Q: How does an unknown author with a new novel pitch a radio station for an interview?

A: Radio and TV stations are not that excited about interviewing fiction authors… they are excited about interviewing authors about an issue. If your novel is centered around an issue, you’ll have a much easier time landing a broadcast media interview.

One of our WinePress authors, Gail Larson, published a novel about cancer survivors called From Kansas to Oz. November is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we had no problem booking her for radio and TV interviews for her novel… because our publicity department tied it to the issue and to the event.

If you’re a novelist, become an expert on the issues in your novel. Know what the statistics are, what others are saying, and what is happening related to the issue. Offer yourself as a resource to the media. During the interview, if you have the opportunity to mention your novel, be sure to refer it to by name instead of saying, “In my novel…”