Best Podcasts for Authors to Promote a Book in 2026: Ranked by Real Chart Data
Updated October 2026 · Based on CastFox data covering 29 Apple Podcasts chart snapshots in 78 countries (2026-02-24 to 2026-10-18) and 5M+ indexed podcasts
If you are looking for the best podcasts for authors to promote a book, these 20 shows are the ones worth a pitch in 2026. Every one of them reached the top 100 of the US Apple Podcasts Arts chart in at least one of the 29 daily CastFox snapshots taken between February 24 and October 18, 2026. We ranked them by how consistently they held that position rather than by any download claim.
Books do not have their own Apple Podcasts chart, so we started with the top 250 charting shows on the US Arts chart and kept only the feeds whose name, description or summary is about books, authors, writing, literature or novels. Sixty-one feeds passed that filter and the 20 strongest are ranked here. The category has split into clear sub-formats: weekly author interviews, craft and publishing shows for working writers, reader recommendation shows, single-title book clubs, trade news and adaptation coverage, and literature performed aloud. Which group you pitch depends on what stage your book is at.
Each card shows what the show is, who hosts it, why it made the list and who it suits, plus its chart record: the number of the 29 snapshots it appeared in, its average US Arts rank, its best rank, and how many of the 78 countries CastFox tracks had it in the genre top 100 on the latest scrape. The group headings say whether a show books guests, because an interview booking and a review placement need different pitches. You can monitor any of these shows in CastFox and build a target list with the AI Guest Finder.
The 20 best book and author podcasts of 2026 at a glance
| # | Podcast | Hosted by | Avg US rank | Best rank | Countries charting | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Book Club | Goalhanger | 12 | #2 | 58 | 32 |
| 2 | The Book Review | The New York Times | 17.2 | #9 | 53 | 600 |
| 3 | Selected Shorts | Symphony Space | 31.9 | #17 | 13 | 36 |
| 4 | What Should I Read Next? | Anne Bogel | 44.7 | #22 | 20 | 541 |
| 5 | Zero to Well-Read | Book Riot | 38 | #11 | 11 | 58 |
| 6 | NPR's Book of the Day | NPR | 43.7 | #29 | 14 | 1,000 |
| 7 | Storytime for Grownups | Faith Moore | 54.2 | #26 | 1 | 251 |
| 8 | Off The Shelf with Morgann Book | Bookish Media | 41 | #16 | 9 | 58 |
| 9 | Hello Crawlers - A Dungeon Crawler Carl Podcast | Grant Davis | 55.7 | #23 | 2 | 69 |
| 10 | The Currently Reading Podcast | Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb | 50.1 | #25 | 2 | 453 |
| 11 | Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast | Chelsea Devantez | 67 | #34 | 5 | 267 |
| 12 | Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa | Service95 | 67.2 | #26 | 60 | 48 |
| 13 | The Shit No One Tells You About Writing | Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra | 76.2 | #54 | 7 | 446 |
| 14 | The Literary Life Podcast | Angelina Stanford Thomas Banks | 79.4 | #48 | 4 | 343 |
| 15 | Book Riot - The Podcast | Book Riot | 81.8 | #55 | 4 | 930 |
| 16 | Daring Forever (Find your Extraordinary) | Radim Malinic | 52.4 | #23 | 0 | 259 |
| 17 | Overdue | Headgum | 83.2 | #59 | 2 | 835 |
| 18 | It Was A Book First | It Was A Book First | 54.5 | #32 | 4 | 15 |
| 19 | Books, Beach, & Beyond | Elin Hilderbrand, Tim Talks Books, N Magazine | 57.9 | #19 | 0 | 50 |
| 20 | Marlon and Jake Read Dead People | Penguin Random House | 57.3 | #14 | 13 | 35 |
Jump to a Show
- #1. The Book Club
- #2. The Book Review
- #3. Selected Shorts
- #4. What Should I Read Next?
