Book Talk: Creating an effective media kit

What to include in a book media
kit. www.thebookcove.com

We do a lot of promotions on here. From author interviews to book and author spotlights, cover reveals, giveaways, and more, we've done a bit of everything. We've worked with multiple media outlets, publishers, and marketers. Marketing kits and styles have varied greatly with these experiences, and over time we've been able to figure out what works best on our end -- which usually carries over to the author as well.

Figuring out effective marketing tactics is something that comes with experience -- and perhaps a bit of luck. Sometimes less is more. You don't want to overwhelm a potential buyer by throwing five book trailers, three chapter excerpts, and a bunch of teaser posters all in one sitting. On the other hand, you need to provide enough information to peak interest, generate book clicks, and hopefully positively influence sales.



What to include in a book media kit

1. Provide pictures of cover(s) and author - I've never understood marketing kits that don't come with book covers. I don't have the time to look these up, but sometimes I do because I care about a book's usefulness on my blog just as much as the author (should) cares about my blog's usefulness to others and themselves. Many times I can't come across a big enough and clean picture without stamped advertisements. People need to know what they are buying and a picture says a thousand words. Sometimes the cover makes or breaks a book before the blurb is read.  Author pictures are optional of course, but some readers connect to a book more if they can put a face with a name and book.
2. Provide blurbs that tell about the book - I'm not going to say that a two paragraph blurb is more effective than a two sentence blurb because that's not always the case. The game changer is whether or not the blurb gives enough information to peak the interest of readers. If the cover is pretty ambiguous, a longer blurb may be necessary. On the other hand, a two sentence "She moves to a new town to escape her past. Little did she know she'd have to escape the boy next door, too." tells the reader nothing special about the book. Is it an adventure? A romance? A thriller? A paranormal?
3. Provide unique review quotes - Review quotes that state something specific that sets your book apart from the others in your genre are great! Maybe it talks about a rare theme or character style. Use it! I won't say not to use generic quotes (something is better than nothing), but "It was the best historical read of 2014" is less of a hook compared with "His use of well researched Medieval references showed both deep passion and great knowledge of this subject."
4. Provide social media/buy links - This one is probably pretty obvious (especially the buy links...), but believe it or not, these have been left out of media kits many times. As an author, gathering and providing those is your job. It takes too much time to track down correct links for every social media site. I have done it before, but I was feeling extra nice and had some free time. That's rarely the case (free time, that is. I'm usually pretty nice), and again, that's not really my job here.
5. Provide an extra - You don't want to bog down your potential readers with a ton of extra promo material. But one or two extras can go a long way in grabbing certain readers that respond to different marketing techniques. E.g., book trailer, giveaway, excerpt, guest post, interview, teaser posters, movie cast, author thoughts on the book, a tidbit about your experiences, celebrity/model/character picture inspiration, etc. While on blog tours try to mix these extras up and provide a different one on each blog if possible.

Us bloggers are here to help you, but we can only do with what we have. How effective your book marketing is comes down to the kind of information you are putting out there. Do what you are comfortable with. If plastering your face across the internet is not what you want to do, then don't! If you hate book trailers, then don't use them! But you do need to use something. Accentuate your best features. If you're a witty writer, then writing a personal guest post can give readers a taste of your style and make a personal connection. If you are really proud of some illustrations or wish-casting, try a book trailer. Media kits are essentially a resume for millions of potential "employers" and it's up to you to nail the interview.