Prepare the launch materials

Prepare outreach emails by audience

Write a short base email for each audience you will contact (media, podcasts, booksellers, librarians, associations) so every pitch starts specific and finishes fast.

RecommendedOwner: Author and PublicistYou: Do itFreeAll publishing paths

Authors often hire help with this: publicity or marketing, design or production.

Why it matters

Outreach fails most often through vagueness: a long email about the book with no clear ask, sent to someone who does not cover it. Base emails by audience force the ask to be clear and the framing to fit. They also make follow-up manageable, because the sequence (pitch, one follow-up, stop) is decided in advance.

Your part

What you do: Do it. You normally do this yourself.
Who normally owns it: Author and Publicist. Publicist sends trade and national pitches; author sends the rest
When: About 3 months before publication, before the first pitches go out (Prepare the launch materials: six to three months before publication, before the first pitch goes out)

How to prepare outreach emails by audience

Write one base email per audience: media, podcast, bookstore, library, association, and endorser.
Frame each for what that reader wants. A journalist wants an angle and a reason it is timely, and a podcast host wants an episode idea.
A bookseller wants the ordering details and an event proposal, a librarian wants the identifiers, the reviews, and availability through their vendor, and an association wants the relevance to its members.
Keep each under 150 words: a subject line that says what it is, one sentence on who you are, one or two on the book, the specific ask, a link to the media kit or book sheet, and your contact details.
Write one follow-up version for each, to be sent once, a week or two later.
For every actual recipient, change the opening line to something that shows you know their work. That is the difference between a pitch and spam.
Agree with your publicist who sends which audience, so nobody gets two versions.
Send from your own domain-based address, and keep every sent pitch in your outreach log.
Draft the base emails early, so launch-period pitching is a matter of personalizing rather than composing.

More detail

Outreach emails are the pitches, requests, and introductions that go to the lists built earlier. Each audience wants something different, so each gets its own base version: a journalist wants an angle and a reason it is timely; a podcast host wants an episode idea; a bookseller wants the ordering details and an event proposal; a librarian wants the identifiers, the reviews, and the availability through their vendor; an association wants the relevance to members.

Write each base email in under 150 words. Subject line that says what it is. One sentence on who you are. One or two on the book, framed for this reader. The specific ask. A link to the media kit or book sheet. Your contact details. Then, for each actual recipient, change the opening line to something that shows you know their work. That personalization is the difference between a pitch and spam.

Traditionally published authors should agree with the publicist on who sends what, so a journalist does not get two versions. Hybrid and self-published authors send everything, and should draft the bases early so launch-period pitching is a matter of personalizing, not composing.

Send from your domain-based address, and keep every sent pitch in your outreach log.

Common mistakes

One email for everyone, with the book description as the body.
No ask, so the recipient does not know what you want.
Attaching large files instead of linking to the media kit.
Following up three times, or never.

Templates for this

Query letterThe one-page letter that introduces a book to a literary agent or an acquisitions editor: the hook, the pitch, the facts they need, and a short line about you.

When to use it: Use this when you are querying a literary agent or an acquisitions editor who accepts queries by email, and their own guidelines do not say what to include. Do not use it when they publish a query form or their own instructions. Follow theirs instead, every time, and send exactly what they ask for and nothing more.

Subject: Query: [Book Title], [Word Count] word [Genre]

Dear [Agent Or Editor Name],

[One Sentence Hook: the situation, the person it happens to, and what is at stake. Write this last.]

[Book Title] is a [Word Count] word [Genre] for [Audience]. It will appeal to readers of [Comparable Title 1] and [Comparable Title 2].

[One Paragraph Pitch: who the story or the argument is about, what changes, and what it costs them. Three to five sentences. Say how it ends: this is not jacket copy, and an agent is deciding whether the book works, not whether to buy it.]

[One Or Two Sentences About You: publication credits, the work or research behind the book, anything that makes you the person to have written it. If there is nothing yet, say nothing. An empty paragraph is better than a padded one.]

I am querying you because [One Specific Reason: a client of theirs, something on their wish list, something they said in an interview].

[What They Ask For] is below, as your guidelines request. Thank you for your time.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Website]

Podcast pitchA short guest pitch that leads with an episode idea for the show's listeners, not with the book, and gives the host what they need to decide quickly.

When to use it: Use this when the show has guests, its listeners are plausibly your readers, and it accepts pitches by email. Adjust the opening and the talking points for every show. Do not use this when the show publishes a guest form or its own pitch instructions. Follow those instead.

Subject: Guest idea for [Podcast Name]: [Episode Or Topic Idea]

Hi [Recipient Name],

Your episode on [Recent Episode Topic] got me thinking about an angle your listeners might find useful: [Episode Or Topic Idea].

I'm the author of [Book Title] ([Publisher], [Publication Date]), which [One Sentence On What The Book Covers]. [One Sentence On Why You Can Speak To This, From Your Work, Research, Or Experience]

A conversation could cover:
- [Talking Point 1]
- [Talking Point 2]
- [Talking Point 3]

I can record remotely with a decent microphone, and I am flexible on timing, including dates after [Publication Date] if that suits your schedule better. A bio, headshot, and sample questions are in my media kit: [Link]

If it is not a fit for the show, no reply is needed. Thanks for reading.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Website]

Subject-matter trade publication pitchA pitch to a professional journal, association magazine, or trade publication that explains what the book contributes to that field and offers a review copy, article, or comment.

When to use it: Use this when you are writing to a specialist publication whose readers work in the book's subject area, after checking how it accepts books for review and contributed pieces. It suits nonfiction most often, though fiction with a strong professional setting can fit. Do not use this when you have not read the outlet's contributor guidelines, or you are pitching the same article to competing outlets at the same time.

