ONE MILLION Views and COUNTING

As an author advocate and a fellow author, I have reached one of my personal milestones. My blog posts have just reached One Million views. Thank you so much.

I started this journey seven years ago with the primary goal of helping other authors gain exposure in the ever-changing book publishing industry. As the marketing task moved from brick and mortar stores to ebooks and on-line sales, the indie author became an important part of the landscape. But with that, the tasks of the author expanded to include more than writing a good novel. Editing, cover design, publishing, marketing, and exposure became equally important.

eBook Author’s Corner

In 2010, I started my campaign to give a helping hand to new authors. I posted my first articles at the eBook Authors Corner Blog http://bit.ly/TauYkJ.

Here are several of my first posts.

11/12/2010 eBook Author: Wearing Two Hats - http://bit.ly/2zPEjsB

This is the eBook Author’s initial post. I have created this blog to assist eBook authors in writing and developing eBooks. My blog will discuss how the eBook author fits into the evolving eBook Industry and the many opportunities that exist.

11/22/2010 eBook Author: The New Breed of Author - http://bit.ly/2DC1UyT

With the advent of the Kindle and the Nook, the readers of the world are endorsing the eBook in very large numbers. One of the next phases of the industry development will be the transition of the author from the traditional writer to an eBook author. They will write directly to the eBook platform and take advantage of the features and opportunities provided by the eBook experience.

Currently, the industry is in a copy mode, taking a version of the printed document and converting it to an electronic form. To preserve the written work and make books more accessible is a valid endeavor but there must be much more to the eBook industry than to just make a copy of the paper book. The eBook author is the key.

11/30/2010 eBook Authors: You Must RENDER Your eBooks - http://bit.ly/2zSoC3z

Rendered eBooks
The eBook Author has the opportunity to add to the reading experience. The eBook conversion process must be much more than converting a paper book to a digital format. It must take advantage of the power of the electronic reader.

The eBook author is defined as an author who is writing directly to the eBook platform. You can read more about this concept on my blog: eBook Author: New Breed of Author.

As an author, you must think about the reader and what he can do with the added features the eBook allows him to use. You must add to your content something of value for your readers.

You should include in-book links to help the reader enjoy the content. The eBook’s advanced features should be exploited. And you should think about the future of the eBook and the software and devices and plan for the changes in your research and writing.

Your eBook must be more than just a copy of a paper book. You must render your eBook to set the content apart from the paper version.

04/05/2011 eBook Authors: The Kids Are Coming - http://bit.ly/2spZ1vZ

One of the great opportunities ahead for ebook authors is the wave of new readers entering the digital book world. These gadget centric-readers are kids and young adults. You know the ones that don’t shy away from a computer screen or the digital world. With their cell phone or iPad in hand, they are going to drive the ebook industry to new heights in the near future.

This wave of new readers is going to create a new wave of authors. These writers are going to write directly to the ebook platform, bypassing the current paper to the digital conversion process. This new author will take advantage of the ebook software; adding links, sound, video, and multimedia.

HBS Author’s Spotlight

Then in 2012, I added HBS Author's Spotlight blog http://bit.ly/QVEMix. I could see the problems authors were having getting in front of the new reading audience. So I started interviewing authors. The posts included a Q/A session, an author picture, contact information and a book list with buy links. My first three interviews were:

9/14/2012 Ron Fritsch - Author Spotlight http://bit.ly/PG0eXt

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Ron Fritsch. He is a self-published Historical Fiction Writer.

Author Genre: prehistoric fiction, historical fiction - LGBTQ fiction

Website: Promised Valley
Twitter: @RonFritsch
E-Mail: ronfritsch@sbcglobal.net
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn

9/17/2012 Henry Baum - Author Spotlight http://bit.ly/SPUuZC

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author Henry Baum. He is a self-published author, musician, a blogger and a webmaster.

Author Genre: Thrillers & Suspense Author

Author's Blog: Self-Publishing Review
Website: Henry Baum
E-Mail: henrybaum@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn

9/24/2012 M.R. Mathias - Author Spotlight http://bit.ly/SqcL4Z

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Author M.R. Mathias. He is an award-winning self-published Fantasy Writer. He is noted for his epic fantasy novels and his prolific social network marketing activity.