- #5. Zero to Well-Read
- #6. NPR's Book of the Day
- #7. Storytime for Grownups
- #8. Off The Shelf with Morgann Book
- #9. Hello Crawlers - A Dungeon Crawler Carl Podcast
- #10. The Currently Reading Podcast
- #11. Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
- #12. Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa
- #13. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
- #14. The Literary Life Podcast
- #15. Book Riot - The Podcast
- #16. Daring Forever (Find your Extraordinary)
- #17. Overdue
- #18. It Was A Book First
- #19. Books, Beach, & Beyond
- #20. Marlon and Jake Read Dead People
Rising this month · How we ranked these · How to pick the right show · FAQ
The 20 Best Book and Author Podcasts to Listen To in 2026
Shows That Interview Authors Every Week
#2. The Book Review
Hosted by The New York Times
About this show: The New York Times Book Review's weekly show, hosted by Gilbert Cruz with editors from the Book Review, where authors and critics discuss the week's top books and what is happening in the literary world.
Why it made the list in 2026: The most visible author interview slot in English-language book media, and the show's own stated format is authors and critics joining the host. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 17.2, best #9, charting in 53 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors with a trade publisher and a publicist who can reach a books desk.
#6. NPR's Book of the Day
Hosted by NPR
About this show: A short daily show from NPR that gives one book and one author per episode in 15 minutes or less, drawn from NPR's wider books coverage across every genre and mood.
Why it made the list in 2026: A daily schedule means more author slots than any other show here, and each episode is built around a single author conversation. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 43.7, best #29, charting in 14 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors in any genre whose publicity team can place them with an NPR books interview.
#8. Off The Shelf with Morgann Book
Hosted by Bookish Media
About this show: Each week Morgann Book sits down with one guest to hear the story behind the book they wrote, including how the writing happened and the details of their life that sparked it. New episodes publish on Thursdays.
Why it made the list in 2026: A host-booked weekly interview show whose entire premise is the author's own process, which makes it one of the most pitchable shows in the category. Chart record: 24 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 41, best #16, charting in 9 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for romance and commercial fiction authors who can talk about craft and process.
#12. Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa
Hosted by Service95
About this show: Dua Lipa picks a book each month and talks to the writer who brought it to life, with archive conversations from the Service95 Book Club opened up between picks.
Why it made the list in 2026: A monthly slot with an unusually large crossover audience, and the conversation with the writer is the core of every pick rather than an add-on. Chart record: 18 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 67.2, best #26, charting in 60 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors with broad general-reader appeal and a publisher pushing for a book club placement.
#19. Books, Beach, & Beyond
Hosted by Elin Hilderbrand, Tim Talks Books, N Magazine
About this show: Elin Hilderbrand, author of 30 titles, and Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books host discussions with bestselling authors, publishing industry insiders and the Nantucket figures who appear in Hilderbrand's novels.
Why it made the list in 2026: A guest-led format run by a working novelist and a bookseller, so pitches are read by people inside the trade rather than by a producer. Chart record: 10 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 57.9, best #19, charting in 0 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for commercial fiction authors, especially in beach read and book club territory.
Craft and Publishing Shows for Working Writers
#13. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Hosted by Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
About this show: Bianca Marais, author of The Witches of Moonshyne Manor, interviews authors, agents and editors about bringing a book to market, with literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra critiquing query letters and opening pages in the Books with Hooks segment.
Why it made the list in 2026: The most direct industry access on this list, because two of the three hosts are literary agents and the show exists to explain publishing to emerging writers. Chart record: 27 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 76.2, best #54, charting in 7 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for debut and pre-publication authors who want craft and query feedback rather than a sales push.
#14. The Literary Life Podcast
Hosted by Angelina Stanford Thomas Banks
About this show: Teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks join lifelong reader Cindy Rollins for slow reads of classic literature and conversations with book lovers about the skill of reading well.
