Tips for Promoting Your New Book in Press Releases

Thanks to Amazon, IngramSpark and the growth of independent publishing, millions of books are released every year. No one has time to read them all nor would they want to read them all. You want to get the right audience to see your book release and get the right media attention. However, most new authors and those wanting to write a book believe that all they have to do is release the book, and people will buy it. This is not true. Even traditional publishing houses expect the author to do the marketing of their book. You can’t expect to get a book tour unless you take action yourself. For example, an author friend of mine was able to get book sales from Birmingham because she found out the city puts on a version of the Nutcracker using dogs, and my friend’s book is a children’s book, The Muttcracker. When authors are discovering ways to market their books, they often forget about getting local press attention. You want a special press release to attract attention of editors over all the other books out there on the same subject. Here are some tips.

In my career, I have met many new authors and people who want to write books. Most of them are not sure how to market their books. They rarely send press releases. If they do send press releases, it usually is a generic one from the publisher. This is not going to get them media attention. Read this article to discover some tips to promoting your new book in press releases.

1. Find a Hook – With a new book press release, publishing houses will send one that says Author Louise Harris Releases First Book. This is dull and not effective. In journalism school, it is known as “The So What? Syndrome.” When I had released my first book, the publisher sent that generic release, but I sent a different one. “Local Author’s First Book Takes Away Loneliness” because I was feeling lonely in Arizona when I first wrote it. The Arizona Republic, Phoenix’s main paper picked up the story and wrote about how I used writing as therapy. I still have that clip. The point is you need to find a hook, something that editors haven’t seen and will want to write a story on you.
2. Keep Details Short – You aren’t trying to get a publishing contract. Give a brief synopsis on the book but don’t go into a lot details. If the reporter wants more information on the plot, he or she will contact you. If you are writing a nonfiction book, mention three key points of what your book is expected to do. These are known as “talking points.” For example, you are a psychologist and have published a book to help parents understand their children’s motivations in a world of technology. In your press release, you would give three points to help editors and parents understand their children, but you don’t want to mention all the advice in your press release. That would turn off readers, listeners and editors.
3. Mention Competition – It is impossible for you to assume editors haven’t heard of your topic or genre. The Internet makes everything available at your fingertips. Therefore, you should acknowledge that you have competitors. Mention them in your press release, but you must show why yours is different and why the editors’ readers would want to know about it. I have a client who is a coach and personal trainer to youth athletes. She uses her psychology degree and experience playing many sports to combine them in her training. While she is working with athletes, she noticed two things – that students are under a lot of stress and pressure to perform and that parents often countermand what coaches are telling their students. Therefore, she knew there had to be a better way to coach so students have fun again playing the game, and parents work with coaches instead of against. She wrote a short electronic book outlining her system. When we promoted her book, we emphasized how it differed from other training and parenting books even though it had similar messages.
4. Follow Up – Authors like to live in their world at the computer. They want to work on the next novel or nonfiction book without having to promote the current one. This is not a good strategy, especially for press releases. Editors get thousands of releases a day. Therefore, you must remind them of your book release. Follow up with calls or additional e-mails. The Arizona Republic picked up the story about my first novel because I followed up with the right reporter a few times.
5. Get Help – If you aren’t sure how to make your book sound different, you should ask for help. Faselis has a program designed for new book releases. Their experts will guide you through the process. You will see success because of the company’s targeted marketing strategy.

Tips for Promoting Your New Book in Press Releases – Next Step

If you are looking for a press release template to help you market your new book release, Faselis is a company for you. The company offers templates on many different specialties, such as new book release. It also targets specific journalists who understand books. You will have the latest contact information of the journalist.

by Louise Harris