A Chat with Irrepressible Radio Host Barry
Eva
By
Dora Machado
Thinking about going on
the radio to promote your book? Well then, you really want to hear from Barry Eva.
With almost seven
hundred shows under his belt, Barry Eva is the host of the popular Web radio
show A Book and A Chat.
Born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, he came to the United States in 2000.
Barry is also the bestselling author of the YA Novel, Across the Pond, which currently has more than 100
reviews on Amazon. He has also written song parodies and short romance stories,
many of which are included in The Bathroom Book of Romance: Book 1.
I recently had a chance
to go on Barry's show when he interviewed me on my latest fantasy release, The
Curse Giver. I was a little nervous going in, but once I
started talking with him, all my fears vanished. Barry has a gift for putting
authors at ease. He had me laughing in no time.
We ended up talking about all
sorts of things, including my books. Between his elegant British accent and my
not-so-elegant Spanish accent, we had a ball. So, in this first segment of my
two-part interview with Barry, he tells us why authors should promote their
books on the radio and how he keeps it fun and fresh on the air.
Welcome, Barry. How did
you make the move from writer to radio host? Or was it the other way around?
And how did you end up hosting "A Book and a Chat"?
Back
in February 2009, after appearing on a few radio shows with my own YA novel, Across the Pond, and with experience of
running a couple of local TV shows narrating stories from my romance book as
well as filming local karaoke, I thought: Why not try your own radio show?
Loving a good old "chin wag," as we say in England, I thought it
might be good fun. Little did I know just how much!
You do have a lot of
fun on your show! But I'm sure you realize that many authors—especially first
timers—are intimidated about doing radio interviews. Why should they do the
interviews and how can radio help an author's promotion efforts?
I know a lot of authors are a
little scared, something I try to alleviate. Even in my e-mail I send out to
guests I put this note: "The format
is like a couple of friends chatting over a cup of tea or coffee, so don't
worry, it's very
lighthearted and friendly."
Appearing on Internet radio shows
is a way to get your name and that of your book to a worldwide audience. There
are many radio shows around the blogosphere. You have to remember that, like
blogs—and unlike personal book signing visits—once the show is done it is then
available for people to listen to again and again all around the world. I still
have people checking on shows I recorded 3 or 4 years ago.
I
really do not choose the authors. It is very rare that I turn anybody away,
covering all ages and subjects. I also make sure that there is a lot of time
for debut authors. Every so often, I do a special like a month on male YA
authors or on bullying, where I do invite authors directly. However, normally,
I see what comes along.
I have had some very famous guests
on the show during these last two years, from Emmy award–winners such as Louise
Shaffer—to authors such as Steve Berry who have 72 million copies in print
throughout the world. I love to involve the YA bloggers—as I call them, the "Sham
Wow" of YA literature, as they soak everything up. I have made it a point
to include bloggers as guests on the show as well as many debut authors. After
all, they might be debut authors today but they could be the stars of tomorrow.
The Class of 2K10, 2K11, 2K12 and now 2K13 YA debut authors are always great to
have on the show, and it's been fun to follow their rise to "fame and
fortune" (okay, we can dream).
Of course we can dream!
What about the questions you ask? Is it an organic, ask-as-you-go interview or
do you research each author and prepare specific questions for him or her?
There
are some authors and publicists that actually send you questions to ask. I can't
do it. It's not that formal of a show. I always spend about 30-45 minutes
before the show finding out about my guest, looking around the Internet, seeing
if there are any tasty tidbits I can use on the show. The format tends to
follow much the same format; often we might digress from the actually subject
but as long as the main topics, i.e. "author books, latest book, up and
coming work," are covered, it all adds to the show.
British wit aside,
after more than 700 shows, how do you manage to put your guests at ease and
keep the show fresh and fun?
Not
quite 700, that will be in December. There are a few drawbacks in having what sometimes has been
five shows a week. The jokes and anecdotes tend to repeat themselves, but I
always try and make the chat flow and I love to laugh, as anybody who has
listened will tell you. Many guests are what can only be described as "scared"
when they first call in and we chat before the show starts, but as I say to
them, it's honestly just a chat over a cup of tea (in my case, English PG
Tips), and so many have told me afterwards how much they enjoyed the easygoing
format and style, that they were completely at ease.
You are a writer
yourself, the author of Across the Pond
and The Bathroom Book of Romance. How does your writing influence your hosting
style and the questions you ask?
I
can of course relate to what the guest is saying about the issues and help in
getting the book and knowledge about you and your book "out there."
Also, I can just pass on my own experiences but also those of many folk who
have been on the show before.
Thank you so much for
talking to us, Barry. We'll
continue this conversation next Wednesday. Barry will be back on the blog, to
talk about how authors can make the most out of their radio interview. Don't
miss it!
See you next Tuesday, November 12th!
D.
D.
Check
out Barry's interview with me at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/across-the-pond/2013/08/31/a-book-and-a-chat-with-dora-machado
****
Barry
Eva (Storyheart)
Author of "Across the Pond" and "The Bathroom Book of Romance"
Book Site: http://romance2read.com
Radio Host of "A Book and a Chat"
Radio Blog: http://abookandachat.blogspot.com
Blog Talk Radio Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond
Owner of "Across The Pond LLC"
Website: http://barryeva.com
Author of "Across the Pond" and "The Bathroom Book of Romance"
Book Site: http://romance2read.com
Radio Host of "A Book and a Chat"
Radio Blog: http://abookandachat.blogspot.com
Blog Talk Radio Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond
Owner of "Across The Pond LLC"
Website: http://barryeva.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Book-and-a-Chat/162081553946165
Amazon Reviews:http://tinyurl.com/o7sokp
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hn1q0DZ34
Amazon Reviews:http://tinyurl.com/o7sokp
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2hn1q0DZ34
****
Dora Machado is
the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest
novel, The Curse Giver, available
from Twilight Times Books. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she
developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime
of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to
her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated
cats.
To learn more about Dora
Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at Dora@doramachado.com.
For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DoraMachado
Barry is an excellent host and I would recommend him to anyone looking to promote their book. I've been on his show a few times, and he definitely makes you feel at ease.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, Cheryl!
ReplyDelete