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The PR Corner - issue #2

I was always a fan of Pseud's Corner in Private Eye. These days, the most purple prose I receive is often in the form of press releases for books being offered for review. I will provide an irregular series of these, both for your entertainment and, I hope, as pointers of what not to do with the press releases for your own books. 

Note that the books themselves could be brilliant... or not. But a poor press release is unlikely to generate many reviews. Names will be omitted to protect the innocent and guilty alike.
I suspect the problems are fairly self-evident, but just in case here's a few key pointers to look out for:

  • Who is celebrating this book?
  • Science fiction and fantasy are not the same thing. Make up your mind which it is.
  • I seriously doubt anyone is going to see the world in an entirely new light after reading it.
  • Should it be a surprise that Thera and Arthe are anagrams of Earth?
  • After some pretty grandiose claims, 'Will his side win?' seems a trifle limp for a cliff-hanger.
  • Early five star reviews usually mean friends and relations.
  • Are any authors reading this chomping at the bit so far? Does the writer know what 'chomping at the bit' means?
  • Is it really possible to combine 'a heavy dose of fact' with fantasy?

[Title]: Celebrated Sci-Fi Fantasy Epic Hailed a “Melting Pot of Science, Fantasy & Adventure”
X Y’s [Title], volume one of [Series Title], fuses science fiction and fact in a way that will force readers to see the world around them in an entirely new light. Meet The Keepers from Thera, who have responsibility to keep a balance between the interconnected relationships of Earth, Thera and Arthe, where good and evil fiercely battle to prevail. Then there’s Michael Stone, Keeper of [Title], a man who represents and stands for everything that is good. But will his side win? Find out in a new adventure that is already scoring five-star reviews.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United Kingdom – While many new fantasy authors vanish from the scene as quickly as they appeared, those able to carve out their own, wholly-unique new approach to the genre are the ones leaving authors chomping at the bit, and rapidly adding themselves to the bestseller lists. X Y is one such maverick, choosing to buck all trends by melding science fiction and fantasy with a heavy dose of fact.



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Comments

  1. Richard Sutton24 May 2016 at 14:59

    I hope that the intern that wrote that was given a less-than-passing grade. Sadly, it seems that poorly written and badly conceived press are on the increase.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian Clegg24 May 2016 at 15:13

      I suspect, given the contact details, it was written by the author.

      Delete

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