While this creates some challenges for the hopeful writer looking for a little air time, the modern world of radio may also hold opportunities that didn't previously exist. The following tips should improve the author's chances for a fruitful day on the air.

Find out who belongs to whom.

Go to a station's web site and look for a mother company site to get a list of all the stations owned by that company in that area. Continue to identify and obtain contact information for each cluster in the market.

Prioritize the list by matching the format to the genre.

Some books are universally applicable. A book expose on how the automobile industry has been systematically replacing steel with balsa wood would be of interest to almost anyone. But a horror novel may not fit on an easy listening station, a western would probably touch the most potential readers through a country format and a romance might get the best results with adult contemporary or oldies. Every station has a potential buying audience, but prioritizing will allow a writer to concentrate efforts on the best opportunities first.

Drive time is the right time.

Listen to these stations and determine where they are live. Listening for an hour between 6 and 9 in the morning, during the lunch hour and for an hour between 3 and 6 in the afternoon will tell a writer a lot about what opportunities may exist.

National shows (shows with a national personality or broadcasting from another city) are out. The local talent who gives specific time checks ("8:42" vs. "approaching 9 o'clock now",) puts listeners on the air, holds call-in contests and reacts to very current news is the best bet for marketing.

Mornings are most likely to be live, followed by lunch and finally afternoon. The ultimate result would be a cluster of six stations housing three live morning shows, one of which is on a station that perfectly matches the novel's genre.

Make the call.

Don't call the business line or send an E-mail. Make the call to the main host of the morning show most likely to market well. Calling within ten minutes of the show's end is best. Radio folk wear several hats and are very busy, working in an industry that has reduced its number of staff by maybe 75% over the past twenty years. If you don't catch them early you may not catch them at all.

And here's the pitch!

The reality is most morning show folks are looking for bits to fill. They crack the mike twenty or more times in three hours and are constantly faced with the challenge of keeping that much talk engaging. Give it to them. If the work is vital to the station's typical listener, terrific. If fiction, push the local author angle or maybe a local setting. The trick is to find something about the author or story that is worth talking about. And this pitch absolutely must be verbal. Do not do this in an E-mail or fax. Ultimately the author's personality is what gets the airtime.

So you're sayin' there's a chance? The benefit of having three shows in one building, is a writer can repeat their well-practiced gig and expose themselves to three times the audience in one morning. Ask the first host to help promote to the other stations. With consolidation, there is a good chance that he or she has a live lunch show on another format. Spread through the cluster and explore every possible avenue.

Give it away.

Book markers and keychains are cute and nice for the ego, but they don't translate well to giveaway on the radio. Giveaway at least one autographed copy per appearance. If the book is tied to a service, psychic readings or massage therapy perhaps, offer the service as well. A giveaway takes the pressure off the author and also helps the sell to show hosts.

Take two... and three.

Even though most radio programs are voice-tracked, there may still be an opportunity for the enthusiastic author to get even more exposure. Pre-recorded weekend shows are dull and lifeless and most talents would rather eat glass than lay down six hours worth of tracks.

Offer to do an interview over the weekend for a couple of different tracked shows. The talent may give up an entire hour of talky just to save themselves from the monotony. And radio companies almost always own clusters in adjoining markets, so if the live interviews go well, ask for interviews in other clusters in regions and cities close to your own.

The missing link. Web sites are extremely important aspects of today's radio stations. Have a web site or at the very least a link to purchase the book. Once on the station's site, it'll probably stay there for at least a couple of weeks, which amounts to more great free exposure.

Remember that radio talents are always looking for something to talk about. Authors with confidence in their products and personalities will ensure that both authors and the radio jock get exactly what they want.

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