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Author resources: Working with the media

Engaging with the media is a great way to raise awareness about your research to the public and policymakers. But not all books will grab the attention of a busy and time-pressured journalist, and some do have a better chance of piquing their interest than others.

Read on to learn about the benefits of promoting your work in this way, what types of books journalists might be looking to cover, when a press campaign might not be a suitable approach to promote a book, and our tips for making the most of media opportunities.

If you are interested in specific marketing tactics to increase visibility and sales of your books, you may find these marketing resources useful. Please note, we do not send review copies in bulk.

More information on review copies can be found here.

Choosing a press campaign: What makes research newsworthy?

When you are considering whether your book should be pitched to the media, first ask yourself:

  • What would the headline in a global news outlet be?
  • Would it capture the interest of a journalist, who knows little about your research before opening their emails, and needs to grasp their readers’ interest within a matter of a few words?

At least one of these criteria should be met for a press release:

  • Does it add something new to a current news story or topical issue?
  • Could the book have a direct impact on people’s lives?
  • Is the book likely to significantly advance thinking in its field?
  • Is the author particularly influential?
  • Are there any ground-breaking discoveries or contentious topics in the book?

Why might a book not be suitable for a press release?

The main instances when a book might not be suitable for a press campaign include:

  • It has already published. If a book has already published, it vastly reduces its chances of making the cut.
  • It’s interesting but doesn’t offer anything new for journalists to cover, for example a literature review.
  • It’s very niche – if it focuses on a very specific region, group of people or subject area.
  • The discipline is not yet mature enough.
  • The author is unable to answer journalist queries. Authors being available to provide additional comments about research or a book is important to journalists who will want to have their own take on the story.

Does it work?

Here are some examples of previous press campaigns run by the Taylor & Francis Media Relations team.

Many of our press campaigns reach the attention of readers across the world, with coverage coming from news outlets internationally. The potential impact is vast, not only by making news headlines but also, sometimes, helping to inform policy.

Take, for example, the press campaign on this International Journal of Audiology article, which shows a confirmed link between Covid and hearing loss. The campaign led to 296 news stories in publications such as The New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, The Scientist, CNN, The Times of India, FOX News, The Guardian, IFL Science and many others. The new awareness of the article also led to it informing a policy paper, produced by the Brookings Institute.

Combined, all of this attention helped the article gain an Altmetric Attention (impact) score of 2,536, which is the fourth highest for any Taylor & Francis article ever published.

Our Media Relations team

Taylor & Francis has an experienced in-house media relations team. Using our extensive expertise and by working alongside colleagues in the press, we follow Stempra guidelines to ensure that knowledge resources are communicated responsibly, and then targeted to credible journalists working on some of the largest outlets across the world for maximum impact.

We carefully select press campaigns which are likely to succeed, using lots of criteria including those above. Taylor & Francis press releases are distributed through multiple channels including the Taylor & Francis Newsroom, via third-party distributors, and social media.

This is in addition to a wide range of supporting marketing activities carried out by the in-house marketing team.

Got a press campaign idea for your book?

If you are the author of a book that is being published with Routledge or CRC Press, and you think it fulfils the criteria above and would make a suitable press campaign, please contact your editor in the first instance. The best time to do this is when your manuscript has been proofed and is accepted for publishing, but before it is published.

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