Book Marketing: Tips on How to Create a Book Trailer #booktrailers #bookmarketing

Movie Projector

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Hello and Welcome to the Focused on Story Blog!

Today I am sharing a writerly topic--book marketing with book trailers. 

They're fun to make, a bit time-consuming, but a real plus when it comes to book marketing. Everything is going video these days. Just look at FB live, reels, Youtube (second only to Google in Searches), plus more video channels coming every day.

Before we begin, a I have a couple of events to share with you:

My Interview--Who's That Indie Author at the Book Mom Club site.

Click here to catch this fun interview with website owner Barbara. 

Great Questions.

Geller's Find by Sandra Cox

My Guest next Wednesday, September 20, is my honorary cuz, Sandra Cox.

 We'll be talking about her newly released Time-travel, Western Romance 

and FOOD! Yee Haw!

Ya'all come.

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 Book Marketing: Create Your Own Book Trailer and Share It by J.Q. Rose

I love putting together a book trailer, but I have to remind myself to have patience. Looking for the just-right photo (FREE of course) to convey the mood of the story and the content of the book can be challenging and time-consuming.  But I'm an optimist. I believe the book trailer will be a worthwhile tool in my book marketing bag. Studies show videos are popular with viewers and they will attract and retain viewers on your page.

Let's get started:

• Begin by writing the copy for your video. Actually, your book blurb or back of the book piece you produced for the sales page is great copy for your video.

• Photos are the main feature of the video trailer so selecting the right ones to tell your story is crucial. You can download your own, buy them or find some excellent images online. Google "royalty free" free photos and you will have a lot of sites to choose from. Most sites allow you to use the photo, but request an attribution to the site and/or photographer. I use Pixabay and Unsplash free photos and combine them with my own photographs for images. To add some fun and interest, I use Giphy to find gifs, video clips, to insert in the trailer.  Just plug in the topic you want in the search box e.g. ocean, and you will be presented with many, many, many choices.

via GIPHY Sunset Ocean GIF

• Save all images to a file for quick and easy access when creating your video. I save mine in photos and usually name it with the book title like this, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard Book Trailer.
• I use PowerPoint to make the video. Be sure to save everything as you work on it. You can use the auto-save function to be sure.
• To turn the slides into a PowerPoint video, click on the File Menu>Save as>Windows Media Video (* .wmv). This is the file type that can be uploaded to Youtube.com. You definitely want your video on Youtube. Search Engine Land shared this research on their site--"YouTube is arguably the second largest search engine on the Web. It is the third most visited site on the Web, according to Alexa and SimilarWeb." 
• The length for book trailers is no longer than two minutes. A little over a minute is ideal. If they are too long, your viewer will not finish the trailer.
• You may want to use your own videos in your presentation too. Easy to do now with so many smartphones with video recorder and microphone right in your hands. 

Smartphone--Photo courtesy of Pixabay

• Gone are the days of searching and searching for the just-right music to accompany the video and then adding it to your trailer. Youtube offers a large selection of music to fit the feel of your book trailer. When you upload the trailer to Youtube, a little message asks if you want to add music. Say yes, and a list of music appears. Choose a genre from the box and listen to ALL of them or just a few. Click the one you wish and it will automatically accompany your images in the trailer. Be sure to save it.

Add music to your book trailer.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

If you can't find the perfect music, Kevin McLeod at Incompetech has a wide selection of Royalty free FREE music for you to explore. 

• Be careful you don't pick annoying background music. The longer the trailer, the more chance the music will become unbearable unless you choose more than one tune.
• Be sure to SAVE your work as you go! I know I am repeating myself. It takes a lot of time to put this work together, so you don't want to lose it if there is a hiccup in the system. --Yes, I'm speaking from experience.
• Once you are happy with the trailer, you are ready to save it and download to YouTube or several other options. I don't use the recommended file for publishing it on YouTube because it takes forever to upload. It is such a big file, I worry it will not load quickly on websites, so I use the 960 x 720 selection.
• Now you are ready to notify your friends the trailer is up, and let them know you are open to suggestions for fine-tuning the presentation. This is the time to find embarrassing spelling errors, typos, awkward captions, and length of slides. You definitely want to have enough time for viewers to read captions and credits.
• Shout about your book to the world via social media, your websites, and even send your family an email about your accomplishment. Your trailer will get eyes on your message.

