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I've been on both sides of press releases, sending and receiving. The ones that seem to get attention that I have sent out are those that have a complete story, such as this one I did last year. Some of the formatting got lost when I pasted it here. Sorry about that.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maryann Miller
903-365-7585
Creating Some Good Luck
Local Mystery Author Participates in Friday the 13th Free Kindle Promotion
WINNSBORO, TX - March 28, 2012 - Maryann Miller of Winnsboro is one of 13 Amazon Kindle mystery authors participating in the Friday the 13th Free Kindle Book Event - 13 Books From 13 Mystery Authors.
On this day, April 13, Kindle readers are invited to download 13 books for free. Titles include mystery, suspense, romance and paranormal novels in settings that range from small town U.S.A., to Singapore and Indochina, to a mysterious island, to the world of reality TV.
Miller will be offering her suspense novel, One Small Victory, for free on that day. "This is such an exciting event for readers as they can sample so many books from so many different genres," Miller says. "It can be good to stretch our reading outside what we read most often, and I am so happy to be part of this event. The electronic reading devices have made it easier for people in these rural areas to get lots of books to read without having to drive miles and miles to a bookstore."
One Small Victory was originally published in hardback, and as an e-book it has been on the best-selling list at Amazon for suspense and thrillers. The novel was inspired by the true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major drug distributor in her small Texas town. "I was so impressed by what this woman did," Miller says. "I just had to write about the courage she had to be so pro-active."
Among the accomplishments of the listed authors are New York Times bestselling, Amazon bestselling, Edgar-nominated, Agatha-nominated, and winner of the St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Novel, to name a few. The authors have teamed up to create the Friday the 13th event in an effort to reach out to fans of the mystery and suspense genres.
Miller is also the author of Open Season, the first book in a new mystery series, as well as a number of other books. More information about her and her books can be found on her website www.maryannwrites.com For full access to the list of books that will be free on April 13 and clickable links, visit www.stacyjuba.com and look in the right margin for information.
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Generally, if you are sending a release to a newspaper, an editorial assistant reads it first, before passing it on. Keeping the most important information at the top is key to allowing the EA to quickly figure out how to route it. Another good thing you can do is send it several days ahead of the event. Sending it the day before guarantees it won't make it through the process quickly enough to make press. Just because its a daily newspaper does not mean their press release triage procedure is nimble.
Make sure, if you can, to research who would be covering your event if they do cover it. See if there's a public email for that person and send them a SHORT heads up that a press release has been sent, and don't send another email after that. These days, newspaper workers are in short supply, so any way you can make their jobs faster and easier will make them grateful and probably put you in a better spot to be noticed.
Never call unless they have called you, asking you to call.
advice from an old newspaper man.
Angel wrote: "I found a template for a press release on this blog that I subscribe to, http://selfpublishingteam.com/. It seems good, and I also received info about doing a press release from the marketing team ..."I used to write them for a living. If you want to see some of the ones I've done for myself, check out the links on my web page (I have a widget that scrolls them from my PRLog press room). http://sharonecathcart.weebly.com/med...
As others have mentioned, keep to inverted pyramid (most important information at the top) and make sure that you are using AP style.
Hi, Angel!My publisher did three press releases to go along with review books sent to newspapers, each focusing on a different aspect of the story. That way the editors have something to cite in their reviews.
My publicist started with those basic releases,and personalizes them for each event. For instance, my book tour this month takes me to a local university's history awards, a 100th anniversary of a chamber of commerce, and the Red Hat Society's International convention. All the book talks are similar but personalized to the situation, so the press releases are, too. Following is one that just went out today for the university. Note that it has a paragraph unrelated to me, but important to the university community. That makes it a good story for the paper to print. Hope this helps!
Doc Holliday’s Southern Roots
Morrow, April 4, 2013 - Author Victoria Wilcox will be the guest speaker at the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society Initiation at Clayton State University on Friday, April 19th. Wilcox will speak on some unique Southern history in a program entitled "Gone With the Wind Goes West: The Surprising Southern Heritage of Doc Holliday." The initiation begins at 7 pm at Clayton State, 2000 Clayton State Blvd., Morrow.
Phi Alpha Theta (ΦΑΘ) is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. The society has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.
Wilcox is the author of "Inheritance," the first book in the historical fiction trilogy, "Southern Son: The Saga of Doc Holliday," scheduled for official release on May 8th by Knox Robinson Publishing of London and New York. Wilcox lives in Peachtree City.
