What Genre Is Your Book Publicist?

Too many authors make the mistake of hiring a publicist with the expectation of a miracle and with no realistic idea about the buying market in their genre. I'm not saying it's a mistake to hire a publicist, but what I am saying, is that you need to do your homework about the publicist and their area of expertise. Also, you need to do some research on what to expect for your book genre for a first-time author versus a well-established author and start pulling together some ideas and goals.

You really shouldn't hire a publicist until you know what you want and what to expect. Otherwise, you're just leaving yourself wide open for a sales pitch. Publicists know their business and many of them are good at what they do, therefore, they can make it sound like a wonderful package. It's just like any other business. There are legit publicists who will do a great job and give you your money's worth. Some are not so legit, will promise the stars and the moon and you will end up disappointed. Others who mean well and will do their best for you, but their contacts and networks aren't in the realm where you need to take your next book.

It's no different in shopping for a car. You wouldn't plunk down several thousand dollars on a vehicle without doing some research and going for a few test drives, would you? Why should investing in your book or writing career be any different?

Even though you hire a publicist, that doesn't mean they will be able to handle everything and you can go back to researching and writing the next book. They need bios, book covers, endorsements, and answers to interview questions from you. They may need to clear some time on both yours and their schedule to plan and discuss things. They may need you to meet people for live interviews, to be available for podcasts and other media recordings, and give feedback on mockup designs.

Will you have time for these things? If not, you may need a different publicist or package. Most authors work WITH a publicist. Each author is different. Their work habits and styles are varied and just as some agents work for some authors, other agents don't work as well. It's the same with publicists. Are you the type of author who really needs to develop a relationship with your publicist so that you will feel you can trust their judgment? Are you the type of author who doesn't need that tight connection and you can go anywhere as long as they give you a good price and provide quality work?

Are you an author who may want to work on one core area of your platform at a time? For instance, with your first book you just need to establish a platform, but for your second book you might need to build on that platform and make your foundation more solid. By the third book you might want to focus more on increasing your Social Media, or your public speaking engagements, or revamp your online presence to target your market and establish your message more accurately to reflect what you write.

Not all publicists offer the same services, but many offer multiple services. In spite of the wide range of services they may offer, keep in mind that they will have strengths in core areas of the business. This is important as you determine what your needs are and you narrow down your selection. As your writing career advances to various levels and you begin to concentrate on specific areas of your platform, you may find that working with more than one publicist for specific needs off and on at various times will work best for you. It will also open your platform and writing to more networks than what one publicist has established.

Know your needs. Know your expectations. Do your research. Then make a selection.

Post your questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer. 






 

Video Book Trailers Rely on Effective Distribution by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Video book trailers are still a huge debate as to whether or not they sell books. I would encourage authors not to view them as a single promotional tool, but as a key asset to an overall marketing plan for a book launch. Your video book trailer alone, will not sell tens of thousands of copies, but neither will your blog tour, or your banner ads, or your social media posts and tweets unless you already have a name like Nicholas Sparks or Karen Kingsbury.

Book sales are derived from a series of promotional efforts and strategies through multiple tools and channels, as well as the old fashioned word-of-mouth.

As more books are sold via digital platforms, I believe the role of the video book trailer will evolve, especially for younger generations.

For example, when I show my video book trailers to readers who are in the baby boomer generation or older, some (not all) struggle to keep up with the changing slides, read the words, or the music may be too much for their taste. I'll get comments like, "It went too fast." or "I'm still not sure what it's about."

However, when I do presentations at my daughter's school to a group of 14 and 15 year olds, I can tell them what the book is about, give them my TV-blurb, and no reaction. Yet, when I stop talking and show them the video book trailer, I get the WOW reaction. "That's cool!" or "Can we see it again?" or "I wanna read it!"

