You may have heard about an author tip sheet, sometimes called an author sell sheet. You may have even been told that you should have one. But what in the world is an author tip sheet? Let’s answer some of your questions.
What Is An Author Tip Sheet?
Think of an author tip sheet as a resume or a brochure for your book. It’s your one-page pitch about what the book is about, who it’s for and what people need to know about it. I like to think of it as sort of an abbreviated print version of your author website.
Why Should I Have an Author Tip Sheet?
Every business person has a business card. Every company has a brochure. Your author tip sheet is the equivalent. When you meet someone who might be interested in your book — be it an agent/publisher, bookseller or reader — your author tip sheet is the thing you want to leave behind. Many authors swear by it as a primary way to make a meaningful connection with people who can take their book to the next level.
What Should Go Into an Author Tip Sheet?
As I mentioned before, an author tip sheet is very much like an author website. It should be a one-pager that includes the most important elements about your book.
There are certain musts on an author tip sheet, including:
- Your book title and book cover
- A brief book description
- Publishing details (publisher name, ISBN, pub date, price, page count, etc…)
- Purchasing options (formats, bulk order options, etc…)
- Your target audience and why they will be interested
- Your website/blog URL and/or social media accounts
Other optional elements to include (depending on your subject matter, book publishing status, etc…) could include:
- Your book marketing plan
- Comparable titles
- Review blurbs and/or testimonials
- Special honors you or the book have received
- Your bio and/or a list of other books you’ve published
- Fast facts about why your book is a must read, (i.e. Did you know that 1/3 of Americans …..)
What Format Is It in?
As you have probably figured out by now, an author tip sheet is usually a printed one-pager that you can leave behind when you visit a bookstore or other professional contact. Experts also recommend that the one-pager be available as a PDF that is accessible through your website. This will allow site visitors to print it out — and start handing it out — thus increasing your reach.
Do You Have Examples of Other Author Tip Sheets?
Yup. Here are a few that might serve as good models for you if you’re interested in getting started.
Dorothy Hamilton, Love What You Do
(created by iUniverse)
Brian Thomas Schmidt, The Worker Prince
Tom Harbin, MD, Waking Up Blind
So How Do I Make One?
If you’re working with an outside firm that handles anything from web design to book cover design to PR, they should be able to create an author tip sheet for you. But if you’re going it alone and want to create one yourself, there are a variety of websites that offer downloadable templates. Here are just a few we’ve found:
Hopefully, this has helped you better understand what an author tip sheet is, why you need one and how to make one. If you have experiences — good or bad — with your author tip sheet, please share them with us in the comments box below.