I’ll bet you’ve seen several articles this summer touting a list of the “best summer beach reads.”<\/p>\n

Is your book on any of those lists?<\/p>\n

Maybe it isn’t, but it probably belongs in some other editorial “roundup” article about books, whether it’s now or another time of the year.<\/p>\n

What’s a “roundup” article?<\/h2>\n

So what, exactly, is a roundup article?<\/p>\n

For book publicity purposes, a roundup usually gathers up the best, worst, most, least, newest, top, funniest, etc. products related to a specific category or theme.<\/p>\n

Examples of roundups specific to books include:<\/p>\n

\n
• Top InstantPot\/slow cooker\/air fryer cookbooks<\/li>\n
• Most popular romance novels this year<\/li>\n
• Best new gardening books<\/li>\n
• 7 home improvement books you can’t live without<\/li>\n
• Great books for newlyweds<\/li>\n
• Treasured all-occasion gift books<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  There are also topic roundups that include other products besides books. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n

  \n
  • Best gifts for new college grads<\/li>\n
  • 10 must-have tools for every home kitchen<\/li>\n
  • 15 things parents say they can’t live without<\/li>\n
  • Favorite stress management resources<\/li>\n
  • Top home office products<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    You get the point, right? Roundups are easy to spot once you’re aware of them. You’ll find them in\u00a0online media sites,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>magazines, newspapers, and blogs.<\/p>\n

    Your book’s roundup topic<\/h2>\n

    Your book can be part of a roundup article that appears in the press, too. To make that happen, first determine the roundup topic.<\/p>\n

    Start with your category.<\/strong> If it’s fiction, is it science fiction, historical romance, chick lit, hen lit, mystery, young adult, or children’s? If it’s nonfiction, is it a self-help, health, memoir, biography, business, or how-to book? There are more, of course. The point is, get specific.<\/p>\n

    Next, move from category to sub-category.<\/strong> For example, my recently updated book, Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book<\/em><\/a>, is a business book. That’s the category. The book teaches authors how to write a press release that announces a book, so the sub-category could be “authors.”<\/p>\n

    Use the category and sub-category to brainstorm topic ideas.<\/strong> For example, knowing that my book is for authors with a new book, the roundup topic for it might be, “Best books for new authors” or “Top resources for authors launching books.”<\/p>\n

    Written a mystery set in New York’s Adirondack Mountains? Get regional publicity with a roundup on “10 books that showcase the Adirondacks.” Need some attention for your book on how to care for a dog? “20 books all dog owners should own.” Got a young adult novel coming out? “18 teen gift ideas.”<\/p>\n

    How to use your roundup idea<\/span><\/h2>\n

    There are a couple of ways to turn your roundup idea into something that generates results.<\/p>\n

    You can pitch the idea to the press (more on how to do that in “How to pitch a round-up article<\/a>“) or you can create a press release that helps do the job for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    To write the press release, simply do the research to build the list of options for your roundup topic, and include your book in the mix. If it’s a “books only” roundup, you probably know what other books to include because they’re your top competition.<\/p>\n

    If your roundup idea includes non-book products, you know your topic and audience so well that you already know what should be on your list.<\/p>\n

    For example, if your topic is “top home office products” and your book is related to remote work (something a lot of employees are familiar with right now) or solopreneurship, you might also recommend a stand-up desk and ergonomic office chair, among other products.<\/p>\n

    Download this roundup press release template<\/h2>\n

    I’ve created this downloadable fill-in-the-blanks press release you can use to do that. Click here to view, then download it:<\/p>\n

    Build Book Buzz roundup press release template<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    For information on how to distribute it to the press and bloggers, read “How to build a killer book publicity media list<\/a>.” If you don’t use my preferred press release distribution service mentioned in that article, be sure to read “How to email a press release to journalists<\/a>” before hitting the send button.<\/p>\n

    Actual roundup examples<\/h2>\n

    Here are a few published roundups to give you an idea of your end goal, whether you’re pitching the idea or writing and distributing a press release.<\/p>\n

    \n
    • 20 Books to Read in Quarantine This Summer<\/a><\/li>\n
    • 16 Best Political Books to Read Before the 2020 Election<\/a><\/li>\n
    • The 26 Best Baby Shower Gifts of 2020<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Remember, you can also use the list as a blog post or newsletter article. I do this every year with holiday gifts for authors and writers<\/a>. I don’t pitch the idea to writer’s publications or newsletters, and I don’t send a press release, but I hope I help my readers and the people who shop for them at the holidays.<\/p>\n

      Spend some time thinking about what type of list your book should be a part of, then take action. It’s a fun way to support your book and those of others.<\/p>\n

      What roundup article should your book appear in? Share your book’s topic and the roundup title in a comment.<\/em><\/p>\n

      ---

      \n

      (Editor\u2019s note: This article was first published in July 2013. It has been updated and expanded.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      <\/a><\/p>\n

      I’ll bet you’ve seen several articles this summer touting a list of the “best summer beach reads.”<\/p>\n

      Is your book on any of those lists?<\/p>\n

      Maybe it isn’t, but it probably belongs in some other editorial “roundup” article about books, whether it’s now or another time of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":19618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,25,11],"tags":[35,163,896,123,1261],"class_list":["post-4336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-publicity","category-fiction","category-tactics","tag-book-promotion","tag-book-publicity-2","tag-media-pitching","tag-press-release","tag-roundup-article"],"yoast_head":"\n