Think of your video book trailer as a teaser or a movie trailer to lure people into a story. A movie trailer entices people to want to "see something", while a video book trailer should make them want to "read something". Either way, whether it is a book or a movie, you are drawing them into a story. There is a saying in the publishing world, that Story is King - it's no different with video book trailers. Hook them with the story. After that comes the details.

Video book trailers are short (usually no more than a minute or so) videos that are essentially a ‘commercial’ for your book. A good video book trailer includes a number of multimedia elements including music, subtitles, imagery, and in more elaborate cases voice overs and custom-filmed action video. The goal of the video book trailer is, of course, to get the viewer to purchase the book.

In social media, you will hear marketers say it is all about content. Well, your video book trailer is all about the story--which is your content.

The Details 

Here are a few unspoken rules about creating good, engaging video book trailers.

• Keep it short. Less than 2 min. 
• Don't use annoying unprofessional voices. If you can't find someone with a compelling voice, stick to music. 
• Theme music to match your story. Try to time the frame transitions and movement to prominent beats and specific sounds. 
• Photos and images with good resolution. They should not be blurry, pix-elated, or stretched out of proportion. 
• Keep the frames moving at a steady pace. If you need a frame to hold for more than 2-4 sec so it can be read or narrated, you have too much text or narration. Cut the text to sound bytes or cut the narration in half.
• Make sure the text you use is large enough to read, a color that doesn't blend in with the image background, or use an insert slide if you must have the text. 
• Have others view it before you upload it to YouTube or anywhere online. Be open to constructive criticism. Once you're video is out there - it's out there.
• Make sure it looks professional. You don't want a mediocre video giving readers the impression that your book is mediocre quality. You want them to be enticed to read your story after viewing the video, not be turned off by it. 

Distributing Your Video Book Trailer
Outside of Google, YouTube is the second most searched site on the web. This means your title, key words and description must be gripping and catchy. In order to keep your videos from being buried among the masses on the site, you need to upload it everywhere else possible. Besides YouTube, try uploading it to GoogleVideo, DailyMotion, Blip.tv, Christian Book Videos, GodTube. Your video book trailer will  of course be on YOUR site and your publishers, right?

Take advantage of your personal accounts and upload it to your website/blog, online media kit, Amazon Author page, Facebook, Twitpic for Twitter, Behance for LinkedIn, Pinterest, Goodreads, Google+, and other social media sites where you may have a profile.

Did you make your own video book trailer? Are there any other sites you have found to share your video book trailers? Please share.

Promoting Your Book Isn't Hype by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

It's common sense business.

Lately, I've seen several blog posts and comments from authors suggesting that platform building and marketing is all a bunch of hype. The controversy centers around whether it is the responsibility of the author or the publisher, and the marketing ploys that take advantage of people without really helping, as well as concepts that cause authors to overburden themselves with unrealistic expectations.

I believe there is value on both sides of the argument, but we can't lose sight of the facts and our ultimate career goals as writers.

Let's take the first issue, who's responsibility is it?
I believe it belongs to both the author and the publisher. It's a fact that publishers do less than they use to do and many admit it. The fact that this is happening doesn't mean it's right or fair. Yet, it's our new reality, and we must learn to deal with it if we choose to be published authors.

Let's look at who has more at stake if the book doesn't succeed. Is it the author or publisher?

The publisher will lose money, and even that is something they can recoup in a better selling book. Therefore, they may decide not to publish future books by that author. Authors are easily replaced and new voices are rising up each day.

On the other hand, the author will lose money, credibility, and possible career set-backs. Readers don't look for publisher names on books. They look for author names. It isn't the publisher's career at stake, but the author's career. We are left to work with the resources that are given to us, and if the publisher isn't going to provide the necessary marketing and promotion, and the author wants the book to do well, it falls to the author. Complaining and resisting won't change the facts. It is, what it is.

