interviews/talk shows?

Write the book, then promote it. If you're with a larger publisher, their marketing department might be able to handle getting you onto talk shows or in magazines, but don't count on it as a given.

Look at it this way: if you build up the hype and the book fails to materialize, how will that reflect on you?

Yes, spend your energies writing your book. Once you've got an agent, publisher and release date, you can work out publicity. I wouldn't count on shock value as an "in". Let your proposal and manuscript stand on their own and your publisher and agent will decide if they want to press the controversy angle or play it down.

Being interviewed about your topic before you get a book deal is part of the platform-building process (and most of us need a platform to get a book contract). It shows the publisher that you know the topic well, that the media is interested in it, and that you have interview skills. It also helps you build a friendly media list that you can turn to for publicity once the book is available.

I got my first book contract because of the publicity I generated about the topic. Editors and agents saw my interviews in USA Today, the Wall St. Journal, etc., and called me to see if I'd be interested in writing a book.

All that said, it's harder to get interviewed about your topic w/out a book as a credential, so you'll need to be writing articles yourself, blogging about it, speaking on your topic, etc. You need a solid credential that will give the press a reason to interview you over someone else -- they need something to attach to your name that explains why you're a qualified source.

Hope this helps....

Cheers,
Sandy