How and Why to Use Electronic Press Kits

[This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Writer's Digest magazine.]

Let’s set the scene: It’s been several months since you self-published your first book. It’s been listed on just about every online platform and has even received a few positive reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. On the one hand, things look promising. On the other, well, not so much. That’s because as hard as you’ve tried to market it, sales are not as robust as you think they could be. 

You always knew that you would have to put in the work to promote your book—and you have. You’ve posted nonstop on social media, scheduled book signings, and even appeared on a few writers’ podcasts. But as much as you’ve tried, your book is still not inching anywhere near the top of any of the bestseller lists.  

At this point, you’ve come to the conclusion that while social media is an important tool, maybe, just maybe, traditional media, with its wide reach, should be a bigger part of your public relations plan. You’re hoping that with publicity you can connect more quickly with the thousands of potential readers you’re sure will love your book.  

So, you put together a solid list of television and radio stations, newspapers, and magazines—and are ready to move forward. But now the question is, what’s the secret to getting journalists to actually run stories on your book? 

What will attract them?  

How can you sell the media on selling your story? 

Having a strong pitch is a good start. But one often-overlooked strategy is something that far too few writers have even considered—the creation of an eye-catching, information-filled, easy-to-use electronic press kit, aka EPK. 

“It’s an incredibly helpful thing [for an author] to have a specific resource where their press kit, their media, their assets all live,” said Lauren Oritz, Senior Publicity Manager for Little, Brown and Company’s nonfiction division in New York. “It is often the place we will refer a journalist to.  It is often the place we [the publishing company] will refer to, as well,” she added. 

A writer’s EPK is typically a page on a website that contains pertinent information about a book and its author. With the click of a mouse, busy journalists can quickly find background information, videos, still images, and more—all in one place. And the simpler it is for the media to find out about your book, the more interested reporters might become in interviewing you for a podcast, print article, or TV segment you’ve been dreaming about. 

“There needs to be a hub, one central location where people can go and learn about you and your books,” said Brian Fitzpatrick, a Southern California author, screenwriter, and speaker.  

Fitzpatrick, who is best known for his sci-fi trilogy Mechcraft, says he has been a guest on more than two dozen podcasts in the past few years and that the vast majority of producers have asked him for production materials. 

“If the interviewer has more knowledge about you, the interview [usually] goes really well,” Fitzpatrick said.  

While each EPK will be different depending on what resources are available, there are some basic elements that can help news organizations produce reports or segments that look and sound more polished, professional, and compelling than they otherwise would. 

Publicists and media-savvy writers recommend the following: 

“For a book, I believe it is important to give any interested person all the information they would ask you for,” said Shirley Neal, an award-winning Hollywood producer, screenwriter, and author of AfroCentric Style: A Celebration of Blackness & Identity in Pop Culture. 

Neal, a former television publicist and promotions producer, has two websites–a personal one that mentions her book and one specifically for her book. 

“I love it when people say, ‘I want to feature you for a book signing. I want you to do an event. Can you send me your …’ and they start listing all the things they want. And I say, ‘Here’s a link. Go to my website. It’s all there,’” Neal explained. 

The answer is it could, although more often indirectly. There is little doubt that having all the vital info at the ready makes it far more likely that any TV news report, article, or episode about your book would contain more detailed, accurate information and attention-grabbing images. It goes without saying that the better the report, the greater the chance that readers will become interested in your book. 

Laura Flanders, an award-winning journalist and bestselling author, is also the host and executive producer of “Laura Flanders & Friends” a PBS show in its sixth season. Her company produces about 45 shows a year that airon 300 stations and other platforms. 

Flanders says an author’s book should be able to appeal to an audience on its own merits without “bells and whistles.” However, having worked in radio, print, and television, she understands how images and video can help an author’s work resonate with an audience. 

“I believe it does deepen a connection to have those extra elements,” Flanders said. “There are ways that you can attract an audience through how you present your book that might not have been attracted simply by the subject matter [alone].” 

Ortiz says she thinks having production assets can, in some instances, influence how a media segment is produced or an article written. She gives a recent example of working closely with a TV network producer to determinethe angle of a segment featuring one of her authors. Initially there were a number of options up for discussion, but no final decision had yet been made. 

“Then the author posted a reel of photos from her career, her childhood, past press, and college,” Ortiz recalls. “The producer saw it and said, ‘That’s exactly what we want to do in this segment.’” 

“Far too few,” Flanders observed. “I think probably at this point, still about 80 percent of people haven’t thought about that by the time they pitch. But that 20 percent that have, get top billing.”  

Linda Folsom is a former Disney media creator and first-time author of the 2022 young adult novel Away With Words. She says although she has attended numerous marketing webinars for writers, EPKs have never beenmentioned. 

“No one ever called that out as something to do,” Folsom said. “It was more like, ‘We know how to use social media. We know how to get you views and lots of likes,’” she said, describing the sales pitches she has heard. 

“In this day and age, authors are really left to their own devices to market themselves and their work,” said Fitzpatrick. “Even if you have a traditional publisher, they are going to expect you, the author, to do 95 percent of your own marketing.”  

“I would say build slowly,” Neal suggests. “Make sure you give them the basics. Give them your photo, your bio, a synopsis about your book. It’s better to add slowly than have the links on your website and nothing in them.” 

Fitzpatrick says at the end of the day, it all starts with having a great attitude. “You should never feel this is a burden or a lot of work. I would strongly suggest finding ways to be comfortable in creating this press kit—this media kit—because it really should be fun.”