How do I write a press release for a book?

Answer 1

Follow journalistic basics: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How....and why should I care? Make it relevent, make it interesting, make it timely. Obviously a Harry Potter book is easy to hype. But we think things like a cookbook are run-of-the-mill and no one cares. Yet look at all the great press that Rachel Ray and Emeril LeGasse get. It's because someone wrote a release that made us curious and got great press. Good press comes from being creative and writing a release with great energy that's press-ready.

Answer 2

Isolate why your book is worth a newspaper article or a segment on the evening news. What makes it unusual or even unique? Why is it relevant to today's readers? What is the story behind the book that makes it so interesting? The answers to such questions can act as the lead into your release. Then it is a matter, as someone above said, of the who, what, when, etc., but first you have to grab the editor or producer's attention.

Another thing to remember: The press release should be able to stand as a short article if placed in a publication. The editor who receives your release may not send anyone over to interview the author (are you the author?) but he or she may just place your release in a newspaper or magazine or Web site if it is written well enough. This will not happen if the release needs a lot of editing, so you want to set everything up ahead of time as much as possible.

It should ideally be no more than a page long. Certainly no longer than two. Don't forget the contact information for the publicist (or author if he or she is doing the publicity).

The suggestion to get samples of press releases is a good one. Keep in mind the above points when you look at them.

Answer 3

DATE
For Immediate Release

TITLE OF RELEASE

City, State: Begin text here. blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Paragraph two begins here. More blah blah.

Paragraph three if absolutely needed.

-END-

That is the basic format. The trick is what to put in those Blah Blah Blah parts. The important thing to remember about a press release is that you are not writing ad copy. You are trying to convince an editor that you are newsworthy. Nobody cares that yet another writer self-published a book (I am assuming self-published, as if you were with a traditional publisher they would handle this). You have to show why you are newsworthy.

More importantly, you need to get to the point. Editors edit press releases from the bottom up. For example, if an editor needs filler to fill two paragraphs in his newspaper, but you sent him a five paragraph release, he is going to just chop off the bottom three paragraphs and use it that way. A press release is like an inverted pyramid. All the important base info should appear first, then work down in order of least importance.

Answer 4

There’s no such thing as bad publicity—but there may be such a thing as pointless publicity. A poorly written press release will be ignored and thrown away. Authors have some different issues to consider when preparing a press release for a book.

Answer 5

Phone up the publicity dept of a few publishers asking them to email you the press releases of their forthcoming publications...If they ask why (which is unlikely) stae that you are considering books to review.

.then study the style of what they send: copy it as per your own masterpiece.

Answer 6

Sometimes different publications will already have a pre-made form. You might try to look at some of those to get an idea of what you will want to write.