PLEASE NOTE: Whatever music or images you use for your trailer, be sure the music and images are "royalty-free." However, I learned royalty-free doesn't mean you can use them free. Royalty-free means you do not have to pay royalties to the artist for the use of their work.  If you have to pay nothing for the art, usually you need to add attribution in order to comply with the license.

After all this information, I must add that I am not a professional movie-maker. Technology is evolving. Let me know if you have found a change in what I have posted here.

What programs do you use to make book trailers? Have you tried Canva.com? Yes, they have introduced tools to make videos. I use it all the time for images for my social media.

I would appreciate any feedback on this article or the video I have shared below. 

If you want to see more of my book trailers, travel and teaching videos, please click here to visit my Youtube home. 

• One last suggestion for book marketing--add your videos to your social media, website, amazon author page, Goodreads. Make your efforts in creating the book trailer work for you to get reader's attention! We need everything we can use to break out from the crowd of ebooks and paperbacks available to readers. I think videos are the way to go.

So, are you ready to tackle your own trailers? Go for it! 

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Youtube VIDEO: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose

Terror on Sunshine Boulevard Book Trailer

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IWSG: My Insecurity: Marketing My Brand by J.Q. Rose

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of the  Insecure Writer’s Support Group and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month.  The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. 

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Marketing My Brand by J.Q. Rose

Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Photo by Stuart Miles

Who's your audience? That's what all the guru marketers ask. You have to know your audience to sell products. Is that true for writers trying to sell their books? I ask because I am insecure about how to market J.Q. Rose. I don't have one specific group to target because I write mysteries and I write non-fiction. See? I think I must be breaking the code of marketing.

When I decided to write non-fiction books, I checked to see if any other author was combining their fiction and non-fiction books. And they are. Even Stephen King. Well, I'm no Stephen King, but when I think of his books, I think scary stories. Just look at how well he has done with his book On Writing. I bet there are IWSG writers here who mix up genres in fiction or who have fiction and non-fiction on their amazon author page. If so, how DO you market your brand, your name?

Please leave your suggestions, how-tos, greetings in a comment below and help me out. Thank you so much!

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About J.Q. Rose:

Author J.Q. Rose

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Sunshine Boulevard, and Coda to Murder released by Muse It Up Publishing. With her non-fiction book for girls, Girls Succeed!, she returns to her first love, writing about real people.  Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She spends winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

Connect Online with J.Q. Rose

J.Q. Rose blog

Girls Succeed blog  

Goodreads

Pinterest 

Facebook 

Google+

Smashwords Author page

IWSG Blog Hop: My Insecurity, Making Videos, Using Videos in Your Marketing Plan

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of the  Insecure Writer’s Support Group and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month.  The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page. 

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Using Videos as a Marketing Tool

Today I am stepping out and facing my insecurity head-on. After listening to marketing gurus expounding about using videos to engage an audience on websites, I decided to dip my toe into the video pond and create one to share here with supportive friends in the IWSG. 

I know there is so much more to learn about lighting, camera, audio, etc., but  I figure if I wait to learn everything, I will never try making a video. So I apologize for the video's weaknesses before you even view my fledgling piece.?\

Why Create a Video on YouTube?
1. Studies show that visitors to your sites will stay longer and peruse what you have to offer if videos are available.

2, YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the Internet which is another reason to share videos on YouTube. Because it is part of the Google family, you are likely to have your site show up on topics users are searching for.

3. A video is wonderful way for people to get to know you and like you. Afterall, the three things you need to build relationships and sell products (books) online are for folks to know, like, and trust you. 

