Hannah Stephenson, Books Editor & Senior Features Writer, PA Media
Vikki Irwin, Exec Producer at BBC CNS Local
Vikki Irwin: BBC CNS Local
- BBC CNS Local compromises around 39 stations around England. Cover England mostly but
do go out to Wales, Scotland and Ireland. - Provide daily, national and local news to regional stations and provide guests – celeb, authors and news guests
- Publicists pitch to Vikki and the pitch gets sent out with an offer note to all 39 stations. The stations bid for slots for the guest to speak in
- The author will do 8 slots in an hour – author needs to be available for the full hour
- Best times are not with breakfast audience (although it’s biggest audience); afternoon is best for guest interviews and the daytime and afternoon presenters love reading and want to speak to authors. Daytime is more consumer/relationships, the afternoon show is celebrity and well-known names
- Daytime shows are 10-1. CNS won’t ever offer anything out between 1-2
- BBC Local is a more mature, sophisticated audience but audience profile is getting younger in the afternoon slots – more C2DE/ITV audience
- They do community shows on Friday and Monday evenings
- Cross over with digital – each station has their own sound rail. If an author can make a local connection in their interview they’re more likely to be picked up and run across stations.
- Local remarks mean it might also make it onto socials with a clip. Look at local connections author can make – really helps CNS sell an interview with the author to the stations. Good to prep the author and make them make connections with the local areas
- Lead times – as early as possible but they can be flexible. A good couple of weeks in advance is always good so they can put it in the planner
- The bigger names work, but if you have an author who is local, you should approach the local station. The bigger names give the cross-appeal for the stations they work with.
- They are interested in children’s authors
- Be aware of news reports coming out and make connections in your pitch
- Anniversary hooks – would need to have some kind of editorial value
- Email CNS@bbc.co.uk for longer term pitches and you can also email Vikki vikki.irwin@bbc.co.uk or Hayley.ritchie@bbc.co.uk for pitches for the next week/day.
Hannah Stephenson: PA Media
- PA syndicates both regionally and Reach titles (Mirror/Express/Independent)
- Hannah writes big name author interviews – either authors that editors and customers will
recognise straight away, or celebrities that have written books. - Can be any book – doesn’t matter on the genre, more concerned on the big name – flexible
on subject. - Prudence Wade commissions reviews, Hannah does the interviews. Hannah’s interviews go
out on a Tuesday and ideally, they’d want to run on the Tuesday of the week of publication if
possible. - Anyone who won’t make a big interview should go to Prudence
- Each week PA run three fiction reviews, one non-fiction review and one children’s review. These go out on a Wednesday.
- Use your email subject lines well – put interview and name of author in the subject line of email otherwise Hannah will likely miss
- Books page can also be a quirky subject, not necessarily a big name for Jan and Feb and December which are typically quiet for the big name authors. They’ll make a lifestyle piece etc. if they have a ‘fallow month’ of celebs
- Don’t send copies to the PA office or anyone’s home. They don’t have room – ONLY send books they request
- Lead times – famous authors are 6-8 weeks ahead (that’s when Hannah plans). Ideally Hannah would have an author interview in the bag at the latest week before the feature goes out
- Hannah follows Bookseller closely – takes a template and has that overview of three months ahead
- For Prudence, book reviews are planned a month in advance. She’ll sift through and get the publicist to send directly to reviewer
- For big name authors – Hannah likes a PDF copy of the book as well
- Hannah works Weds-Friday but she’s always on email – big names will get a response Monday/Tuesday
- Autumn releases is their busiest time. They have one big slot but they will try and fit celeb interviews into other slots they do if they want to try and feature them elsewhere – lifestyle, 5 mins with etc.
- Useful to meet publishers for breakfast and coffee. If you come with a list, Prue and Hannah will go through them with you. Good to bring any authors who didn’t feature in Bookseller etc.
- Parenting – not really interested, would need an editorial angle
- Big cookery section – big interview and 3 recipes a week. Go out weekly and this is coordinated with Prue, but Hannah will also do author interviews based on a cookery book
- An anniversary hook can be helpful but they would want a new book to go with that – they couldn’t just do a talking head. They do news pieces but author interviews they wouldn’t peg on an anniversary – they might do a roundup of books pegged to an anniversary
- Generally will only really cover books during hardback, not really interested in paperback.
- Same for Prue
- Parenting – they put out a family/parenting column every week. Any aspect or parenting or family matters they are interested in
- 5 minute interview slot – if you think the interview is minor and might not make a 1200-word piece, pitch to the 5 minute slot. Put 5 minute interview in your email subject line/within the first three lines of the pitch.
