified about being on camera, I dressed completely wrong, and I talked over the interviewer. The only grace note was the shortness of the interview. Later, I remember my mom watching the broadcast, saying something like, “I wish you’d looked more yourself, dear.”
Trouble was, I didn’t think “myself” was good enough to offer a television show host. I loved my book but I mostly wanted to hide behind it. Who would be interested in me, the author? Well, as it turns out, readers!
They want to know authors more than ever, hear about their journeys, hear about the reason they wrote this book.
So when I began interviewing on podcasts, I initially faced the same dilemma. What did I have to say, in the first place?
Didn’t my book say it all?
What the author can offer
These days, readers are super curious about the author behind the book. Maybe it’s our fascination with reality shows, the social media that reveals all about a person’s life, the way authors promote books by sharing intimate details of their process. I thought I was immune to this as a reader—who cared about anything but a good story?—but the other day I noticed I had flipped to the acknowledgements page at the end of a new-to-me book to learn more about the author before I began reading!
I guess I’m curious too. I wonder if this is why: do I want to get a sense of who exactly I’m about to spend many hours with? What is their world like? What purpose did they have in writing this book? It seems odd, but it hit me—there’s more to engaging in a story now than just following the plot and characters.
So what can the author offer, without crossing personal boundaries? What are the best mediums to share who you are, in a comfortable way that feels meaningful to both you and the potential readers?
Yes, television is still an avenue of promotion for authors but my feeling is that podcasts have stepped up big time.
There are SO MANY out there. They offer a conversation between the person who wrote and the person who might read. I’m finding them a prime way to promote a book.
But there are certain things to know, before you jump into them.
Learning to relax
I’m nowhere near a podcast expert, but by now I’ve been a guest on 20-25 podcasts and I can definitely say my number one lesson was to learn to relax.
I’ve been interviewed by hosts across the U.S. and Canada (and even Europe) about not just my novels, but my writing life, my creative goals, my gardening, my art, my cooking career (everyone wants to talk food!), and my personal history and how it intersects with all of this. Like me scanning the acknowledgements pages or the author’s notes in a new-to-me book, the hosts are curious about who I am and why I took the big risk to write and publish these books.
This can be terrifying for an introvert.
At first, the whole idea of speaking freely about these personal subjects, plus being recorded in audio and video, then the recording being out on the internet with whatever gaffs I might make during the conversation, felt like way too much.
Don’t get me wrong: I can speak in front of people, I have taught huge audiences, I have years of experience being onstage. But I always prepare heavily for such gigs. I have notes, I do all kinds of “performer-prepares” steps beforehand. I still get tummy jitters, but I know how to do this.
Podcasts are spontaneous conversations, or so I thought. And the huge risk was that I couldn’t prepare as much. Hosts could take the conversation all over the place, right?
And being a writer most of all, I prefer writing my thoughts over voicing them. I have to write to figure out what I think, to paraphrase Joan Didion.
Plus, what about how I look as I spoke? Most podcasts now record on video as well as audio. You have to not only sound friendly and interesting and intelligent, you have to look good. Memories of that early TV show still haunt me.
Could I prepare in advance, to the point of being able to relax and actually enjoy the interview?
What questions are typical?
The quick answer was: yes, I can prepare. It only took four or five podcasts interviews to see that most hosts ask fairly predictable questions of authors launching a new book. When I listened to past episodes for each host, a great way to prepare, I also could note the typical questions that host asked everyone.
Midway through my podcast tour for my second novel, A Woman’s Guide to Search & Rescue, last year, I had a pretty solid list of the questions I usually get asked:
What was the inspiration for this book?
What’s your writing practice like? How often do you write, where, etc.?
How long did this book take?
What obstacles did you encounter? How did you do your research if you wrote about something you didn’t have personal experience with?
Why would a reader be interested in this story—what do you hope a reader will take away?
How does the story intersect with your own life? Do you do the same things these characters do?
Any advice or wisdom for other writers?
Most of the podcast audiences are specific, too. You can tell from the past episodes, both subject matter and guest’s background, whether the host gears the discussion towards newer writers (writers in process with a first book, for example) or more experienced writers. I was on both, and because I listened ahead to past episodes, I could begin to tailor my answers to that invisible audience.
A good thing to realize—because I’ve taught writers of all experience levels, from beginner to professional, what I share will vary according to the person receiving it. A good host knows this too.
How I prepared once I knew
Having a good list of typical questions in hand, I began to prepare my answers. I still checked out three or four of each podcast’s past episodes a week or so before my interview just to verify that I was on the right track.
