A press kit, also called a media kit,is a write-up that you use to promote yourself as an author. You can put an electronic version of your press kit on your author's website so that people can read about who you are, what you do, and how to contact you or your publisher. You can send a hardcopy press kit to media outlets to announce your latest book release, or to generate publicity related to an appearance, such as a book signing, that you are about to make.
If you are publishing with a large publishing house, their publicist will work with you to create a media kit. If you are self-publishing, or if you are working with a small publisher, you will likely have to create your own press kit, or hire a publicist to create one for you.
A simple press kit contains the following:
1. A cover page
2. An Author's bio
3. An About the Book page
4. A Fact sheet (also called a one-sheet or a sell-sheet)
5. Book Reviews (if available)
6. Events Calendar (if available)
7. A Press Release (if appropriate)
Cover Page
The cover page is simply a letter that you address to your intended recipient. It tells the receipient that you are sending them a press kit and what the kit contains. It might also include a brief statement about your upcoming event or book.
Author's Bio
This page should contain a head shot of the author plus a brief biography. Children's authors can tailor this to reflect their particular style or audience. Often, a children's author will relate a childhood experience or other significant experience that led to why the author became a writer. The bio should also include relevant publications, education, and awards.
About the Book
This page should contain an image of the book cover, as well as the book title, a book synopsis, and a paragraph about the intended audience, and why the book is a winner. The book synopsis should run about a paragraph or two, and can end on a "hook." The next paragraph should be about the book's target reader, such as "a great book for the emergent reader," or "a hilarious kid-noir comedy for the independent reader." Think about this paragraph as a twenty-second pitch that a bookseller could use to recommend this book to a customer.
Fact Sheet
The Fact Sheet is infomation about the book that a bookseller uses to look up the book through their distribution channel. It also tells the bookseller something about the book in a way that helps him determine where the book belongs on the shelf. Book facts include the following information:
Book Title
Author
Category (such as children's picture book, children's middle grade, etc.)
Age Level (such as 4-8 for emergent readers, or 7-12 for early middle grade)
Keywords (such as picture book, humor, boy interest, etc)
Publication Date (month and year)
ISBN-10
ISBN-13
Price (suggested retail price)
Pages (total number of pages)
Type (such as hardcover with full-color jacket, or paperback)
Binding (such as perfect, or library)
Publisher (name of publisher)
Language (language the book is published in)
Dimensions (in inches for the US market)
Shipping weight (in ounces for the US market)
Distributor (such as Ingram)
Book Reviews
It's always nice to be able to include quotes from book reviews. Quotes from your family and friends don't count. If you don't have book reviews, you can omit this page from your press kit.
Events Page
If you have events scheduled, you can include an Events page with the events listed. If you only have one upcoming event, it's best to simply mention the event in the cover letter, and omit the Events page.
Press Release
The press release is something you write up that the recipient of your press kit can use as-is in a promotion of your work. You can make the press release fairly generic, for example, you can write something along the lines of "Los Angeles, California - January 1, 2008 - XZZ Publishing announces the release of a new middle grade chapter book, Harry Harrison, written by author P.J. Bottoms..."
Other things to include in the press release:
Two or three sentence book synopsis
One or two sentences about the target reader (such as "Children ages 7-12 will have a hard time putting down this suspenseful middle-school melodrama.")
Two or three sentences about the author
Brief book facts including book title, author, illustrator, book type (hardcover or paperback,) size, price, ISBN, publisher, and distributor
Author contact information
Publisher contact information
Where to Find Templates
Free templates abound on the internet, or you can create one yourself. Try microsoft.com, for example, and look at their templates for newsletters or flyers. With simple modifications, you can turn a newsletter template into something attractive and workable for a press-kit.
The Electronic Press Kit
An electronic version of your press kit can help a prospective client, or event coordinator in planning for an author's appearance. For example, if you are going to speak at a school, the event coordinator may want some quick information about you that can be distributed to parents, teachers and the community in an effort to get the word out about the event. You can email your electronic press kit, or perhaps you could make it available for download from your website. Some authors burn copies onto CD and include the CD with the hardcopy press kit mailings. One nice thing to include in the electronic press kit are small resolution and large resolution images of your headshot and your book covers. This helps the coordinator with their printing and reproduction requirements.
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