As founding director of Fayetteville’s Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum, Wilcox discovered the story that led to "Southern Son: The Saga of Doc Holliday." Although the name Doc Holliday conjures images of the Wild West and the shootout at the OK Corral, before he was a Western legend he was a Southern son, born in Griffin in the last days of the Old South with family links to the author of Gone With the Wind. The saga begins with Inheritance, set during the turbulent times of Civil War and Reconstruction, as young John Henry Holliday faces first love and family tragedy, honor and betrayal, and a violent encounter that changes his life forever.
Wilcox, a member of the Western Writers of America, spent eighteen years researching and writing the Southern Son trilogy, becoming a nationally known expert on the life of Doc Holliday. Her book tour for "Inheritance" began with an appearance in Tombstone, Arizona, and will take her across the country to all the places Holliday knew in his adventurous life.
The international release of "Inheritance" will be celebrated with a private book premiere party at the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum in Fayetteville, followed by a public Book Launch at the Margaret Mitchell House Museum in Atlanta on Saturday, June 1st at 2pm (contact the museum at 404-249-7015). Omega Books at 100 S Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree City will host the Southside book signing on Saturday, June 15th from 1-3pm. Those who can't attend the event but would like a signed copy of the book reserved for them can contact Omega Books at 770-487-3977. Inheritance is available from Amazon and other online retailers, and in bookstores everywhere.
Visit the author’s website at www.victoriawilcoxbooks.com to explore the world of Doc Holliday, view the trailer, and read a sample chapter.
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Great, thank you all so much for your input. Of course, now I have follow up questions. ;-) Just a quick note: I will be sending a general press release soon, but the 2 I'm working on now will be to newspapers where I'll be doing book signings the first weekend in May. These are small communities (50K-80K pop.) so I have no doubt they will run my release. Just wondering the following:1.) Is 2wks before too early to send it? John, I know you said a few days...these are daily papers. Should I wait & do it closer to the event? Maryanne, yours looks like it was about 2 wks prior. Does that seem average?
2.) Sharon, I love your press releases on your site. Do you always send pictures on a digital press release? Do you ever send printed copies, and if so, do you also include a picture?
Victoria, I don't really have a question. But I like the idea of including information about the venue/organization when announcing an event, along with the book & author info. I'm going to use that!
Thanks again for taking the time to help me. I know I have been dragging my feet on this, but much as I had to do at the end of my book, I need to just finish it, trust it's right and move on!
Angel, good point about if its a weekly paper vs. a daily one. the best thing to do is to call the paper itself and ask what is the optimum time for them to get and publish a press release. It will vary among smaller papers.
I did send my release out about two weeks prior as it went to a lot of papers that are weekly. For dailies, you could send the week before. And I agree that adding something about the venue is a good idea. Releases I send out for events at the local art center - plays, exhibits, etc - I always include a short paragraph following the body of the release that is about the Center:About WCA
The Winnsboro Center for the Arts was established in 2001 as a rural community arts center to foster visual, literary, and performing arts. It is housed in an historic building in downtown Winnsboro and is run entirely by volunteers and supported by donations. WCA is dedicated to embracing the spirit of creativity, thereby enriching the lives of the residents of a five-county area in rural East Texas. The goal is to become a vibrant, energizing resource for those wishing to experience and develop talents in creative expression in the arts.
Angel wrote: "2.) Sharon, I love your press releases on your site. Do you always send pictures on a digital press release? Do you ever send printed copies, and if so, do you also include a picture?"
First, thank you!
Second, to answer your question about photos: almost always, yes. I seldom send out hard copies anymore; most papers are taking digital only (check their submission requirements). Your smaller local papers may be still doing hard copy, but it varies from location to location (I'm in a major metropolitan area).
:-)
Anybody willing to volunteer to proof-read/review my press release first draft? It's specific to a couple of book signing coming up in May, so I focused on the locations and my ties to those communities. PM me or post your email add here & I'll send a Word copy. All compliments and criticisms welcome!TIA
*Angel
Angel wrote: "Anybody willing to volunteer to proof-read/review my press release first draft? It's specific to a couple of book signing coming up in May, so I focused on the locations and my ties to those commun..."vw@victoriawilcoxbooks.com
Thanks~
*Angel