How to Build a Rocking Author Media Kit a 7-Step Template

How to Build a Rocking Author Media Kit a 7-Step Template How to Build a Rocking Author Media Kit: a 7-Step Template This post was last updated 9/28/2018.Picture this: you’ve just self-published a book and are gaining some traction in your publicity rounds. Then, out of the blue, a journalist asks you for a headshot, bio, and sell sheet.Don’t panic. By the time you're done with this post, you'll be ready to compile an all-purpose key to book publicity: your author media kit. A good media kit is one of the most straightforward ways to win over the press and everyone else who matters during your publicity rounds: book reviewers, bloggers, and indie bookstores.So how can you build a kit that you can use in all aspects of your book marketing efforts? We spoke to our professional book publicists to answer all your questions about author media kit templates.What is an author media kit?In a nutshell, an author media kit is an assortment of information for anyone who wants easy access to further details about you and your book.Think of an author media kit as a dynamic business card on your we bsite. â€Å"Media kits indicate that you are a serious author with a book that deserves to be considered,† says Hannah Hargrave, an award-winning book publicist. She’s worked with celebrities like Goldie Hawn and has helped to launch the careers of first-time authors.â€Å"Taking the time to collate all your resources - and formatting them in a useful, clear way - will make a journalist’s life easier and get them on your side. It’s also a lot simpler to send a link to your media kit than to attach several large documents to a pitch email,† she says. The author media kit: an all-purpose dynamic business card for you and your book! Testimonials / reviewsKeep it all on one page, and make it as polished as possible. Think of it as a slick resumà ©, but for your book.Tip: For a professionally-designed sell sheet, consider reaching out to a designer for a quote.7. Book ExcerptOne more chance to intrigue your audience. Hannah suggests not including the whole book. â€Å"I find it’s best to include the first few pages, or the opening chapter,† she says, since that should already be enough to draw in an audience.Congrats! Now that you’ve finished your author media kit, you’re probably wondering: what do I do with it?What next?First, make sure your kit looks professional and polished. People will take you only as seriously as you take yourself.Then, put your author media kit up on your website. â€Å"Perhaps have a dedicated press page, or include it on your website’s ‘About Me’ page for anyone who wants further information,† Hannah recommends. â€Å"If you recei ve any queries from journalists, include a link to your media kit in any reply.†Here are three more tips for the road:Label each of your files appropriately. â€Å"There’s nothing more frustrating than to have to open a Word doc titled â€Å"media kit† and scroll through pages of content to find an excerpt or your talking points,† says Dalyn.Take a look at other authors’ media kits. â€Å"Most have links on their websites,† says Hannah. â€Å"This will give you a good idea of what authors with comparable titles useful. You’ll also see how professional, clear, and concise the information included is, too.†Keep your kit up-to-date. If you publish another book, circle back to your kit and update it with all the new details.If this seems like a lot of work to you, consider reaching out to a book publicist. There's no real replacement for their experience and insight: they're not only experts at creating a media kit, they’ll a lso be instrumental in getting your kit - with a pitch and press release - to the right people and media outlets. Publicists also have access to a huge database of contacts and know how to speak to them. And, of course, it’s entirely possible to go about it alone, as some self-published authors have successfully done. It might be a grind, but a great author media kit on your side will make it that much easier.Have any more tips for building author media kits? We'd love to hear them. Leave any thoughts in the comments below!