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April 9, 2012

Do You Have a Media Kit? [Discussion]

Picture it: you check your email and find a message from Matt Lauer! Jackpot! You’ve finally landed that big-time interview, but there’s a catch: they’re requesting a bunch of info about you and your book before your interview.

No biggie, just send over your media kit! You *do* have a media kit, right? Or do you figure all of the same information is available on your website? We’re curious — what are your thoughts on media kits? Tell us:

  • Do you have a traditional media kit? If not, why not?
  • What was your process for putting together your media kit? Did you have difficulty deciding what to include?
  • How often have you used your media kit? Did someone request it or did you send it out?
  • Is there a particular piece of information in your kit that gets used/requested more than others?
  • Do you have a schedule for keeping your media kit updated?
  • Are media kits outdated in this digital age? What do you use instead?

We can’t wait to hear your responses! To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to hear from everyone!

Filed Under: Discussion

  • Fantastic questions about media kits. In my experience, media like to get the following: a detailed biography, a succinct summary of the book, and a high-resolution cover image as the basics. Most media are thrilled with bonus material such as a thoughtful FAQ on your book’s topic, a Q and A for the interviewer, testimonials, and list of enlightening tips about your book’s topic. 

    It’s also my experience that most media prefer a PDF version of media kits, though having a printed kit is also valuable too. For some authors, having a simple one-pager (sell sheet) is good enough, especially if you’re not targeting mass media outlets. A sell sheet is also multipurpose and can be used to market your book to event planners, bloggers, and book retailers. 

    I’ve used PR folks to put together media kits, but I think authors can just easily create their own. A designer usually doesn’t charge much to create either a media kit or sell sheet if the content is provided to them. 

    • Wow! That’s great advice Dara! I never thought about doing an FAQ or a list of tips about the book’s topic. That’s a great idea, I’m sure it helps writers/editors get some additional ideas for different story ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!

  • If Matt Lauer actually called me I’d have a heart attach, faint dead away and lose my voice, not necessarily in that order. Then I’d assume it was my prankster sister calling.  I’d make a smart-aleck comment and lose the interview after all.  Other that that, my glass is more than half full.

    • This made me literally laugh out loud (I say that so you know I’m not just throwing around LOLs all haphazard and insincere). I would probably go through the same sequence of events if Matt Lauer called me up! I better start updating my media kit s I have a better chance…