The author press kit: what podcasters, bloggers, bookshops and event organisers ask for, on one page

Sooner or later someone asks for your press kit. A podcaster wants a bio and a photo, a book blogger wants a cover and a blurb, a bookshop wants an ISBN and a price, and an event organiser wants to know what you could talk about. If those things live in five different emails and folders, you end up rebuilding the same kit every time. The fix is to build it once, keep it on one page, and send a single link.

What each person actually asks for

The guides we read agree on the core pieces, and the differences come down to who is asking.

• Podcasters and interviewers want a short bio, a headshot, and a list of topics you can talk about. Reedsy suggests a sheet of seven to ten likely interview questions with short answers, because the host often has not read the book.
• Book bloggers want a high-resolution cover, a blurb, the buy links, and sometimes the opening chapter as an excerpt.
• Bookshops want a one-page sell sheet with the title, author, genre, price, page count, ISBN, publication date, formats and where it can be bought.
• Festival and event organisers need the same bio and photo, plus a short list of subjects you could speak on. The guides say little about them, so ask any organiser what else they need.

The one-page list

Put these on a single page, and label each downloadable file clearly so nobody has to hunt for it.

1. A professional headshot, offered as a high-resolution file at 300 dpi and as a smaller web version. One guide also suggests landscape, portrait and square crops.
2. A high-resolution cover for each book.
3. A short bio and a longer one. Reedsy suggests 100 to 200 words for the main version, and a podcaster may use only the first paragraph, so put the most useful sentences first.
4. A one-line description of each book and a blurb of about 100 words.
5. The book facts: title, genre, page count, ISBN for each format, price, publication date and retailers.
6. Two or three of your best review quotes, each with a name or publication beside it.
7. A list of interview topics, or the question sheet described above.
8. A press contact, meaning an email address you check.

Add a press release only when a book is launching, because it is the one item that goes out of date. Keep the rest current, and update the page each time you publish another book.

A worked example

Imagine a self-published cosy mystery writer called Maya, with two novels out. Her press page opens with a 60-word bio, then a longer 150-word one underneath. Beside it sit a headshot and two cover files, each with a download link. Below that come the book facts for the paperback and ebook of each title, three review quotes, and five interview topics, such as how she plots a whodunnit and why she sets her books in a village hall. At the bottom is her press email. The whole page takes a minute to read, and when a podcaster asks for her details, her reply is one sentence and one link. Maya is an invented example, but the layout works for any genre.

Where to put it, and when

Keep the kit digital and link to it from your website, rather than sending attachments. Reedsy advises starting to assemble it about six months before publication, and contacting bloggers and journalists three to four months before launch, so the page needs to exist well before release day.

What the Indie Author Toolchest builds for you

Every Indie Author Toolchest author gets a press kit page with their photo and bio, a download button for each cover, praise and review quotes, and a downloadable press release as a headed PDF for each book you feature. It updates when you change your profile or add a book. It does not yet hold a sell sheet, interview questions or a bio in several lengths, so write those yourself and keep them alongside it.

For more on what to include, see the Reedsy media kit template and the SelfPublishing.com guide to author media kits. If you want the page built for you, have a look at what is in the Toolchest.