Yet more than a half century later, the predictions have not come true. Books are still around. And television has in one way (and on one station) become a servant to books with C-SPAN2’s Book TV devoted solely to books and authors.

That’s forty-eight solid hours of talk about non-fiction books and authors beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and continuing through to 8:00 a.m. Monday, every weekend.

“Our initial  interest in non-fiction books stemmed from  the mid-1980s when we first began  to look at expanding our public affairs programming,” explained Susan Swain, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Most of us here are readers ourselves, and we would watch as top non-fiction books would, from time-to-time, make news, but also noted how their authors had few television outlets.

“We concluded that C-SPAN’s non-commercial format was ripe for more programming based on non-fiction books.  We also saw non-fiction as an extension of our basic public affairs mission—i.e., books as a vehicle to discuss issues, add historical context and learn more about the biographies of key political figures.

“Our first extensive foray into non-fiction books occurred in 1989, when we booked the noted Vietnam War reporter Neil Sheehan for a five-part interview on his seminal work, A Bright Shining Lie. The final segment was televised live and Sheehan came to our studio to field calls from viewers. Listening to all those engaged, involved callers convinced us to take the plunge and commit to an ongoing weekly series. That’s how C-SPAN’s ‘Booknotes’ was born.”

“Booknotes” lasted for 15 years without a break until December 2004 when Brian Lamb decided that 801 books and weeks were enough. By then other shows, including “About Books” were being aired. In 1998, they had, according to Swain, “gained the confidence that there was enough going on in the non-fiction book business that we could program books on C-SPAN2, ‘all weekend, every weekend’ and launched Book TV.”

One of the most interesting of their current shows is “After Words,” which pairs authors with guest interviewers who possess expertise in or a connection to the book’s content. These interviewers can be politicians, journalists or other authors, which makes for shows that may not be politically correct at all times, but certainly are lively.
Amy Roach is a producer who has worked for Book TV for eight years. She is dynamic and interesting, and provides an interesting insight on what it’s like to actually work there.

Did you think a television channel devoted to books weird when you first heard about it?
Not at all. I thought it was a great idea! C-SPAN has a wonderful fly-on-the-wall style. When you’re watching a book event on Book TV you feel as though you are a member of the audience. Viewers can attend book events all over the country without ever leaving the couch—except for snacks, of course.

What made you want to work there?
I’m a big reader, and I’m interested in politics and history. I’d been watching “Booknotes” and “All About Books” on C-SPAN for many years, so when C-SPAN launched Book TV I threw my name in the hat right away.

Where do you work? What do you do?
C-SPAN’s studios are in Washington, DC, just two blocks from the U.S. Capitol. My main job is to scout around for good books and book events that we then tape for broadcast on Book TV. I also produce a lot of our live coverage of book festivals.  

What is the best thing about working at Book TV?
I respect C-SPAN’s commitment to presenting intelligent programs with speakers who represent a variety of different points of view. And their remarks are presented without editing or commentary so you’re getting the real deal.  

What is the worst thing about working there?
There’s never enough time to accomplish everything we’d like to do.

Describe a typical day at work.
I spend a lot of my time researching books and book events—author talks, panel discussions, book festivals—in preparation for our weekly editorial meeting. At the meeting, my colleagues and I pitch the events we think are the best fit for Book TV, and after the meeting we make arrangements to send camera crews to those events that make the cut. Research is just one of the things I do, but it’s a constant and it’s the thing that takes the most time.

What kind of crises do you experience in your work?
Crises are most likely to occur when we’re doing a live broadcast, such as full-day coverage of a book festival. We might lose the satellite signal, a truck might run over a cable or an author might show up late, and it’s my job to think on my feet and come up with Plan B. My goal is to resolve the crisis without viewers at home ever noticing that something went wrong.

A producer’s job takes place behind the scenes. Do you want to be on the air? What does it take to become an on-air interviewer?
While I occasionally interview authors, Connie Doebele, Book TV’s executive producer, does most of the on-air work for Book TV. One of the unusual things about C-SPAN is that nobody is hired as “on-air talent.” On-air work is a sidelight to our primary jobs at C-SPAN.