Why it made the list in 2026: A long-running show with a committed audience that treats reading as a discipline, and its conversation episodes bring in outside voices. Chart record: 28 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 79.4, best #48, charting in 4 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors writing about literature, classical education or the reading life.
#16. Daring Forever (Find your Extraordinary)
Hosted by Radim Malinic
About this show: Radim Malinic, an author and creative, releases a weekly interview with people he calls Forever Daring Humans about courage, setbacks and pursuing an extraordinary life. The show is tied to his own book of the same name.
Why it made the list in 2026: A weekly single-guest interview run by an author who books the guests himself, so a pitch goes straight to the person who decides. Chart record: 13 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 52.4, best #23, charting in 0 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for nonfiction authors with a personal story about risk, creativity or reinvention.
Reader Recommendation Shows Where the Pitch Is a Reading Copy
#4. What Should I Read Next?
Hosted by Anne Bogel
About this show: Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy interviews one reader per week about the books they love, the books they hate and what they are reading now, then recommends what to read next. The show takes applications to appear.
Why it made the list in 2026: One of the few shows in the category with an open application to be a guest, and a recommendation here carries weight with a reading-heavy audience. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 44.7, best #22, charting in 20 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors whose readers overlap with book club audiences, and for authors willing to appear as a reader rather than as a promoted guest.
#5. Zero to Well-Read
Hosted by Book Riot
About this show: Book Riot's Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky take one widely discussed title per week, from high school classics to prize winners and cult favorites, and explain the plot, what reading it feels like and why it matters.
Why it made the list in 2026: The fastest-climbing book show in the current CastFox window, which makes it a placement worth tracking even though the format is host-led rather than guest-led. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 38, best #11, charting in 11 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors of books already part of a wider conversation, and for backlist titles finding new readers.
#10. The Currently Reading Podcast
Hosted by Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb
About this show: Meredith Monday Schwartz and Kaytee Cobb publish a weekly episode of spoiler-free reviews across every genre, with a Reader Know Thyself segment about reading taste. The show is ad-free and supports independent bookstores.
Why it made the list in 2026: A review-first show rather than an interview show, and the kind of mention that moves copies when a title fits the hosts' taste. Chart record: 26 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 50.1, best #25, charting in 2 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors and publicists sending a reading copy rather than pitching an interview.
Book Clubs Built Around One Title at a Time
#1. The Book Club
Hosted by Goalhanger
About this show: Goalhanger's weekly show, hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett, takes one classic or contemporary title per episode and unpacks the world it was written in and the story behind its author.
Why it made the list in 2026: The strongest chart record of any book show in this window, from a producer with a large existing podcast audience and a format built on the story behind a book. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 12, best #2, charting in 58 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors of history, biography and literary nonfiction whose subject has a story behind it.
#9. Hello Crawlers - A Dungeon Crawler Carl Podcast
Hosted by Grant Davis
About this show: Grant Davis, John Rubio and Martin Thomas run a read-along of the Dungeon Crawler Carl book and audiobook series, working through themes, characters and narrative as they go.
Why it made the list in 2026: Evidence of how much chart reach a single-series fan show can build, and a reminder that genre fiction communities sustain their own podcasts outside the trade press. Chart record: 27 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 55.7, best #23, charting in 2 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for LitRPG, progression fantasy and series authors looking at fan-run shows rather than book media.
#11. Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Hosted by Chelsea Devantez
About this show: Chelsea Devantez runs a book club on celebrity memoirs and reads them through a pop culture lens.
Why it made the list in 2026: A narrow, well-defined beat that is rising in the current window, and the only show here built entirely on memoir. Chart record: 27 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 67, best #34, charting in 5 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for memoirists and for publicists with celebrity or entertainment titles.
#17. Overdue
Hosted by Headgum
About this show: Andrew and Craig work through the books they have been meaning to read, one title per week, covering classic literature, obscure plays and children's books.
