Of all the ways that press releases can be utilized as tools, from sales and service to news and announcements, press releases are often the best, if not the only avenue for self-published books. Not always, but frequently, editors, agents and publishers will not look at books written by unknown authors, especially today. The book-publishing business has become more cloistered as giant publishing houses gobble up small presses and major moguls merge.

In this era of celebrity-driven book sales, the new or first-time book author becomes a disposable commodity to the publishing world. ‘Names’ sell books. Never mind that some celebrities who can hardly speak proper English, let alone spell it, become best-selling authors. All they need is a well-known name and a little cash to hire a ghostwriter. (We exclude all foreign-language-speaking authors and good writer celebrities, and there are many out there.)

But here you are, a hard-working and gifted wordsmith with knowledge or adventure to share, and you can’t get a nod from the publishing world, let alone the mainstream media. Here’s where the mighty press release comes in.

If you can come up with a clever angle, a unique twist or a first-time-ever happenstance, you can get attention from the media with a press release. So you say, “It sounds like quite a trick. How am I going to do that?” Oh, come on, you’re a writer. Remember? If you can plot a novel or organize information in book format, surely you can write a pithy press release about it. Remember, pithy means clever, yes, but also terse and to the point.

To give you examples of successful press releases we’ve written about self-published books, we’re including a few titles below that illustrate unique twists, timely connections and clever angles. You’ll get the idea.

Illustrative Examples:

New Book Unravels Mystery of Buying First Baby’s Layette: An Economic Survival Guide for First Time Parents

The idea is unique. Did you ever see an entire book devoted to baby’s first layette? How many new parents have you met who seemed mighty confused on what they will need? How many ask themselves how much it will cost? This book answers those practical questions and more. It’s also a timesaver and a money saver for new parents. This is the angle we concentrated on and created a release that had all the elements of a best seller.

New Book Spells out Key to Success Based on Your Name

The unique twist of this book is that your name can influence your success in life. Of all the self-help books out there, we’ve never seen one with this connection. This book uncovers intriguing ancient formulas that enable you to analyze your name and act on it to improve your life.

Find your own unique angle for your book and promote it with press releases. The media loves the unusual, as long as it makes sense.

Although writing is an art, publishing is most definitely a business.

Since you are your own publisher, you are running a business – a small business, but a business nonetheless.  Therefore, you must draft a business plan before you go through the process of finding a printer for your book.  The business plan will address the financial questions as well as the projected timeline.  Since your book has about six months to prove itself before bookstores will pull it, the timeline is important.

Pick a name for your new publishing company.  Simply adding the word publishing to the end of your name will work – John Doe Publishing.  Don’t make the name specific to your book as you may want to publish different types of books in the future.

Obtain a business license, open a business account at the bank, and get a post office box for your company address.

Hire a professional design artist to make a logo and to do your book cover art.  Excellent cover art will help make your book as professional as possible.  Use the artwork to print letterhead and business cards.

Get a professional editor to edit your book.  There are different types of editors:  A copy editor will review your finished copy and look for general mistakes and offer broad stroke improvement.  A developmental editor will work with an unfinished manuscript draft and work with you to direct and shape the book.

Set a competitive price for your book before you print.  Price books that are similar to yours and also use the basic rule of thumb:  five times the cost to print one book.  Keep in mind all the discounts that wholesalers and bookstores expect to receive.  When setting your price remember that individual bookstores generally get 40 percent off the list price, general wholesalers and distributors get 50 – 55 percent off the list price, and exclusive (master) distributors get 62 to 67 percent off the list price.

Get all the necessary numbers for your book:  ISBN, Bookland EAN barcode, copyright, etc.

Write all the “extra” material your book will need:  acknowledgements, dedication, preface, copyright, table of contents, and the back cover.  Look through some books that are similar to yours to make sure that you have all your bases covered.

Contract with a quality printing company that specializes in printing books.  Make sure you understand who is responsible for what.  Some printers offer many services for self-published writers while others simply fill your order.

The printer should provide you with proofs to look over.  Notate any mistakes that you want corrected.  The charges for these corrections will most likely depend on whether it was a mistake on your end or their end.

