Why Not to Send a Book Press Release
Are Book Press Releases Even Done Anymore?
I sent my debut novel, BACK TO BLUE HOLLY, press release to 84 local media contacts. I got zero hits, and here’s why: publishing a novel is no longer news. It’s just not. Books of various subjects, categories, genres, and sub-genres are published every eight seconds in the United States. What makes your novel more special than all the rest?
I assumed someone would read my press release (below) and want to write a story. After my Common Wealth of Kentucky Project, I was spoiled. We were fortunate to have local media write and produce lengthy, beautiful stories about our project, exhibit, and book. But that book was different. It was a time capsule of something larger, a year-long project that blended visual art, oral, and narrative storytelling all about people of interest in Kentucky — people lots of people knew living in familiar places and representing cultural pride.
My debut novel? One in a literal umpteen million.
How was I on a local morning talk show, the library podcast, and a radio show, all within the first six weeks of releasing my self-published book?
I asked. And I was thoughtful about it. I sent a personal email, not the boring press release below. In the email, I connected the dots for them, made any and all connections, if I had them and I did, made sure I followed their platform, and explained why my novel and I were relevant and engaging content for their program.
Next, I made it easy by providing collateral pieces like a high-resolution cover image of my book and me, my bio, and a short book description. I generated five interview questions for them to ask me. They didn’t need them, but it was a nice touch.
Lastly, I thanked them over and over again. I cross-promoted the show on my social, gave them gifts, whatever it took to let them know that I appreciate their time and the gift they gave me.
Not all publications are newsworthy, but in an age of numbing mass communication, personal emails and phone calls might just be.
PRESS RELEASE FOR BACK TO BLUE HOLLY: A NOVEL
Kentucky author Beth Pride releases debut novel BACK TO BLUE HOLLY to positive reader reviews and early praise.
Lexington, Kentucky — Beth Pride, author of THE COMMON WEALTH OF KENTUCKY PROJECT is excited to announce the release of her debut novel BACK TO BLUE HOLLY, available now wherever books are sold. BACK TO BLUE HOLLY is a funny and heartfelt exploration of reinvention, community, and the unexpected twists of rebuilding one’s life.
About the Book:
Dottie is divorced and depleted when she loads up her dog and heads back to Blue Holly and the Quinn family lake house, where her feisty Aunt Lo and a gallery job offer beckon her like a moth to a flame. She arrives to find her childhood sanctuary with a culture chip on the mountain town’s shoulders; Aunt Lo has lost her feud with Fannie Fraser and the Citizens Against Virtually Everything, closed the gallery, and is packing to leave for Belize.
As a peace offering or maybe a plan, Lo hands Dottie the keys to a condemned Red Arrow hardware store and says if Dottie fixes it, she can have it. Dottie can’t get a loan, is sick of being alone, and knows nothing about using a drill, but when she spots an old moonshine still, she decides on a new, if dissonant, direction in an evangelical town with little taste for liquor and tourism.
Dottie and a relatable cast of damaged characters, including the charming and handsome Crawford Woody, unite to fight against time, small-town politics, and mysterious forces to transform the Red Arrow hardware store into the first microbrewery in Bluff County — finding community, friendship, and love, (even the romantic kind), and rebuilding each other along the way.
Critical Acclaim for Beth Pride and BACK TO BLUE HOLLY
Amazon #1 New Release in Rural Life and Humor
“BACK TO BLUE HOLLY is a sparkling debut. Beth Pride has penned a heart song to the places that shape us and the natural world that calls us if we are willing to listen. Witty, wise, and brimming with romance, Back to Blue Holly is a love letter to community and the irresistible pull of finding where you truly belong. A debut not to be missed!”— Patti Callahan Henry, NYT bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
“It’s the rare book that engages readers on multiple levels, but Beth Pride’s expertly crafted debut novel, Back to Blue Holly, is riveting from the get-go, with its captivating plot, people, place, and pace. Also? It’s both hilarious but serious, romantic yet action-packed, and simultaneously small-town and universal. In short, Back to Blue Holly is, like its protagonist Dottie Hogan, multi-faceted — a gem readers will savor from every angle as they follow Dottie from heartbreak to breakthrough and from Kentucky to Georgia, where she undergoes an epic rebuilding of herself, her heart, and a beloved local landmark that ultimately unites not just Dottie and the Quinn family, but also the once-divided community at large.”–Award-winning author Whitney Collins, author of Ricky and Other Love Stories and Big Bad.
“Beth Pride is a remarkable talent with a voice that leaps off the page. Back to Blue Holly is a charming tale of small-town politics, southern roots, and the joy of finding your place in the world. Readers will cheer for this delightful cast of characters and enjoy every moment of this southern getaway of a novel.” — Cynthia Ellingsen, Amazon Charts Bestselling Author of the Starlight Cove series.
Author Quote:
“BACK TO BLUE HOLLY is set in the two places I’ve loved most — Kentucky and the North Georgia mountains. It’s a funny and heartwarming story about the power of human connection and the natural world in healing, and how no matter how different people are, good can happen when they unite in common purpose.”
Author Bio:
North Georgia native Beth Pride is a writer in Lexington, Kentucky, where she lives on a Thoroughbred breeding farm with her husband and thirteen other studs. She is the mother of two fully-weaned children, whom she insists are not responsible for the twenty years it took her to publish her first novel. A rewarding career in education and marketing led Beth in 2021 to begin writing full-time. In 2022, she proudly published the nationally celebrated COMMON WEALTH OF KENTUCKY PROJECT with artist Kelly Brewer. Beth’s debut novel BACK TO BLUE HOLLY released on January 2, 2025.
BACK TO BLUE HOLLY is available wherever books are sold.