Get Published

Press Kits for Your Book

You've written your book, but now you need to get the word out. The best time to start is well before the book's actual publication date. How do you do this with out spending thousands? One way to present a professional package to book reviewers, reporters, and producers is through a press kit.

A press kit is presented in a neat package and usually includes the following items:

• Author Biography - a one page history of who you are, interesting life history (i.e. you hiked to the top of Everest, backpacked the Andes or have 5 kids and wrote a book while also attending medical school) and any experience you have as a writer or expert on your topic.
• Book Synopsis - a one page summary of your book, its plot, and major themes.
  
• Press Release - a one page article that explains who you are, what the book is about, important information about the book's publication, and any ties the book may have to current events.
• Sell Sheet - a flyer that includes all the important information about your book; Title, Cover Image, Publication Date, Page Count, Selling Price, ISBN, One Paragraph Summary, One Paragraph Author Bio, 1 or 2 reviews.
  

Make sureyou create both printed versions for mailing and PDF electronic versions for emailing to the media. Use the printed materials for the top book reviewers, newspapers, websites, or other promising media, while saving electronic versions for those lower on the list. If you don't have a lot of money to spend printing and mailing press kits, you can always use only the electronic version. If you are printing out hard copies, don't do it on your home computer. It might save you some money in the short term, but it will produce an inferior press kit, cost you reviews, and ultimately book sales.

You can find many designers and book pr firms to help you create the components of your press kit. If you are willing to do the leg work of contacting the media yourself,  developing a press kit is a great way to get started.