Who books the guests? What do they look for in guests and interviewers?
We all book guests. Our monthly interview/call-in program, “In Depth,” explores one author’s entire creative output. For that show, we are looking for authors with an especially large or influential body of work. Our weekly interview program, “After Words,” focuses on one new book. In all cases, we are looking for authors who have something to say and who say it in an engaging way.

Do publishers contact you about their authors?
All the time.

How do you decide on the authors? Does each host choose in conjunction with a producer or is there a group of people who choose?
The producers present recommendations at a weekly editorial meeting, and the executive producer has final say on which authors and events are chosen.

How far ahead do you work?
We plan book coverage as far in advance as possible, but we make decisions about which other book events to cover as close to the date as possible—typically a week or two prior to the event.

How do you see Book TV’s audience?
We have a great audience. They’re well-informed and they’re enthusiastic readers. We have a core audience that watches every weekend, but new people are always finding their way to Book TV.

Do you hear from viewers? What sort of things do you hear about?
I think we get most of the negative feedback about especially controversial or partisan authors, and we get most of the positive feedback about interesting authors who aren’t often seen on television.

Do more letters come in when you annoy or anger people or do you receive compliments?
We get both kinds of letters, often in response to the same program. “How could you ever put so-and-so on the air?” and “Thank you for putting so-and-so on the air.”

Do your guests come to you or do you seek them out?
Both.

Are your offices inundated with books?
Absolutely.

How do you select your books and/or authors?
We’re looking for books that are compatible with C-SPAN’s focus on public affairs programming, books that provide a context for House and Senate debates and the news of the day. Typically, these are history, biography and current events books.

How often do you travel? And how far?
I travel a few times a year, primarily to book festivals. So far I’ve attended book festivals in New York City, Austin, Los Angeles, Chicago, DC and Miami.

Is there any author you would love to meet that you haven’t met yet?
Yes, Henry James, although that doesn’t seem likely since he died in 1916.

Have you met a favorite author through your work at Book TV?
Meeting Robert Caro was a real kick. I admire his old-school dedication to research and his attention to detail. I was delighted to discover that he’s also a kind man.

What changes would you like to see at Book TV?
I’d like to do more feature programs about the authors we cover, visiting their homes, and talking with them about the ideas that capture their imaginations.

Are you a reader?
I love reading. I always have a book with me in case I get stuck in line somewhere, and I can’t imagine letting a day go by without reading. If I try to got to sleep on a busy day when I haven’t had time to read, I always end up getting up to sneak in at least an hour of book time before bed, no matter how late it is.

What do you like to read?
I once kept track for a year and found I read half fiction and half non-fiction. I like any fiction that is well-written. In non-fiction, my tastes tend toward history, science and the social sciences.

What are you reading now? What do you think about it?
I just finished Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, a marvelous book about American agriculture and food culture. Now I’m reading Warrior Politics by Robert Kaplan, who’s always fascinating. It’s about Hobbes and Machiavelli and other political thinkers throughout the ages.

What do you personally think of Book TV’s presentation and accomplishments?
In this sound-bite culture, I think it’s great that there’s a place on television where viewers can spend an hour or more listening to an author talk about a book.

Of course television—even book-oriented television—should never replace reading. But to have an opportunity to “meet” authors each weekend, to be exposed to questions and ideas the may expand and enlighten one’s enjoyment and understanding of a book as well as a culture is fabulous. Really, could television get any better than this? I think not.

Bookmark specifications: Book TV
Dimensions: 8 1/2” x 21/2”
Material: Lightweight cardboard
Manufacturer: C-SPAN2
Date: Recent
Acquired: eBay
 

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Almost since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to anyone who will listen. That “talent” eventually took her out of magazine writing and into book reviewing in 2000 for an online review site where she cut her teeth (as well as a few authors). Stints as book editor for a newspaper and contributing editor to Booklist and Bookmarks magazines has reinforced her belief that she has interesting things to say about books. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats, 750 bookmarks and nearly 1,000 books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it