Marketing ploys are in abundance and some of these are hype, but not all of them. Authors have to learn to weed out the bad and weave in the good where it can fit into their busy lives and schedules. Platform IS important. You can put a million dollar budget on your book, but if all that money is being spent on cold-calls, cold-ads, cold-announcements -- meaning none of the people have ever heard of you, it's a waste of money. Having a platform changes the game. People in your platform/network have heard of you, feel like they know you, feel that your work and your word has credibility, and they are more willing to pluck down their hard earned money for your book.

Concepts that overburden authors with unrealistic expectations ARE real. Authors feel overwhelmed, scattered everywhere, and they lose focus. You can't be expected to do everything, and no one is expecting you to. Some of us are our own worst enemy. We hear a few things and we automatically assume we must do this, that, and the other without sitting down praying about it, and fitting into our schedule logically and strategically. I've mentioned it before, create a Marketing Plan. It will help you focus on the needs that you need to be doing today, as you work toward your goals for a higher platform tomorrow.

When I find myself starting to complain and I'm feeling overwhelmed, that's when I need to sit down, pray and re-evaluate where I've lost my focus.

• What new things have I taken on and allowed into my schedule that wasn't planned?
• Am I comparing myself to others--way too much? 
• Am I spending quality time with God and seeking Him about my burdens, essentially turning it all over to Him?
• Did my editor/agent really say this or that had to be done or did I assume it just because they mentioned it would be a great idea. Do I need to get clarification?
• Am I being impatient, expecting results now that in reality are going to take a year or several years to accomplish?

Have you caught yourself in the midst of some of these cycles? Do you have other coping skills you can offer and share with your colleagues?

Be "Selective" with Your Publicity Opportunities

It's true that every little bit of publicity counts. Like pennies, the small things add up over time, but time is its own consideration. If you're limited on time because you're committed to working another full-time or part-time job, homeschooling your children, keeping up with your church activities, or struggling with health issues on top of writing and researching your books, you need to be "selective" in what you choose to do. Very few of us have unlimited time to spend on marketing and publicity.

Not every publicity opportunity is worth your time. 

It's "okay" to say "no" once in a while. 

When our books are first released, we spend so much time chasing publicity opportunities, many of which never lead anywhere, that when something falls into our laps that we didn't have to pursue, the temptation to jump at it is staggering.  We want to shoot off an email immediately shouting "YES, I'll do it!" Or if we were contacted on the phone instead of saying, "Let me check my schedule and get back to you," we want to give a confirmation right then and there.

Stop. Pray. Check your schedule. Pray again. 

Are YOU piloting your career, or are you allowing GOD to pilot your career?

If you're on deadline to finish a book or turn in edits, if you stop to squeeze in more guest posts or interviews on blogs, how will this affect the quality of your work? Which family member will have to sacrifice YOU in order for you to get this done?

Granted, there are times we MUST make sacrifices, but look at the opportunity. Is it a brand new blog with less than 50 followers with 1 or 2 comments per post or a well-established blog with 500+ followers with 10-15 comments per post? There are tons of blogs out there. Many of them are very good and have lots of great content, but most have very little traffic.

Before you agree to give away another free book after giving away 30 already, what is the purpose and the ROI of your effort? Is it a blog with the same followers who have already been exposed to your book on the first 30 blogs where you appeared and gave away free books? Will there be any requirements for people to enter the contest or can anyone who Googles "free books" and "book contests" can enter who are only out surfing the Web for "free" stuff?

Publicity is great, but it is NEVER free no matter what anyone tells you. There is always the time required to provide a photo, book cover, answer interview questions, or write something fresh because you simply can't recycle anymore articles. Yes, it might only take a few minutes of your time, but so will everything else, even answering your email. All that time adds up to a lot of time NOT writing or researching. Consider the cost and then evaluate the publicity exposure.

Only YOU can decide if it is worth it or not.

Have you had to turn down any publicity offers? What were some of your deciding factors? You don't have to list the agency, blog or media outlet in order to share your experience and/or advice.