Once everything is to your satisfaction, have the printer make some galleys for you to begin soliciting reviews and blurbs.  These galleys should be sent out about four months before your targeted publication date.  Remember that librarians and booksellers make many of their selections from reviews.

Draft “terms and conditions” that outlines exactly how you will handle discounts, returns, billing, shipping, etc.  Obviously, this isn’t an issue with the single book-buyer, but it certainly is with bulk book-buyers.  If a bookstore wants to buy a large number of your books, the terms and conditions need to be clear on both ends.

As long as you have books to sell, you will be marketing.  Your marketing efforts need to be twofold:  the book-buying public (or your target audience) and the bookselling industry – independent bookstores, distributors, wholesalers, and online bookstores.  This is most certainly where the press release can help you.

Terms you will need to know:

Copyright – Even if you haven’t officially gotten a copyright, your work is still legally protected.  Technically, as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form, it is automatically protected.  However, going through the process of registering your book establishes a public record of the copyright.  Also, you can’t sue anyone for copyright infringement until your work is registered.  If your book is published through a traditional publishing house, they will copyright your book for you in your name.  This may not be the case for self-published authors.  In which case, you would need to contact the US copyright office yourself to register your work.

ISBN – The ISBN – International Standard Book Number – is a standard identification system for books and other publications that utilizes a unique identifying number for each book.  All book databases, directories, and bookstores use ISBN to track books.  Basically, if you want to sell any books in the marketplace, you are going to need an ISBN.  The ISBN helps to ensure that the books are identified, ordered, and shipped correctly.  In the U.S.  you can only purchase ISBNs from R.R.  Bowker Company.  Whoever purchases the ISBN is the publisher.  So if your book printing company provides you with an ISBN, they are officially the book publisher, not you.  ISBN are unique not only to each book, but also each edition and version of the book – even if the content is exactly the same; this includes hardcover, paperback, audio, video, and e-book versions.  Don’t forget to fill out an Advance Book Information (ABI) form at BowkerLink.com before your book goes to press.  Submit the form, and Bowker will include your new book in their directory, “Forthcoming Books in Print.”  On your official publication date, your book will be automatically included in “Books in Print,” a directory that reaches just about every major book buyer, and many reviewers.

Bookland EAN Barcode – The Bookland EAN (European Article Number) is an international barcode used to identify books and other media.  Especially, this is a special UPC barcode used solely for books.  The number is created using the ISBN, currency, and price of the book.  Like the ISBN, each edition and version of the book has a unique number.  The reason it is called “Bookland” is because normally the first few digits of a barcode are used to identify the country of origin.  Because the book industry has so many products, it has been given its own country code – the land of books, or Bookland.  This is simply a special UPC bar code scanning symbol used just for books.

UPC Code – Universal Product Code – this is the normal bar code used on almost everything in a typical store.  If you plan on selling your book through a non-bookstore outlet, you will need a UPC.

Library of Congress catalog number – This is a unique number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalogue record of the book.  This number is used in a searchable national database used by librarians.  Remember that you need this to get your book into libraries; this is a big market.  A card number can be assigned before the book is actually published.  The Pre-assigned Card Number Program (PCNP) provides these unpublished books with a Cataloging in Publication record (CIP).  When you publish your book, include the CIP data on the copyright page to facilitate book processing for libraries and book dealers.

Galley – Basically this is a pre-publication version of your book.  An unbound galley could just be photocopies of the pages that you printed off your computer.  A bound galley comes from the printer in regular book form.  Usually the bound galley is not the final copy and still needs proofing.  Recently, electronic galleys (e-galleys) have come into the picture.  E-galleys certainly cost less to print and send out.  You can even just post the e-galley on your Web site and send out invitations to view it.  No matter which version you decide to send out, make sure the galley includes the following information on the cover or first page:  title, author, publication date, ISBN, number of pages, price, trim size, hardcover or paperback, number of illustrations and/or photographs, publisher name and contact information, distributor name and contact information, publicist name, address and contact information, and also print something like this on the cover:  “Uncorrected proof – Galley copy only – Do not quote without prior permission from the publisher.”

