If his book is half as good as hig blog, this will be a worthwhile read. Gabe Weinberg is one of the smartest and most thoughtful people on the Internet.

I was just wondering the same thing about my startup (www.nucleusintercom.com), and came across this great primer: http://www.publicize.co/beginners-guide-to-pr/chapter-4-pres...

Thanks for the link!

It lists both free and paid submission services. Are paid services worth it?

I don't think either will be a catalyst for anything significant - there's just craploads released every day and it's unlikely anyone will notice yours unless you, your startup, or your investors are notable enough that journalists are specifically watching for them. It definitely won't be worth paying for.