Podcasts That Interview Authors

How we know a show books authors

We read 385 show feeds and looked for the words hosts use when they introduce a writer: "author of", "bestselling author", "new book", "memoir", "debut novel". 43 shows passed every check:

• At least one of their 5 newest episodes introduces a guest as the author of a book, in the show's own words.
• The show is still publishing. A feed that went quiet is not a place to pitch, whatever its back catalogue says.
• The show has a page here that prints its recent episodes, so you can read the proof before you pitch.
• A person read the match. 6 shows matched the words but not the idea, almost always a host plugging their own book, and they are left out.

The 43 shows, grouped by topic

Between them these shows ran 64 author episodes in their newest 5 each. Within each topic, the shows that booked authors most often come first. Each row names the newest author episode and its date, so you can listen to it before you write.

This is not every show that interviews authors. It is the 43 in our directory that proved it in their newest episodes. A show that booked an author six episodes ago is not here, and neither is one that books writers without saying so in its notes. To search all 408 shows by topic, use the finder below.

What these episodes tell an author about pitching

The pattern is in the titles. In 42 of the 43 newest author episodes above, the title never calls the guest an author. It sells the idea, a question or the guest's name. The book shows up in the notes, in one line: "author of" and the title.

• Pitch the idea your book argues, not the book. The host is choosing an episode, and the episode is the argument.
• Give the host the one line they will write anyway: your name, the credential that matters to their listeners, and the book's title.
• Most of these shows are nonfiction and expert-led: Business, Careers, Health & Fitness, Mental Health lead the list. If your book teaches something, these are your shows. Fiction is thin here because our directory leans toward interview shows about work, health and money, not because book shows do not exist.
• Listen to the episode on the row before you write. Naming it in your first line is the fastest proof that you are not sending the same email to fifty hosts.

Timing matters as much as the pitch. Thepodcast book tour guidehas a month-by-month plan, a pitch and a follow-up to copy, and what to say about the book on air.

How to check a show before you pitch it

Whether a show came from this list or anywhere else, four checks take a couple of minutes:

• Open the author episode on the row and listen to the first five minutes. Is the host reading the book, or reading a publicist's summary of it?
• Check the date on the newest episode. A show that stopped publishing will not air yours.
• Look at who else they booked. If every author is a household name, a debut author needs a sharper angle than the book itself.
• Find the route in on the show's page here. A guest form on the show's own site beats every other door, because it is the one the host asked for.

How this list was built, and what it cannot tell you

Every show comes from our directory of 408 podcasts sourced from public Apple Podcasts data. We read each show's public feed and kept its 5 newest episodes, title and notes, exactly as published. 385 feeds were readable. A show is listed when its own words in those episodes introduce a guest who wrote a book, it is still publishing, and it has a page here that prints the evidence. Every match was read by hand on September 29, 2026; 6 were the host's own book or not a guest, and they are excluded.

• It cannot tell you a show wants an author now. It tells you the show booked one in its newest episodes.
• It is a snapshot. The feeds were last read on September 16, 2026, and the list is rebuilt when they are read again.
• It is not a ranking of quality or reach. Fit with your book matters more than the size of the show.

Frequently asked questions