Author Genre: Fantasy - Magic & Wizards

Website: M.R. Mathias Fantasy Author
Author's Blog: M. R. Mathias Connection Hub
Twitter: @DahgMahn
E-Mail: mrmathiasjr@aol.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author's Spotlight Showcases

Early in 2013, I added a new feature to the Spotlight. I started showcasing individual books with author information, books blurbs, covers, excerpts and buy links to help readers get a full snapshot of the novel and a place to buy it. Here are a few posts from the early days.

1/25/2013 Laura DeLuca - The Forgotten Pharaoh is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase http://bit.ly/1l7sxOb

2/27/2013 Elise Stokes - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase - Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant   http://bit.ly/YEfI3k

3/6/2013 Claude Bouchard - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase: Femme Fatale http://bit.ly/13GyueK

3/10/2013 Jade Kerrion - HBS Author's Spotlight is on EARTH-SIM http://bit.ly/YljtqI

3/21/2013 Catherine Bybee - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase: Married by Monday http://bit.ly/102udMX

3/28/2013 M. R. Cornelius - HBS Author's Spotlight is on Losing It All http://bit.ly/13BhBCV

5/3/2013 Melissa Foster - Have No Shame is in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase http://bit.ly/109btL8

5/6/2013 Ellen Mansoor Collier - BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS

http://bit.ly/13YC7K2

5/22/2013 Dave Folsom - Big Sky Dead is featured on the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

http://bit.ly/183P1en

6/1/2013 Katherine Logan - The Ruby Brooch is SHOWCASED on the HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/18G2Ld2

6/11/2013 Jake Needham - LAUNDRY MAN is featured on the HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASE  http://bit.ly/14tCm1f

Author's Spotlight Sets and Bundles

Later on, in 2013, I added book sets and bundles to the Spotlight. Here are a few posts from the early days.

Mystery Reader's Circle - 9 Killer Thrillers is the bundle deal of the day  http://bit.ly/1j1XtvM

Mystery Reader's Circle - Desperate Acts - 7 Bestselling Authors - 7 Thrilling Full-Length Novels http://bit.ly/18vYI1u

Author’s Spotlight features - Holiday Heat  http://bit.ly/Iu1lL5

HBS Author's Spotlight features Working Girls ... Do It For Thrills: 6-Book Bundle http://bit.ly/1gW1xP7

Author's Spotlight Series and Collections

In 2015, I added author collections to the Spotlight. Here are a few posts from the series posts. I am starting to create more of these types of posts.

11/3/2015 M.R. Mathias - Crimzon and Clover Collection is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase  http://bit.ly/1koXIZr

12/7/2015 Cheryl Bradshaw – Sloane Monroe Series Boxed Set: Books 1-6 featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase  http://bit.ly/1XP5j5Q

11/16/2017 Cathy Perkins – The Holly Price Mystery Series is featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase  http://bit.ly/2zMpisU

12/26/2017 Stacy Eaton – The Celebration Series is featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

http://bit.ly/2zyi8qx

Author's Spotlight Series and Collections – Charities Support

In 2012, I started to highlight novel collections and anthologies that support charities. My first group was the Indie Chicks. They published Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories available at Amazon and other retailers. (B0060ZTM62 – 1470023520) I have interviewed and showcased 15 of the authors from this group.

All proceeds from this book will go a charitable organization that fights breast cancer - a disease all too close to home for many of us. Our prayers and best wishes are with those who are struggling with this terrible and devastating disease. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charitable organizations.

Recently, I added The C.A.M. Charity Anthologies coordinated by M. R. Mathias to the spotlight. The CAM Charity Anthologies are made up of donated short fiction stories. 100% of the profits from the anthology will go to charity.

6/9/2017 M. R. Mathias - The C.A.M. Charity Anthology - Fantasy Fiction Book 1 is featured on the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase  http://bit.ly/2rICrkk

6/10/2017 M. R. Mathias - Horror and Science Fiction Book 1 - The C.A.M. Charity Anthology is featured on the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase http://bit.ly/2t6gj1b

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle  

August 2013, I added a new blog: HBS Mystery Reader's Circle blog http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8. The Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest Mystery, Thriller and Suspense novels from bestselling and outstanding authors at great prices. Here is a list of the first four Reader's Circle and the authors included in the posts.

