What does an Advance Information Sheet (AIS) look like?
An Advance Information Sheet (AIS) is a great way to alert booksellers and librarians to your forthcoming book.
There are all sorts of ways to design an advance information sheet (AIS), but what is fairly typical in Australia is a one-sided A4 sheet and/or a PDF or digital image. Using full colour will make it pop and you can easily design it in Canva or have your book cover designer lay it out for you – that way it will feature your book’s brand, look and feel.
I thought I’d share my AIS here so you can get some ideas about what you might like to include for your book’s promotion. How I have laid mine out is not set in stone, but hopefully it will give you some kind of guide.
When you create yours, do include enough information so book shops and librarians can get a good feel for your book, but don’t make it too wordy. Importantly, include details of release date, price, size, number of pages and where it can be purchased.
I normally do separate AIS sheets for bookstores and libraries. Why? Libraries mostly purchase my books through their favourite library wholesalers, whereas independent bookshops might order from my publishing company CapeAble, or might place their order on demand through Ingram.
The full AIS PDF sample is available here. There is also more information about advance information sheets in the marketing section of Look -It’s Your Book!
Enjoy creating yours!