POD – (print-on-demand) publishing – Some recent advances in printing technology now make it possible to print a regular bound books one at a time.  This allows orders to be filled “on-demand” saving on up-front printing and warehousing costs.  The major drawback to POD publishing is that the books are not returnable by wholesalers or bookstores.  If it doesn’t sell, then they are just stuck with it – a risk most booksellers just aren’t willing to take.  Some POD publishers have now started offering a full return policy in order to get the books into the stores and libraries.  POD publishers may or may not be vanity publishers.

Vanity/Subsidy Publishing – This is not self-publishing as you, the writer, are not the official publisher.  Vanity publishers provide the ISBN numbers to the writer, therefore the company that printed your book is the publisher, not you.  Normally, vanity publishers charge writers to publish their books – and this is how they make their money, not by actually selling books.  Authors usually see only a fixed number of copies of their books, and often aren’t even able to verify inventory numbers.  The vanity publisher has control over the look of the book and the set price for the book.  Most mainstream booksellers will not deal with vanity publishers.  However, if you just want to see your work in print for your own enjoyment, there are some perfectly legitimate vanity publishers that can help you.  The good ones will not promise the moon and stars and fail to deliver; instead, they will be forthright about the services they do and do not offer.  If you decide to use a vanity publisher, read the contract carefully – or better yet, have a lawyer read it for you.  Sometimes undesirable clauses are thrown in that can hurt you down the road.

Self-publishing – Basically, the writer of the book is also the publisher.  As the publisher, you contract with other professionals to provide services such as design, editing, printing, and marketing.  The final decisions, control, and responsibility all fall to the self-published writer.  By definition, the writer would obtain their own block of ISBN’s, not be provided them by the printer.  Self-published authors receive all the proceeds of the sale of their books.  The writer/publisher has all the control, but also must provide all the money.

Although the author will undoubtedly disagree, there isn’t too much newsworthiness about a book being published.  Realistically, if you want media to pay attention, there has to be more.  WHY is your book newsworthy?  Is it addressing a particular trend?  Is it topical?  What about your book sets it apart from the herd?

If you’re at a loss, don’t worry.  You can create an angle and gain publicity for your book even if it isn’t cashing in on the latest news.  Develop a marketing strategy that will garner your book that aforementioned third party credibility [Understanding Third Party Credibility], gets your book some attention, and gives you some news to spin in a press release.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking and get you started:

