The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Press Release

I find in my discussions with new authors that many of them are unfamiliar with what a press release is or how it can best be used. So, I thought I’d provide a brief (okay, maybe not so brief!) overview of important considerations when writing and distributing releases.

Think of your press release as a newspaper article. It should be written so that anyone you send it to can take it as is and publish it in a print publication or blog with minimal changes (and since most of the media are busy people, they will love you for making their job easier!). That means that it should be professional and succinct and should be written in a journalistic (i.e., focusing on the who, what, when, where, and why), third-person style.

Your press release should begin with the line: For Immediate Release, which tells your reader that s/he is free to use the information that follows right away. Immediately following should be the date, written out in full, with the current year included (e.g., November 28, 2010).

Next is the headline, which should always be as succinct and intriguing as possible. Center your headline and be sure to include what’s important, stating what is most exciting or unique in as few words as possible. Here’s an example from a release about my book:

San Diego Publicist Paula Margulies Weaves
A Graceful Tale of Love and Redemption
in Coyote Heart

The body of the press release should follow the headline. I like to use a five-paragraph structure for my press releases:

1) The introductory paragraph. Many PR professionals recommend starting with an intriguing lead-off or hook in the first paragraph of your release. Since I tend to make my initial pitches by phone, I usually forgo the hook and instead open with a journalistic introductory paragraph that gives the who, what, where, when and why of the release. The first paragraph should be prefaced with the city and state where the event or content of the release is taking place. Here’s an example of an introductory paragraph:

San Diego, CA – Book publicist Paula Margulies announces the release of her debut novel, Coyote Heart (ISBN 978-1-933794-16-7), a multi-cultural love story set against the backdrop of the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego, California. Prior to publication, Coyote Heart received numerous awards, including an Editor’s Choice Award at the San Diego State University Writers’ Conference. Coyote Heart was also a finalist in the Santa Fe Writer’s Project Literary Awards Program, a worldwide competition that included over 350 entries.

2) An informational paragraph or two. In the second and third paragraphs of the release, I like to give a succinct overview of general information about the subject of the release. This should be supplemental information to what you presented in the first paragraph. An example of two informational paragraphs follows:

Coyote Heart tells the story of Carolyn Weedman, a forty-year-old librarian trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband’s past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men that she loves.

Set against the backdrop of local politics on the Pala Indian Reservation, Coyote Heart explores the intricacies of illicit love and marriage, the strength that comes from sacrifice, and the courage to forgive the injuries of the past. The novel calls on several San Diego landscapes, including the Rancho Penasquitos preserve and the Pala Indian Reservation, to give the story a unique local flavor. Written with haunting natural imagery and lyrical prose, Coyote Heart tells a compelling tale of love and modern Native American culture.

3) Include a quote. Since many in the media will, hopefully, use your press release verbatim, you want to include a quote in your release (so it looks as if you were interviewed by the publication running it). I like to keep quotes to one or two sentences. If you’re writing about your book, a good topic for a quote is what inspired you to write the book. When quoting, always use tags in the past tense (i.e. “said Margulies,” rather than “says Margulies”). Here is a sample press release quote:

“I wrote this novel, in part, because I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a marriage work,” said Margulies. “My sense is that many marriages survive not because the two individuals involved are meant for each other, but because the losses and hardships that they’ve endured forge a bond that is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to sever.”

4) Include a brief bio. The final paragraph of your release should include biographical information about you, but remember to keep it as succinct as possible. Summarize your history as a writer and include information about awards, other publications, media appearances, and any other information that positions you as an expert. I usually end the bio paragraph with a sentence about where the author resides and/or what the author is working on next. An example of a bio paragraph:

Paula Margulies is the owner of Paula Margulies Communications, a public relations firm for authors and artists. She has received numerous awards for her short stories and novels, and her essays have been published in a number of professional journals and magazines. She has been awarded artist residencies at Caldera, Red Cinder Artist Colony, Vermont Studio Center, and Centrum. Margulies resides in San Diego, California, with her husband and two teenagers.

You can also include a final line about where to find more information about you and your book:

For more information on the author or Coyote Heart, please visit www.paulamargulies.com or Kirk House Publishers at www.kirkhouse.com.

