Using Video for Book Promotion by Kim McDougall

Introduction: The date is fast approaching when my picture book, Monster Maddie, will be published. Like all writers, I am aware of the need to promote my work, and I've been checking out book trailers as a means of doing this. These short videos can be a great way to let your target audience know a little about your book, and tease them into buying it.

But how do I go about making a short video? Luckily, I count Kim McDougall as a good friend. Kim is a wonderful writer and all-round creative person, who began the great new site, Blazing Trailers ( http://www.blazingtrailers.com/). Advertised as "Books at the speed of fun", Blazing Trailers is a video preview library where writers can post their trailers for free. There are already three hundred trailers and it's only been open since February.

Kim has created over fifty trailers/video book previews, (you can see some here: http://www.blazingtrailers.com/browse.php ) and is very generous about sharing her knowledge and expertise. Last month's Muselings column, Kim explained what a trailer is, went through the basic steps in making one, gave tips on music, sound and special effects, discussed cost, and added a short list of trailer makers. This month, Kim is my guest again. She discusses how to promote using book videos, as well as giving even more useful resources for those interested in making them.

Using Video for Book Promotion (2)

by Kim McDougall

5. Promoting with Book Videos

I started the Blazing Trailers (www.blazingtrailers.com) site after I created several trailers and realized that there were few good places to showcase them on the web. Sure, you can post them to YouTube, Yahoo etc, but these sites are designed primarily for fun videos, not for promotion. For book promotion, these video sharing sites have two drawbacks. First, your trailer gets thrown in with millions of other videos on every topic under the sun. You have to rely on precarious keywords to have people find you. Second, these sites are basically dead-end links. You can add a link to your website in your trailer, but will people remember it?
 So I wanted to create a place just for book trailers where people who want to find books can watch the trailer, read an excerpt and review and BUY THE BOOK, all on one page.

Do trailers sell books?

This is the big question and there isn’t really a way to test this. The only evidence I’ve had is anecdotal. Author, Mary Deal (www.writeantygenre.com) commented that after I posted each of her trailers to YouTube and other sites, she noticed a jump in her Amazon rankings (which comes from sales). 
I’ve had several niche stores contact me to say they saw my trailer on YouTube and ask how they could stock my book. Will this translate to sales? Only time will tell.

However, considering the relatively low cost of making a trailer compared to other online promotions, I think it’s a good risk to take. Not all promotion is about sales. As authors we need to think of name branding too. Just as Sony, Nike or McDonalds use different promotions to get people to become familiar with their company, so should authors work to get name recognition. Buyers are more likely to buy a book from an author whose name they recognize.

How can an author use a trailer for promotion?

I had one author ask me why some trailers on YouTube get more viewers than others. I told him that’s because some authors promote their trailers better than others. He said, “What? I have to promote my trailer too? I thought the trailer was supposed to promote me!” I had to laugh. He’s right in one way, but wrong in another.

Like I said before, YouTube is a huge site. You need to tell people how to find you in that din. You wouldn’t create a great TV commercial and then put it on at 3am when no one’s watching!
 The advantage to a video sharing site (I keep saying YouTube because it’s the best known, but there are many others), is that strangers surfing the net will stumble across your trailer. People who might never otherwise see your website or your book will get a glimpse of it. And it may only be a glimpse if your trailer doesn’t catch their attention.


But what if you have a newsletter and you want to invite people to see your trailer? Or if you participate in a chat group and want to show off your trailer? You shouldn’t send them to a video sharing site. Send them instead to a site like Blazing Trailers or your own website, where they can watch the trailer and then immediately learn more about you and your books. This is the kind of promotion you need for your books.

Another way to use trailers is at book signings. You can bring a computer and have a series of trailers running. CDs are relatively inexpensive. If you have a lot of trailers, you can put them all on one CD or DVD and hand them out to people at signings.

6. Stock Video and Image resources

Below is a list of stock image sites. Most royalty free sites make you sign up and buy credits or a subscription. You need only to buy the small versions of photos which generally cost between $1 & $3. Other sources for image: Museum archives, genealogy sites, historical societies (permission would be needed).

