Editors trash anything that even resembles an ad. Often what I do is find the news angle and then plug the book within the story. Sometimes I quote the author, and mention the book as evidence of the author's credibility. I rarely focus the release on a book. Boring editors, rather than helping them.
Most releases written by authors are long, wordy and boring.
They write the release as if they are writing a chapter in their book. A good news release usually starts with a grabber first line. The next paragraph contains the essential story and the key facts. Following lines reveal added detail and offer quotes. The whole thing is short, direct, interesting and to the point.