Does A Radio Interview Help Sell Books?

The jury is out on whether a radio interview will help sell your book. I once asked my clients that question and found that those who see the glass as half full had a positive response, like my weight loss client, who reports that with every radio interview she sells her book. The others said it’s hard to tell, taking into account a spike on Amazon and whether listeners may buy the book days later.

Unfortunately, most radio interviews have been disappointing in terms of book sales, a client says, citing five reasons why:

(1) The interviewer does not have a broad enough listening audience.

(2) Few or none of the interviewer’s audience read books.

(3) The interviewer does not mention the book’s source often enough.

(4) Listeners are on the move, driving, having no opportunity to write down anything.

(5) The subject is of no interest to the interviewer’s audience.

Best results, he adds, was when he was asked to mention his website address, and he carefully spelled it letter by letter.

Of course, it helps if the author is well known. I always tell my authors that radio is just one form of promotion. It’s not the end-all. If they sell their books, more power to them. If not, they were on the radio. How many people can say that?