Why it made the list in 2026: A deep archive and a durable audience, and the kind of show that gives a backlist title a second week of attention. Chart record: 18 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 83.2, best #59, charting in 2 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors of books already in the canon or in the long tail, and for publishers reissuing a title.
Trade News and Adaptation Shows Authors Should Follow
#15. Book Riot - The Podcast
Hosted by Book Riot
About this show: Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky cover news in books and reading, including releases, adaptations and publishing industry events, for Book Riot, the largest independent editorial book site in North America.
Why it made the list in 2026: The clearest weekly read on what the trade press is paying attention to, and a show that is rising in the current window. Chart record: 19 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 81.8, best #55, charting in 4 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors and publicists who want to time a launch around what book media is already covering.
#18. It Was A Book First
Hosted by It Was A Book First
About this show: Culture reporters Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg cover new book-to-screen adaptations each week, including the business of what actually makes it off the page.
Why it made the list in 2026: A young show climbing quickly in the current window on a beat with little competition. Chart record: 10 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 54.5, best #32, charting in 4 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors with film or television rights in play, or an adaptation already in production.
#20. Marlon and Jake Read Dead People
Hosted by Penguin Random House
About this show: Booker Prize winning novelist Marlon James and his editor Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books, talk about dead authors, great books, terrible books and books they love that you would not expect. The show is produced by Penguin Random House.
Why it made the list in 2026: A publisher-produced show hosted by a working novelist and his editor, which makes it the most useful listen here for understanding how editors read. Chart record: 7 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 57.3, best #14, charting in 13 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best as research for literary authors rather than as a pitch target, since the show is about writers who are no longer living.
Literature Performed Aloud
#3. Selected Shorts
Hosted by Symphony Space
About this show: Symphony Space's show has actors perform one short story per episode, with new episodes every Thursday and voices drawn from literature, film, theater and comedy.
Why it made the list in 2026: The main audio outlet for short fiction in the US, and a credit that reaches a literary audience without an interview. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 31.9, best #17, charting in 13 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for short story writers and literary fiction authors with a standalone piece.
#7. Storytime for Grownups
Hosted by Faith Moore
About this show: Faith Moore reads classic literature aloud with built-in notes, in the format of an audiobook with commentary.
Why it made the list in 2026: A steady performer in this category with an audience that listens to full texts rather than discussion about them. Chart record: 29 of 29 US snapshots, average US rank 54.2, best #26, charting in 1 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Best for authors of annotated editions, translations and public domain reissues.
Rising This Month: Book and Author Podcasts Climbing the Charts (October 2026)
These are the book and author shows moving up fastest in CastFox rankings. We compare each show's average US chart position across the 3 most recent snapshots (2026-10-03 to 2026-10-18) with the 3 snapshots before that. A show that was outside the top 100 in the prior window is marked as new to the top 100. This section is refreshed every month; the main list above changes more slowly because it rewards consistency.
Zero to Well-Read
Hosted by Book Riot. Zero to Well-Read moved from an average of #63.3 to #24.3 (up 39 places), with a best US rank of #11 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 11 countries on the latest snapshot. Part book club, part English class, Zero to Well-Read is a fun and informative guide to the books people talk about like everyone has read them. Each week, hosts Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky take on a new title—from...
Book Riot - The Podcast
Hosted by Book Riot. Book Riot - The Podcast moved from an average of #93 to #69.7 (up 23.3 places), with a best US rank of #55 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 4 countries on the latest snapshot. News in the world of books and reading, including hot industry releases, adaptations, publishing industry events, and more with Book Riot’s Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky. Book Riot is the largest independent...
Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Hosted by Chelsea Devantez. Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast moved from an average of #89 to #68.7 (up 20.3 places), with a best US rank of #34 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 5 countries on the latest snapshot. Celebrity memoirs, pop culture, and books! Join us as we book club female celebrity memoirs through a thoughtful lens.
