According to Iuniverse, who screwed up my acceptance information, my book should go live in a week or two. However, it won’t be available online at bookstores for 4-10 weeks, which absolutely sucks. Next I received an email from a marketing services rep who is working on my press release and I’m thinking, “these people need editors.” This is about the third release of some kind that I have received with bad grammar…easily detectable bad grammar. Oh well, nobody is perfect, but I think my release is “okay” by my standards. I spent countless hours on the PR Web website the past few nights looking at some amazing press releases from authors on there. But I also noticed some not so fantastic ones, and some with poor spelling. Come on people, if you are going to pay for a service at least run the spellcheck!
I don’t have another day off work until Friday when I can amp up my press release and send it back. But while following my connections on Twitter I am slowly learning what is involved in creating a great media kit (press kit). I have looked at some from award-winning novelists and some from no-namers such as myself. I complained, it was more whining, to someone how being self published is hard work because of all the post-production work: marketing, advertising, promotions. And I have a full-time going on all-the-time job that occupies much of my sane time. And in my lucid hours I am left to wonder how I will stand out in the crowd. How do you make a presence in a world of thousands of breakthrough and first time writers?
My strategy:
Get their attention!
- Black mailers with silver writing on the back flap reading, “What if you had a choice: Stay alive for your son, or die to reunite with your wife and daughter?” Not many 10×13 mailers are black, it should be in instant attention grabber and stand out from standard manilla envelopes.
Keep Their Attention
- My presentation folder is a white alabaster pinstripe which will be a complete contrast coming out of a jet black mailer. Hoping it will be a Wow factor. Sort of like a black and white tux, except under the surface it represents life and death…like my book
- Small linen paper, pasted to the front cover with a picture of my book
Inside my press kit:
- CD including files from my book trailer, interview, and possibly a second trailer
- Personalized letter (this takes so much time) to the corporation, bookstore, etc..
- About the Author sheet
- Press release sheet
- Title Information Sheet
- Flyer
some people put a lot more, but I think simple is this case is better. The CD has it’s own holder on the front pocket and the second pocket holds my business card. I also ordered business card stickers to stick on the back of the folder. Next, I have Thank You cards with black envelopes that will be mailed out one week later so they remember my name (learned that in college: don’t let them forget you). Will it all work? I don’t know, but I’m giving it my all, so when my third book is released they might at least know my name. Now to research who gets press kits . . .
Presenting: Be Still Spring 2012 (I hope)
New Author Publishing 
Good Luck! I love the black mailer idea! the WOW factor is key (I just read a great article on “Visual Hammers” that would speak to this) Grab their attention and you will get the “open”, the view and (if pertinent) the “click through”.
Creative Content is without a doubt Point #1 for success. (Point #2 is Consistency, for what it is worth).
Your book sounds fascinating BTW, and the catch line you intend for the envelope got me right away. Sounds quite deep, perhaps “Shack”-ish?
Love the name as well.
Thank you so much. I am trying to keep my content to a minimum and not repeat the nonpertinent deatails. I am also trying to stay uniform and not have too many different themes on the pages…uniformity and consistency are my goals. Oh, and the Wow. I will be sure to look at your page when I get home.