The Catholic Writers Guild

Many years ago, my late friend and fellow writer Karen Riley taught me how to write a press release. She spent many years in journalism and knew the importance of using press releases in your marketing plan. Journalists are always looking for new stories and pieces that will interest their editors and readers. The thing that I, as a novelist, had to learn is that a press release needs to be short and sweet. There are accepted forms and templates that you can find by googling “how to write a Press Release” that all fit the bill. The one thing they all have in common is that they are concise and to the point. I will share the template that Karen taught me here:

(Photo of yourself, the book or the award you are announcing)

(Title or announcement)

First Paragraph – who, what, when, where and why?  All of the information should be included in your first paragraph. Remember that a reporter works on a deadline.  You are not trying to ‘hook’ the reporter. Give the journalist what they need right away and they are more likely to place a piece in the paper.

Second Paragraph – an explanation of the announcement what is the novel about, the award for, the event being presented) Keep it concise.

(Photo of yourself, the book or the event venue or award) Papers love photos and don’t want to search for them. So supply them if you can.

References or quotes that the reporter can use in their piece.  Be sure to include the source of your quote or reference so the reporter doesn’t have to look them up. Remember that  you want to make it easy for the paper to use your press release instead of someone else’s.

Use a quote from yourself.  Add a picture of yourself if you haven’t already used one. Two photos per press release are more than enough.

End with sources that the journalist can use to expand or research.  Such as your website, your publisher’s website, the venue’s website, etc.  Give the journalist a source for the photos and book covers. Try to use high-resolution photos. Include a contact person and how to contact them via email or phone for further information.

End your press release with 3 centered hash tags (###) this is the accepted and professional way to end a press release.

Remember that a press release should never be more than one page. Give the receiver the sites they need if they want more, but keep it short.

Once you have your basic press release done, save it. You may tweak it according to whom you are reaching out to. Now where should you send it? I am always shocked by how little authors use the press releases to market their books. It is one of the best ways I know to promote. I break down whom I send presses releases into three categories:

1. Local papers, local television shows, libraries, bookstores, writer’s groups, book clubs, etc.

For example, I sent my first press release to three local papers. When you are sending your P.R. look at the paper’s website and decide what reporter or editor your news would interest most. My local paper surprised me by doing a two page spread on my first book. They wanted a piece on self-publishing. Their headline was “Jackson author puts her faith in publishing.” My sales tripled. It wasn’t what I expected, but it got my novel out there!

2. State newspapers, television shows, bookstores, book clubs and any organization that is related to my subject.

For example, I sent press releases to organizations that promoted for and raised money for children with Down Syndrome when the main character of my third novel was a little girl with Downs. They couldn’t promote my novel because of its religious bent, but I got many speaking engagements from that one press release.

When I wrote my book on surviving cancer, press releases notified local cancer venues and I was asked to speak and sell my work at their venues.

3. National papers, magazines, television talk shows, national book store chains, individual national TV personalities, movie stars, agents, movie moguls, producers, etc.

I call this my ‘shot in the dark’ move. I try to do a far-fetched press release at least once a week. So far I haven’t had any success but a friend of mine had her book featured on Oprah Winfrey’s book blog by simply sending a press release.

My marketing plan calls for me to send out three press releases a week. Lately I have neglected this great marketing tool, but sending out one P.R. for each of the categories above has been the easiest and most successful promotional device I have found.

Karen Boyce

Karen Kelly Boyce lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She is a mother and grandmother. She is the author of “The Sisters of the Last Straw” series published by Tan Books. You can see her work and learn more about her on her website: www,kkboyce.com