Most writers don’t hear about a one sheet until they attend a writers conference. But it’s a marvelous marketing tool. Today’s post is by Therese Kay.
Therese is a writer, photographer, and lover of God. She recently collaborated on a visual devotional featuring her photography called Messages from God: An Illuminated Devotional. You can read her blog here and learn more about her writing, photography, and how she supports other creatives.
A one sheet started off as a music industry standard but has also found a home with writers and speakers as well. It is also known as a sales sheet or a one-pager. It is meant to be a snapshot that showcases your product with the goal of promoting it. It includes only the most relevant and valuable information about your product.
In the music industry it is a single sheet—thus the name one sheet—that gives information about a new album release that might be helpful for labels and distributors in selling the album. It is often sent to radio DJs along with a copy of the album for playing on the radio.
Now, let’s translate this to authors. A one sheet gives bookstores, libraries, reviewers, podcasters, sellers, media, etc. all the basics they need about the book to discuss, review, or sell the book.
This can be a key piece in your marketing strategy so you want to keep it simple and visually strong. It should be focused, easy-to-read, compelling, and as stated earlier, include only relevant, valuable information.
You want your final piece to look clean, polished, and professional. That’s how you want the viewer to think of you, and they will take you and your book more seriously!
Make sure the fonts and colors you choose reflect the cover of your book so everything ties in visually. Also, keep in mind all your other marketing materials. You want to have a consistent look and feel across your platforms so that customers can easily recognize you and your style, aka your brand.
The largest visual element on your sales sheet should be your book cover, since this is what you are selling. You’ll also want a great headshot to go along with your bio.
The title of your book should be very prominent and probably the second thing they notice after the two images. Be sure the font and color you choose match that of your book cover.
The description or summary of your book is your most important piece of sales copy on the one sheet. Everything else is really just a supporting player. Make it compelling, interesting to read, and short.
What makes your book different from the other ones in the same genre? Entice people to read yours and show them what makes yours unique. The audience the one sheet is designed for is extremely busy, and you want the one sheet to be scannable.
The same applies for your author bio. Keep it short, sweet, and interesting. Just enough details that people know a little bit about you and to entice them to want to know more. Include whatever qualifies you to have written your book to add to credibility. Remember that media may quote or read from your bio when introducing you or your book on their platform.
Choose one or two short, strong testimonials. People are more invested in things that other people like as well. Make sure they are extremely relevant to your book. If possible, build trust with the reader, touch on the pain points your book addresses, or create a sense of urgency (I must have this book NOW!).
If there is something especially noteworthy about your book that is a selling point, consider including it. Has your book been featured somewhere, made a best-seller list, won awards? Are you the author of another well-known book?
Below is a list of things to include on your one sheet. I suggest gathering all the information before you begin working on your own one sheet.
Here is the one sheet I created for my book Messages from God: An Illuminated Devotional.
You will notice that I have it as a part of my media kit and that it is available for download from my website.
I created mine in Microsoft’s Publisher but it could also be created in Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop, InDesign, or other design programs like Canva.
This downloadable Word template is based on the design of my own one sheet, but this is just a starting point. The template is in table format with the lines set so they are not visible when you print the template.
Each section has dummy text for you to replace with your own details. Just because I have something placed in a particular location, doesn’t mean you can’t change it! Make it yours!
A note on the table cells.
I set the table cells to be a specific height. You can easily change that! Make sure your cursor is in the table cell you wish to change and then go to the Table Tools Layout Ribbon. You will see a location where you can adjust the height and width of the table cells.
Remember that you want the one sheet to be just that. Don’t let your table spill over to the next page, but also make sure that you fill the page. This may require fiddling with multiple table cells in order to get it to look right. If you are really struggling, I could certainly help you.
There are many ways to use a one sheet. The list below should get your gears working as to how you can use yours.
A one sheet for your book can be a powerful piece of your marketing strategy that conveys the relevant information about your book in a concise way. Use your imagination. Research how other industries are using theirs or ask around.
Are you planning on creating a one sheet? How do you think you’ll most likely use yours? Do you have one of your own already and are willing to share the link? Share in the comments below!
