In the rush to promote their books, authors jump on many bandwagons; these days, a social media platform is often the latest craze (hello TikTok). While there is undoubtedly value in more visibility online, book marketing pros often call attention to established workhorses. While developing a media kit may sound less glamorous than getting a thousand views for a shared video, it can be more beneficial in the long run. Having an informational kit in emailable and hard-copy form has many uses in a book PR campaign. Elements of kits also figure into sales presentations about you and your book.

If you've written a book and we've sold you on the importance of developing a kit, you may wonder what goes into one. The first and most crucial element is your bio (publicist-speak for your biography). PR experts want you to write it in the third person and keep things brief. The conventional wisdom is less than 300 words always, preferably in the 100-200 word range. When writing a bio for a book marketing campaign, you want to make it relevant to the book and its target readers. Over time, you may make changes, and keeping it up to date always is a wise idea.

Nearly all authors are wise to seek media coverage for their books; in that case, a well-crafted press release belongs in the kit. Make it impactful and easy to read because the people you or your publicist may pitch will be pressed for time. Standard contact information would be your name, phone number, and email. But marketers today find people, the media included, who want to know more about you. Therefore, include your web address, blog address if you have one, social media handles, etc. Most people will also run an online search when deciding whether to cover authors and their books today.

Many kits include a book excerpt, sometimes a chapter, to give people a feel for your book's content. It can go along with a fact sheet (or sell sheet) that includes all the pertinent details such as title, author, price, genre, etc. You can also list retailers where your book is sold, both online and brick-and-mortar. Mention whether eBook and audit book versions are available and include the ISBN. Reviews are always influential and should be mentioned, often excerpted, in your media kit. The point is to make it easy for anyone to have instant answers to most questions about your book – it will benefit you in many ways.