Are you a professional writer who wants to maximize your exposure to potential markets and editors? Would you welcome free publicity? Does boosting your image as a writer interest you? Then you need a media kit.

What is a Media Kit?

A media kit is a package of information about you, your services, business and writing abilities and accomplishments. It may incorporate any number of items which aid in promoting you and providing relevant background information on you and your services to editors, reporters, prospective clients and others in the media. Even your readers will take a peek at your media kit information. Want to know more about Sue Grafton, Tom Clancy, J.K. Rowling or Stephen King? Check out their media kits.

These are some key items you could package into your professional writer media kit for getting the most mileage out of any exposure or publicity scenario:

Your Author Photo

You absolutely must have at least a good passport-type photo (smile, please) in your media kit. Another, half-body shot of you working is useful to have too.

A Writer Bio

Youll also definitely need to include two or three bios of yourself. One should be around 25 words, another approx. 50 words and a third of 100 words or less. These are so potential users can plug it into their programs or document using the length and detail that suits their application without having to bug you to edit your bio before they can use it.

Clips

Let your light shine here. Showcase your talent. Include three to five of your best clips with relevant publication data provided. (If you dont have enough clips or want to break into a new specialty or genre, then research and write a specialized clip or two and include them.

Website and Blog References

You DO have a website or Blog, dont you? Great, talk it up. Be sure to include the links in your media kit and on all correspondence as well as your SIG (resource box).

Writer Resume or Writer CV

Besides your Bio, you should provide a full resume or CV in your media kit. This document allows you to demonstrate your background and development as a writer. Here you can insert personal anecdotes and give your writing / publication history in more detail than possible in a Bio, cover letter or query.

Publications List

If your publications are extensive, tabulate them by genre, theme or chronologically to provide a quick reference background for the media, editors, reporters, et al.

Credentials

While formal studies in writing are not necessarily a requisite for a writing career, in order to break into some specializations you often do need to demonstrate some genre-related expertise. So if you have any academic or technical qualifications they can serve to position you as an expert. Credentials can include academic degrees, professional workshops, seminars, conferences and courses, professional or trade association memberships, among others.

Testimonials / Feedback

Needless to say, it certainly never hurts to relate any positive reader or editorial feedback you have received about your work. Commendation / recommendation and reference letters, comments, testimonials and praise all can demonstrate your talents in reaching readers. They can also your show professionalism.

More on Photos

Several good photos-in-action are always useful to have available. Photos of you receiving an award or other recognition lend support to press releases and background support text.

Now Im originally from Pennsylvania Dutch country in the USA but currently live and work in South America, so I include several photos of various kinds (most taken by me) of my hometown area to allow visual support of my background information. One or more of them are frequently used by the local and regional media.

Make Your Media Kit Available

Post your media kit on your website, mention its availability in queries, your blog or send it to media outlets like newspapers, magazines, technical / trade organizations, chambers of commerce, agents, speakers bureaus, TV and radio stations, blogs and websites or as part of any PR efforts. Use your media kit to maximize your exposure to potential markets and editors, get free publicity and help boost your image as a professional writer.

Larry M. Lynch

Larry M. Lynch is an American English Language Specialist, ELT professor, TOEFL Examiner and EFL Teacher Trainer at the Santiago de Cali University with 15 years teaching experience in Latin America, the USA and Europe. He has presented plenary sessions, seminars, workshops and teacher training sessions at numerous TEFL conferences and educational institutions and holds a post-graduate diploma in TESOL from the Trinity College ? London (UK). He also holds CELTA, DELTA and Business English teaching certifications from England, Spain and the USA and has taught EFL at the secondary, university undergraduate and post-graduate levels in Cali for the past 11 years. An active ELT academic researcher and prolific author, he has more than 340 current articles, presentations, academic papers, books, reference works, workshops and publications related to TESOL or English language-learning & acquisition worldwide along with extensive experience in Testing, CALL, curriculum review and course development including development of alternative methods of evaluation and assessment online and using multi-modal didactic techniques.