Writing the Media Kit Cover Letter & Organization PART III

Creating a Media Kit for Your Book PART III

"THE COVER LETTER & ORGANIZATION"

by Carol J. Amato

ORGANIZATION OF THE MEDIA KIT

Place the pages in the media kit in the following order:

Left Pocket

• Company Backgrounder
• List of Distributors/Wholesalers
• Reviews
• Testimonials

Right Pocket

• Media Release
• Book Flyer
• Spec Sheet
• Awards
• Author Bio
• Author’s List of Credits

Add a Cover Photo to the Front of the Media Kit

Using 8.5” x 11” label paper and your publishing program, place two copies of your book cover side by side on the page. That means you must have a copy of your book cover in .jpg format. Scan in your book or ask your publisher for a .jpg of your cover. If your book is on Amazon, you can download the .jpg from there. Print out the covers, cut them out, and put one on the front of each two-pocket portfolio.

Insert Your Contact Person’s Business Card

Insert your contact person’s business card to the slots on the left pocket flap.

Include a Cover Letter

Ask your contact person to write a cover letter on his/her letterhead (or write one on your letterhead). The cover letter should be written in professional block-style format and include the following:

• Date
• Inside address
• Salutation
• Body of letter
• Complimentary close
• Your contact’s name

In the cover letter, let the reviewer know that the book and media kit have been enclosed for his/her review. Give a brief blurb about the book and explain why it is suitable for that reviewer’s audience. Close by offering to answer any questions and provide contact information. Using a large paper clip, attach the letter to the front cover of the folder.

Package the Book and Media Kit

Put the book and media kit into a cardboard mailing box. DON’T trust manila envelopes, since the book and folder can get damaged and/or the envelope can tear, spilling the contents.

Print out a typed mailing label that has your contact’s information as the return address. The more professional this appears, the better. Attach it to the top of the box and seal the box with packing tape (not cellophane or masking tape). Send via media mail at the U.S. Post Office. Be sure to affix a green and white delivery confirmation form to the package. The postage will be a little higher, but it’s worth the peace of mind to know when it reaches the recipient.

Send a media kit to as many reviewers in your subject area as you can.

Good luck!

Carol J. Amato is the author of 22 books and 175 articles. Her most recent titles include the 4^th edition of The World’s Easiest Guide to Using the APA and How to Start and Run a Writers’ Critique Group (www.stargazerpub.com). Other recent titles include The Lost Treasure of the Golden Sun and The Lost Treasure of the Golden Sun Teacher’s Guide. For more information, you can contact Carol at caroljamato@earthink.net or via her website, www.caroljamato.com.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING WHAT THE TRUTH STATEMENT WAS ON FEBRUARY 28 POST, HERE'S THE ANSWER.

1-I adore Niel Diamond's music. (I'm 38. He's actually more popular with a generation or two before mine, but I think he's great. TRUTH

2- My favorite vegetable is spinach. Do I look like Popeye? I hate spinach. Lie.

3- When it's 75-80, I'm cold. I'm actually warm at 75, but cold at anything less than that. Lie

4- I do mental Yoga daily to keep my muscles from becoming flaccid. this is some garbage I came up with. Lie

5- I wake up at 6:00 AM every day accept weekends. I wake up at 7:30 AM every day.m Lie

6-My neighbor died the day my dog bit her and ripped open my her arm. Truth is she died 3 days later. It had nothing to do with the bite. Lie

7-Got arrested for resisting arrest. Sounded good to me. Lie

March 2010 Blog Post Schedule

Creative Blogger Award

I'm psyched!

Lea Schizas honored me and five others with the Creative Writer Blogger Award. But wait...there's a catch. Read on.

First the rules:

1: Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them.
2: Add the award to your blog
3: Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and One Truth.
4: Nominate six creative liars... I mean writers and post links to them.
5: Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.

Ha! Six lies and one truth? Geez...here goes and let's see if you can guess which one is the truth:

1-I adore Niel Diamond's music.

2- My favorite vegetable is spinach. .

3- When it's 75-80, I'm cold.

4- I do mental Yoga daily to keep my muscles from becoming flaccid.

5- I wake up at 6:00 AM every day accept weekends.

6-I cried when my dog ripped open my neighbor's arm.

7-Got arrested for resisting arrest.

Well, there you have them; my six lies and one truth. Can you pick it out? Give it a shot if you dare. Choose which one you think is the truth and comment.

So now the last part of the award is for me to nominate some peers - 6 actually:

1. Cheryl C. Malandrinos TC & TBC

2. Fiona Ingram Word Magic Articles asnd Tips for Writers
3. Margarette Fieland: Poetry and Prose
4. Nancy Carty Lepris Nancy'as Web Page
5. Nicole Weaver Orphans of Haiti
6. L. Diane Wolfe Spunk on a Stick

Here are six creative writers that I want to pass this award to because they are a great bunch.

Thank you, Leah, for the award, and for giving me such fun on a Sunday morning.

Now come on everyone, guess which of the above 7 things is the truth. I'll put the answer at the bottom of March 4, 2010's post