Mystery Picks of the Day - August 18, 2013  http://bit.ly/14Y2NN6

Garda - Welcome to the Realm  - Stacy Eaton - @StacySEaton

It's Just a Little Crush - Caroline Fardig - @carolinefardig Widow's Row

Murder Has Consequences - Giacomo Giammatteo - @murdertakestime

Just Add Water - Jinx Schwartz - @jinxschwartz

Scorpion Betrayal  - ANDREW KAPLAN

Mystery Picks of the Day - August 20, 2013  http://bit.ly/17HjlYT

Big Sky Dead - Dave Folsom @davefolsombooks

Gingerbread Man - Maggie Shayne @MaggieShayne

Money Land - R.S. Guthrie @rsguthrie

Out of the Shadow - J. K. Winn  @authorjswinn

The Beekeeper  by Juliet Moore @Juliet_Moore

Mystery Picks of the Day - August 22, 2013  http://bit.ly/16QXeCN

Rogues And Rascals In Goose Pimple Junction - Amy Metz @authoramymetz

Murder Takes The Cake - Gayle Trent @GayleTrent

Triple Threat - Joel Goldman @JoelGoldman1

Wasted Justice - Diane Capri @DianeCapri

Time Killer - Todd M. Thiede @toddthiede

Mystery Picks of the Day - August 26, 2013  http://bit.ly/17gLGVY

THE UMBRELLA MAN - Jake Needham @jakeneedham

Torch Ginger - Toby Neal @tobywneal

Strung Out to Die - Tonya Kappes @tonyakappes11

Bitter End - Christine Kling @christinekling 

Double Blind - Seb Kirby @Seb_Kirby 

Again, thank you for your support.

Book Trailers: Do Authors Get Enough Bang for Their Buck?

Because book trailers are becoming a popular online marketing tool, I thought it was time I did a study of what was going on in this phase of book promotion. First, a trailer has to be a part of the total book package. You must keep that in mind as we proceed.

I reviewed 50 trailers, some from the HBS Author’s Spotlight group and some from high-profile authors. That should give us a good cross-section of the development of this relatively new process.

Are they worth the time and money? What did I see and hear that made a good book trailer? It must be noted at this point, the following are my opinions and hopefully some helpful observations.

Plan your Trip

Before you go down this trail, you must plan where you want to end. As you’ll find out, it is more detailed than you would image.

The first major decision to make is how I am going to produce the trailer? Am I going to do it myself or outsource it to a professional? Cost is the primary question in this decision I would guess. As you’ll see in this blog, there are some real good trailers created at a very reasonable cost.

Start of the trailer

Most start with a storyboard in which they create a scene list and match script text alongside each picture or slide. For example, the majority of trailers in my review start with the book cover or a slide with the Title and Author displayed. You may think that is elementary but there were several that didn’t give you that information until well into the video.

How does it sound?

This is important to the effectiveness of the trailer. The music and sound should fit your vision of your book. The sound includes music, voice, singing and special effects. Here are some observations.

Some trailers had great mood music which fit right into the story line. Some had singing in the background. A couple started off with strong music right up front which was a great attention getter.

There was one that was streaming along at a steady pace then out of the blue there was a loud gun shot. That got your attention. Several had cry outs, screams, eerie sounds and even the sound of arrows whizzing through the air.

Two observations: if you are going to use voice over for your slides, use a professional or not at all.

International Best Selling author Stacy Eaton, had one of the best music selections. It fit the mood of her book completely.

Stacy said, “I love making video trailers!!! They are so much fun! I use Windows Live Movie Maker and it is really easy.

I know that many people use music they have in their own libraries, but you have to be careful about copyright infringements.

Some people think video trailers are good, some don’t. It’s a personal taste, just like how one reader will like one book, but not another.” Check Stacy’s Book Trailer: Whether I'll Live or Die

Another author in the review was Joanna Penn. She is an action-adventure writer plus she is an expert in the book writing, marketing and publishing industry. Her trailer starts with strong music which immediately gets your attention. Check Joanna’s Book Trailer: Pentecost. An ARKANE Thriller

I have to include Monica Mathis-Stowe in this section. Her combination of pictures and music sets the tone for a very impressive trailer. If this doesn’t get the reader’s attention nothing will. One of the eye catching items of her book package was the girls from the cover. The music she used in the trailer fits right into a complete package.

Monica said, “The (trailers) were created by DzinebyKellie.  Kellie saw my vision and made it come true. I gave (Kellie) my book’s synopsis and she created this wonderful book trailer. I was amazed.” Check Monica’s Book Trailer: Where Did We Go Wrong?

