Tips to promoting our books.

This is what helped me when I got started in book Publishing.

Let the media – both online and traditional such as newspapers – know about your creation and you could end up with the kind of press coverage that turns books into bestsellers.

What's a Press Release?

A press release is a short notice of something the media might be interested in using as a story. You can send your press release directly to various media or to a newswire. Your press release should be well-written before you submit it to the media.

A newswire is a service that sends your press release to newsrooms, websites, radio and TV stations and other media outlets worldwide. It's your best bet for getting your press release to a large number of media outlets that, it must be said, may or may not publish it or air it.

What news wires should I use?

It's up to you which newswire service you select, but here are some recommendations. Keep in mind that different services charge different fees, but some are free. We recommend these free services – www.pr.com and www.prleap.com and two fee-based services: www.prweb.com and www.prnewswire.com.

In general, newswires reach online news sites, general search engines, syndication networks, newsrooms, freelance writers, magazines, etc. Specific media reached by the different services: Pr.com reaches Google News, NBCi News, AskJeeves News, Topix News, MSN News, Yahoo!, and more. Prleap.com reaches Google News, Yahoo! Search, msn.com, Moreover, News now, Prweb.com reaches Google News, NBCi News, AskJeeves News, Topix News, MSN News, Yahoo!, and more.

PRNewswire.com reaches Associated Press, radio, businessweek.com, national or regional newspapers, national or regional TV stations, etc.

What makes a great press release?

The most important thing to keep in mind are the editors who'll be getting your release. Hundreds of releases vie for their attention each week, so make yours relevant and accurate.

Here are some tips to help improve the chance of your release being used:

1. Be catchy! Write a headline that grabs attention and summarizes your main point. Then, because the first paragraph is often the only one that's read, make sure it covers the who, what, when, where, why and how.
2. Be brief. Keep your release to one page or 400 words. The end.
3. Be current. Highlight something about your product in your release that's relevant to current events.
4. Be available. Make sure you put your current contact information (E-mail, phone number, fax…) so that those that are interested can reach you.

Getting your book reviewed is a great way to get some extra exposure for your work

I hope this helps you as it helped me.

Jennarosa.