How to Write a Press Release for Books

Today for the do-it-yourself-ers, I thought I would give you a brief tutorial on press release writing. My bachelor's degree is in Public Relations. I remember taking the media class and learning the basic rules of press release writing. Any class at that time that indulged my love of writing was always a winner - whether press releases or essays. So, I'm going to take you through each part.

 

Press releases require a standard format. It's the same every time and it looks like this (just replace with your info) for the HEADER:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       Date:

                                                            Contact:

                                                            Phone:

                                                            Email:

 

PITHY, NEWSWORTHY HEADLINE GOES HERE

Brief summary goes here

 

Location, State-beginning of the lead paragraph.

 

Your press release header should look EXACTLY like this sample header. What is a newsworthy headline? Let's start with that topic.

 

NOT NEWSWORTHY: 3L PUBLISHING RELEASES NEW BOOK

A new book announcement is about as newsworthy as "green grass grows in my yard." Yeah, well everyone's yard has grass (mostly). So the news editor is going to do what with a press release with that headline? Be as interested as watching said grass actually grow.

 

NEWSWORTHY HEADLINE: IMAGINE IF THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA WAS INDEED BUILT BY ALIENS - AND WHAT IF WE'RE THE ALIENS?*

 

*That is the headline we're using for DB Stearns' new book Children of the Guardians. I'm going to continue to use examples from his press kit.

 

What do I want you to notice about that headline? Please notice two important things: no mention of something like "new" or "book". The idea is to come up with an interesting headline to make the editors stop and wonder: "Huh, what's that about." And then the goal is to get them to read the summary, where NOW you're allowed to say it's a book (if you so desire).

 

NOT NEWSWORTHY SUMMARY: New book released to positive reviews.

 

NEWSWORTHY SUMMARY: Journey into the fantastic sci-fi experience of the new book Children of the Guardians, the second book in the Harmonic Wars series.

 

Again, no one cares about a new book release. Sorry, the editors read pitches all day long. If they are a book review editor I can assure you they've read that tired, old pitch "new book" or "new product" thousands of times. In fact, the editor of the San Francisco Book Review told me they receive over 1,000 new books a MONTH. They can only feature so many per issue of their magazine. Now imagine that you're one of the thousand authors/publicists pitching yet another new book! You have to figure out a good news hook to stand out from the crowd.

 

Ideas to help you create a newsworthy hook:

 

1. What are the headlines of the day or month? Does your book's content tie into any of the current issues of the day?
2. Are there any special holidays or events you can tie your book's content into and create a headline? A forthcoming book on self-love is being released, for example, on Valentine's Day with a headline: LEARN HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE.
3. Is there something super unique about your book or even groundbreaking? A new writing style. A unique perspective on the world or topics of the day? Find what makes your book unique and emphasize it.

 

Now let's breakdown what in journalism we call the "lead". The lead should be brief and answer the following: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY.

 

SAMPLE LEAD

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-What if all of the speculation about the Great Pyramid of Giza being constructed by otherworldly beings were true. What if the Great Pyramid of Giza and the other pyramids found throughout the world all had been built by aliens as part of a world power grid? What if WE are the aliens, and something very sinister was going on - a conflict so big it involved other beings from other worlds. In fact, not just a conflict in this space and time, but a multidimensional war that spanned thousands of years and existed in layers between time, space, and dreams.

 

The lead should be direct and to the point. Try and keep it around 50 to 75 words. If you're using a "tickler" like this one then the next paragraph should contain the name of the book and the author. The second paragraph can be a quote from the author about the content being referenced in the lead or a simple summation of the book itself. Here is the second paragraph of this press release:

 

In the new science fiction tale Children of the Guardiansby DB Stearns, the second book in the Harmonic Wars series, the author takes readers on a fantastic adventure into a multidimensional world where a great intergalactic war is about to break out. In a story spanning different points in time, other worlds, and different dimensions, Stearns paints an incredibly detailed picture of an entirely unique perspective on how the planet Earth is really a colony populated by emigrants from other planets. Then based on that premise, he develops the reason, wars, and conflicts that brought our ancestors to live on this planet.

 

In the third paragraph, I use a quote from DB Stearns:

 

"My inspiration for Harmonic Wars was the Great Pyramid of Giza," explained DB Stearns. "I studied it and many other ancient sites that had similar qualities in building materials and techniques. We would have extreme difficulties rebuilding the Great Pyramid today, and most countries could not afford to build to that level of perfection. This research helped me to create my first outlines of the story, and I had envisioned this as a trilogy."

 

Now your press release should average between four and five paragraphs and be a page or a little longer. Do not make it 2 to 3 pages - that is a no-no. Editors don't have time or attention to sit and read some long explanation of your book. If the editor is interested a page or so will suffice. They just want to know the basics. Once they've said "yes" in their minds then they will read (and the media kit should be attached to the pitch) the entire media kit. If it's still "yes" at that point then they will request sample books.

 

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS conclude your press release with where to purchase the book and formats it's available in (print or eBook). This step is as critical as providing contact information.

 

And NEVER send a book (unless the guidelines say it's okay) without pitching it first. Sending an unsolicited book is very likely a waste of time and money. So, only send books to those editors who request it.

 

One more note about SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: If the editor or writer provides specific submission guidelines, please follow them. They have guidelines for a reason. Failure to follow directions can result in more wasted time and money.

 

All right Friend-Os here is the positive quote of the day:

 

Persist to your goals and you shall win! What your winnings look like and the form they arrive in maybe beyond even your wildest imagination.

 

Now go IMAGINE some more!