Subject: [Book Title]: [Angle Relevant To Readers Of Outlet Name]

Hi [Recipient Name],

Readers of [Outlet Name] deal with [Specific Problem Or Question In The Field]. My book, [Book Title] ([Publisher], [Publication Date]), offers [Specific Contribution Or Answer].

[Two Sentences On What The Book Contributes, With One Concrete Finding, Method, Or Example]

My background: [One Sentence On Your Professional Experience Or Credentials In The Field]

Depending on what suits [Outlet Name], I could offer:
- A review copy for your books or new releases coverage
- A contributed article on [Article Topic], written for your readers under your guidelines, not a promotional piece
- An interview or expert comment on [Timely Issue In The Field]

Book details: [Book Title], [Author Name], [Publisher], [Publication Date], ISBN [ISBN], available as [Formats]. Media kit: [Link]

If the book is not a fit for your pages, I understand, and thank you for reading.

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Title Or Affiliation]
[Your Email]

Local media pitchA short pitch to a local newspaper, magazine, radio station, or community site that leads with the local connection and makes coverage easy.

When to use it: Use this when you are writing to an outlet in a place where you live, grew up, work, or set the book, ideally three to six weeks before publication or a local event. Send it to the specific editor or producer who covers books, arts, or community news. Do not use this when the local connection is thin. Without it there is no story here, and a general outlet is a different pitch.

Subject: Local author: [Book Title], [Local Hook]

Hi [Recipient Name],

[One sentence explaining your connection to this community.] My book [Book Title] comes out from [Publisher] on [Publication Date].

The local angle for [Outlet Name]'s audience: [One Or Two Sentences On The Local Setting, Subject, People, Or Community Connection].

[Upcoming Local Event, Date, And Venue, If Any]

If any of these would be useful, I'd be happy to:
- Do an interview in person or by phone
- Send a review copy
- Provide a short excerpt, with the publisher's permission

A high-resolution cover, headshot with credit, and bio are in my media kit: [Link]

Book details: [Book Title], [Author Name], [Publisher], [Publication Date], ISBN [ISBN], available as [Formats].

Thank you for considering it.

[Your Name]
[Your Phone]
[Your Email]

Bookstore event inquiryA courteous inquiry to a bookstore's events contact proposing a specific event, with date options, the reason it suits the store's customers, and ordering details.

When to use it: Use this when you have a real connection to a store, or the book has a clear local or subject audience, usually three to four months before the dates you propose. Do not use this when the store publishes an event request form. Use the form and adapt this text for it. Do not use it at all for a store whose customers have no particular reason to want this book.

Subject: Event inquiry: [Book Title] by [Author Name]

Hi [Recipient Name],

I'm [Your Name], the author of [Book Title] ([Publisher], [Publication Date]). [Your Connection To The Store Or Community] I'd love to know whether [Store Name] might consider an event for the book and how you prefer authors to approach requests like this.

What I have in mind: [Event Format, For Example A Reading And Signing, Or A Conversation With A Local Author]
Possible dates: [Event Date Options]
Why it may suit your customers: [Relevance To The Store's Community Or Customers]
How I would help spread the word: [Your Promotion Plans, For Example Newsletter, Local Groups, Or Social Posts]

Ordering details:
ISBN: [ISBN]
Formats: [Formats]
Publisher: [Publisher]
Available through: [Wholesaler Or Distributor]
Returnable: [Returnability]
Publisher events or publicity contact: [Contact Name And Email, If Any]

If there is an event form I should use instead, please point me to it. And if an event is not possible, I would still be glad to stop in and sign any stock you carry.

Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your Phone]
[Your Email]

Bulk purchase introductionAn introduction to an organization that might buy the book in quantity, explaining the specific use and how a quantity order would actually work.

When to use it: Use this when you have settled with your publisher or distributor how bulk orders are priced and fulfilled, and you are writing to someone you know, or were referred to, at an organization with a concrete use for multiple copies. Do not use this when you cannot yet quote terms, or when the only reason to write is that the organization is large.

Subject: [Book Title] for [Organization Name]'s [Program, Event, Or Members]

Hi [Recipient Name],

[How You Know The Recipient, Or Who Suggested You Get In Touch]

I'm the author of [Book Title], published by [Publisher] on [Publication Date]. It covers [One Sentence On The Book's Subject], and I think it could be useful for [Organization Name]'s [Specific Use, For Example A Training Program, Conference Attendees, Or New Members] because [Specific Reason Relevant To Their Work].

If that sounds worth exploring, here is how a quantity order works:
- Orders of [Quantity] or more copies go through [Bulk Sales Contact Or Channel].
- Pricing: [Discount Or Pricing Terms At Different Quantities]
- Delivery: usually [Delivery Time] from order confirmation.
- Options: [Available Options, For Example Signed Copies, A Custom Letter Inserted, Or A Talk Alongside The Order]

I would be glad to send a copy so you can judge the fit before anything else, or to talk through how the book might work for your group.

Book details: [Book Title], [Author Name], [Publisher], ISBN [ISBN], available as [Formats].

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Phone]
[Your Email]

What done looks like

One base email per audience: media, podcast, bookstore, library, association, and endorser.
Each under 150 words, with a clear subject line, a specific ask, and a link to the materials.
A personalized opening line for every recipient, not a mail merge.
A single follow-up version for each, sent once, a week or two later.
Agreement with the publicist on who sends which audience.

Sources and last checked

Official source: No single official page for this step.
Last checked: Not checked against its source yet.
How confident we are: Verified