Why authors need a book press kit to successfully market their books

// By Steven Blackburn

One of the many book marketing tools that Storiad provides Pro accounts is premade ePress Kits, which authors can use for pitching their book to verified book publicity contacts, journalists and relevant bloggers.  Many experts believe that every author needs a book press kit, including publicity expert Joan Stewart, who is both the author of four and contributor of more than 60 books on publicity and PR.

As many professionals note, media kits contain at least six to eight components, which can take quite some time to complete when creating one from scratch. To simplify the process, Storiad includes various templates to choose from, complete with sample text.

But in this case, “simplify” means just that, “simplify,” not “eliminate all work.” A common mistake many authors make is thinking that, since most of the information is provided and laid out, that all they have to do is fill in the blanks and move on. This couldn’t be more wrong. It’s important to think of each template as a guide upon which to expand.

How to create a compelling book press kit

Storiad’s media kits include generic press releases that contain enough information to send out to the relevant contacts as is. But this is just a starting point. It is highly recommended that authors consider putting effort into personalizing their press release because a well put together press release looks professional, and journalists “expect a professional presentation and quality information,” according to CEO and Founder Dan Smith of Smith Publicity, a book marketing agency that has promoted more than 3,000 books since 1997. Not putting in the effort could make you look like an amateur, and journalists, adds Smith, do not like dealing with amateurs.

As mentioned previously, completing the book press kit feature on Storiad is just one of the many steps that authors can take to market their work. Next, authors can choose which of the over 40,000 verified book publicity contacts on Storiad’s database to send their robust media kit to. Use Storiad to present your books in the classy, professional way that they deserve.

Take the first step to complete an ePress Kit.

Watch an introductory video on Storiad features.

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