5) End with contact info. At the end of your release, be sure to tell readers who they can contact for more information about you. You should include a line that reads: For Further Information, and follow it with your (or your publicist’s) name, address, telephone numbers, email and website information:

For further information, please contact:
Paula Margulies Communications
8145 Borzoi Way
San Diego, CA 92129
T: 858-538-2047
paulamar@san.rr.com
www.paulamargulies.com

If you are sending a release yourself, you may want to include your book’s cover art in the upper left-hand corner as letterhead. Try to keep your release to one-page; if you have to use a second page, be sure to label it as such with your last name and page number.

If your publicist has written the release, be sure to ask permission before changing its content and/or distributing it yourself (if it’s written in her name, then it should come from her).

You will want to use your press release as a follow-up tool when pitching booksellers or the media. Send the release as an attachment, along with your headshot and book cover art (front cover only, in jpg format) after you have made an inquiry for a signing event or media interview.

Once you have a general press release written, you can use it as the basis for announcing new events (media and book signing appearances, awards, re-releases, etc.). You will need to change the release date, title, content paragraphs, and quote (and update your bio paragraph as information changes).

It’s easy to distribute your releases on free press release distribution websites. My favorites are http://www.free-press-release.com and www.briefingwire.com. Some of the free sites will require registration and many of them will offer fee-based advanced exposure services. Some will provide email tracking, showing the number of views your press release receives once it’s on the wire.

Finally, if you have any questions about your release or feel uncertain about writing one yourself, consider asking a publicist or PR specialist to write one for you. Many PR pros are happy to provide this service for you and should be willing to do so for a nominal fee.

How to Get Self-Published Books into Bookstores

A self-published author recently sent me the following email message:

"I conducted a book signing at my local Walden bookstore and when one of my friends tried to purchase my book a few weeks later, she was told that I was not
in their database. How can I get my self-published book stocked in a real bookstore?"

This is the dilemma for self-published authors -- most booksellers do not want to stock self-published books in their stores, for many reasons: 1) booksellers order thousands of books per year and don't want to have to order from individual publishers. Instead, they order through wholesale distributors like Baker & Taylor or Ingram, where they can place one order for all the different books they want at once; 2) booksellers don't like having to wait for POD books to ship; they would rather order from a distribution company, which has the books already there in its warehouse; and 3) many print-on-demand books are, to put it kindly, subpar -- they have not been edited and/or reviewed before they are printed, so some booksellers feel that self-published books, in general, are not high quality (whether that's true or not, they have that stigma attached to them).

So, what can be done if your book is self-published?

1) If you want to get your book into stores, it's important to have it listed with a distributor. There are a number of independent distributors, like Pathway Book Service or Greenleaf Book Group, that handle distribution for self-published authors. Some of the wholesale distributors, like Ingram, also have divisions for self-published books. If your book is listed with a distributor, you have a much better chance of getting it into independent and chain bookstores. And, in addition to warehousing and shipping your books, distributors can help with other aspects of marketing including sales promotions, negotiating with buyers, order tracking and reporting, and mailing list maintenance.

2) Some of the bigger booksellers, like Barnes & Noble and Borders, have their own distribution centers. To get into those, you have to approach their small press divisions and ask if they are willing to sell your book in their stores. Both of these companies require that you send a marketing plan for your book, along with one or more copies of the book and a cover letter, to the small press division. You’ll typically receive an answer within a few weeks.

3). Even if Barnes & Noble and Borders won't accept your book through their small press divisions, individual store managers can still order from you directly, if they choose to do so. That's why it's so important that you still try to do signings in as many bookstores as possible. If you hold a successful signing in a store, the bookseller may be willing to order copies (although Borders assigns its own numbers, called "BINC" numbers, to books that it carries, so if your book is not in the Borders system, a store manager may not be able to order it).

If you don't do signings, it's difficult for individual booksellers to know about you or your book -- that's why making appearances at bookstores (even with a low turnout) is so important, especially the first six-eight months after a book is released. Booksellers are willing to have self-published authors in their stores, but only if there is a perceived demand for the book and the author is willing to promote the signing and help draw customers to the event. A good publicist can help convince bookstore managers that your book is worthy of a signing appearance and can be instrumental in booking you for print, radio, and television spots that will drive traffic to your event.