NPR's Book of the Day
Hosted by NPR. NPR's Book of the Day moved from an average of #49.3 to #32.3 (up 17 places), with a best US rank of #29 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 14 countries on the latest snapshot. In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking...
It Was A Book First
Hosted by It Was A Book First. It Was A Book First moved from an average of #52 to #36.7 (up 15.3 places), with a best US rank of #32 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 4 countries on the latest snapshot. It Was A Book First is a weekly podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Hosted by culture reporters and former colleagues Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg, IWABF dissects the TV and film adaptations everyone is...
How We Ranked These: CastFox Methodology
CastFox scrapes the Apple Podcasts charts every day in 78 countries and stores every position in the top 200 of every genre. For this list we took the 29 2026 snapshots of the US Book and Author chart between 2026-02-24 and 2026-10-18, and scored every show that appeared in the top 100 of any of them.
- Consistency (50% of the score): the number of snapshots in which the show appeared in the US top 100. Every show on this list appeared in at least 7 of the 29 snapshots, which is the filter that removes one-week spikes.
- Average US rank (30%): the mean of the show's US chart positions across those snapshots. Lower is better.
- Global reach (20%): the number of tracked countries in which the show was in the genre top 100 on the most recent snapshot. This is what separates a show with a large US following from a show with a global one.
There are no paid placements and no editorial overrides. A few shows on this list would not be our personal picks; they are here because the chart data put them here, and we would rather show you what people are actually listening to than what we think they should be. Chart position is not the same as audience size, so treat the ranking as a measure of sustained popularity rather than a download count. For a deeper look at what chart data can and cannot tell you, read how podcast audience demographics are calculated.
How to Pick the Right Book and Author Podcast for You
Podcasts that interview authors: which of these actually book writers as guests?
Five shows on this list describe an author or guest conversation as the format itself: The Book Review, NPR's Book of the Day, Off The Shelf with Morgann Book, Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa and Books, Beach, & Beyond. Those are the pitch targets. The craft shows add three more, because The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, The Literary Life Podcast and Daring Forever all bring in outside voices every week. The book clubs, review shows and performance shows in the other groups take books rather than people, so a reading copy and a one-page pitch letter work better there than a request for an interview.
How to get on a podcast as an author when your book is not out yet
Start with the shows a single person books. Off The Shelf with Morgann Book, Daring Forever and The Shit No One Tells You About Writing are all run by hosts who choose their own guests, which means the pitch reaches the decision maker in one email. Write to the subject, not the publication date: name the episode you listened to, propose one topic the host has not covered, and say in a line what you can say that nobody else on the show could. Our pitch template with a 35% reply rate is the format we use, and this targeting framework covers how to build the list before you write.
Best book podcasts that book guests: where should a debut novelist start?
A debut without a major publicist behind it should work from the bottom of this list upward. Off The Shelf with Morgann Book, Books, Beach, & Beyond and Daring Forever are reachable, publish weekly or close to it, and are built around one guest at a time. Fan and community shows matter more than they look: Hello Crawlers shows how much chart reach a single-series read-along can build, and genre communities in LitRPG, romance and progression fantasy run dozens of similar feeds that never appear on an Arts chart. The Book Review and NPR's Book of the Day are worth the pitch too, but those desks usually move through a publisher's publicity team.
Podcasts for nonfiction authors 2026: which shows take ideas over narrative?
Nonfiction travels on the argument rather than the plot, so the best fits are the shows that treat a book as a subject to be discussed. The Book Club unpacks the world a title was written in, which suits history, biography and literary nonfiction. Daring Forever takes a personal story about risk or reinvention. Glamorous Trash is the only show here built entirely on memoir. Book Riot - The Podcast and It Was A Book First are not interview slots, but they tell you what the trade press is covering this month, which is the cheapest way to decide when to launch.
