I learned a lot about Press Kits tonight from WebcomicChat. Below are some of the notes I jotted down as the chat was going. There are different/opposing opinions for some of the questions. Take it with your own best judgment.
Q1: Do you know what a press kit is? If you do, what should it contain?
- It's a pre-packaged promotional materials distributed to the media for promotional use often distributed to announce a release. Basically, say you release a book
- You will be sending a informational one page element with quotes and images for local and national press to use to talk about you and your book.
- Things like concept art, bios, a synopsis, perhaps some "swag"
- A press kit can be done for an event or an ongoing product.
- It basically gives people who want to talk about you something to use.
- Basically include: 2 to 3 images, a bio, a description of the product and or event and a paragraph saying WHY they should care.
- paragraph one - I do [insert comic]. Here is my bio.
- Paragraph 2- what is [comic].
- Paragraph 3- describe what your sending them and why.
You can also make some press kits in the form of a post for tumblr, by doing exactly this. Art, who, what and why.
- The "press" can be anything from a review blog, to a news paper, to even just making a blog people can tumblr.
Q2: Is it important to have a press kit for your webcomic?
- Yessss. The media should know who you are and you should be on good terms with the media.
- Maybe not. Maybe you'd prefer having something made for readers to pass around digitally.
- However without one, you could be hated, or worse, ignored.
- As intimidating as it may seem to some it's pretty vital. Depending on where you wanna take your comic.
- It depends on what stage your comic is in. You should have one for sure at some point but you need material for it.
- For business concepts and press stuff, always check the wiki page. It's surprisingly informative for novices.Google even has basic examples you can mimic broken down in steps.making it is easy, finding who you want to have talking about your comic, there's the hard part!
Do creators ever have 2? One for general use, another for specific events?
- You can tack a general use one on your site, with links to rebloggable posts. The event ones need to be sent out tho.
Q3: Are you comfortable with the fact you may have to include a headshot photo in your press kit? What about work samples?
- Yes, People like to see people & art.
- I think it depends on the press kit. Like for publishers, I would include those.
- Some media places might like it, others might be like 'where's your face?'
Can I replace it with a headshot cartoon instead?
You could always pull a Scott Mccloud and use a cartoon headshot instead!
- I found in the past that a drawing of you works really well too, if you aren't ok with photo.
- Basically as long as they have A face, it doesn't need to be your photographic one.
As for work samples, wouldn't newspapers and magazines want to see concept art, just to get a grasp of your story/see what it was/because it's neat?
- Even more then samples, I sent free stuff to people when I really REALLY wanted them pay attention. Nothing encourages you to read a book like getting a fresh, free copy slammed on your desk. Of course free books are expensive, so you send those to your big leagues.
- Not to be a downer, the free book may go on a pile of free books they already have.
- Actually, as a past editor help, lemme tell you THIS NEVER HAPPENS. I got a free book per month. What we got most was photocopies. Those are the worse. Reading full novels as photocopies is awful, awful. It probably depends on the editor/newspaper, but where I worked, it was dang rare. You bet we wrote about those when they were good books. I got a copy of one of my faves that way. but what tired, starving journalist doesn't love free stuff?
Q4: Do you have tips for making press materials kit for your webcomics? Who should you send them to?
- A personal letter to the organization that you're contacting explaining your hows and whys and the comics how's and whys.
- Some concept art and some small doodles that foreword the story. Not like an entire book, but maybe a chapter.
- Actually make press kit tailored to them slightly depending on the market you are sending them to.
- It must all be about presentation, unless your reputation precedes you.
- Send them to local newspapers and play up the hometown aspect!! Also, send them to magazines in your genre, pick your targets wisely.
- Don't send a press kit about brightly colored kiddie comics to a goth magazine (or vice versa)
- Art magazines, your local tourist rag, maybe the newspaper if they have a lifestyles section.
- You'd probably have better luck online then think blogs dedicated to reviews, for one! (And depends on the type of reviews too!)
- In the digital age, you can also make the tumblr equivalent when linked to an event and have people reblog it. Such as this one I did for free comic book day : http://t.co/KbBQ9hwUuB
- Accompanying your Kickstarter with a press kit is a GREAT idea!!
Q5: If you have a press kit online, could you please share it with us?
No one had online press kits on WebcomicChat. Instead here are a few shared links of online articles on press kits.
How to Promote You Graphic Novel: The Comics Press & The Art of the Press Release.
PressKit
Also, you can read the full WebcomicChat discussion here. And join @Webcomicchat every Saturday night at 8:30 pm EST on Twitter.