writermag.com • The Writer | 17post reviews on Amazon, tell their friends, and
host events. Obtain blurbs, quotes, and reviews
from these people early on in the process. Brain-
storm a list of persons, reach out to them with an
authentic “ask,” assuring them you’ll make it as
easy and painless as possible to help you get the
word out – no one wants to be burned by a sim-
ple favor. Share the backstory of how you got to
this point, so people know how far you’ve come.
Provide as much information as possible and be
specific about how they can help and what’s
required of them. For example: What’s the dead-
line for the blurb you’re asking for? How many
words is an optimal review on Goodreads? If
possible, create specific steps for them to help,
such as a step-by-step guide to leaving a review
on Amazon.
11
Plan to engage the media.
Brainstorm unique aspects that will help
grab the media’s attention, such as the setting of
your book, any relevant awareness months (per-
haps you wrote a children’s book with a blind
protagonist, and August is Children’s Eye Health
and Safety Month), social justice stances (such as
raising awareness of homelessness in your area),
and other timely tie-ins. Are you able to promote
your memoir about depression leading up to May
for Mental Health Awareness Month? What are
your individual hooks and angles that will get the
media’s attention? How will you rise above the
noise? Remember, many members of the media
receive dozens of pitches per day. What will make
yours stand out?
12
Write press materials.
You’ll want one main “press pack” that con-
tains all the vital information a media outlet will
need. This includes a short synopsis of the book, a
brief and captivating bio, any timely hooks, seg-
ment ideas (for radio and TV), links to your social
media channels and website, and other contact
information. Assets like a professional headshot
and your book cover are helpful as well. This press
pack will be your main media material, although
you’ll write individual pitches for different media
outlets depending on their focuses. For instance,
you’ll have a separate pitch (an email that serves as
a “cover letter” of sorts to get an outlet’s attention)
for parenting outlets versus a self-help publica-
tion, although the main material in your press
pack will stay the same. Other helpful press mate-
rials include a Q&A with you, which can also be
used as sample interview questions.13
Reach out to long-lead media.
Long-lead media outlets include book
trade magazines, print outlets that pertain to your
topic (especially magazines), and other top-tier
broadcast outlets such as NPR. These long-lead
media outlets need an advanced review copy (also
called ARCs or galleys) at least four to six months
prior to your publication date. Most publishers
will print 50 to 100 galleys and send them out to a
media list of approximately 25 to 30 media out-
lets. Remaining copies will be used to get blurbs
or to send to bookstores or influencers. An
author can typically request additional galleys
that they can send out on their own to influencers
or others who can either provide a blurb or push
the book in some way.14
Follow up on your efforts.
Plan to follow up on all of your outreach,
from the galley mailing to reaching out to event
planners for book signings. It’s wildly unrealistic
to think folks will automatically get back to you.
Most contacts require multiple follow-ups to get
an answer. Be consistent and thorough, and know
that it will pay off in the end. But don’t get carried
away – you don’t want to be a pest. One or two
rounds of follow-up are typically sufficient. Give
them several weeks to get back to you between
each round of communication.15
Gear up to reach out to the rest of the media.
Short-lead outlets include all your local
and regional outlets, online/digital publications,
daily newspapers, talk radio, and TV programs.
Start a minimum of two months prior to publica-
tion date because there is a long and solid runway
to media take-off. It takes time to reach out to all
appropriate outlets (remember, Rome wasn’t built
in a day, and neither is an author’s media cover-
age). You’ll need to build media contact lists by
purchasing resources/tools from companies like
Cision (which can be expensive for a single user)