If you do land a signing event, many bookstore managers will ask you to bring copies of the book with you and will purchase an agreed-upon number of those books from you the day of your signing. In some cases, you will have to wait to be paid, since the checks come from corporate offices, rather than the individual stores.

4) Consider offering your books on a consignment arrangement with independent bookstores. Most indie booksellers will take a few copies (usually about 5-10) and will want to keep a percentage of the sales (the typical consignment arrangement is 40-60). If your books sell well, you may be able to convince the store manager to stock them on a regular basis.

5) Finally, don't forget that as a self-published author, you have the advantage of being able to control how your book is marketed. In addition to selling in bookstores, you'll want to explore making your book available in as many ebook formats as possible and consider other venues beside bookstores for sales opportunities.

Some Thoughts on Thinking (and Selling) Outside the Bookstore Box by Carol Newman Cronin

Note: This guest post is by Olympic sailor and author, Carol Newman Cronin, who sailed for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens and has written two fabulous young adult novels: Oliver's Surprise and Cape Cod Surprise. Read what Carol has to say about selling books in places other than a bookstore, and then vist her website: www.carolnewmancronin.com and her blog: Where Books Meet Boats. -PM

Boats Meet Books in Newport:
Five tips for selling books in non-traditional venues

“Author’s Corner - what’s that?”
“You wrote these books yourself?”
“What age group are they meant for?”
“Where do I find a bathroom?”

Those are just a random sampling of the many questions I answered this past weekend at the Newport International Boat Show. Probably not the first place you would think of for book selling, but it turned out to be a great venue for my two Surprises www.carolnewmancronin.com/books.htm. With abundant sunshine and temps in the 70’s, the weather was perfect for boat gawking out on the docks. And once they’d overcome their own Surprise at seeing books - real books - on a boat show booth table, many of the people pouring down the aisles of Tent C were eager to buy some nautical fiction.

The Author’s Corner is a booth provided for those lucky few who are asked to give seminars during the four day event. My seminar (entitled “Where Books Meet Olympic Spirit”) took place before lunch every day, and whether it was because people weren’t yet ready for a sit-down break from boat gawking or due to the vague title, attendance was, well – poor. But sales in the booth were brisk, making the entire effort well worth it.

I had been dreading sitting inside a tent over a beautiful September weekend, and I certainly took several breaks on Thursday and Friday to wander the show and catch up with all my marine industry buddies. But over the weekend, I was simply too busy to get antsy. Handing out bookmarks to anyone who looked like a reader (and US Sailing Team Alphagraphics stickers to all the kids), talking about writing and sailing with those interested enough to stop and chat, and – best of all – signing the books once I’d made the sale; I enjoyed it all more than I expected.

After four days of refining my pitch, I can definitely pass on a few pointers about non-traditional bookselling.

1. Find something in common with the person, and talk about that.
It’s pretty safe to assume that anyone who walks in the door of a bookstore is a reader. I couldn’t make the same assumption about the people walking down the aisle of Tent C, but I could make a different assumption: they were most likely interested in boats (or at least, interested in SOMEONE who was interested in boats). That gave us something to talk about besides the books for sale.

I quickly learned to watch darting eyes, to see if they were caught by the sight of books piled up on a table. Readers notice books; flagging down everyone else by waving a bookmark (or tripping them up) probably wasn’t going to lead to a sale.

2. Create a visually appealing booth that makes it clear what you’re selling.
Since I don’t do many trade shows, I don’t have a lot of big banners that draw in customers. Most people didn’t quite understand what an “Author’s Corner” was right away; it would’ve been very helpful to have a background display that clarified our bookselling/author roles.

Saturday and Sunday our table’s visual appeal was greatly helped by the addition of a large hardback called Steam Coffin.

Author John Lawrence Busch eagerly told anyone who even glanced at his beautiful cover about the first transatlantic steamship. His enthusiasm was infectious, and some of his listeners also bought copies of my books.