• When you get your book printed, always print extra copies to give away to book reviewers, news editors, TV producers, notables and celebrities.  Basically, anyone who can offer one of two things:  an opinion from a credible person your target audience will readily believe – or – the ability to promote your book.  Hopefully, from the free copies you send out, you will get some glowing reviews and great mentions in the media.  Always offer free media copies on your Web site.  Remember many magazines will only review books before the publication date, so give yourself plenty of leeway between printing and releasing.
• Offer free books to radio producers as on-air giveaways.  Even if the show doesn’t book you as a guest, giveaways are an excellent way to get free exposure.  Make sure you provide a tagline stating what the book is about and where it is available.
• You will schedule more interviews with the media if you position yourself as an expert in a particular field.  Tailor your pitches and press releases so you offer a unique and informed angle on timely news stories.
• Remember to be lively on the phone if a TV or radio producer calls.  Most likely the phone call is a “pre-interview” to find out if you would make an interesting and articulate guest.
• When you get your book printed, be sure to include an order form at the end of your book for your next book – even include the first chapter as a tease.  Or use this as a sign up for a group, fan club, etc.  You will want to include your Web site and email information.  Keep a detailed list of responders.  Send emails and/or post cards to them when you release your next title.  Offer a special coupon, discount code, or special gift if they purchase the book.
• Go through the process of getting your book listed with online bookstores (i.e., Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, etc.)  Keep in mind that each site has its own requirements to be listed, but generally it is easier to get in the online store before the actual brick & mortar store.
• Try to get your book in local bookstores (both chain and independent) as a local writer.  Many bookstores have a “local author” section, and although the big chains might not be ready to distribute your book nationwide, they just may put your title in one store.
• Affiliate yourself with a charity or other nonprofit group.  Give a percentage of the profits from your book sales to this organization.  Make sure that you have the charity’s permission before you publicize your affiliation in any way!  Dedicate the back cover or some other space on your book to the group.  Speak at their events and fundraisers.
• Print business cards and post cards with your cover art and contact information.  Keep the business cards with you and hand them out as much as possible.  Send out the post cards to any people that might be interested in your book.  Direct mail isn’t the most effective marketing method, but if you have access to a great list, it might be good for you.
• You can also print your book title, cover art, or interesting quotes from your book on all kinds of promotional products:  pens, mouse pads, T-shirts, coffee mugs, key chains, bookmarks, etc.  Use these as giveaways, special gifts, or sell them.
• Print limited editions of your book.  For example, buyers would receive a book that is personally autographed and states, for example, that this book is No.3 of 200, available until March 2005 (or for a limited time).  Do something to make this edition of the book different – buyers get a bookmark with the book, the cover art is different, there are illustrations in this book, etc.
• Time your book’s release date with a significant event or holiday that relates to your book.
• Put together a book signing tour at places that are most likely to attract your target audience.  Of course, bookstores are the traditional favorite, but don’t limit yourself!  Remember to bring several copies of your book for autographing and selling.
• Try to become a book club selection.  There are huge national clubs, small local clubs, and online clubs of people with particular interests.  Find out the selection process and put your book in the running.  If it’s chosen, you’re guaranteed to have more sales and certainly more word-of-mouth.
• Develop your own Web site, but don’t dump tons of money into this.  Make it clean, easy to understand, and informative.  Offer a free teaser chapter on your Web site.  Either sell your book directly from your Web site or have a prominently displayed link to where a customer can easily purchase it.  Have a pressroom where you keep your press releases together along with any good reviews and articles that mention you or your book.  You may also want to include information about what topics you can speak about as a speaker at an event or as a guest on a TV or radio segment.  Linking with other Web sites of similar interest will help move you up in the search engine rankings and help Internet surfers find your site.  Certainly ask the site to which you are linking to reciprocate.
• If you have time, create a free online newsletter.  This is an inexpensive way to get names and email addresses of people who are interested in your book.  Most importantly, provide an easy way for media to get free copies of the book.  You can post your entire book online in the media section (accessible only with password) or send them an actual hard copy – whatever works for you.
• Publisher’s Weekly (www.publishersweekly.com) is a must.  It’s hard to get a mention and even harder to get a review, but you have to attempt to get your book on their radar screen.  They never review a book after publication, so send them a galley at least three months prior to your release date.  They also state on their Web site that they only review self-published books unless there is a first printing of 2,000 or greater, and an arrangement with a reputable distributor, in which case they will take the book under consideration.  Keep that 2,000 number in mind when determining your first run printing.
• Don’t forget the public library as a viable promotional option.  Getting a mention or review in the Library Journal (www.libraryJournal.com) will certainly help your chances of placement in a library.  Visit their Web site for submission information.  Also, call your local library and find out what types of services they are able to offer a writer trying to promote a book.
• Get yourself a good calendar!  You will be working backwards from release dates, appearances, press release distributions and you will need to stay on top of things.  And always show up early to your events (there’s nothing more aggravating to the community relations person at a bookstore than an author who’s late, or worse, is a no-show).  If you bring props or other things aside from your book with you to signings/interviews/etc., be sure to get them approved well before the date of the event.
• Finally, remain professional and courteous at all times!  People in the industry who are willing to go the extra mile by promoting you or hosting a book signing deserve your thanks and respect.  Always carry yourself as a professional.  If you are interested in doing a book signing, then give the community relations person at the bookstore a call.  Be sure to leave a brief and to-the-point message and mention that you will follow-up with a fax.  Fax over 1 to 2 pages (max!)  explaining you, your book, and why you think a book signing at their bookstore would be beneficial.  Of course, include contact information and don’t hound them!  Remember that you can’t simply call a bookstore and expect to have a signing the next day.  It takes a while to get things approved, especially at larger chains.

