A press release is the bare bones of a news story, written to help a journalist quickly see why your book is worth covering, and the right angle changes depending on who you're sending it to. The same release rarely works equally well for a local newspaper, a national outlet, and a book blogger; each wants a different hook.
This is part of the Complete Guide to Book Marketing.
Think of it as a two-way exchange: it helps journalists find new, interesting content to cover, and it helps you get coverage for your book. A press release that's purely self-promotional, with no real angle a journalist could use, tends to get ignored. The releases that get picked up give the journalist something genuinely useful: a timely hook, a local connection, or a newsworthy angle beyond "a book exists."
Local media. Focus on your background and your ties to the community. A local paper is far more likely to cover a local author than a book in the abstract, so lead with what connects you to that specific readership.
National outlets. Look for a tie-in to current events, a relevant holiday, or an awareness month or week that matches your book's subject. A book about nutrition for kids, for instance, might be timed around National Nutrition Month. The tie-in gives a national editor a reason your book is relevant right now, not just whenever it happened to release.
Fiction. Without an obvious topical hook, focus on what makes you or the book distinctive as a story: an unusual angle on your genre, your personal path to writing it, or a compelling premise. You can also write the release specifically as a request for journalists or reviewers to read and consider covering your manuscript, offering a free copy to anyone who responds.
Start with a clear headline that states the news, not just the book's title, followed by a dateline and release date. The opening paragraph matters most: cover who, what, when, where, and why it matters, since many journalists won't read past it. From there, add supporting details, a brief plot or subject summary, relevant background on you as the author, and any notable credentials or hooks, plus a quote, either from you or, if you have one, an early reviewer. Close with where to buy or learn more, your contact information, and a short "About the Author" paragraph.
A press release framed purely as "buy my book" reads as an ad, not news, and most journalists can tell the difference immediately. The strongest releases lead with something a journalist would want to tell their own readers about, your book being the supporting detail, not the headline itself.
Start with local newspapers and news outlets, especially if you have a genuine local connection, and trade or genre-specific outlets, which often have more appetite for a well-targeted pitch than general media. Book bloggers and reviewers are worth including too, particularly if you're using the release to request a review copy be considered. Wire distribution services offer broader, less targeted reach, though a well-targeted, personally sent pitch often outperforms a wide, impersonal blast.
Don't expect a high response rate; press outreach is a numbers game, and most releases won't get picked up. A polite, single follow-up after a week or two is reasonable; repeated follow-ups on the same pitch generally aren't. Keep a record of who you contacted and how they responded, so you can build relationships with responsive outlets and reviewers for future books.
Get a Press Release That Gets Read
Entrada Publishing writes and distributes press releases tailored to your book, your background, and the outlets most likely to cover you.
A genuine news angle, not just "a book exists." Local ties, timely tie-ins, or a request framed specifically as a review opportunity tend to work better than a purely promotional release.
Yes. Local media, national outlets, and book bloggers each respond to different angles, so the same generic release rarely performs as well as one tailored to who's receiving it.
Focus on what's distinctive about you as a writer or the book's premise, or frame the release as a request for journalists and reviewers to consider your manuscript, offering a free copy to interested respondents.
There's no fixed number, but expect a low response rate overall, so cast a reasonably wide net while still tailoring your pitch to outlets genuinely likely to be interested.