Book Publicity Toolkit, Part 3 – Media Kits and the Web

By Rick Frishman - Mar 30 , 2007

Media Kits

Elaborate media kits that high-priced PR firms traditionally produce are seldom worth the cost and they usually don’t help to effectively publicize books. The media has seen it all and has little time or patience for overstuffed packages, no matter how beautifully they’re written, designed, and produced.

In a media kit, which is also called a press kit, all you really need is:

1. A killer press release

2. The author’s biography

3. The author’s photograph

4. An excerpt or sample chapter from the book

5. A list of suggested questions to ask the author, with their answers

If you want to sweeten the package, throw in a list of the author’s articles and appearances. You can also provide the book’s brochure, copies of articles and reviews, endorsements and testimonials for the book and author, quizzes, quotations, trivia, and giveaways.

The focal point of a media kit is the press release, which is also called the news release, and it must be outstanding. The press release may be the only item in the media kit that is read. If your press release isn’t terrific, the media could stop reading and toss your entire kit in the trash.

Place your press release in your media kit package face-up and so it can be immediately seen when the kit is opened. And make it look and read great!

If you’re on a limited budget, sending a bulky media kit probably won’t be cost effective. Instead, just send your press release and bio. Then, if anyone from the media requests additional information, send a media kit loaded with everything you’ve got. When addition information is requested, you can’t overdo it.

Websites

Web sites are more then extensions of individuals’ or businesses’ identities; they are major parts of their identities. When parties are interested in an individual, a product, a service, or a business, they frequently go to its Web site. At the least, the Web site tells them about their target’s accomplishments and how they present themselves.

New York City literary agent Richard Curtis told us that when he first speaks via telephone to editors about an author and the author’s book, he frequently hears their keyboards. The editors, according to Curtis, go straight to the author’s Web site and then frequently discuss information it provides with Curtis.

Well, the media operates similarly. When it hears or receives information about authors or books, it visits their Web sites. The media search for insights on who the authors are, what they look like, their backgrounds, interests, expertise, accomplishments, writing, and how they present themselves. They look for information that could help convince them about whether an author or a book is worth pursuing.

Your Web site should include everything that is in your media kit, including your press release, biography, questions and answers, excerpts or sample chapters of your book, and book ordering information.