Mahogany Books Launches The Mahogany Books Podcast Network

I love books. I love reading. Last year, 54 percent of Americans read at least one book. The reading heroes are those who read more than ten books, which is 18 percent of all Americans.

Authors and podcasters have a long-running symbiotic relationship. Podcasters need authors when they need specific expertise on a subject. The author is the ideal person to fill that role. After all, authors are credentialed by virtue of their published works, and they can add heft to the discussion brewing in any podcast.

For podcasts, authors provide legitimacy to any topic, and their insights — based on the wisdom mined from their book research — can make for an enlightening and lively discussion.

“Of course, many authors want a podcast interview to lead to increased book sales,” says marketing consultant Maggie Hammerstein. “But they also want to develop a brand and a media presence. Podcasts are an ideal way to accomplish both goals.”

Surveys of podcast listeners have found that they tend to read more than the general population and listen to audiobooks at a much higher rate.

Hammerstein explains that podcasts enable authors to cherry-pick the exciting parts of their book and entice the podcast audience to buy the book or follow the author on social media, leading to a future sale.

Perhaps due to their close relationship with authors, podcasters are increasingly becoming authors. As podcasts have…