4. Linking the YouTube account to your G+ page gives you more exposure, and you are more likely to rate higher on Google searches since you are part of the Google family.

5. Actually I had fun making the video and laughing at myself. Do I really look and sound like that? LOL..I guess so. 

So, grab the popcorn, settle back in your desk chair, and be ready for my debut!! 

Curtain going up--

Video:

For more information on the IWSG Blog Hop, check out the  IWSG page. 

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Thanks for viewing. 
If you have any suggestions for improvements or if you enjoyed the clip, please leave a comment. Have you used videos in your marketing plan?  If so, what tips can you share with us on creating a video? 

Thank you for stopping in!

Check out the J.Q. Rose YouTube channel and subscribe so you won't miss any of the new videos I plan on sharing! 

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Connect online with J.Q. Rose:

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.JQRose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

Google+ google.com/+JQRose

J. Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/

Marketing Your Book with the KDP Free Promotion, Book Trailers for Non-fiction Books, This Week

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog! 

I bet you had a blessed Easter and/or Passover. Now spring is officially here! 

Many folks' thoughts turn to vegetable gardening this time of year. My DH, Gardener Ted, and I joined forces to offer information in our guide, Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden, to help them get inspired and to offer practical advice on gardening. 

Vegetables from J.Q. Rose and Gardener Ted's garden

I had a blast putting all the articles together and working with my hubby on the final product. I uploaded the file to Amazon on February 15, 2015. The eBook hit the Amazon bestseller lists the next day!  I was thrilled. But after the first rush, sales fell off. 

I decided to try the KDP promotion of offering the eBook for free. I don't have the second book in the series available yet, but I decided to use part of my 5 days of free promotion at this time since 'tis the season to start a garden. 

I was blown away with the response to the three day "sale." I gave away over 1100 eBooks and reached #1 in crafts/hobbies and seasonal categories of Amazon's free kindle eBooks. 

I decided to use the free promotion for several reasons:

• Create buzz to earn real sales after the promotion
• To gauge the interest in vegetable gardening
• To garner reviews for the book

I chose the dates because in Michael Thomas eBook, Crush It on the Kindle: A Guide to Publishing and Maximizing Sales, advised offering the free promotion at the end of the month. He explained "The biggest jump came from people borrowing my book at the beginning of the month, which increased its sales rank, which increased its visibility, which increased its actual sales and profits." I figured if he achieved great results when giving it away for just one day, I'd offer it for three days to include the end of the month and the beginning. Perhaps this was erroneous thinking on my part. (Just like the assumption that if fertilizer is good for a plant, give it more than the directions say, and it will grow faster. No, don't do that,)

I'm sure I made an error when selecting the days for the give away because by making the promo 3 days, I bumped up into Good Friday, Passover, and Easter weekend. When the give-away ended on Thursday, April 2, the next day to actually purchase the book was Friday and the beginning of the weekend. As I write this blog on Monday morning, I have not sold one eBook. So the "buzz" didn't translate into actual sales. 

Do I have hope this week will see sales? You bet I do because the royalties are going to support local food pantries in my area. Have I missed the optimal time to sell a book on Starting Your Garden? Not in Michigan! It's still snowing there and in many northern states. I also rationalize, people always have that desire to get their hands dirty. Gardening is not just a few weeks in the spring.

Another tidbit for you to tuck away in your marketing tool box--I notified several websites who feature FREE eBooks so I could rely on not only Amazon's promotion, but also those sites. Shelley Hitz Places to Submit Your Free KDP Select Promotion PDF made it easy to find and enter the eBook info. The link to the PDF is in her eBook, Marketing Your Book on Amazon: 21 Things You Can Easily Do for Free to Get Exposure and Sales.

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Besides the give-away as a marketing tool, I decided to make a book trailer for the eBook. I worked on it and got it ready, then it dawned on me that book trailers are usually for fictional books. Have you ever seen a book trailer for a non-fiction book?? Hmmm....well, after all that time I spent on this video, I'm going to be brave and share it with you below even if non-fiction trailers are not done! 

