10 Best Author Interview Podcasts to Be a Guest On

Now that the hard work of writing is over, it's time for the book marketing to begin. That's intense in a different way, but what could be better than promoting your new book than on a podcast?

The question remains - where do you find podcasts that interview authors? And which podcasts would put you in front of your ideal readers or boost your book reviews?

Read on to discover some of our favorite author interview podcasts.

1. Happy To Be Here

Happy To Be Here is an author interview show that has been putting out weekly episodes for over a decade.

Each month is a special book club episode where podcast host Greta Johnsen talks to author guests and friends about their books. In these podcast interviews, writers describe the ideas that inspired them and offer their best writing tips for aspiring authors.

Rephonic Insight:

Happy To Be Here enjoys a highly engaged, primarily female audience, so it could be an excellent podcast to pitch if your novel is written for or about women.

2. New Books Network

The clue is in the name with this podcast. New Books Network is one of the standout author interview podcasts, featuring conversations with writers about their new books across fields like history, literature, and philosophy. Its 2000+ episodes and idea-driven format make it especially appealing for listeners who want rigorous discussions of new books and the research behind them.

Rephonic Insight:

The show frequently features authors with international or cross-disciplinary perspectives, and it tends to appeal to listeners who value rigorous, idea-driven conversations and practical insights for teaching, research, or scholarly publishing.

3. The Book Review

The Book Review is a long-running New York Times podcast hosted by Gilbert Cruz, featuring conversations with leading authors, critics, and editors about the latest books and ideas shaping the literary world.

The show covers everything from new releases and author interviews to broader discussions around literature, culture, criticism, and the writing process.

Rephonic Insight:

We provided estimated podcast listener numbers based on hundreds of publicly available data points to help you figure out whether a show is worth pitching. An interview on The Book Review could get you in front of approximately 35k listeners!

4. Bad On Paper

Avid book lovers Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter enjoy conversations with some of their favorite authors about cookbooks, novels, short stories and everything in between. Bad on Paper broadcasts monthly book club episodes and includes author interviews about the club's book of the month.

Rephonic Insight:

A healthy social following can indicate that a podcast has an engaged and committed audience. Instagram is Bad on Paper's social platform of choice, and the podcast and book club have 28.6k followers there.

5. Between The Covers

Tin House has been publishing books since 2002 and embraced podcasting 13 years ago with Between The Covers, hosted by writer David Naimon.

The podcast features in-depth interviews with non-fiction writers, novelists and poets. Many of these interviews are well over an hour long and explore the psychology and inspiration behind each author's work.

Rephonic Insight:

Using our Related section can throw up other podcasts potentially looking for authors and poet interviews. Use the 3D graph to see connections between shows.

6. Books and Boba

If you're an Asian or Asian-American author, then Books & Boba is a podcast worth exploring. This podcast highlights books by Asian-American authors and covers various fiction and non-fiction genres. This kind of targeted show can be especially useful for authors looking for relevant, demographic-specific podcast opportunities.

It features conversations with authors and avid readers, book club discussions and news from the publishing world. Recent episodes include a conversation with a first-time author, a discussion about a contemporary fantasy romance novel and an intriguing interview with the author of a graphic memoir about growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in the USA.

Rephonic Insight:

The Overview tab includes a list of recent topics covered on the show. Conversations on Books & Boba have explored a wide range of themes, including Asian American identity, family dynamics, female empowerment, colonialism, and generational trauma.

7. Totally Booked with Zibby

Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly known as Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, is a popular literary podcast hosted by author, publisher and bookstore owner, Zibby Owens. The show features warm, fast-paced interviews with bestselling, buzzy, and under-the-radar authors, and gives listeners insider access to new books, author lives, and the stories behind the stories.

Rephonic Insight:

Click the People button to view host information, including social media links and other contact details.

8. Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews is a respected literary podcast from Kirkus Reviews. Host Megan Labrise speaks with authors about their books, creative work, and the ideas behind each title. The show has a thoughtful, industry-aware tone and gives listeners a closer look at new and notable books.

Rephonic Insight:

The Overview tab gives you key information about a podcast, including whether it is active, meaning it has published a new episode in the last 60 days. In this case, Fully Booked has been running for 9 years and publishes on a weekly schedule.

9. Geek's Guide to the Galaxy

The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy could be worth pitching if you're into writing science fiction books. The podcast features conversations with some of the giants in the writing world, including Neil Gaiman, Ursula LeGuin and George R. R. Martin.

Other episodes feature interviews with other geeks and writers discussing movies, games, short stories, novels, memoirs, poetry, and more. Every so often, the show throws in a panel discussion and movie review.

Rephonic Insight:

We pull ratings and reviews from Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms to calculate an average rating. We also surface common themes from listener reviews, so you can quickly understand the overall sentiment without reading each review individually.

10. Smart Podcast, Trashy Books

If you're a romance novelist, this podcast was made for you.

Host Sarah Wendell is a big romance fan, and each week, she makes reading recommendations and talks to friends, authors and fellow podcasters about romance novels. They discuss how the genre is changing, the issues romance readers raise and the "brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce" this popular, best-selling genre.

Past episodes include conversations with authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing and marketing professionals, editors, and librarians.

Rephonic Insight:

Rephonic makes it easy to pitch a podcast host or producer. Our data includes contact details, and you can pitch from your own email address without leaving Rephonic.

Final thoughts

We hope at least one of these podcasts looking for authors caught your attention.

But don't restrict yourself to shows that are dedicated solely to interviewing authors. There are plenty of others that cover topics relevant to you or your book that you could provide value on. You just need to think out of the box.

Try Rephonic's 3D graph tool to find shows that share a similar audience. Start a free trial to get full access to data like listener numbers, contact info, and so much more.