Every author who is serious about self-promotion should invest in an author website and engage in social media. Let’s say you’ve done all that: You have an author website, engage with fans on Twitter, and post regular content on Facebook. Now what? Well, the next step to making your digital author platform shine is creating your digital press kit and making it available online. Let’s take a look at how a serious author like you can make that happen.
1.      What is a digital press kit?
A digital press kit gives your website’s visitors a chance to get to know you as an author, become familiar with your latest novels or other projects, and have that information available with the click of a button.
Here’s what should be in every author’s digital press kit:
- Author bio (be sure to include contact info)
- Author headshot
- Press release
- Description of latest projects (this is particularly important for book authors!)
- List of publication credits
- Book covers
- Reviews of your work (preferably clips from newspapers or journals)
- Sample interview questions and answers
- Contact info for you or your publicist (if you have one)
2.      Do I need one?
If you’re an author who’s serious about self-promotion, then the answer is: It can only help; it won’t hurt. Even if you’re just starting out and only have a few publication credits, a digital press kit is a great way to prove to potential fans, editors, agents, and publishers that you are serious about your craft and self-promotion. Keep in mind that an author digital press kit will appeal most to those in the media and potential agents. If you don’t have a book project or are only starting out as a writer, you may want to devote your free time to increasing your following on social media instead.
3.      How do I make my author press kit available online?
The smartest way to make your digital press kit available online is to make it downloadable on your author website. Create a page on your website called “Press” or “Press Kit” and provide a link to download your press kit. The two easiest ways to provide visitors with your press kit are as one PDF or as multiple PDFs.
Once you’ve got a link to your digital press kit on your author website, let your fans know about it by providing a link to that page of your website on Facebook or Twitter.
Be A Digital Press Kit Wizard!
So what have we learned? If you’re an author with a book or serious about self-promotion, we recommend that you create a digital press kit. We covered what to include in your digital press kit and how to make it available to your fans. Having an online platform proves to be more and more important in this day and age, so creating a downloadable extension of your author persona is key.
Photo by: marchorowitz.
QUESTION: What would you consider adding to your digital press kit?
Great advice! With a new book out this summer, I need to get right on this. 🙂