VIDEO: Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden

Book Trailer for  Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening

Have you tried using the KDP Select Free Promotion in your marketing efforts? Is it in your marketing plan? What do you think of book trailers for non-fiction books? Please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

This Week:

Thursday, April 9--Author Kyla Phillips is my guest. She suggests four points when world-building in your stories. Come back for this helpful information and to discover her new urban fantasy, Agent of Light, releasing in May.

Be sure to get notices of new posts on the J.Q. Rose blog by submitting your email in the box in the right side bar. I promise, NO SPAM!!

A Baker's Dozen of Helpful Websites for Writers, Cover Reveal

Writer on the job

Hello and welcome!

Sometimes we need a break from writing to re-charge and think. Today I listed a baker's dozen of websites to inspire you, teach you, and to just make you think about your writing. They are in no particular order and I didn't explain each one because I want you to go and find out what they have to offer. Curious? I hope so.

I also listed three groups which are helpful to romance and mystery writers. Check these out too to pick up all kinds of information.( If you want to know police procedure, then you definitely need to join the Crime Scene Writer group!)

Click on each site and group to discover what they offer. Have fun! Let me know which ones you found helpful.

A Baker's Dozen of Helpful Websites for Writers by J.Q. Rose


AbsoluteWrite  

JoelFriedlander's The Book Designer 

Women onWriting  

Karen CioffiWriting and Marketing 

K.M.Weiland- Helping Writers Become Authors 

Insecure Writers SupportGroup (IWSG) 

Dr John Yeoman Writers Village 

WritersDigest 

AuthorMarketing Club 

Never GiveUp by Joan Y. Edwards 

Funds forWriters-- for freelance writers 

Carolyn Howard Johnson’s Sharing with Writers 

Women’s Memoirs 

GROUPS

Crime Scene Writer 

Long and Short Romance Reviews 

Marketing for Romance Writers 

What are some of your go-to websites for inspiration or knowledge on writing? Please leave a comment below. 

COVER REVEAL!

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing:
The Writing Process, Publishing, and Marketing

I am so excited to reveal the cover for the writing tips eBook. 

In this book, fifteen romance and mystery authors share writing tips they have gleaned from their experiences as “on-the-job” writers. The tips in the eBook are organized into the main topics of writing, publishing, and marketing. The authors also share the “light bulb moments” in their writing journey, questions they are asked most often, and the most helpful advice on writing they have received. 

The goal of sharing this information is to smooth and straighten the rocky and twisting journey for writers along the path to a rewarding career in writing. 

The one thing I discovered when I became a published author was the generosity of those who stepped up to share their experiences on their path to publishing. This eBook is a chance to pay it forward to writers who are looking for support and encouragement and lessons for success in their writing ventures.

I'm anxious to get this eBook of practical tips and advice into the hands of readers. Watch for the announcement of the release on this blog soon!

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Changes in the World of Book Publishing and Marketing

Change--quote by John F. Kennedy

Change by J.Q. Rose

An article by Pastor Laurie Haller resonated with me this week. While she is not writing about the book publishing business, her points very well apply to the publishing industry. 

In her article, click here for the entire article, If You Just Stay with What You Have, Laurie compares shopping malls to churches. She cites several examples of shopping malls closing down as the anchor stores are dwindling in number. Macy’s is closing 14 stores and J.C. Penney is closing 30 stores. Radio Shack has declared bankruptcy, and we won't go there about the demise of Barnes and Noble stores. More and more of our stores and churches are shutting down because they couldn't change to meet the needs of their customers/congregations. 

Pile of print books

The publishing industry is changing too. No longer absolutely controlled by the big guys in New York, writers who never had a voice can now be heard through their writing. Short stories, poetry chapbooks, collections of stories, special interest books for only a small niche, textbooks, and more are now available to readers. A reader can be in a rural setting or a big city, but can have an e-book in his hands in minutes. And take hundreds of books with him wherever he goes.

