💡 What a podcast tour for a book actually looks like at 4:30a.m.

Behind-the-scenes of my in-progress book launch.

my office, aka my natural habitat for this book launch lately

San Francisco is still pitch black when I wake up at 4:30am.

Not the romantic kind of dark, either. The kind where the city feels like it’s holding its breath, and the only things awake are the streetlights and my nervous system.

I shuffle to the kitchen and start the kettle. Water on. Beans into the grinder.

That first grind is my starter pistol — it’s not just coffee. It’s a ritual that tells my brain, Hey, we’re doing the thing again. We’re going to show up. We’re going to speak clearly. We’re going to act like we didn’t just crawl out of bed at a time normally reserved for airport security lines.

I’m up early today because I’ve got a podcast interview at 6am with a host in Europe, which means time zones have officially turned my calendar into a mildly haunted object.

So I give myself ninety minutes.

Coffee. French press. Some light stretching. The slow inhale of the day before the noise hits.

Then I open the prep docs my publicist sent over — the ones designed to keep me from sounding like I was abducted from sleep and forced to explain my life choices on the record.

I reread the notes. I revisit a couple past episodes of the show. I remind myself what this podcast is actually about, what they care about, what their audience wants, and where my stories can land like darts instead of like confetti.

Then I knock out a few emails, because nothing says “author” like managing admin at 5:17 a.m. while trying to appear mysterious and creative.

And that’s how the day starts right now.

Because I’m on a podcast tour.

And my book is coming.

📕 The Book, The Moment, The Mission

Earlier in 2025, I wrote my upcoming book, titled Write for Money and Power.

It comes out January 12, 2026 — so soon!

If you’re new here, the quick version is: I’ve spent the last few years writing books — for myself and for my ghostwriting clients — while building a career that’s part craft, part business strategy, part creative outlet. I’m a writer who turned writing into leverage. Into income. Into options.

This book is my clearest articulation of that path.

It’s for writers and creatives who don’t want to “make it” someday. They want to build a career that pays them like an adult now.

And when you publish a book — especially a nonfiction book — you don’t just hit “publish” and pray to the algorithm gods.

You build buzz.

You spread the word.

You go on a podcast tour and you talk about the themes of your work until your own ideas start sounding like they belong to a slightly more articulate version of you.

🎙️ What a Podcast Tour for a Book Really Looks Like

A podcast tour is exactly what it sounds like, except it’s less tour bus and more “Google Calendar fights you in public.”

When you’re an author doing a podcast tour, expect:

• early mornings and time zones that don’t care about your circadian rhythm

• repeating your origin story without sounding like you’re reading a Wikipedia page about yourself

• answering similar questions in a way that still feels alive and interesting

• staying sharp, even when you’ve done three interviews and your brain is trying to quietly escape through the nearest window

And it’s also deeply worth it.

Because podcasts are one of the best places to talk to the right people at the right depth.

This isn’t a two-second scroll on social media. Podcasts are long-form attention. They’re intimacy. They’re trust.

They’re also a chance to do what writers do best: tell the truth in a way that lands.

☕️ DIY Podcast Tours vs. Working With a Publicist or PR Pro

In the past, I’ve organized my own podcast tours.

That looked like me building a list of shows I thought were relevant, tracking down contact emails, pitching myself, following up, scheduling, prepping, and showing up like a one-woman PR department.

It works.

You can DIY it.

But this time, I hired a publicist, and it has made everything smoother in a way that feels borderline illegal.

My publicist is Haley Raymond. She’s smart, organized, and somehow both calm and relentless, which is a personality combo I deeply respect.

P.S. I also did an interview with her on my Substack Live, which you can watch to see how Haley breaks down how she works with authors. (And if you want to work with her, tell her I sent you as she might give you a discount!)

Here’s what having a publicist changes:

• She does the outreach.

• She handles follow-ups.

• She sends podcasts what they need: bio, photos, press materials, the relevant angles.

• She keeps the whole machine moving while I focus on showing up and delivering.

This is what “modern PR” looks like now.

