Example template I use from http://selfpublishingteam.com/

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 00/00/2012

Contact: Your Name, Phone Number, E-Mail Address

 

Headline with no capitalized words except the first word and pronouns.

Sub-headline with more detail and your name.

Your City, State – Introductory paragraph with the most important information in your release. Your name, the book’s title and where it’s available should be mentioned in the first paragraph. You also want to tie in what makes the release of your book relevant to your target readers (for example, if you are sending the release to your local paper, it should be more about you and your ties to the community, whereas a national market release should be more about the book).

“This second paragraph ALWAYS starts with a quote. In most cases, a quote from you.” Once your name has been mentioned in the release you should refer to yourself in the third person by your last name. Always use past tense and do not ever use “you” unless it’s in a quote.

In the third paragraph you can add more details about the plot, yourself or both. This area should be tailored to meet the interests of your release’s target market. Try not to use clichés and whatever you do, keep things VERY BRIEF. Flowery prose is a major no-no in public relations writing (I know, I struggle with it, too!). 

If you have any reviews of your book that you can quote (preferably not from family or friends) this would be the place to feature that. You can also talk about your experience with self-publishing. Don’t be ashamed of it, own it because you worked hard to not only write your book but promote it as well. Don’t be too self-congratulatory, but it’s definitely worth mentioning.

Make sure your overall tone is professional and abide by the AP Stylebook rules, especially when it comes to abbreviations for city/states, proper punctuation and capitalization. But keep in mind that most periodicals are written at an eighth grade reading level. Leave the ten dollar words for your blog. 

Speaking of your blog, wrap up your press release by reiterating where interested readers can find your book and where they can find you (website, Twitter, Facebook, etc.).   Your press release really shouldn’t be longer than one page.

Always close your press release with the symbols below, it is an indication that the press release is over.

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