Further notes from PA Media:
Contacts:
- Big name author/celebrity interviews: Hannah Stephenson
- Book reviews and cookery titles: Prudence Wade
- Celebrity wellbeing/general health and lifestyle: Abi Jackson
- Family and parenting: Lisa Salmon
- Fashion and beauty: Amelia Yeomans
- Drinks and interiors: Samantha Wylie-Harris
- Gardening: Hannah Stephenson
What sort of books/authors/stories are you and your publication interested in covering?
Prue: The biggest releases are a priority for us, and I’m looking for a diverse range of voices to be
represented, as well as big cookbook releases from household names.
Hannah: I’m interested in big name authors, or celebrities, or quirky or consumer subjects which
would be good for lifestyle pieces – we have many slots including wellbeing, health,
parenting/family, food. We have a ‘5 minutes with’ slot which is currently filled by TV names, but no
reason it couldn’t be a big author name for a slightly shorter feature. I write around 1200 words per
profile and usually request 45 minutes. While I do a lot of autobiographies, the subject of the book
doesn’t really matter if it’s a big name – it could be a children’s title, a book on railways (Michael
Portillo) or canals (Timothy West). Also interested in authors who are famous for, say, writing a
script for a famous Netflix or TV series – Harlan Coben and Kevin Kwan spring to mind. Not generally
interested in the paperback unless it fits into another slot like ‘5 minutes with’ and we haven’t
featured them for the hardback. I also write a gardening column so all gardening pitches to me
please. We syndicate widely – to Reach, which covers a huge range of regionals, plus the Mirror, the
Express and the Independent, as well as DC Thomson, other regional press and a number of digital
customers.
Are there any specific slots you commission for which we should be aware of?
Prue: The book reviews column is five books a week: 3 fiction, one non-fiction and one children’s. I
run the food column – an interview with a chef/food personality + three recipes from their new book
once a week – and I’m also looking for any interesting interviews that Hannah either doesn’t have
space to cover or doesn’t quite fit into the celebrity book column.
Hannah: Author interview pieces run on a Tuesday – obviously we want them published as near to
publication as possible, so if a book came out that week on a Thursday, we’d ideally want to publish
on the Tuesday of that week, but it’s not imperative if it’s a big name.
Do you also commission for digital content? If not, who is the best contact? And does the content
you’re looking for differ for online?
Both print and digital.
What sort of information makes you pay attention to a book/pitch/author?
Prue: For me, the most important thing is to have the book name, author and date of publication
close to the top of an email (ideally in the subject line) – otherwise it’s interesting to know comps,
quotes from other authors and if they’ve done anything previously.
Hannah: Subject title of email – interview offer and the author preferable– if it goes further than two
lines and you haven’t got to the point, I’ll miss it. I need short info about author, what they’ve done,
and a bit about the book. Press release info is fine.
In what form do you like information? (i.e catalogues, proofs, review copies)?
Prue: Emailed press releases please – please NO PROOFS TO OFFICE. With reviews, I’ll loop my
reviewers in with the right PR and get a copy sent to their house to minimise on waste – that’s why
email releases are v useful.
Hannah: Please don’t send copies to office or home on spec. We haven’t room or time to look at
them. Once an interview has been agreed, I’ll need pdf and sometimes a proof sent to my home
address, but I will ask.
What are your lead times for each of these opportunities?
Prue: I plan book reviews and food around a month in advance. It’s helpful to already have the press
releases in my inbox by then so I can sift through.
Hannah: I plan about 6-8 weeks in advance, taking some names from Bookseller previews. But can
take pitches later if the authors have late announcements etc
Has there been any significant change in the way you work due to the pandemic?
Prue: Mainly that I’d prefer it if proofs were no longer sent to the office.
Hannah: We do fewer face-to-face, but I would like to increase that because you can get a better
rapport with the interviewee.
Do you ever find it useful to meet publishers to discuss advance lists over breakfast, coffee, lunch
etc?
Prue and Hannah: Occasionally yes! We’ve got a coffee shop in our building and sometimes it’s v
helpful to chat over lists for an hour down there.
What are your press days, and are there any particular days/times that are best to contact you or
avoid?
Prue: work 8-4 Mondays-Fridays!
Hannah: I work Wed, Thu and Fridays but am contactable via email if it’s urgent. Author interviews
run on a Tuesday but I want it in the bag and written by the previous Thursday if poss.
Colleagues – book reviews/food Prudence Wade; celebrity wellbeing/health Abi Jackson; family and
parenting Lisa Salmon. Hannah or Prue can point people in right direction if you’re unsure. Contact
details above.