Not just press hits.

It’s podcasts. It’s Substack interviews. It’s social. It’s relationships. It’s being in the right rooms — digital rooms, yes — where your future readers already hang out.

It’s not about being famous.

It’s about being findable.

📚 The Part Nobody Tells You: You Can’t Say the Same Thing Everywhere

If you go on ten podcasts and say the same thing ten times, you’ll start to feel like a wind-up doll whose only purpose is to explain your career arc with slight variations of enthusiasm.

So I have a rule for myself:

Every show gets something distinct.

Some questions will overlap. You can’t dodge the classics forever.

“How did you get started?”

“What changed your life?”

“What’s the biggest mistake writers make?”

But I try to bring a different story, a different angle, a different teaching point each time.

Because a lot of my audience listens to multiple podcasts.

And I respect them too much to feed them reheated leftovers.

👩‍💻 My 3 Rules for Not Sounding Like a Sleepy Raccoon on a Microphone

If you’re doing interviews — podcasts, Substack Lives, press, anything where you are “on air” — here’s what actually matters coming from someone who has been interviewed by the BBC, NPR, and many podcasts and livestreams:

1) Stay concise without being boring

Stories are good. Tangents are not.

When you answer a question, give the host space to ask the follow-up. Don’t trap them in a ten-minute monologue where the original question quietly dies and everyone pretends it’s fine.

2) Practice your call to action

This part matters more than people want to admit.

You can have the best interview of your life, but if you fumble the ending, it’s like running a marathon and refusing to cross the finish line.

Rehearse saying:

Here’s the book. Here’s why it matters. Here’s where you can buy it.

Not in a salesy way. In a clear way.

The truth is: promoting yourself can feel weird, especially if you’re a writer who was taught to be humble and grateful and quietly suffer in the corner.

I practiced my call to action with Haley on a media training call she ran me through, and it helped a ton. Even if you don’t have a PR pro helping you, just practice saying a simple call-to-action to the mirror or with a friend.

Trust me: a little bit of rehearsal helps your “here’s how to buy my book” sound more natural when you’re wrapping up an hour-long interview and don’t want to stumble over one of the most important parts of galvanizing the audience to take action.

3) Arrive with calm, present energy

I try to show up centered and grounded to every interview, even when the day is packed.

That looks like:

• hydration

• a warm drink

• breaks between interviews/other meetings

• not scheduling myself like I’m trying to win a trophy for Most Available Human

Sometimes the schedule is chaotic anyway.

When that happens, I do the only thing that works in the moment: I take a deep breath and decide to be present before I log onto the podcast interview or Substack Live.

❓ If You Want To Do Your Own Podcast Tour to Promote Your Book, Here’s How

You don’t need a publicist to do this.

You need:

• a list of shows your target readers already listen to

• a short, clear pitch that explains who you are (plus any social proof/awards/accomplishments), what you’d talk about, and why it fits their audience

• a way to track outreach and follow-ups so you don’t lose your mind

• a little prep for each show so you don’t walk in cold

Keep the outreach short. Podcasters are drowning in long emails.

Be direct. Be specific. Make it easy to say yes.

And if you can bring a fresh angle, you’ll stand out immediately.

✨ The Part I Want You to Remember

This season of my life is a strange mix of quiet mornings and loud momentum.

It’s me alone in my apartment in the dark, grinding coffee beans like a tiny act of devotion.

And it’s me hours later, on a microphone, talking about what it means to build a writing career that actually pays you — not just in money, but in autonomy, confidence, and power.

This is what launching a book looks like.

Not glamorous.

Not effortless.

Just consistent, intentional visibility built one conversation at a time.

And I’m proud of how I’m doing it.

📚 How to Pre-Order Write for Money and Power and Get a Free Gift

Write for Money and Power comes out January 12.

If you preorder it, you’ve got until January 12 to claim the preorder bonuses.

If you’ve been building your writing career in the dark — quietly, relentlessly, doing the work when nobody’s watching — this book is for you.

Let’s make 2026 the year your talent stops living in a cage.

-Amy