Our other booth mate was Captain Graybeard, a boat show veteran who was hawking a wide variety of books, electronics, and weather information – and giving away a free catalog on CD. The world famous cruiser Don Street also made appearances, in between seminars and his visits to the beer tent. So we had something for everyone - softcover fiction, hardcover history, electronic self-help, and nautical legend all represented in the same booth. But many thought we were all selling all of our wares together, rather than independently.

3. Have something to give away that’s easy to carry.
For me, bookmarks work very well as a way to engage people – and I ran through my entire supply. Frequently someone would glance at our table but wouldn’t actually stop until I offered a bookmark. Some just said “thanks” and kept walking, but most would come back to the table and take a second look at what I had to offer. And many of those eventually turned into sales.

4. Have a “special.”
People love to feel like they’re getting a deal when buying at a show, so it’s important to have a special offer. For me it was “Boat show special - two books for twenty bucks.” Only a few people realized they could also buy one for ten bucks…

5. Avoid the hard sell.
There is a well-known parable about the wind and the sun, each trying to get a man to remove his coat. The wind blows hard and then harder, but all that happens is the man clutches the coat tighter to his body. Then the sun comes out, and once the man is warm and happy he gladly takes off his coat.

We’ve all been verbally assaulted walking through a trade show, the human equivalent of the wind blowing harder and harder. After four days of watching my booth mates and the other booth operators around me, I tried to be more like the sun and make people happy. Once I got someone’s attention with a bookmark and had given a very short overview about the books, I asked a question about their boat or where they lived. I haven’t met a boat owner yet who doesn’t like to talk about his or her vessel, and I also enjoyed hearing about all the different ways people work and play on the water.

Selling doesn’t have to be hard. And boat shows, as it turns out, don’t have to be awful – they can be a great chance to find yet another link between boats and books.

Your Fall Book Promotion Checklist

It's that time of year when the kids are heading back to school and the rest of us are making plans to get out and enjoy the last warm days of summer.

With the change in season and return from vacations (hopefully tanned and rested!), it's time to get serious about promoting your book again. Whether you're a first-time author or a seasoned pro, there's still a lot to do in the way of footwork to ensure that readers know about your book.

Here are a few tips for getting back out there and promoting your book this fall:

1. Sign up to speak at conferences and special events
2. Sign up for book fairs, street fairs, and fall festivals
3. Submit your book to traditional and online book reviewers
4. Contact your local library to schedule an appearance
5. Submit your book to contests and award programs
6. Apply for artist residencies and fellowships
7. Contact blog sites related to your book and set up a blog tour
8. Attend a writers conference near you
9. Join a book promotion group (can’t find one? Start one yourself!)
10. Contact local schools about speaking
11. Start a blog, guest blog on other sites, or beef up your own blog
12. Write articles about your subject matter
13. Update your website
14. Use social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) to update fans about your book
15. Upgrade your promotional items - create new bookmarks,posters, and giveaways
16. Set up consignments at local stores, and check in with those that already have your book on display
17. Create an FAQ or Q & A sheet
18. Get new testimonials from recent readers
19. Contact a book club and offer to speak
20. Wear a t-shirt with your book cover on it to the gym, grocery store, bank, etc.
21. Make business cards with your book cover on them and leave them everywhere you go: at restaurants, in stores, libraries, schools, etc., and include them in return envelopes that come with bills and mailers
22. Create a car magnet sign highlighting your book and where to order it
23. Donate your book to charity auctions
24. Write a press release about something recent that’s happened with you and your book and post it on free wire service websites
25. Volunteer your time for a worthy cause (a great way to help others and let them know about you and your book at the same time!)

You get the idea...there are lots of opportunities out there for telling the world about you and your book. Happy promoting -- and happy fall!

How to Get the Most from Your Book Signings

Note: Some of my newer clients have asked for info on how to prepare for signings, so I'm reposting this earlier piece for those interested. -PM

Summer is here and it's a great time for authors to do book signings. For those of you getting ready to appear at bookstores for the first time, here are some helpful hints for making the most out of your signing experience:

1) If the bookstore is near you, stop by a week ahead of time and see what kind of promotion the staff is doing for your book. If they don't have anything up, offer to give them posters, bookmarks, magnets, etc., to use in the store.

