How to write a press release for a nonfiction book

What a release is for, and when to skip it

Journalists still use releases. In Cision's 2026 State of the Media survey of 1,899 journalists, 66% said they rely on PR-provided content, including press releases, pitches and media kits, for story ideas. The same survey found 72% say fewer than a quarter of the pitches they get are relevant. (Cision owns PR Newswire, so it has an interest in releases.) The lesson for an author: a release helps when it reaches the right editor with a real angle, and does nothing when it is broadcast to everyone.

A release is worth writing when you have a reason a local or trade audience should care:

• A local connection. You live, work or grew up in the paper's area, or the book is about a local place, company or issue.
• An event. A launch, a talk or a signing that people can attend.
• A timely idea. The book speaks to something in the news this month, and you can explain it.
• A trade angle. Your industry's publications cover members' work and new methods.

Skip it, or keep it as a reference sheet only, when the only news is "a book exists." Editors call that an ad. EIN Presswire's editorial guidelines say that if a release is primarily aimed at selling a product, it is an advertisement and will be denied publication.

Even then, write one: it is what you attach when a host or organizer asks for "something about the book."

The parts of a book press release

PR Newswire's guide to the components of a press release and EIN Presswire's guidelines agree on the structure. Here it is, adapted for a book.

1. Headline. The news in one factual line. PR Newswire suggests 100 characters or fewer, with an active verb. Name the author and the angle, not just the title.
2. Dateline. The city, the state abbreviation and the date, at the start of the first paragraph. Local editors use it to see whether the story is in their area.
3. Lead paragraph. Who, what, when, where and why, in a few sentences. If an editor reads nothing else, they should know the book, the author, the date and why it matters to their readers.
4. Body. A few short paragraphs: the problem the book addresses, what readers learn, any event details. Facts, not adjectives. EIN Presswire asks for no "you," "I" or "we" outside quotations, and no hype words or exclamation points.
5. One quote, from the author. The one place for your voice and opinion. Make it say something a reporter could use, such as why you wrote the book or the one mistake you see your readers make. Do not invent quotes from readers, clients or famous names.
6. Book details. Title and subtitle, publication date, formats, page count, list price, ISBN, and where it is sold.
7. About the author (the boilerplate). A short paragraph in the third person: what you do, your relevant credentials, where you are based, your website. The Scribe Method's chapter on author bios recommends third person and only the credentials that matter to the reader. Reuse it on every release.
8. Media contact. A name, phone number and email that someone answers. EIN Presswire requires all three.

Keep it to one page. EIN Presswire asks for 300 to 800 words and no more than one link per 100 words. Many releases end with ### centered under the last line to show nothing follows.

A fill-in template

Copy this into a document and replace each bracket. Delete lines that do not apply.

An annotated example

This is an illustration. The author, book, company and quote below are invented to show the format. Nothing in it describes a real person or book.

What each choice is doing:

• The headline leads with a local person and a result for a specific reader, not the title. A metro business editor can see the story in one line.
• The dateline and first paragraph give place, date, the book, the author's standing and a free public event. That is enough for a calendar listing even if nothing else runs.
• The body is plain facts. No "groundbreaking," no "must-read."
• The quote is the author's and says something a reporter could build a question around.

What wire services cost

A wire service posts your release on its own site and on partner news sites. Placement is not coverage: posting your release is not the same as a reporter writing about you. Prices below are from each service's own pricing page, checked October 21, 2026.

PRWeb and PR Newswire are both Cision products. Other wires may not publish prices at all; ask for the total, including any membership fee or word-count charges, before you pay.

For most first-time authors a wire is optional. If you buy one, buy the smallest package and still send the release personally to the editors you want. The editorial reviews guide covers the paid review services, which are a different product.

Pitching local media instead

A personal email to the right editor at your local paper, business journal, alumni magazine or trade publication usually does more than a wire. Newsrooms say how they want to hear from you:

• The Portland Press Herald says email is the best way to share news with it, lists separate addresses for business, features and sports, and asks for calendar items at least two weeks before an event, three if possible.
• The Greenfield Recorder in Massachusetts asked in a 2019 column for releases at least a week before an event and said sending one to everyone in the newsroom is unnecessary.

Check your own paper's contact page for the same rules, then:

1. Find the one right person. The reporter who covers your industry or your area. Read their recent stories.
2. Write a short note in the email body. The angle, why it matters to their readers, and that you are available. Paste the release below your note, not only as an attachment.
3. Offer a story, not a review. Papers cover people and ideas more readily than books. The Scribe Method's chapter on building a brand with a book notes that media looking for an expert turn to people who wrote the book on it.
4. Follow up once, then move on.

Coverage can grow from one placement. Mary Hagerman's success story counts a CTV News national TV feature about the book, and Kyle Thiermann's counts ~12 launch-week interviews and articles. Each is one author's result, not a typical one. For podcasts and journalist request services, see podcasts and media for authors; for the event itself, see planning a launch event. A signing at a store needs the same release, written as an event notice.

What most authors get wrong

• Announcing that a book exists. Give an editor a reason their readers care this week.
• Unsourced numbers and invented praise. Every figure needs a source, and the only quote should be yours.
• Paying for a wire and stopping there. Distribution is not a pitch. The personal email is the part that gets read.

The launch planner puts media outreach into dated weeks before your launch. Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells book publishing and marketing services; if you want a person to look at your launch plan, book a free consult.