I also wanted to get a sense of the host’s approach, so I chose a variety of topics in that episode research, and I got to hear and see how the host interacted with very different guests. Did they talk over the guest (some do!)? Did they take the conversation in directions that had nothing to do with the guest or their book (yes, occasionally!)?
I also looked at how the guests responded—did the host put them at ease, did they seem to enjoy themselves? How real were they, how much did they reveal?
Previewing several episodes gave me so much information! I felt more relaxed as I got to “know” the host and their particular way of interviewing.
Some hosts like to be the star, so the guest can’t push any agenda at all. That’s not as much fun, truthfully, but it happens. Some talk about all kinds of topics that have nothing to do with the guest’s book or writing—it feels more like a morning drive-time radio talk show than an interview, especially if there are several hosts. This can be fun but only if I have zero goals for the podcasts and just want to get my book’s name out there on their show notes.
Some hosts won’t even mention the guest’s book until the very end! They want their show to be about a topic, not about promotion of a book. I was a guest on shows that focused on midlife life changes, on creativity (hosted by a visual artist), and on risk. Nothing to do with writing or books. But I still felt I got valuable marketing for my launches, because my titles were listed on the podcast’s website.
The golden ones were hosts I really could connect to. I liked their questions, I liked how they made me think and feel about what I was offering the world.
Script—why use one to get started
Preparing answers, in a variety of ways, for typical questions gave me a huge leg up. For my first dozen or so podcasts, I wasn’t comfortable with spontaneous back-and-forth. I couldn’t share about my books easily yet. So I spent hours before each podcast writing out answers, creating a kind of script.
I opened Zoom or whatever video recording platform the host used (they always send a link so you know ahead of time) and created a horizontal split screen. I adjusted the margins of my script in Word so that it stretched in landscape orientation the width of the top of my screen, with the podcast window below it. My camera is at the top of my laptop, of course, so my eyes were reading the script and it looked like I was staring at the camera while I talked, rather than looking down at printed pages. I didn’t actually need to meet eyes with the host, after a few times practicing this. I could get everything from their voice.
I did check my “view” on Zoom ahead of time—the background and lighting were super important. (More on that below.) But after the hello’s, I didn’t take my eyes from the camera.
Ditching the script
All the podcasts last year were about my second novel, A Woman’s Guide to Search & Rescue, which came out in October. After a handful of them went well, I felt comfortable answering almost any question. So I began not needing the script.
When I started podcast interviews for Last Bets, which got published in April, I felt huge panic—how would I talk intelligently about it? It was such a different book than A Woman’s Guide.
So I created a new script.
But I noticed something interesting—after three interviews on Last Bets, I wasn’t referring to the script at all. The questions were still those typical ones above, and I had answers prepared already, which applied to both books. Some hosts wanted to talk about both novels, so I wrote out some possible answers about the connections, or universal themes in my life as a writer, that appeared in both (or all three) of my novels.
After just three interviews, I felt I could ditch the new script too. I knew what I wanted to share about this new novel.
That’s when I started having fun!
All the experiences so far with Last Bets interviews haven’t been great, truthfully. This past week I was on a podcast with what I assume is a relatively new host. She texted me ten minutes before our show time to reschedule; when we did meet, she’d lost her notes and hadn’t even looked at my book. She also had so many technical problems, the recording didn’t work, etc., etc. I felt it was a waste, but who knows. If she’s good at editing, it might work out fine.
I had two others this past week which were the opposite—just lovely. The hosts had prepared well, they both loved my book, and they made me feel so at ease. I felt an uplift from just being with them. It brought out the best in me.
A good podcast host is supposed to bring out the best in an author. That’s my feeling. We both take time out of our busy lives for this conversation. The whole purpose, it seems to me, is to create warmth and naturalness and let the guest shine.
A good host knows how to ask questions that appeal to what their listeners are there for, but also show that they are genuinely intrigued with the process of creating this book. With how the book came to be. With the person behind it. I find this not only relaxes but engages a guest.
Ideally, the interview will bring out your own deeper levels of meaning. The more skilled hosts make me think in a deeper way. And I learn stuff about my own writing, my own story!
When it gets personal
Here’s something I learned right off: it’s going to get personal, and you have to decide what you are comfortable sharing.
Remember that these interviews have a long lifespan. They will possibly be on the host’s website or audio and video channels for many months, even years. If you have parts of your life that you want to keep quiet about, don’t share them. This is another reason for the script—you can create suitable responses that stay within your comfort zone.
