Book Marketing: Creating Your Author Press Kit

 This site focuses a lot on online promotion, but PR and traditional media can still be a great way to get name recognition in the market. Having a press kit is a great way to prepare yourself for a foray into that style of marketing and in today’s post, Tolulope Popoola explains more about it.

As a new author and publisher, I had to learn the ropes about publishing and book publicity pretty quickly. Of course websites and blogs like The Creative Penn and The Book Designer have been a tremendous help.

While doing research just before my novel was published, I came across the “press kit” and its usefulness when contacting people in the media for publicity. And since I started promoting the novel, it’s been a great tool, handy for sending out information quickly. It was also easy to give it to my publicist, so she could send it to her contacts as well.

But it’s not just for media or journalists; your press kit can also be requested by retailers, book bloggers, event planners, editors; basically anyone who might take an interest in you as an author or in the topic of your book.

So what should your press kit contain?

From my own experience, most people requesting a press kit would like the following information:

1) Author Bio and Contact Information

You should already have an author bio to hand. If not, start working on it right away, whether you’re already published or not. You’ll need it for your blog or website, for guest posts (like this one!) or stories submitted to magazines. Your author bio should be about 200 words, and it should have things that make you sound interesting and professional. You should include your name, your place of birth or where you currently live, what you do (or used to do) for a living, what you’ve written, perhaps your education (if it’s relevant), quirky hobbies, or interesting travel experiences. Basically, anything that will make you stand out.

Don’t forget to include your contact information, and your agent or other representatives if necessary.

2) Press Release

A press release should focus on the unveiling of your new work. It should be brief and sucking, one page should do. Include information that is newsworthy about your book or about you as an author. If you have upcoming events, it might be a good idea to omit them from your press kit press release to keep the article timely a month or two down the road. You can read more about creating a perfect press release on the Creative Penn here.

3) Sample Author Q&A

Make a list of interview questions (and responses) about you and your book. This can include questions about your background, your inspiration for writing this book, why you chose to self-publish, your own favorite writers, future projects, etc. This section is particularly helpful for the interviewer and bloggers who want to help you promote your work, as it’s useful and ready content for them.

4) Specific Information on Your Book

So many books are published every week, every month, every year. This is where you need to talk about what makes yours different. You can describe your book in terms of its unique features. Why did you write this book? Did you feel there was a gap in the market for this type of story? Does the book shed new light on a common issue? Is it a topic that a lot of people can easily relate to? Is the story set in a place or time that is quite significant? As the author, do you have a unique background different from most other authors? You need to convince the person reading your press kit that your story is interesting enough for their audience.

Tip: Sometimes, when requesting your press kit, you may be asked to send in excerpts of your book as well. I’ve put the first three chapters of my novel together into a sample PDF that can be downloaded from my website and blog, at the same time as the press kit. I also have the samples in print, so I can hand it to people when they ask about my book.

You can also include interesting information about your book’s topics (especially for non-fiction titles) and a sample Q & A for an interviewer, since it’s unlikely they will have read your book.

You may also include things like: editorial reviews, testimonials, links to relevant media content like audio and video, any awards you’ve won, etc.

Here’s two great examples of author press kits:

• Non-fiction: Michael Hyatt’s press kit for ‘Platform’
• Fiction: CJ Lyons, author of thrillers with heart

Nowadays, most people prefer to receive a PDF version of press kits. They are easier to distribute by email and upload onto blogs and websites. It’s also easier for the recipient to copy the information they need. I would still suggest printing a few copies and having them on hand, especially for your local retailers, bookstore or library readings and other speaking events. You should, of course, have a copy of the press kit on your author website or blog.

Remember, a press kit doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy.

The people who are requesting it just want information that will help them. Keep the format and font simple. If you’re putting one together for the first time, I’m sure you already have some of the materials needed. Start with the items you already have and then work on adding the others as you go along. You don’t want to create a press kit at the last minute for the editor or reviewer who requests one.

SOURCE: http://www.thecreativepenn.com by JOANNA PENN on APRIL 23, 2013

About First Edition Design Publishing:

First Edition Design Publishing is the world’s largest eBook and POD (Print On Demand) book distributor. Ranked first in the industry, First Edition Design Publishing converts and formats manuscripts for every type of platform (e-reader). They submit Fiction, Non-Fiction, Academic and Children’s Books to Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Google, Kobo, Diesel, 3M, Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Nielsen, EBSCO, and over 100,000 additional on-line locations including retailers, libraries, schools, colleges and universities. The company’s POD division creates printed books and makes them available worldwide through their distribution network. First Edition Design Publishing is a licensed and approved Aggregator and holds licenses with Apple and Microsoft.

Visit: www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com