Frequently asked questions
Questions about podcast, radio, and TV publicity for authors
Published by C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists. Last updated November 2026.
Here are direct answers to the questions authors and publishers ask most about podcast booking, broadcast interviews, and hiring a book publicist.
Every answer below comes from what C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists publishes about its own work. Where a fact, such as an exact price, is not published, the answer says so and explains how to confirm it. Questions are grouped by topic, so you can jump straight to pricing, process, fit, or getting started.
Podcast and radio booking for authors
What is podcast booking for authors?
Podcast booking for authors is the work of pitching an author to podcast hosts and producers and scheduling guest interviews about the book and the author’s expertise. At C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists, podcast appearances are one part of a customized campaign that also covers radio, television, print, and internet media, so each interview supports a wider plan.
Does C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists book podcast interviews?
Yes. Vice president David C. Lewis helps authors focus their messaging and establish their brand through frequent interviews and appearances on podcasts, radio, and television. Podcast outreach sits among the services the firm mixes and matches to suit each author, alongside print, broadcast, and online publicity.
Do you schedule radio interviews for authors?
Yes. Scheduling radio interviews is part of the firm’s everyday work, along with telephone follow-up on press materials and pitching editors. Cathy Lewis’s authors receive frequent interviews on regional and national radio, and client Jim Camp wrote that she delivered dozens of radio interviews in a matter of a few short months.
Can a book publicist get me on television?
Television is one of the four media C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works in. Client Mike Song wrote that the team helped him make over 100 media appearances, including CNN and Good Morning America, and Jim Camp reported television in all the major markets. Results depend on the book, the author, and the news cycle.
What does internet media exposure mean for an author?
Internet media exposure means being read and heard online: interviews, articles, columns, and blogs. Cathy Lewis helps clients become regular bloggers at sites such as Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Inc.com, and PsychologyToday.com, and David C. Lewis helps authors become contributors at Thrive Global, Forbes.com, Chief Executive, and PsychologyToday.com.
What is the difference between a book publicist and a podcast booking service?
A podcast booking service generally focuses on one channel: guest spots on shows. A book publicist works across media. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists combines print, radio, television, and internet exposure in one campaign, so a podcast interview can sit alongside reviews, op-eds, bylined articles, and broadcast appearances that reinforce the same message.
What is a media kit and why do producers want one?
A media kit is the background package producers and editors use to decide whether to book you. The firm creates media kits that television and radio producers, journalists, editors, and bloggers can reference for background material, reviews, story ideas, interview topics, and bylined articles. Sample press kits are posted on the firm’s main website.
Pricing
How much does a book publicist cost?
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not publish prices on its website. Each campaign is customized to the author’s goals, media mix, and timing, so cost is discussed directly. To get a figure for your book, contact the firm through its contact page and describe your book, your launch date, and the media you want to reach.
Do publicists charge per podcast booking?
Pricing models vary across the industry: some firms charge per placement, while others work on a monthly or campaign basis. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists does not publish its pricing structure, so the way to confirm how your campaign would be billed is to ask the firm directly during your first conversation.
What affects the cost of a book publicity campaign?
Generally, cost follows scope: how long the campaign runs, how many media it covers, and which extra services are added. The firm mixes and matches services to suit each author, and can add media coaching, speaker services, and writing services through professionals it works with closely. Confirm the specific cost for your plan with the firm.
Is a publicist worth it if my publisher already does publicity?
It can be, depending on your goals. The firm’s own FAQ explains that unless a book is on a publisher’s top tier list, the most an author can expect is often a mailing to book reviewers with little or no follow-up. An independent publicist works for you and focuses every working day on getting you exposure.
Are there services beyond publicity?
Yes. The firm can expand its team with specialized professionals it works with frequently: speaker services to help land valuable speaking opportunities, media coaching for television, radio, and live audiences, and writing services for ghostwritten op-eds, bylined articles, newsletters, and marketing material that complement a publicity campaign.
How a campaign works
How does a book publicity campaign start?
It starts with a conversation. The firm talks with you about your expertise and strengths, your media experience, and above all your professional goals. From there it customizes a creative media kit and a strategic campaign designed to generate interest in you and your book across print, radio, television, and internet media.
How do you pitch authors to radio and podcast producers?
The firm builds a customized list of top media contacts with whom it has established relationships, then offers them story ideas about you and your book that match their audience and content preferences. Books and media kits go out to the contacts that matter, followed by an intensive follow-up process to secure interviews.