These suggestions are just that – suggestions.  Certainly no single marketing plan will work for every book and every writer.  Use these ideas simply as a starting point for your personal marketing campaign.  Remember, the goal is to get your target audience to hear about your book, become interested in it, and believe that it will be worth their time and money.  So while pure promotion is always good, with no third party credibility to back you up, the rewards will be minimal at best.

When your book starts to gain some momentum, don’t forget to let the media in on it.  Booksellers and book readers like to be in the know about an up and coming writer achieving success.  Did you get that great review you were looking for?  Was there a sudden leap in book sales for a particular area?  Was the newsroom flooded with emails after your energizing guest spot?  No one will know of your spurt of success unless you tell them.  This is where the press release is vital.

Part Three:  Self-Publishing Nuts & Bolts

Congratulations! You finally finished the book! The hard part’s over now, right? If you’re a self-published author, the hard part is just beginning. Because you don’t have the built in publicity and promotion networks that the major publishing houses have, you will have to work extra hard to gain credibility and attention for your book.

Having your book published by a major publishing house gives your book “third party credibility.” In other words, if they think your book is good, than it must be good – or at least it will sell well anyway. The idea is to break-in to the system by providing that third-party credibility without the stamp of approval from the traditional publishing world.

The bottom line is that writing may very well be an art, but publishing and book-selling is definitely a business. If your book can make money, people in the business will be interested in it.

With all that out of the way, let’s get started…

Your first course of action should be to identify your target audience. Who does your book appeal to? What group of people is the most likely to take the time and money to buy your book?

If you’re not sure how to go about identifying your target audience, try asking yourself the following questions about your book: Does your book fit into a particular genre or subgenre? What are the important themes, ideas, or subjects in your book? Are there any geographical places or historical events depicted in the book? What are the professions or hobbies of the characters in the book? Is there anything about your characters or you, the author, which a group would identify with?

Trying to appeal to multiple groups is certainly acceptable and understandable; however, if you have a limited publicity budget, it’s better to boil down your target audience to a well-defined group of people. If your book takes off in that group, it will be much easier for you to broaden your audience at that point. If you’re itching to appeal to a wide variety of people, just think of this as establishing your base.

Now that you have defined your target audience, you need to determine how to reach them. What places do they like to frequent both physically and online? What media do they tend to read, watch, or listen to?

Online marketing can be less costly then other traditional advertising. Find where your target audience lurks online and plant mentions of your book there – email, chat, newsgroups, message boards, etc. Be mindful of the rules of that whatever site you are using however. And don’t forget to send copies of your book to editors at target Web sites. If one of these targeted editors likes your book, you may get some free promotion on their Web site or even a rave review. This all goes back to establishing that third party credibility. In fact, it’s even better if the editor requests a copy of your book based on a recent intriguing press release.

Traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, and television definitely work well, but they are expensive. Also, simply purchasing advertisement does not give your book third party credibility. Any paid advertisement you do shell out for should be to niche media outlets and you should always include any raves by a credible party within the advertisement.

The best way to work your way into traditional media is through the press release. This is a give and take process between you and the media outlet. You provide material for an interview on a newsworthy topic or an interesting article, and they will provide promotion for your book. It’s as simple as that. The trick is how to properly communicate to the media what you have to offer in a way that is most appealing to them.

Create a simple skeleton press release to keep on file as your template. Most likely, you will need to send out multiple press releases to create buzz for yourself and generate attention. When writing the press release, keep in mind the upside-down pyramid format: place your most important information at the beginning and work your way down from that.

The first paragraph is the trickiest. While it needs to be attention getting, it also needs to quickly get to the point (who, what when, where, & why) and clearly express your angle. The second paragraph should back up the first with some interesting credibility. A quote fits nicely into this slot. Each subsequent paragraph should supply supporting information. Remember, most journalists probably won’t get past the first paragraph.

Certainly include an “About the Book” and/or “About the Author” at the end of the press release. Don’t forget to state the 1) title of the book 2) author’s name & credentials 3) when and where the book is available 4) subject or hook of the book – Make sure to write a sales handle, hook, or keynote phrase that describes and sells your book in as few words as possible. This hook will be useful not only in press releases, but in most advertising situations where you have to say a lot with only a few words.

Next installment: Guerrilla Book Promotion