Designing a Press Kit: DIY Book Promotion

Press kit? What goes into a press kit? Can you put in too much or too little? Well, guess what… there are guidelines for these too. But before I go into them, try to do one thing. Despite the fact that there are 'rules' of how to put something like this together, it certainly doesn't hurt to incorporate your own personality or style into them. You have to try to make your kit stand out and be noticed, though without being obnoxious or egotistical about it.

A sell sheet promotes your book. Of course, there are many more opportunities for that, but basics first. A press kit is basically a newspaper release that you send out to the media; local newspapers, radio stations, magazines and on to larger county newspapers, and so on, branching out as far as you'd like. Press kits tend to contain the same information as your sell sheet, but press releases are formatted differently. Here's how:

1. Your first sentence should include the infamous five W's… who, what, when, where and why for those of you who've been out of school longer than you'd care to admit.

Example:Sunshine Suzy announces the release and availability of her debut historical, 'Tax-Time Blues' on April 1, 2007 at the local B&B bookstore, just in time to prevent financial stress madness…

Well, you get the picture….

2. Follow this paragraph with a very brief summary of the book, in turn followed by…

3.A statement as to why you feel this book should be read. Is it timely to some occurrence or anniversary of a historical event? A hot news topic? Will we learn something from it, and if so, what?

4. Follow up with a few juicy reviews, using a smaller font if you'd like, because as you know, we all like to read those blurbs….

5. Finish the body of the press release with a short conclusion or sentence incorporating the importance and/or intriguing aspect of your particular release, along with, if you have one, why your theme is important or different.

6. Then, at the bottom, include the marketing information: the ISBN, publisher, etc., along with locations of where the book is available and at what price.
You can include your sell sheet in a press kit, along with a separate list of reviews you've received, since you don't want to list more than three or so in the actual body of the release. If you don't have a sell sheet to include, be sure to insert a page with your cover art, and a 5"x7", preferably black and white photo of yourself, along with a brief bio and contact information.

And remember, regardless of that old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover", I'm afraid that at one time or another, we've all fallen prey to that particular shortcoming. Present your kit in one of several packaging formats available at any Staples or Office Depot, and don't forget to include a business card!