Your Author Press Kit

Andrew Neel for Unsplash

Congratulations! Your book has been accepted by a publisher and is moving through the production process. No doubt as you approach publication, you’re hearing rumors of something called a press kit. Most authors are not naturally PR experts, so it takes a little explaining. Consider this your cheat-sheet for putting yours together!

So what’s in an author’s press kit?

Let’s first look at the purpose. What your press kit does is introduce your book (and, secondarily, yourself) to media, distributors, publishers, and bookstores — the people who will help you sell it to your readers. So what you need here is something clear, straightforward, and that gives all the needed information in one place.

At the minimum, a physical press kit should include:

• press release
• color image of the front cover
• tip sheet
• flyer advertising the book
• your biography (twice: one long, one that’s a one-to-two paragraph job)
• reviews
• sample chapter
• bookmarks or postcards

If you’d prefer to go digital, you don’t want to overwhelm your targeted outlets with emails and more. I’d recommend making this all available clearly on your website; you can do it via a…