"A good writer is prepared for anything!"
The marketing kit is an essential tool for any writer. Putting one together can be scary, however, since there is a lot of information to sort through and determine what you need to send to a book store, library, radio show, tv stations, or whatever venue you choose to market your book to. Many sites offer great information about what to include in your marketing kit, and I feel that that information should be repeated as many times as possible. Starting out, I was completely unsure what to put in a packet and, through trial and error and some good tips, I wanted to pass along that information to other writers.
* Note: Even if you've only published one book, or are simply self-published, a good marketing kit will help bring attention to your writing. You can never go wrong with a good marketing kit.
In a folder, include the following:
Your Business Card
Genre of Book
Synopsis of the Book
Ordering Information
Reviews of the Novel
Brief Autobiography of Yourself
List of Means of Promoting the Book you are pursuing.
List of places your can be bought.
Copy of Your Book (not required but can be a personal touch if you have the means)
Be creative and have fun with your media kit. Make sure your book title and name are on everything. Create a flyer showing the person how you are promoting your book currently, other than through them. If you are doing more signings elsewhere, include that - Success breeds Success! A store owner is more apt to let you do a signing if others are taking the chance on you, too.
Once a date is agreed upon then make sure you add this to your kit. I hung one in the window of my car (I kept it well out of line of sight to be legal!). Make lots of copies and hand them out (malls are great provided the town has no law against window flyers).
Major chains are sometimes harder to get signings in. They require lots of legwork, paperwork, and interviews with whoever coordinates those events prior to even an agreement, but smaller, privately owned bookstores are just as eager to promote you as you are yourself, it seems! The publicity they generate is good for you and for them!
Check out my Promotional Tips page for how to go about getting those important signings!