Press Kits 101

     Now, while I've never written a book, and most definitely never published one, I have had quite the experience with press kits. Throughout my years of blogging (it's been 5 years, I can't believe it!) I've worked with authors, publicity agents and even publishers of various backgrounds, all of which had a different approach to pitching a book. However, one of the best things I've seen across the board is those who pitch a book and include a press kit. Now, if you don't know what a press kit is, it's basically a compilation of all basic information and materials a reviewer, publisher, etc. might need when dealing with your book. While the items vary there are a couple basic items that I wish all authors would include when requesting a review. So, without further ado, let's get started on what goes inside a press kit and how to go about making one.

A Summary of the Book


     Now, for me at least, this one seems like a given. I mean, how is anyone supposed to decide on whether or not they like your book if you don't tell them what it's about? Now, as this is pretty self-explanatory, I'm going to move on, however if you ever need any help creating a summary I'd be more than happy to help.  

An Author Bio and Contact Info 

     This one may be a bit harder to handle than the summary, seeing as you need to make yourself seem different from the millions of other authors in the world (no pressure). You want to explain what makes you different, what your qualifications are, and most importantly, make the person like you. If you like dogs SAY you like dogs, if you're a dedicated workaholic, tell me that. It's basically a summary of your life, and if I like you I'm more likely to try your books (example: I've read almost every single Rick Riordan and James Patterson book just because they wrote them, I even skipped summaries on some.) For contact information, please make it relevant. I don't need your cell phone number, five different emails and your old MySpace account. Just make it simple, give me an email you check regularly and your social media accounts and I'm set. Seriously though, if I have to hunt you down on social media to tag you in a post I might lose it so be sure to give me your information ahead of time. Lastly, if you could include a picture of yourself to be included in the review I would appreciate it greatly, as hunting down pictures can be tiresome and frustrating.

Basic Statistics About the Book

    This is pretty basic, you don't need to go super in depth. Personally, I'd like to know what genre it is, an estimated number of pages (I understand that it varies between copies so don't stress too much), a publication date, and publisher (if you have one). That's it, easy-peasy. Now, I know that professional companies might want more information so visit the link at the bottom of the page and scroll down for a list of more in-depth statistics professionals might want.  

Previous Reviews and/or Awards (if there are any)
     If you have any reviews from other bloggers please include a little bit and a link to see the the post. Don't include a whole paragraph giving an in-depth explanation of why they like it in the press kit, when I'm reading a press kit I'm just looking at an overview for whether or not I'll like it and I'll most likely look at the review on my own time. Also please don't include that Amazon review your mother gave you so people would read it, Amazon reviews are fine, reviews from family members to get attention on your book are not, let's be at least slightly professional. Also, if you include an award make sure it's relevant to the book pitch, I don't wanna hear about the time in 7th grade you got an award for writing the best story in your English class (sorry sometimes I have to be brutally honest). Otherwise, go ahead! You won an award for the most creative short story in a magazine, add it with a link, I'd love to check it out! 

Promotional Products
     This is open for interpretation, however I need SOMETHING! It's a pain in the neck to write a book review with no fluff to add in. Nobody wants to read a long post with ONLY a review, no matter what I try to make myself believe. Typically, I add in pictures however, those are time consuming to make and it can be hard to choose what best advertises the book. However, I've had a couple amazing authors include pictures in their press kit, which I added throughout the post. For an excellent example of pictures visit my review of Wonderland by Robert McKay. Another good inclusion is an excerpt, which will allow readers to decide how they feel about the story, rather than just listening to someone else's opinion. Excerpts can be any length, but I recommend a few pages at most that could be read as a standalone so as to avoid confusion. If you can't provide any of the above, I can make my own pictures, which I will include in my review and any social media posts I put online. For an example of something I make myself, you can look at the banners on the left sidebar (if you provide me with a theme I would be more than happy to make one of those for you because I just LOVE making them and the end result!)
Premade Posts for Social Media (Optional but appreciated nonetheless) 



     Now, last but most definitely not least, premade posts for social media. Now, this may sound like an odd request, but I'm telling you, these are amazing. Every author has a certain way they advertise their work, even on social media, and promoting a book is so much easier if my posts at least resemble yours. Also, this makes life much easier for the other person because figuring out how to word things is really hard, especially to promote other people. Now, the most helpful is premade tweets, because let's be honest, meeting a certain character count is a pain. I spent 20 minutes today trying to write a tweet about my struggles tweeting! Talk about irony! So, overall if you send me premade social media posts, I will love you forever. I think I might be the only fourteen year old girl in the world to have THIS much trouble using social media (but hey I can use Snapchat pretty well!)

     So, now you know what I would like in a press kit, but if you're looking for how to create a more professional version Writer's Digest has an article written by a published author explaining how to make one. The article gives helpful examples and clarifies everything that should be included and how to find it or make it. (If anyone has any questions or would like me to make a banner or promo pic for them just email me at bookattic4 @ gmail.com and I would be more then happy to help!)