Do you have your own radio show (online or a regular radio show) that promotes your cause and your book?  Do you feel that this works as a promotion method for your book?  Do you have call-ins on your show?  What format works the best for you?

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  • Hi Haseena,

    Someone in my women's writers group just shared this article so although it doesn't discuss being a host, I thought it might help you and others understand how being a guest can benefit authors: http://tinyurl.com/85ow3ca I have hosted two internet radio shows. The first one was with VoiceAmerica and was a call-in show. It was expensive to host an hour-long show and, to be honest, not that many people called in. According to the network, I had about 1500 listeners/week. It was a lot of work for that few listeners. I always read each of my 2 guests' books, although for the bestselling authors, I had them on for the entire hour. For the past 2 1/2 years, I've hosted a half hour prerecorded show on Webtalkradio called the Hope, Healing and WellBeing show. ( http://webtalkradio.net/shows/hope-healing-and-wellbeing/) I like this format better as there are no commercial breaks, it's not as much prep time and the cost is less. This network advertises the internet shows on 'regular' radio shows, plus does a good job promoting the shows on social media. I now have between 25-29,000 listeners/week. My book is advertised weekly on the website so it's good exposure.

    I don't really think having a radio show has increased my book sales substantially. The reason why I still do it is because 1) I love doing the shows and networking with many bestselling authors and other experts in my field ( I also run a nonprofit holistic center, Well Within). I often chat with guests after the interviews about their publishing experiences and end up getting referrals for literary agents, publishing tips, etc; 2) I'm increasing my platform for both speaking and writing, which hopefully will help me get a publisher for my next book; 3) It's been a terrific way to become very comfortable on the air and increase my self-confidence; 4) It's been worth the cost (about $150/week) because it's an extension of our programming at Well Within. For the past year, we've had a sponsor to cover this cost. So you also can  try to get a sponsor if you decide to try hosting this type of show. 

    An effective way to see if it's something that works for you is to try one of the free internet radio networks. Blogtalk radio seems to be one of the most popular ones. But I must add that my friends who use it don't get have that many listeners..usually less than 1000 /week. As Jeff says, you still need to do the marketing for these stations, but as writers, we need to be constantly doing that anyway, right?  Hope this helps!

    How to Leverage Podcasts, Internet Radio Shows and Teleseminars to Promote Your Books
  • You can but Internet radio space pretty cheaply, but you have to get the listeners. You can also buy a lot of local broadcast time off-hours for very little money, but again the marketing is up to you. 

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