One of the best ways to get the word out about your book is to have other people in the media – radio hosts, television shows, podcasters, and bloggers) talk about it. The easier you make it for them to learn about and highlight your book, the more likely they will be to share it! The best way to do this is to have a press kit that is easily accessible and available for download from your website.
What is in an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)?
An electronic press kit is a ZIPed file that has everything necessary to properly promote your book digitally as well as in the print media. This includes written copy and “production ready” images of both you and your book. Think of it as offering a “one-stop” source of information that would allow someone to complete their review of your book, have all of the necessary images, and contact information for your book all in one place! It is important to not only have the information, but to supply it in a format that makes it easy for the reviewer to use!
What Should you Include in your Electronic Press Kit (EPK)?
1. Information About your Book – PDF
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- Important book information
- Official Title and Subtitle
- ISBN number (include ISBN numbers for all formats of your book)
- Price
- Page count
- Trim Size
- Landing page URL on your website
- Comparable Books
- Back Cover Copy of your book –
Yep, that’s right. Just copy and paste the back cover copy of your book. - Highlights of your book
Describe issues that your book solves (non-fiction) or the themes that are addressed (fiction). You can also talk about the target market for your book. Make these short paragraphs and bulleted lists capturing an overview of what people are to expect with your book!
- Important book information
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2. Bio of the Author and Contact Information – PDF
Take this time to share who you are and your qualifications for writing this book. At least, include a short bio of 50-100 words. You can also include a longer bio of 250-300 words to include more information about yourself. Make sure each bio can stand on its own – so it can be cut and pasted into the article or blog post.
On this page make sure you also include all of your contact information; for the interviewer and their audience to be able to find you!
- Website address
- Phone number
- Social Media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon Author page, YouTube)
Need help getting this platform set up? Check out our “Building Your Author Platform” Online Course!
***Make sure to mention if you are available for speaking engagements!***
3. Book cover Images – JPG
Include a JPG of your book’s front cover. At minimum have one full color high res image. (With the shortest side being no shorter than 1500px) If you want to get fancy with it, you can include a low res version, a black and white version and even a 3-D rendering of your book cover.
4. Author Headshot – JPG
Include a high res color image of your beautiful self as well. I would highly recommend using the same image that you used in your book – being consistent in your marketing is key.
5. Excerpt of the Book – PDF
Give them a little taste of the goods! Include a PDF of one chapter so they can experience your writing. You can mention that a full PDF copy of your book is available upon request.
6. Interview Questions – PDF
Remember how we talked about making this as easy as possible for someone to share your book? Well, one great way to do that is to give them interview questions! You can even write out the answers, including excerpts from the book. For some, this is all they need. For others this will be a starting point for a further discussion with you.
Make Your Electronic Press Kit (EPK) Available
Once you gather all of these elements, make sure they all have clear and consistent labels. For example:
- GMMH_BookInfo.pdf
- GMMH_AuthorInfo.pdf
- GMMH_Cover_high_color.jpg
- GMMH_Cover_high_bw.jpg
Once you have them all together, put them in a ZIP file
{Need help? Zip files on a Windows machine- click here Zip files on a Mac – click here}
Now you upload that ZIP file to your website and create a link at the bottom of your book’s landing page. You can also send the direct link to your EPK in an e-mail!
Creating an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is very important because it makes it very easy for people to review your book and prepare to interview you. It is also a GREAT way for you to control the marketing of your book by offering high quality and most accurate images and information to use in highlighting your book!