What does it mean to tie a pitch to breaking news?
It means pitching you as an expert on a story while it is still unfolding. The firm develops a continual stream of timely pitches and aligns them with breaking news as it happens, often the same day, because being the first publicist to respond to a hot-button event is how on-the-spot interviews get booked.
Will I get updates during my campaign?
Client Mark Pastin wrote that Cathy Lewis keeps you up to date as opportunities emerge and gives you a monthly summary of results. The firm describes its client relationships as personal and highly collaborative. Ask about reporting during your first conversation so you know exactly what to expect for your own campaign.
Can interviews be coordinated with my travel schedule?
Yes. The firm evaluates and pursues opportunities to maximize author travel to major media markets and coordinates appearances with your personal schedule. Its own example: if you planned a trip to Florida to visit family, it could arrange a local television appearance or coordinate a book signing in the area.
Do you work with my publisher’s publicity team?
Yes. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists works closely with publishers’ and businesses’ publicity teams so that its efforts on your behalf complement theirs. That means your publisher’s mailing and review outreach can continue while the firm adds tailored broadcast, podcast, print, and online pitching around your expertise.
Who will work on my campaign?
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists is led by president Cathy Lewis, who worked as an in-house publicist at publishing houses for seven years before founding the firm in 1994, and vice president David C. Lewis, who focuses on podcasts, radio, television, and contributor roles. Client Mark Pastin noted Cathy has a team of people who work with her.
Do podcast interviews keep working after they air?
They can. An article on the firm’s blog points out that a podcast appearance introduces an author to a whole new group of people: the host, other guests, and the listeners. The firm’s internet marketing work also aims to create an ongoing online presence that generates exposure long after a campaign ends.
Can you help me become a contributor on major websites?
Yes. Cathy Lewis helps clients become regular bloggers at sites such as Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Inc.com, and PsychologyToday.com. David C. Lewis helps authors become contributors at Thrive Global, Forbes.com, Chief Executive, and PsychologyToday.com. Contributor roles give an author a lasting platform beyond individual interviews.
Who it is for
Which authors and publishers are your highest priority?
Authors and publishers with a book launching soon are C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists’ highest-priority clients. A launch gives producers and editors a timely reason to book an interview, and it gives the firm time to build a media kit, get books to the right contacts, and schedule appearances around publication.
Do you work with publishers as well as authors?
Yes. The firm serves both authors and publishers and takes pride in developing personal, highly collaborative relationships with each. It works alongside publishers’ publicity teams so its efforts complement theirs, which lets a publisher extend the reach of a title without duplicating the outreach its own staff already handles.
What subjects does C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists handle?
The firm lists an established track record with books and authors in ten subject areas: business, careers, work/life, parenting, health, diet and nutrition, food and cookbooks, self-help, human potential, and new age and spirituality. Its client list also includes titles in current events, economics, and politics.
What if radio and television make me nervous?
That is common, and the firm plans around it. Its media coaching service gives authors insider tricks and training on how to feel and look professional and confident on television, on radio, and before live audiences. Campaigns are also customized to your strengths, so the media mix can lean toward the formats where you shine.
Who should choose a different kind of service?
If you only want a short list of podcast guest spots and no other media, a single-channel podcast booking service may suit you better. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists builds collaborative, multi-media campaigns, so it fits authors who want print, radio, television, and online exposure working together toward sales, platform, and future opportunities.
Compared to the alternatives
Why hire a book publicist instead of letting my publisher handle publicity?
Because a book publicist does nothing but book publicity. The firm’s FAQ explains that every moment of its work day goes to getting authors high-value exposure: scheduling radio interviews, following up by phone on press material, pitching magazine editors, and sending fresh pitches when news breaks. Its priority is getting you and your book into the news.
What can an independent publicist do that a publisher usually won’t?
An independent publicist works for you. The firm’s FAQ notes that large publishers typically lack the time, budget, or staff to tailor a campaign to each author’s expertise, region, and travel, to communicate daily to pitch news in real time, or to promote a specific area of your work you want emphasized.
How does publicity at a small press compare?
According to the firm’s FAQ, publicity departments at small, independent presses tend to work hard and have fewer books to focus on, but they also have fewer resources than big publishers. They usually lack the budget or staff for a targeted campaign per author and first-name relationships with hundreds of editors, reporters, columnists, and producers.
Should I book podcasts myself?
