What is a media kit?
A media kit is what an author or publisher gives to anyone they contact asking them to help promote their book. It includes information about the author and the book as well as a press release that captures their attention. Interview questions and an excerpt, along with a list of awards, other books written and information about upcoming events like a book launch can also be included.
A media kit is usually in a pdf format that can be emailed to media contacts or printed out for distribution by mail or in person.
When do authors need a media kit?
If you’re planning to contact bloggers or local media about your book’s publication, you’ll need a media kit that includes a press release and/or suggested interview questions. A well-written press release not only makes the recipient want to talk about the book, it also makes it easy for them to do exactly that because they can copy and paste something interesting into their blog or paper, saving them from having to write it themselves. And a list of questions makes an interview with the author a more appealing proposition because they don’t have to think up appropriate questions themselves. If you contact a reviewer and they can’t manage to commit to reading and reviewing your book, they can still pop something about it into their blog simply by taking something from your media kit.
Who would I give my media kit to?
Book bloggers, local newspapers, magazines, radio and television services when you ask for a review, article or interview. Also local bookstores (printed version) when you visit asking them to put a couple of books on one of their shelves.
What’s in a media kit?
It’s important that a media kit be well-designed so that it gives a professional impression. Apart from the words, the graphic design must look good and reflect your book. A media kit could have some or all of the following in it:
- A cover page,
- Your brief author bio and a photo,
- A quote from the author relevant to the book,
- Your contact details – where and how you want them to contact you,
- Your social media accounts,
- Your book blurb, book details (number of pages, formats, ISBN, publisher name etc) cover image, and 2-4 really good reviews,
- Where people can buy the book,
- A brief exciting excerpt – no more than one page,
- A little bit about other books you’ve written and their covers,
- Details of upcoming events,
- A list of awards,
- Notable media appearances,
- Interview questions and answers that delve into what’s interesting in your book,
- Press release – why it’s newsworthy. Write something they can copy and paste into their paper.
You could wade your way through the many free press release templates on Canva to try to find a design you can adapt, but there’s not much there that’s directly relevant for authors. If you’re familiar with Canva, then the best place to find a useful template is Etsy. You’ll have to pay for them, but you can use it for all your books. If you don’t want to have to play around with graphic design tools yourself, you can give the information to your cover designer and ask them to design it for you.
AIA Publishing has a template that we use to create professional media kits for AIA Publishing authors. Once we’ve created them, if you have a Canva account, you can update them yourself as required.
Here’s the latest one we’ve done. I hope it makes you want to read the book!
How to write the Press Release
Media outlets will not be interested in your book just because it’s a new book out. It has to have some angle that makes it newsworthy. A successful press release will make them interested enough to get back to you. Ask yourself, what is it about your book that makes it news? What angle can you take on it that would make a paper want to write about it. Here are some ideas:
- A unique or fascinating book topic,
- A shocking or captivating author story,
- A rare or prestigious book award won,
- An impressive or intimidating milestone,
- An unconventional promotional effort,
- An endorsement or link to something/someone famous,
- Tying in your book with a ‘buzz’ concept, e.g., millennials, gluten free, or any other ‘hot topic’ that a journalist will see and think yeah, people will click that.
A stand-alone press release should include the following:
- Attention grabbing headline of less than 20 words,
- Your city/state/country & date,
- Intro – a unique or interesting angle, problem/solution hook,
- Author quotation – something strong,
- Mini Author Bio – 1 small paragraph,
- Book description – 1-2 paragraphs,
- Contact Details – links to your website, email, phone number, (for local media) social media, and how to get review copies,
- Call To Action – ask for what you want,
- Traditionally they end with the hash symbol, three times, centred.
If it’s part of a media kit, then only the following is required because the rest of it is elsewhere in the media kit.
- Attention grabbing headline of less than 20 words,
- Intro – a unique or interesting angle, problem/solution hook,
- A one or two sentence description of the book,
- An author quotation – perhaps your mission statement as an author,
- Call To Action – for example, ask for an interview or a review.
References
Do you think you need a media kit?
If AIA Publishing is publishing your book, give us the information you want in it and we can make it look really good. (USD$60/hr [AUDS80/hr] and it usually takes around 2 hours)
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