Media coverage from bloggers and newspapers is part of the writing journey since this is how readers discover their favorite authors and how ‘public figures’ remain relevant. Here’s what I learned about promotion working for Crossed Crow Books.
Starting with Crossed Crow
Author Raven Digitalis asked me to promote A Gothic Witch’s Oracle Deck (Digitalis/Santerineross). in 2023. This turned into a referral to his publisher, Crossed Crow Books and soon I was promoting some of their other titles.
As an author, you could publish a fantastic book this second, but sans reviews, interviews, and coverage, you won’t do more than float copies around to friends and family.
First you send hundreds of emails for a handful of great responses! Keep going.
Finding People
One huge chunk of authors and book promotion is research such as finding news websites, journalists, blogs, and influencers. The big question is which people are most likely to be interested in what you’ve got to sell.
Crossed Crow Books publishes “occult books specializing in Witch rituals, magic, divination, spirit work, and the overall operative nature of the Witch’s craft.” Therefore, I looked for publications and people (influencers) within their specialty.
Feedspot lists various Wiccan and other blogs, Reddit has discussions about witchy influencers, and sites like TikTok are searchable for specific tags like WitchTok. Google was a huge help, but I also branched out to Bing and DuckDuckGo for different results.
Habitually bookmark sites you’ve seen (and publications you’ve read). Usually there’s a Contact the Journalist page somewhere – this catches bloggers and journalists who are actively looking for something to cover.
Angled Interest
For Crossed Crow Books, we put together an email containing an introduction (“I’m writing to you from CCB”) and got straight to the point (“We’re looking for book reviews and author coverage.”).
We received 60% positive responses; about 40% never answered the initial email. We gave attention to those who responded and pushed forward to contact more new sites and blogs.
Will everyone answer? No, but keep going. People who say no still took the time to respond and might be contactable in future. Keep a record of everyone who responds, note how they responded, and keep lists.
Angle your introduction message for what you’re selling. If there’s no current book release, offer to talk about your craft or relate something you’ve written to a newsworthy point.
The Empath’s Oracle (Digitalis/Santerineross) was an older 2022 release. However, the deck felt relevant in 2025 – and all we had to do was ask for great reviews from Wicked Moonlight (YouTube), Leanne Aligned (YouTube), and Essence of the Moon (YouTube).
A Database of Journalists, Websites, and More
You’re likely to start with a massive list of maybes. Eventually, this filters into a more reliable database of people you have relationships with like journalists or blogs that you know are looking for talking points.
At this point, you switch from general contact emails to more personal ones. Your database will need little notes like “Sarah, Likes Voodoo Books But No Astrology Topics”. A large list of people definitely needs notes to jog your memory.
Bohippian Life, for example, reviewed The Egyptian Tarot from Crossed Crow Books on YouTube. We kept the connection going and later sent her copies of 13 Lessons by Sara L. Mastros.
She posted this great review, and continued using The Egyptian Tarot for her YouTube channel’s Live content.
Roadmap by Moonlight
Roadmap by Moonlight (Deborah Lipp) launched in March 2026. A successful author and excellent book made the process easier; however, remember that it’s the same process for a Big Author as for Any Author.
(1) Do your research, (2) Frame your angle, (3) Contact everyone, (4) Don’t stop.
Keep the momentum going.
Mandragora Magika posted this fantastic review; Curious Cauldron ran this one. More great reviews came from The Keeper’s Path. We also reached out to influencers on TikTok and YouTube for book reviews.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jenny_c_bell/video/7613490117419781407
Answer questions, make connections, have fun; NightWillowCrafts asked to review another title, and reviewed The Elements of Ritual instead! A Bad Witch’s Blog became a byline and published the article Finding the Pagan Path.
Promotion isn’t all about buying Facebook and Amazon ads. The old-fashioned method of reaching out and connecting is still incredibly powerful when it comes to promoting books and brands.
About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird.
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