Author Name: Jay Thomas Willis
Book Title(s): Implications For Effective Psychotherapy With African-Americans; As Soon as the Weather Breaks; The Cotton is High; Born to be Destroyed; Paranoid but not Stupid; Why Black Americans Behave as They Do; Hard Luck; When the Village Idiot Get Started; Educated Misunderstanding; The Devil in Angelica.
Marketing Subject: Marketing Through Press Releases
One of the most effective ways to promote your book and get media attention without spending a fortune is to send out a press release. The purpose of the press release is to entice the press to cover your new- book release. No matter how great your book is, if people don’t know about it, it’ll never sell. Below are seven ways to write a better press release and facilitate the marketing of your book.
(1). At the top of the page, type, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE in boldfaced letters, followed by today’s date. Never submit a press release without including the date submitted.
(2). Next you should list contact information. Be sure to include all snail mail and email addresses as well as home and cell phone numbers. Each item should be separated into its own line: start with name, phone, fax number, email address, and the address of Web site.
(3). Type and boldface the title of the book in a point size that is a few points larger than the body of the press release. Write an interesting subtitle that draws in the reader.
(4). Use an angle that attracts the media. Begin with a strong attention-grabbing tag line—a short, two sentence description that summarizes what the press release is about. Write a dynamic first paragraph that is designed to hook your reader’s attention. Make the first paragraph count. Include who, what, when, where, why, and how.
(5). Organize your thoughts in the body and say what you want to say in no more than three paragraphs. Include a few reviews of your book; or a brief, enticing synopsis—similar to what would be on the dust jacket of your book.
(6). Wrap up the press release with a sentence or two that summarizes your intent and what you want the reader to do. Include a brief biography—including awards, other books published, birthplace, jobs, etc. Reiterate general information about the book: the title, ISBN number, and where the reader can go for more information about purchasing the book; add the contact information again; for example a contact name, address, telephone, email, and URL. It’s a great idea to direct your readers to a Website where they can read an excerpt from your book.
(7). Center the characters # # # on the bottom of the page to let the reader know that this is the end of the press release, and there are no future pages.
As always, carefully proofread the release to eliminate errors. The entire press release should fit on a single page, and be factual. A poorly written press release will be ignored and thrown away. Keep it simple, short—300 to 800 words, to the point, and the font simple. Give the reader a reason to read your book. Write in third person.
Send the press release to a press release submission service, in order to get maximum benefit from your efforts. Get it on as many search engines, new sites, and data bases as possible. There are many online press release services that will distribute your press release for you. Many of them will perform this service for free. If a man is giving away millions of dollars, you will likely miss out on an opportunity if you don’t know his location. By the same token, if no one knows about your book, they will likely not buy it.
