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Media Package Examples
This page was created to help authors who are new to promoting themselves and their work with media outlets. You are more likely to get the representation you want if you provide the interviewers and publications with all the information they need up front. If reporters or promoters have to spend a lot of time searching for information on you and your work, they are less likely to promote you. It is in your best interest to help your interviewer or promoter as much as possible.
Having a complete, professional-looking media package to introduce you and your work from your first introduction is a great place to start. This gives the potential promoter a clear vision of who you are, what your work is about, and if or how your work will fit their platform. You are more likely to receive help promoting your work if you make it easy for someone to do so.
We recommend putting the bulk of your information in a PDF One Sheet that can easily be emailed to your contacts. The next best option is to create a folder on a platform like Google Drive where you can share access to the folder to select individuals. Below you will find examples of the kind of information we typically request from our podcast guests.
Author Biography:
It is always advisable to provide at least two biography lengths. Different platforms have different space limitations. A short version may be needed for listings or social posts, while a longer version may be used for podcast descriptions or feature articles. Providing multiple lengths helps ensure that the key information you want highlighted remains intact, rather than leaving others to shorten your bio and potentially remove details that matter most to you. If you are looking to promote a specific book, mention that in your bio. Be sure to indicate if it is a work in progress and the projected publication date or if it is already published.
Short Bio Example:
Dianne Burckhardt began her career in journalism after graduating from college in 2000. Since then, she has worked as a ghostwriter and in 2015 began self-publishing under her own pen name, Stephen Burckhardt. She is currently working on Free Bad Haircut with Each Craniotomy, a medical memoir detailing events from 2002 to 2004, when she underwent seven surgeries in six months, six of which were brain surgeries. This title is set for publication in October of 2027 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her last brain surgery. For more information, follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks.
Medium Bio Example:
Dianne Burckhardt began her career in journalism in 2000 after graduating from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Since then, she has worked in various communication fields. After moving to Europe, she worked remotely as a social media manager for a film company in California and later as a ghostwriter for various authors. In 2015, Dianne began self-publishing under her own pen name, Stephen Burckhardt. Under this pen name, she published a series of seven novellas titled The Into the West Saga Serial.
Dianne is currently working on Free Bad Haircut With Each Craniotomy, a medical memoir, which she will publish under her own name. This book details the events from 2002, when she had an accident at work, to 2004, when she endured seven surgeries in six months, six of which were brain surgeries. This title is set for publication in October of 2027 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her last brain surgery. Dianne currently hosts Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt — Book Talk Podcast and publishes a companion magazine, Book Banter Magazine. For more information, follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks.
Long Bio Example:
Dianne Burckhardt was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She began working for a magazine as the staff artist at just 17 years old. She would go on to become an award-winning designer with her work being shown on international television before graduating Wichita State University in 2000 with a degree in communications. After graduation, Dianne worked for a short while in broadcasting, then moved on to work for various publications in Kansas before meeting and marrying her husband Pedro in 2013.
After the wedding, the couple moved to Europe for Pedro's career. Not being able to speak the local language, Dianne turned to online work. She worked remotely as a social media manager for a film company in California and later worked as a ghostwriter for various authors. In 2015, Dianne began self-publishing under her own pen name, Stephen Burckhardt. Under this pen name, she published a series of seven novellas titled The Into the West Saga Serial. This is a historical fiction, family saga set in 1859. The story begins in New York City and follows two children as they are relinquished to the Catholic Foundling Home by their destitute mother. The children end up on the orphan train and are taken into the Wild West. The saga is filled with historical facts involving orphan train riders and draws on Dianne's actual family history for some of the events.
Dianne is currently working on Free Bad Haircut With Each Craniotomy, a medical memoir, which she will publish under her own name. This book details the events from 2002, when she had an accident at work, to 2004, when she endured seven surgeries in six months, six of which were brain surgeries. This book is filled with humor and heartbreak. Dianne reveals her personal struggles during these events and shares her experiences with stress, depression, pain, and the time she died for a short while after contracting an MRSA infection in her head.
Dianne currently hosts Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt — Book Talk Podcast and publishes a companion magazine, Book Banter Magazine, which can all be found on her website, BurckhardtBooks.com. Follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks.
