Glenn Beck Is the New Oprah

Glenn Beck could be the best thing to hit the flagging publishing industry since Oprah's book club. He's one of the few talk-show hosts to carve out time for authors on-air—and he loves him some thriller writers. On his weekly radio show and daily television Fox News program, which attract audiences of 9 million and 2.7 million respectively, Beck has interviewed about 40 thriller writers including David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, and James Patterson. While Beck often selects thrillers that push his own political agenda (such as Vince Flynn's latest novel, which includes a scene where a CIA operative defends harsh interrogation tactics before Congress), the conservative host has also interviewed liberal writer Andrew Gross. The endorsements have the power to help bolster sales. For example, James Rollins' recent thriller The Doomsday Key stayed in the New York Times Top 10 fiction best-seller list for longer than novels of its type usually due, thanks in part to Rollins' stint on Glenn Beck.