Author interview podcast opportunities: how many pitches does a launch need?
Twenty shows is a list, not a campaign. A book launch that relies on podcasts usually needs a target list several times this size, built by genre and by audience rather than by chart position, with the national shows treated as upside instead of the plan. We wrote the full version of that in podcast guesting for authors, which covers the schedule, the pitch scripts and how to sequence small shows ahead of big ones. Use this ranking to pick the top of the list, then widen it with the AI Guest Finder and the AI Media List Builder.
What if you write short fiction and want the work read rather than discussed?
Selected Shorts and Storytime for Grownups are performance shows. Actors read a story or a chapter, with no interview and no review. For a short story writer that is a credit and an audience rather than a promotion slot, and Selected Shorts is the main audio outlet for short fiction in the US. Storytime for Grownups reads classic literature, so it fits annotated editions, translations and public domain reissues rather than new work.
Which shows belong to your publicist instead of you?
The Book Review, NPR's Book of the Day and Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa are placements, not pitches. They run on publisher publicity calendars, galley mailings and relationships with a books desk, and an author writing in directly is unlikely to reach the booking. If you have a publicist, these three are what you ask them about by name. If you do not, spend the same hours on the host-booked shows further down this list, where a good email still gets read.
Want the next 180 book and author podcasts?
This list is the top 20. The CastFox Book and Author chart page shows the top 50 updated daily, and PodcastGPT can find shows on any specific topic across 5M+ podcasts.
See the daily top 50 → Search by topic →Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Book and Author Podcasts
What is the best podcast for authors to promote a book in 2026?
By CastFox chart consistency, The Book Club from Goalhanger is the strongest book show on the US Apple Podcasts Arts chart in 2026: it appeared in all 29 snapshots, averaged a US Arts rank of 12 and charted in 58 countries on the latest scrape. For an author who wants an interview rather than coverage, The Book Review from The New York Times is the highest-reach show on this list whose format is authors and critics in conversation with the host. For a first booking without a publicist, Off The Shelf with Morgann Book and Daring Forever are far easier to reach and still put you in front of a reading audience.
Which podcasts interview authors every week?
The Book Review publishes weekly conversations with authors and critics, NPR's Book of the Day features one author per episode on a daily schedule, and Off The Shelf with Morgann Book releases a weekly interview about the book a guest wrote. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing interviews authors, agents and editors, and Books, Beach, & Beyond hosts bestselling authors and publishing insiders. Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa talks to the writer behind each monthly pick.
Do book podcasts accept pitches directly from authors?
Some do and some do not, and the difference is who books the show. Host-run shows such as Off The Shelf with Morgann Book, Daring Forever and The Shit No One Tells You About Writing choose their own guests, so a direct email is the normal route. What Should I Read Next? takes applications to appear as a reader. Network and publisher shows including The Book Review, NPR's Book of the Day and Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa work through publicity teams and galley mailings instead. Check the show's own site before you write, and never send the same email to both kinds.
How many podcast interviews does a book launch need?
There is no single number, and anyone quoting one is guessing. What we can say from chart data is that reach is concentrated: the three widest-reaching shows on this list charted in 53 or more of the 78 countries CastFox tracks, while 12 of the other 17 charted in fewer than 10. A campaign built only on the national shows depends on a handful of bookings landing, which is why most author tours pair a small number of large shows with a much longer list of niche and community feeds. Our author guesting guide has the schedule we recommend.
How is this list ranked?
CastFox scrapes the Apple Podcasts charts daily in 78 countries. For this list we took the 29 US Arts chart snapshots between February 24 and October 18, 2026, kept the top 250 charting shows, and filtered to the 61 feeds whose name, description or summary is about books, authors, writing, literature or novels. The 20 shows here scored highest on a weighted score: 50% chart consistency, 30% average US rank and 20% the number of countries in which the show charted on the latest scrape. There are no paid placements.