A word about creative commons license. This is a copyright license that allows artist to retain their copyrights even when others use their work for their own purposes. There are many different levels to the creative commons license. Some artists let you use their work for only non-commercial uses. Other allow commercial uses such as promotion, but not for resale (like on a t-shirt). So be sure to check the licensing agreements on each supplier. Here’s more info on the creative commons license: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

Photos- Illustrations-Video

iStockphoto www.istockphoto.com

Getty Images www.gettyimages.com (This is a more expensive site than others on the list)

Fotosearch www.fotosearch.com

Photos-Illustrations

Fotolia www.us.fotolia.com

Feature Pics www.featurepics.com

Dreamstime www.dreamstime.com

Big Stock Photo www.bigstockphoto.com

123RF www.123rf.com

Free Digital Photos www.freedigitalphotos.net

Free Stock Footage www.freestockfootage.com

Illustrations

Graphic Illusions www.graphicallusions.com

Other royalty free image resource pages

www.stonewashed.net/free-images.html

7. Stock Music Resources

Most royalty-free sites make you sign up and buy credits or a subscription. Others work on a donation system. Sometimes you may need to buy a whole collection or CD of music.

Remember, just because it’s free to download, doesn’t mean it’s royalty-free!

A word about creative commons license. This is a copyright license that allows artist to retain their copyrights even when others use their work for their own purposes. There are many different levels to the creative commons license. Some artists let you use their work for only non-commercial uses. Other allow commercial uses such as promotion, but not for resale (like on a t-shirt). So Be sure to check the licensing agreements on each supplier. Here’s more info on the creative commons license: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses

Music and Sound Effects

Opsound www.opsound.org (not easy to navigate)

IStockPhoto www.istockphoto.com

Sound Dogs www.sounddogs.com (great sound effects, pay as you go)

Partners in Rhyme www.partnersinrhyme.com

eStock music www.estockmusic.com

QTR Note www.qtrnote.com

Shock Wave www.shockwave-sound.com

Pac DV www.pacdv.com (free)

Music Only

Incompetech www.incompetech.com (good selection of ‘movie score’ music. Donation based)

Derek Audette derekaudette.ottawaarts.com (Quality jazz/rock instrumentals, donation based)

Fresh Music www.freshmusic.com

CD Baby www.cdbaby.com

Music Loops www.musicloops.com (Classical)

Jimmy Gus www.jimmyg.us (small selection. Good quality. Donation based)

Stock Music www.stockmusic.net

Music 2 Hues www.music2hues.com

In The Hands www.innig.net (great classical music. Donation based)

Free Play Music www.freeplaymusic.com

Royalty Free Music www.royaltyfree.com.au

Public Domain 4U www.publicdomain4u.com (old recordings that have gone into public domain)

Ghost Notes ghostnotes.blogspot.com (Quality Piano music, no charge)

Jamendo www.jamendo.com (collection of artists. Check licensing carefully)

Other resources for music

Links to more music sites: http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/tips/freemusic.htm

8. Sites to Post Book Videos

These are some sites to post your trailer. There are many more than this, but you have to ask yourself is the time spent posting your trailer going to be worth the one or two people who might view it? All these sites have reasonable traffic. Remember, when inviting people to view your trailer, send them to a site (like Blazing Trailers) that offers a direct link to you and your books so you don’t lose out on any impulse purchases.

YouTube.com

Break.com

Vimeo.com

Blazingtrailers.com

video.yahoo.com

Facebook

Myspace

**Amazon.com

Crackle.com

Previewthebook.com

Gather.com

TeacherTube.com (children’s fiction only)

Booktube.com

book-trailers.net

The New Covey Trailer Awards

Bebo.com

Bookplace

Many Ning Social Network sites also have places for videos. Here are a few examples:

Book Marketing Network 

Readers & Writers of Distinctive Fiction

Published Authors

The Writer’s box

Jacketflap (children’s fiction only)

**A note about Amazon: You can post your trailer to Amazon as a video review only if you have purchased something from Amazon before. Also, be sure to read Amazon’s guidelines. They don’t allow links to other retailers or sites in the video. I usually make a second version of the trailer just for Amazon.

Thank you so much Kim. It was wonderful to read such a clear explanation of the process of making videos. I am in awe of your expertise in creating both Blazing Trailers,  http://www.blazingtrailers.com  and your website, Chatel Village www.kimchatel.com. You've certainly used all your creative talents to promote your writing!

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Have you been to these sites?

My Book Chook blog shares my passion for children's literature and literacy. Recently I posted about my belief that rhyme helps reading.

Commonwealth Short Story Contest

http://www.cba.org.uk/awards_and_competitions/Short_Story/2009_ShortStoryComp.php

Under 600 words. Deadline 11 May.

Lit Match's List of Agents Who Blog

http://www.litmatch.net/AgentBlogs.asp

Until next time, write on!

Susan