Creating An Author Press Pack

As modern writers, we all have an online presence.

That may include being on all the social medias, only one, or just carving out our own corner of the Internet via a blog, website, or podcast.

Just as it’s inevitable to have these things, it’s also inevitable that at some point, someone else from all the socials, a blog, website, or podcast will ask you to guest, feature, write for, or interview with them.

You may be thrilled at this invitation. You may be filled with dread. You may experience both feelings at the same time. But don’t worry. Luckily, you can prepare yourself for such a situation with an Author Press Pack!

Creating An Author Press Pack

Whether you’re doing an interview, a podcast recording, supplying a creative piece of content, or just a writer profile, having an Author Press Pack will help both yourself and the person you’re working with.

To create one, add a folder on your desktop (or on your phone) and name it Author Press Pack. Inside, create and name the following folders:

BioLinksAuthor PicBook PicsPre-Answered Questions (optional extra)

These folders are where you’ll save the image and text files listed in more detail below.

The BasicsA Bio

In your “Bio” folder, add a text file (or your preferred text document type) and fill it with a bio about yourself that’ll provide a snapshot of who you are and what you write.

When it comes to an author bio, it’s a good idea to have two. A long bio that is 1-3 paragraphs, and a short bio that is only a sentence or two. To give you an idea, below are the current bios that I use:

Long bio:

K.M. Allan is an identical twin, but not the evil one. She started her career penning beauty articles for a hairstyling website and now powers herself with chocolate and green tea while she writes novels and blogs about writing.

When she’s not creating YA stories full of hidden secrets, nightmares, and powerful magic, she likes to read, binge-watch too much TV, spend time with family, and take more photos than she will ever humanly need. Visit her website, http://www.kmallan.com, to discover the mysteries of the universe. Or at the very least, some good writing tips.

Short bio:

K.M. Allan is the Urban Fantasy author of The Blackbirch Series and a blogger powered by chocolate and green tea. She’s also an identical twin, but not the evil one.

Having these two options allows me to include some decent info or something brief with any guest content, depending on what is required/requested.

I also use both of these bios for my own content, the long one for books, my blog, and book review sites, and the short one for social media. Having them together in an easy place to find, like an Author Press Pack, is super helpful.

Links

Often, a request to guest will come with the suggestion to provide one or more links to a place where readers can find either you or your books.

To make this process as easy as possible, add a notepad file of your most important links and include it in the “Links” folder of your press pack.

Example:

Author Pic

Most of us have an author picture we use either in our published books or on social media accounts. If you don’t have one yet or aren’t interested in having one, put together a logo or image that represents who you are and use that instead.

Whatever form the picture is in, make a large and small version of it in the highest quality that you can, and include the images in your “Author Pic” folder.

Book/s Pic

If the interview/guest content is doing the dual job of getting your name out there and helping to promote your books, you’ll need some book pictures.

You may not be asked to provide any, but if you are, having them in your Author Press Pack makes the job easier.

Like your author pic, create various sizes of your latest release, a full series, or your strongest seller. Once again, you’ll want them at the highest quality, but the lowest size possible, which can be achieved using a free tool such as TinyPNG. Once done, save them to your “Book Pics” folder.

The Optional Extra

In my experience, many guest content requests come in the form of Author Interviews, and usually, the questions are similar. This is a good thing as it will allow you to pre-answer questions.

Having answers to the most common interview questions will give you a starting point, which comes in handy if the interview request pops up at a busy time and you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity. Having some general answers locked and loaded may also help you feel less anxious about putting yourself out there.

While these questions won’t cover what you’re asked exactly, they will give you a base and can help you sort your thoughts.

Pre-answered Questions:

What do you write?Where do you get your ideas?When did you start writing?What’s your fave book? (add answers for your own work and others to cover all bases)What advice would you give to other writers?

Add and answer these questions in a text file (or make up your own) in the “Pre-Answered Questions” folder and they’ll be your interview guide.

And there you have some ideas for making yourself an Author Press Pack. Use as is or make it your own by adding the files and folders that suit you, and may it serve you well.

— K.M. Allan

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