2) Talk to your friends and family and try to get as many people as you can to attend your signing. Even if they've purchased the book before or attended other signings, ask them to come and help draw people in the store over to the area where you're reading. Send email announcements to everyone in your address book prior to signings and ask your workmates, students, clients, etc., to attend. Mention that you're doing a signing everywhere you go -- at work, in the grocery store, at the bank, etc. Make up simple announcement flyers and leave them everywhere you can (at the library, on bulletin boards, at coffee shops, etc.).

3) Presign a number of the books you're bringing to help long lines move faster. After your signing, see if you can get the store to keep the presigned copies. You can make or order stickers that say "Signed Copy" for the spine of the book -- these will help the books move quickly on the shelves.

4) A few days prior to the signing, advertise your event on local websites that have calendar listings. Many local newspapers and weekly tabloids have event notice forms you can fill out online for free. Some have longer lead times, so start checking the websites early. You can also put a notice in the events section on Craigslist and on other free networking sites.

5) The morning of your signing, call and ask for the manager (if you're one of my clients, the names are on your reading schedule). Make sure the manager knows what time your signing will be held and has everything ready for you, including table, chairs, microphone, electrical outlet (if necessary), etc. Also, find out if your books are there; if they're not, bring at least 20 copies with you.

6) Get to your signing early and make sure tables and chairs are set up and your books are out. I've been to a number of signings where my clients have gotten there and nothing is ready, so be prepared for that. Be sure to place one of your promotional posters on the table with your books, so patrons passing by will see the cover art and, hopefully, stop to hear you speak.

7) Always have extra copies with you, in case you have a big crowd. Bring plenty of pens and don't forget to bring your business cards, so those who buy your books can get in touch with you later or find info on your website.

8) Be personable and friendly to everyone who walks by. Wait until there is a good crowd gathered before starting and, if there's no microphone, make sure you project your voice so those in the back can hear you (practice this at home in front of the mirror). Talk about what inspired you to write the book, what the story is about, what motivates the characters, and what you love about the book. Read a few pages, preferably something that has some action or conflict. Don't read too long -- less is more with public speaking. Those in the audience will often have questions, so be sure to allow for some after you finish. And don't forget to chat with readers while you're signing -- the more impressed the reader is with you and the book, the better chance s/he will tell others about it and help create the buzz you're looking for.

9) After the signing, thank the store manager and other staff who helped you set up. See if they'll stock any leftover copies and don't be shy about asking them to order more copies from your publisher.

10) Bring your digital camera and have someone take pictures of you while you're signing. After the signing, post the photos on your website and blogsite and write about the experience, the readers you met there, the helpful staff, etc. Be positive about the experience (even if it didn't meet your expectations) and encourage everyone to come out for your next signing.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I struggled a little with this blog post today, not because I haven’t written one in a while (which is true, I’ve been delinquent), but mainly because this is not a subject I’m happy about.

My topic today is those agents, editors, publicists, and publishers, who use their social media sites to publicly belittle the writers who have queried them or inquired about their services. I’m talking about the folks who post sneering comments on their Facebook or Twitter pages about manuscripts and query letters they’ve received from authors. These are the comments about bad grammar, overblown plot lines/characters/dialogue, angry responses to rejections, or even deals that go down in inappropriate places (I recently saw a tweet from an agent who crowed that she had made a book deal while she was in the bathroom at her local gym).

In rare cases, there may be a legitimate reason to gripe (I’m thinking about a recent blog post by another agent who received a number of expletive-laden emails from an individual she had rejected), but that griping, in my view, should never take place in a public forum. If a professional has to vent, there are more appropriate venues (i.e., private conversations with coworkers, spouses, or friends) for sharing frustration about submissions, clients, or colleagues. But publicly humiliating authors who submit work, no matter how bad that work might be, is just not acceptable.

A writing professional has to believe that the manuscripts and letters she receives have been sent with the best intentions. Yes, many of these submissions are error-ridden and a great number of the manuscripts are not likely candidates for publication. But there is never a time when it's okay for a literary professional to poke public fun at an author who is making an honest attempt to submit a written work.