You can. Booking yourself means researching shows, writing pitches, following up, and preparing for each interview, which takes steady time. A publicist brings existing relationships with producers and a media kit built for them. Many authors pitch a few shows on their own and bring in a publicist when they want broader, coordinated coverage.
Is radio still worth it for authors compared with podcasts?
Both are worth considering, and they work differently. Radio interviews tend to be shorter and reach live regional or national audiences, while podcast conversations run longer and stay available online. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists books both, along with television, so an author can use each format for what it does best.
What does a full campaign add over podcast-only booking?
A full campaign adds the other media. Beyond interviews, the firm secures features, mentions, reviews, op-eds, and bylined article placements, pursues television, and helps authors build contributor roles online. The goal is name recognition that leads to book sales, subsequent printings, new publishing opportunities, clients, and speaking engagements.
Practical details
Where is C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists located?
The firm lists two offices on its contact page: 2 Oriole Drive, Woodstock, New York 12498, and 31-F Stratford Lane West, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436. Its authors have been featured in national newspapers, business publications, women’s magazines, and online venues across North America.
How long has the firm been in business?
Cathy Lewis launched C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists in 1994, after seven years as an in-house publicist at publishing houses. She started the company convinced that she could do a much better job serving authors, and she remains its president today, with David C. Lewis as vice president.
Have the firm’s authors reached bestseller lists?
Yes. According to the firm’s about page, Cathy Lewis’s strategic media campaigns have landed authors on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Client Mike Song wrote that his book The Hamster Revolution sold over 125,000 copies in 11 languages.
Where can I see real results from past campaigns?
The firm’s Clients PR page links to media pages kept by past clients, such as Daniel G. Amen MD, Joel Schwartzberg, and Areva Martin, so you can see actual coverage. Its References page publishes client statements in full, and its Clients page lists a sampling of authors and titles it has worked with.
Do you also cover print media?
Yes. Print is one of the four media in every campaign mix. The firm distributes books and media kits to editors and follows up to secure features, reviews, mentions, op-eds, and bylined articles. Its authors have appeared in prestigious business publications, national newspapers, and women’s magazines.
Getting started
How do I get started with C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists?
Use the contact page on the firm’s main website at cslewispublicity.com. Share your book’s title and subject, your launch date, your publisher if you have one, and what you hope the campaign will achieve. Authors and publishers with a book launching soon are the firm’s highest priority.
When should I contact a publicist before my book launches?
As soon as you have a publication date. Producers and editors need time to receive the book and media kit before they decide on interviews, and the firm needs time to plan pitches around your launch and travel. Because books launching soon are its priority, confirm the ideal timeline for your title directly.
What should I prepare before the first conversation?
Think through the topics the firm will ask about: your expertise and strengths, any media experience you have, and your professional goals. It also helps to know your travel plans, your publisher’s publicity contacts, and any area of your work you would like promoted more or differently.
Can I hire a publicist after my book is already out?
Possibly. The firm’s priority is books launching soon, but its blog argues that publication is the starting line, not the finish line, especially for authors building speaking platforms. If your book is already published, contact the firm to discuss whether a campaign fits your goals and timing.
Problems and concerns
My publisher sent my book to reviewers and stopped. What now?
That pattern is described in the firm’s own FAQ: unless a book is on a publisher’s top tier list, it may receive a mailing to reviewers with little or no follow-up. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists adds what is missing, with intensive follow-up, timely pitches, and broadcast and podcast outreach built around you.
I have had a bad experience with a publicist. Why try again?
Read what clients say in their own words. Mark Pastin wrote, “I heard all the bad things about publicists, but I was completely satisfied and very enthusiastic about Cathy.” The firm’s References page publishes several full client statements, and its Clients PR page links to real coverage from past campaigns.
Can a publicist guarantee podcast or TV interviews?
Generally, no publicist controls what producers and editors decide to run, so interviews cannot be promised in advance. C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists says it stands by its results and points to real coverage from client campaigns on its Clients PR page. Ask the firm what results are realistic for your book.
What happens if a news story breaks in my field?
That is an opportunity. The firm aligns pitches with breaking news as it happens, often the same day, so you can be offered as an expert while the story is still developing. Its FAQ stresses that it is critical to be the first publicist to respond to a hot-button event.
Back to the main guide on podcast booking for authors
Have a book launching soon?
C.S. Lewis & Co. Publicists gives priority to authors and publishers with a book launching soon. Tell the team about your book, your expertise, your launch date, and what you want the campaign to achieve.