JOANNE TROPPELLO
  • Home
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Email
  • MSMGroup
  • Excerpts
  • Reviews
  • Contests
  • Events
  • Store
  • Projects
  • The Reading Room
  • Photo Gallery
  • Inspirational Romance Forum
  • Opinion Poll
  • Shaklee Store

Authors: Do you need a press kit?

2/3/2012

4 Comments

 
As an author, do you really need a press kit?  

It's great to have a website and to utilize the social media networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, but what happens once you draw the press to your website?  Sure, they'll read all about you in your bio and maybe see some photos of you on your website.  They'll read about your books and reviews and various writing accomplishments, but how will this assist them in writing up a glowing feature article on you?

Picture
It won't help them and it might even frustrate the press and cause them to move on to another author who has a striking press kit that captivates their attention and forces them to want to find out more details on you and your work.  

Now, it's great to have a press kit that you can hand deliver, send out through snail mail or fax and even email.  However, wouldn't it also be just as great to have an online press kit? You bet it would.  When the media visits your website, for example after they read your catchy press release about your book just being released, don't you want to make it really easy for them so they find your attention to detail delightful and will want to publish that feature article about you and your work?

There are so many authors out there and many of us, me included, are mid-list or even newbies.  What does the press care about us?  We are not NY Times Bestsellers...yet!  You need to make them want to care about you and your work. How do you do that?  You create a professional press kit and in this technologically advanced age we live in, you make it readily available in an embedded PDF file on your website.  It's great to post your press kit information on a page on your site, but when you have an embedded file that they can download, it makes it even better for them.  And the easier you make it for the media, the more they'll like you and want to write about you and your work.  Also, a PDF file is not editable by them.

So, what do you include in this press kit and how long should it be?  My press kit is 7 pages and it will most likely expand as time goes on, but I will also then edit and cut the current content because you don't want your press kit to be too long.  I have my photo and contact info as the header on a nice letterhead that speaks to the theme of my writing style and current works.  But, make sure to not go over the top here with a theme and always keep it professional in its design. 

Number each page and include your contact info (name, tagline, like mystery & romance author, email, website addy, and ph and fax numbers) on every page.  You should start out with a short bio that fits on the first page, with a statement at the end that you welcome interviews and that they should contact you for more info.  You want to set the stage that you are friendly and want them to contact you.  

You should list some reviews for your books and then give a short listing of each book, the ISBN and where they can readily get a copy of each book, and you can include photos of the books.  Be sure to also include info on your upcoming releases, even though you don't have an ISBN yet etc. 

At the end, you should write up an author interview.  Play the part of a journalist and list questions he or she would want to ask you as an author and then answer those questions.  Now, the media can have a readily available interview to be posted online in blogs and other print media, if so desired.  However, it's also a jumping off point for them to quickly learn about you, your books and your writing style and they'll not only have some quotes they can print from your interview, but you've done a lot of the legwork for them already.  They'll be more eager to dig deeper and then ask you questions of their own. 

I hope this helps.  I know my press kit is not the best I'd like it to be, but it's a start and is a work in progress, but at least it's something for the media right now.  Feel free to visit my homepage and check it out. 


Has anyone else created an online press kit? What did you include?


4 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    BLOG BUTTON CODE is listed at the bottom of the blog sidebar. Click photo to see blog video.
    Come visit my store on CafePress!
    Picture
    Mystery & Inspirational Romance Author Joanne Troppello, hard at work on her next novel
    Do you like blogging & want to make money? Earn 100% Residual Income with Empower Network. Subscribe to our Email List for more info:
    First Name:
    Email Address:
    Powered by: Email Marketing Pro
    Jobs by VirtualVocations
    Picture
    Picture
    Get TweetAdder for Twitter
    EzineArticles.com
    Email Address:

    Expert Author Alerts
    Want to Guest on my blog or do an interview?  
    Please feel free to contact me.  I enjoy having guest bloggers and interviewing authors.  
    HTML Hit Counters
    HTML Hit Counters
    Follow this blog
    Joanne Troppello

    Promote Your Page Too
    The Troppellos - Find me on Bloggers.com

    Visit Life Without Baby
    Need pr pitches and giveaways for your blog? Try Blog PR Wire
    WestBow Press
    Parajunkee Design

    Visit Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers
    Here are Books I reviewed. Click the cover to read the review and find more info on the book. 

    Visit Book Blogs
    Picture
    I Review For The Tyndale Blog Network
    Picture


    Clash of The Titles





    Arts
    Get your own free Blogoversary button!

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Novice Writers
    April Themed Blog Month
    August Themed Blog Month
    Author Interview
    Author Interviews
    Author Spotlights
    Best Seller Lists
    Bible Blogs
    Bible Study For My Books
    Blog Awards
    Blog Calendar
    Blogging Handbook
    Blogging Journal
    Blog Parties
    Book Features
    Book Launch
    Book Promotion
    Book Reviews
    Character Driven Blog Party
    Clash Of The Titles Blog Alliance
    Clash Of The Titles Blog Allliance
    Contests
    Dec Themed Blog Month
    Excerpts From My Book
    Excerpts From My Books
    Faith And God
    Favorite Quotes
    Featured Books
    February Themed Blog Month
    Fun Fridays
    Goddess Fish Authors
    Guest Blogger
    Guest Bloggers
    Healthy Living
    Holiday Thoughts
    Inspirational Romance Genre
    Inspirational Thoughts
    Internet
    January - Themed Blog Month
    January Themed Blog Month
    July Themed Blog Month
    June Themed Blog Month
    Life And Literature
    Love And Romance
    March Themed Blog Month
    May Themed Blog Month
    Meaning Of Love
    My Books
    My Journal
    Networking
    November Themed Blog Month
    Novice Writer Interviews
    Online Forums
    Online Promotion Tips
    Personal Testimonies
    Political Views
    Press Kits
    PR / Marketing
    Publishers
    Quotes
    Reader
    Reader's Corner
    Reader's Corner
    Reading
    Recipes
    September Themed Blog Month
    Social Media Networking
    Themed Blog Months
    Tyndale Blog Network
    Valentine
    Valentine's Day
    Valentines Day55124088ef
    Writing / Editing
    Writing Inspiration
    Writing & Technology
    Yahoo Groups


    DISCLAIMER: Book Reviews

    In accordance with FTC Guidelines for blogging & endorsements, I want to post this disclaimer. From time to time, I do purchase and review some novels. However, most of the novels I review are given to me as a complimentary review copy by the author or publisher. I do not receive  monetary compensation for the reviews I complete.

    It only takes a mustard seed to make a dream grow