Author Photos:
It is always good to provide a selection of photos from which your promoter can choose the images that will work best for their purposes. Make sure the photos are well lit and in focus. These photos will be the images you are presenting to your target market. Depending on the image you want to present publicly and the genre in which you work, the images used to promote an author can look very different. These photos do not have to be taken by a professional photographer, many I have used were just taken with my iPhone, but they should give a professional impression.
The random shots should include at least a few that show you with your books, but can also be ones that just show a glimpse of your life. These will be great for connecting with your followers and giving a more human view of you and your life.
Promo Examples (JPG format):
Here are some examples of how we use your photos to create promos for your podcast episode.
1. Original Photo Provided by Pedro and the Episode Promo it was used to create.
2. If you do not want to use a photo of your face for any reason, a logo can be used. (Please Note: for our podcast guests, we do not indicate in the promo if the name you are using is a pen name. It was used in this particular promo because Stephen Burckhardt is Dianne's author pen name. )
3. Waist Up Photo
Various Author Promotional Photos Examples (JPG format):
1. Head shot
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2. Random "Action" Shots
Good photos to include are at books signings, giving presentations, and in a bookstore next to a display of your books. Just make sure that if any other people in your photos can be seen and identified that you have their permission (and better yet, a signed release for legal purposes) to use their likeness in your publicity.
Book Information:
Be sure to include the synopsis of your book (your book blurb) and the cover art for any of the titles you hope to have promoted or discussed in the interview.
Book Cover (JPG or PNG formats): In most cases, a high resolution simple image is best
1. Simple JPG Image (JPG)
2. Book Mock-Up Image (PNG)
3. eBook and Mock-Up Images (PNG)
Book Synopsis Example:
This is just the blurb you would have about the book on your sales platform or the back cover of your book.
Into the West: The Orphan Train
Part One of Book One in The Territories Saga Serials
Margret MacBride loves her children more than life itself, but as a young widow she can't support her and her children on a maid's salary. After losing their home they struggle for years to survive living on the streets of New York City. Distraught, Margret turns to the church for guidance. Sister Mary Agnus convinces Margret her children will be better off if she turns them over to the Catholic Foundling Aid Society under the care of their aid worker, Mrs. Kelly, for placement in a new home.
Taken from the only home they have ever known, Elizabeth and Conner MacBride are frightened and homesick. When Elizabeth finds herself in trouble after a run-in with the foundling home's director, Sister Mary Clare, and bullied by one of the other children, Mrs. Kelly has to put her job on the line to get Elizabeth and her brother on the Orphan Train and find them a new home in the wild western territories.
PDF One Sheet Example:
Once you have all of the elements, use them to create an author One Sheet. You can use Canva (which is what I used for this), MS Word, or other design programs that let you save as a PDF. Lay out all of the information in a neat, easy-to-read file, then save it as a PDF. This will make all of your information easy to send and download for most recipients.
Be sure to include links to your important social media. It is a good idea to stay with 1 page (front and back if printed) at most. This is a great introduction to you and your work and can be used in first contacts for media, agents, public relations promoters, and more. This can easily be sent by email to most contacts.
To make it easy for you to create your first One Sheet, we have saved a template on Canva. Link to author One Sheet template. Please be advised, you will need a Canva account to use this template. Canva offers a free account option if you do not already have one.
How to Deliver Your Media Package:
If the person you are contacting wants a full media package, I suggest creating a Google Drive Folder and sharing the link. This allows for large files to be shared without the limits most email systems use. If you create a folder in Google Drive, you can add other elements to the folder such as additional high resolution photos, PDF copies of your book, and longer author biographical information. In addition, you only have to create the file once and update only when you have new photos or new information such as achieving bestseller status or winning an award. It will enhance your professional presence and make it easier for media hosts to promote your work.
Coming soon, Media Courses:
Developed by a media professional with more than 30 years of experience in journalism, advertising, and marketing, and five years running Book Banter Productions and the Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt — Book Talk Podcast, this training is built on real-world media standards and active industry practice.
Created for authors who are managing their own publicity, the Media Masterclass will provide clear, practical guidance on building professional media packages, approaching media outlets and industry professionals with confidence, and presenting yourself effectively in interviews.