This page was created to help those who are new to promoting themselves and their work with media outlets. You are much 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 spend a lot of time on your promotions. It is in your best interest to help your interviewer or promoter as much as possible.  

 

When you reach out to others for help promoting you and your books, it is a good idea to have a media kit ready to send out to introduce you and your work from the start of the process. This gives the promoter a clear vision of who you are, what your work is about, and if or how your work will fit in with their platform. You are more likely to be recieve help promoting your work if you make it easy for someone to do so.

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To help make this easier for those who are new to marketing and media promotion, we have created this page as a guide to help you build your media kit. It is preferable to put this all together in a PDF file 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 selected individuals. Below you will find examples of the kind of information we typically request from our podcast guests.

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Biography:

It is always advisable to provide at least two or three biographies for yourself for publication by your promoter. If you are looking to promote a specific book, be sure to 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.   

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Short Bio Example:

Dianne Burckhardt began her career in journalism after graduating college in 2000. Since then, she 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 six brain surgeries in six months. This title is set for publication in October of 2024 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her last brain surgery. For more information, follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks. 

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Medium Bio Example:

Dianne Burckhardt began her career in journalism in 2000 after graduating from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Since then she 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 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 2024 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her last brain surgery. Dianne currently hosts Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt - Book Talk Podcast and publishes a companion e-zine, Book Banter magazine. For more information, follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks. 

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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 show in 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 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 actual family histories for some of the events. 

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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 a stress, depression, pain and the time she died for a short with after contracting an MRSA infection in her head.

 

Dianne currently hosts Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt - Book Talk Podcast and publishes a companion e-zine, Book Banter magazine which can all be found on her website, BurckhardtBooks.com. Follow Dianne on social media @BurchardtBooks. 

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Author Photos:

It is always good to provide a selection of photos of you from which your promoter can choose the images that will work for their purposes. Make sure that 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 publically and the genre in which you work, the images used to promote an author can look very different. These photos do not have be taken by a professional photographer, many I have used were just taken with my iPhone, but they should give a professional impression.  

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The random shots should include at least a few that show you with your books but can also be ones to just show a glimpse of your life. These will great for connecting with your followers and giving a more human view of you and your life. 

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