Maybe it’s because I’m an author myself, but I cringe when I read giddy Facebook posts ridiculing author submissions. Not only is it unprofessional to do so, it is extremely unkind. In my view, a client submission is a private document and one to be considered with the utmost courtesy. My policy is to never publicly discuss any type of inquiry sent to me, no matter how bad the writing (and I do receive some gems, on occasion) or how mismanaged the cover letter or email message. To me, every writer, along with his work, deserves consideration and a professional, private response from me, whether I agree to represent him or not. And every author deserves some amount of common courtesy and respect for at least having taken the time to produce a written work.

I don’t understand why authors continue to submit to literary professionals who openly belittle them in public forums. To me, a person who bashes potential clients in public is either unprofessional or unkind (or both), and hardly a good candidate for a business relationship.

To writers who are submitting work: I urge you to check out the public forums used by the professionals you plan to query before you submit. You may reconsider after visiting there.

And to my literary colleagues who have indulged in this type of behavior, I beg you to remember: public humiliation, in any form, is unprofessional. If that statement sounds too chastising, I submit this thought instead: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Making Connections: What to Include in an Author Bio

One of the most important pieces of an author’s media kit is the biographical summary, or bio, which provides the important background information that media folks, booksellers, conference attendees, and, ultimately, readers, seek. A good bio can be more than a means of introducing authors to their market; it also can provide a way to develop a platform for new authors who don’t yet have a lot of experience or a public track record.

So, what kind of information should an author put in a bio, and how much of that information should be included?

I recommend that writers create two kinds of bios: a brief, one paragraph summary that can be used in press releases and for program announcements or spots with limited space, and a longer piece that can be used for media promotion and speaking events.

When I write press releases for my clients, I always include a single biographical paragraph near the end of the release. This paragraph is factual in tone and generally includes the author’s credentials, a summary list of other works and awards, a statement about where s/he currently resides, and what the author is working on next.

In addition to the bio in the press release, I also recommend developing a longer, full-length bio, which is generally three – four paragraphs (I try to keep it to one page) and includes more detailed information about the author’s personal history. This longer bio is the one I use when I approach the media to set up client interviews; it also can be submitted to conference or event organizers to help provide background for program listings and speaker introductions.

When writing a longer bio, I urge authors to include any information that might be of interest to a reporter or producer looking for topics for an article or a radio/television spot. Even if a writer doesn’t have a celebrity background or prior experience publishing, the information provided in the bio can peak interest, especially if timed to tie in with current events in the news.

It’s important to include any tidbits of information that might help a reporter or producer see a possible story for an article or interview. But since public relations is mainly a business of establishing relationships, a thorough and well-written bio can also help build a connection between the reader and the author.

Some potential items to build into a longer bio include:

1. the city and state where the author was born
2. where the author went to high school
3. where the author went to college or trade school and what major and/or degrees s/he pursued there
4. significant achievements, including awards, titles, media coverage, or recognition
5. experience or expertise in specific industries or arenas
6. a list of publications (including ongoing writing gigs), releases, exhibitions, patents, and creations
7. tie-ins or connections to current events
8. volunteer or altruistic work
9. hobbies or special interests related to the content/subject area of the author’s book
10. relevant information on the author’s family members
11. the city and state where the author currently resides
12. future projects or a description of new projects the author is working on
13. links to websites and blogs that provide more information about the author

Not all of this information will be relevant for all authors; writers should take a look at their subject area and background and give some thought to what information might be most useful and interesting when promoting their particular books. If a writer has trouble deciding how much information to include, running a draft by a professional publicity or media person, or a trusted editor or writing partner, can help.

Generally, I recommend that the tone of the bio be professional and simple. Bios are typically written in third person, with the author’s full name used the first time it appears, and only the last name used for each subsequent mention. If an author prefers a more informal tone and wants to use his first name for subsequent mentions, that’s fine, as long this is done consistently. Some authors like to inject humor into their bios, but care should be taken to ensure that the piece is not too cheeky or off-putting and that the bio clearly provides the information that the reader seeks.

Finally, authors should remember that bios are living documents that need to be updated regularly as new information in the author’s life – awards, publications, residential and job moves, personal developments, etc. – occurs.