A couple of examples:
My novel, A Woman’s Guide to Search & Rescue, is inspired by my mom, who was a pilot. But it’s also inspired by my older sister, who died tragically when I was in my fifties. I wrote A Woman’s Guide to understand more about my mom but also assuage some of my grief about my sister. Stuff I’ll never resolve, just because she’s gone. In the story, two estranged sisters find each other under dicey circumstances.
Hosts always wanted to know why I wrote about this, so I thought carefully about what I’d share and came up with a few answers that explained my sister’s untimely death and its impact on me.
I knew I would be touching on this very personal aspect of my own history when I wrote about these estranged sisters. Some hosts just briefly asked about the inspiration but others wanted to dive deeper into my relationship with my two sisters. It took time and practice and a lot of journaling before I figured out how to talk about the older sister who died tragically and how I felt sadly estranged from her in the years before she died.
My novel, Last Bets, is about a portrait painter with second sight—she sees the future of her subjects as she paints. She’s forced to use this talent to win back her life during the story, in a kinda sketchy way.
Hosts want to know: (1) do I have second sight? (2) do I gamble? (3) how do I feel about people who cheat?
I took a deep breath. I worked out answers. They became: (1) I am fascinated with the unseen parts of our lives, the stuff we can’t logically explain. (2) I am intrigued by why people risk, often big, and gamble in other ways. (3) I feel I have high ethics, but I write about characters who are still figuring out what they can get away with and who learn hard lessons, in the end.
These overlaps with your very personal beliefs and life can be hard. To me, it’s one of the more challenging experiences for an author in today’s publishing world, where readers are so curious. Luckily, I found ways to share deeply but still keep my privacy during these interviews.
So far, so good.
Looking good
About 80 percent of the interviews included video. The host posts on YouTube. So a guest needs to pay attention to how the background looks, as well as how you look and sound.
Again, I watched the episodes ahead of time, and I got to see the host’s background for video. How they looked on camera. How the majority of their guests looked. A wide range!
Authors appeared with the scruffy, just-out-of-bed look, believe it or not. Which told me they really didn’t want to be seen and they wanted their book to do all the work. Others appeared very slick and polished, almost corporate. That told me they were used to dozens of Zoom appearances in their work.
I wanted to be somewhere in the middle. So I worked on three main areas for video:
Lighting
Backdrop
My clothes and makeup
One of my favorite podcast hosts, Matty Dalrymple, has a wonderful page on her website that goes through many of the prep items you need to be a successful author on podcasts. She recommends a set of inexpensive lights to put on either side of your computer to make sure your face is clear and bright. I got them, after trying a few other ideas, and they have become my go-to. Some guests/hosts use a ring light, which can be adjusted. Matty has great suggestions.
Your background is important. Not only does the room need sound privacy, for a good audio recording, but what’s behind you creates a certain atmosphere that speaks to who you are.
I set up a rolling desk from Amazon. I put my laptop on a yoga block so it was at my eye height. I sat in front of a yellow wall and a pine bookshelf filled with my favorite books. Beforehand, I went on my own Zoom account to see how it looked. A bit too busy, so I took down a painting on the wall over the bookcase. A few weird book titles were right near my face in the view, so I changed them out for two of my books, face out. I added a healthy-looking plant to soften things.
Some authors use a curtain (a friend has a curtain that looks like a library shelf!). Some use a blank wall. Some have a credenza with a few objects or an interesting plant. The goal, I find, is to not make the background pop out more than your face; at the same time, it’s attractive enough to fit who you are.
Others blur or use one of the Zoom backdrops. As a viewer, I find this disconcerting. In the Zoom backdrop, if the guest moves, the edge of their face and body shimmers. I prefer to go with a real background because it’s just one more way I can interest an audience in who I am—and my books.
Always check out your view on Zoom before you go live. Log into your free Zoom account (www.zoom.us) and make any tweaks you need to for positioning the computer and arranging the background.
What to wear? Totally your call. I wear a bright colored top and a scarf. As I guested on those first few podcasts, I wore different tops to see what went best with my background.
The less to distract a viewer, the better. I learned a hard lesson from that television show, and I wanted to do it right this time.
Your Weekly Writing Exercise
My podcast guru, Michelle Glogovac, wrote a book with so many great tips. Check out How to Get on Podcasts or her website (click on her name above) for suggestions on how to show up, how to prepare, and how to use the interviews to help your marketing efforts.
Michelle herself was one of my favorite interviewers. You can listen to my podcast on her show, My Simplified Life, below. Her questions for me, and her way of being so at ease with her guests, may give you a sense of how to proceed with your own podcast bookings, if you’d like try them!
Have you been on podcasts? What did you love (or not) about them?