Telling a good story hasn't changed through the ages, but marketing has. Don't miss out on the future. Authors have to do their own. Learn how to use social media, make videos, record your voice, try uploading your book to amazon, and step out from behind your book to speak and meet readers. You'll be amazed at how trying new things can re-vitalize your passion for writing.

Are you embracing this change in indie publishing, indie music, indie movies? Leave a comment to tell us how you have changed your approach to writing and marketing... or have you? Thanks, in advance, for your feedback on this article.

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Romance and Mystery Writers on Writing: J.Q. Rose Writing Tips on Editing and Marketing, Giveaway

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog!

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing

This series on writing tips, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing, has been a fantastic opportunity to pick up helpful information from talented authors. And it has been a wonderful way to get to know writers and their books. 

The good news, “it ain’t over yet.” Originally  planned as a fall series, the  blog posts on writing tips continue into February.

I'm looking forward to welcoming the following mystery authors:

FEBRUARY
5	Heather Haven
12	C. Hope Clark
19	Resources for Writers

Please be sure to return for more writing tips in February AND more giveaways!

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Today it's my turn to offer up some writing tips that I've discovered in my writing, publishing, and marketing experience.

Tips on Editing

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just write the first draft and be done with it? Actually, no.  I look forward to re-writing my sentences. I derive a certain joy and heart flutter as I chop out words and shorten sentences. And behold, at times, I have a revelation about the plot or the characters. 
After saving the file, I sit back a minute to rest my eyes and breathe. At that time,  I realize how fulfilling it is to play in my fictional world.Some days I do flounder for words. If it’s too much of a struggle to get anything on the paper, I put away the story and ignore it. But that story creeps into my brain. Whether I am in the shower or on a walk, my mind still turns over the what-ifs in the chapters.  When  I finally see a way out of the mess I”ve created, I feel triumphant.It is so much better to have a crazy mess of a story written for your first draft, than to have a blank page. You cannot edit a blank page.

Tips on Marketing:

We are all struggling to get our author names out into readers' minds and stir up interest in our stories. The best way to get readers interested in you is to have your pages on all your social media include a bio about you. Make the information sparkle so readers will get an insight into your personality. You’re a writer. You can make your life interesting. But, don’t use fiction to tell about yourself!

Include your profile on Facebook, Pinterest, Good reads, etc. Use the same author photo on each site for instant recognition. Articles suggest you use a photo of you, not your book cover or avatar, so readers can “meet” you.

Be sure your photo and bio are on your blog/website “above the fold” because people are naturally curious to know more about you. Make it easy for them to find you.

While you are writing your bio, go ahead and write a tagline with just a few lines, a short one with fifty words, a medium one hundred words, and a long bio of 300 to 500  words.  Place all of these on your media page on your blog/website so when you are a guest on a blog, radio show, podcast, webinar, or TV,  your host can choose what works best for his/her event.

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The quotes graphics were made using quozio.com

Find more quotes on marketing at Training Authors.com

About J. Q.

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are   Sunshine Boulevard, and Coda to Murder released by MuseItUp Publishing. When J.Q. isn’t writing, she enjoys photography, playing Pegs and Jokers board games, and traveling with her husband. They spend winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

J.Q. Rose blog

Pinterest 

Facebook 

Google+

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Please leave a comment to enter to win the drawing for an e-book,   Sunshine Boulevard  or Coda to Murder or the first three chapters of my WIP, Deadly Undertaking. Winner’s Choice.

Mystery, Romance--Coda to Murder

Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock

 that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Back of the Book:  Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer. 

Detective Cole Stephens doesn't want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Buy Links:

MuseItUp Publishing

Amazon 

and major online booksellers.

Remember to leave a comment to enter to win the giveaway! Follow this blog to get alerts about new blog posts about the series and more articles about writing, publishing, marketing. Thank you.