Ideas to Use Audio to Get The Word Out to your Readers is a Guest Post on Indie Author News from Author Thomas Sullivan.
Hey, I’ve Heard About Your Book
The audio world is often overlooked by indie authors looking to spread the word about their work. Yet, there are a number of great opportunities out there for authors, and most of them are free. Podcasters, internet radio hosts, and audio-journal editors are always looking for interesting authors with exciting stories, both fictional and true. Below are a few great resources available to authors:
Radio Guest List (http://www.radioguestlist.com/ on Twitter at @radioguestlist)
Radio Guest List receives listings from podcasts and internet radio shows seeking guests. They have a daily email newsletter that delivers new opportunities to your in-box, and their twitter feed also present opportunities daily. I have done roughly a dozen interviews through shows I found here, and all but one were able to record shows remotely (ie over the phone) at convenient times. Most programs also keep shows archived online, which allows the author to share their interview later through Facebook and Twitter.
Duotrope (http://duotrope.com/)
Duotrope offers an extensive listing of literary journals. It is searchable by different mediums, one of which is “Audio Publication.” After accessing the site, navigate to the Search tab, choose the Medium option, and pick Audio Publication. On a recent visit I found forty-six different journals listed.
Some journals prefer that the author submit an audio recording, while others accept written stories and then record those stories using in-house narrators. If you want to record your own story, there are a number of affordable programs out there that enable you to record your own stories using a laptop and a headset. Here is a clip I recorded this way for Word Riot (prior to my audiobook publisher recording my story professionally): http://www.wordriot.org/template_3.php?ID=2007
Twitter Search
In my experience, google for “podcasts” or “internet radio book shows” yields sites having numerous and time-consuming links to inactive shows (this could just be my Google skills however). Twitter, on the other hand, has the advantage of being a real-time entity offering links to active podcasts. Many shows focus on the work of well known or famous authors, and finding opportunities for newer authors requires significant searching, but shows interested in your story are out there.
Traditional Radio
Traditional AM and FM radio may be the most difficult avenue for new authors to find an opportunity for interviews, given ownership-concentration and content-syndication in the industry. Many stations do have weekend shows that focus on the arts, and independent radio stations (or local stations if your story is about a local issue) may be open to receiving interview requests. I recently connected with an FM comedy show in Boston (with the wonderful name “Bubbles In The Think Tank”) that agreed to play excerpts from my story. I am also currently exploring opportunities to get my story onto college radio stations, which tend to have very diverse show lineups.
A good listing for radio stations searchable by location and type can be found at:
http://radio-locator.com/
Hopefully this has been of help. Happy hunting and good luck!
- Thomas Sullivan
About the Author
Thomas lives in Seattle and welcomes your questions and comments at the end of this post. Please, connect also with Thomas on Twitter.
Life in The Slow Lane
Listen here to some Audio Excerpts of Thomas Sullivan's Book: Life in the Slow Lane:
Link to Thomas Sullivan's Website
Link to the Book Life in The Slow Lane as eBook w/ Excerpt
Connect with Thomas Sullivan via Twitter: @ThomasSullivan4
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