Pictures

You have a lot of choices here. You can take them yourself; you can get pictures of models for your cast of characters or you can buy stock images. One author had her readers/followers supply drawn images which she included in her trailer. Talking about getting your readers involved in the process. I like that a lot.

Several had police radio calls or displayed newspaper articles which I thought was quite effective. I even saw silhouettes used which conveyed the message while leaving the character's appearance up to the reader’s imaginations.

I think it is all about the pictures. You need to get readers involved with sight and sound.

Mystery author Dave Folsom takes the pictures used in his trailers himself. Several of his books are based in the northwest and he captures the rugged setting in the trailer. The reader can truly visualize the surroundings.

Dave said, “I used One True Media where you can upload your own photos and create videos for a very reasonable price.” Check Dave’s Book Trailer: Scaling Tall Timber

Next I would like to highlight Young Adult Author Elise Stokes. Her picture presentation was unique. She had her text on the side of the pictures, giving the reader a real shot at reading the message. Her trailer’s pictures were all hand drawn.

Elise said, “Seeing my characters as these talented young artists do, and I’m honored they were inspired to draw them. I had the satisfaction of doing it myself.” Check Elise’s Book Trailer: Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift

Next we have Crime and Horror Author Jade Varden. She uses a newspaper in the front of the trailer to convey a story is coming. Also her use of video clips was great.

Jade said, “I got the video clips for my trailers at Creative Commons, because that material is all Fair Use. I put it all together using Windows Live Movie Maker.” Check Jade’s Book Trailer: The Tower (Deck of Lies, #2)

Slide presentations

Using slides in your trailer is all about the timing. You must give the reader enough time to read and digest your message.

Historical Fiction Author Ron Fritsch spent time on his sequencing. He has one part of his trailer that uses arrows flashing across the screen with sound. You get the message right away. It also finishes with a picture of the author, which I recommend. Check Ron’s Book Trailer: Promised Valley

Distribution of the trailer

Well by far the favorite way to display a trailer is YouTube. There are many other free locations and I would recommend distributing your trailer to as many places as you can.

My favorite is to embed the trailer on a page on your blog or website. It gives you the ability to add extra information on the sides of the trailer. Even links that may be skipped by the reader during the trailer viewing.

A great example of this is from award-winning Author Melissa Foster. She embedded her trailer on her website. It gives her the opportunity to give static information to the reader that maybe overlooked in the trailer like contact information and where the reader can buy the book.

Melissa said, “I love to make book trailers. I buy stock photos off of different image sites like Shutterstock, I download music from free music sites, and I use Movie Maker or Animoto.” Check Melissa’s Book Trailer: Megan's Way

I have to include myself in here somewhere. (James Moushon) I chose to distribute the trailer both ways. I put my trailer on YouTube and then embedded it on my website. I had a problem with the website version at first with MAC users not being able to view the video. Then I discovered that I could embed the YouTube code into my web page and I was off and running.

I like the web page version the best because it lets me have an Amazon buy page next to the trailer so my readers can buy right away without leaving the page. I like the expanded screen option. Check my Book Trailer: Black Mountain Secrets

So where does the Text fit in?

First of all the text should be a teaser for the reader not a spoiler. I guess that is common sense. The first advice I got was to choose my words wisely. They should be captivating, relevant and concise. I spent a lot of time on this.

Here are some tips. Don’t use rolling text unless you can slow the feed so the viewer can read it. If you’re going to use text over your pictures, choose your text colors wisely. If you have more than two lines, use a solid colored background like white or black or red not a picture.

One trailer I liked had the text in a colored insert rather than right on top of the background picture.

Cost or Budget or whatever you want to call it.

You can do this for almost nothing or you can spend some real money. You must remember to count in the value of your time when you make the decision.

Amazon Best-Selling Author Cheryl Bradshaw put it this way in a previous interview in the HBS Author’s Spotlight. “The kind I’d want to do would be very high dollar and look more like a movie trailer. I am fairly unimpressed with the low-budget trailers.”

One side bar to this is that as you’ll find out below, some of the big hitters are not impressive with their trailers. I think if you have a following and its presented well, you’ll get your monies worth.

How long should your trailer be?

I don’t have a good answer for this one. Of the fifty trailers I reviewed, 18 seconds was the shortest. It was by a big time author. He gave us a cover, his name, blurb from a review and the buy now message. That was it.

The longest was 5 minutes and 33 seconds. Again this trailer was from a big time author. Yes I did manage to stay awake. But I felt like dosing off at the 3 minute mark.

I would say a minute to two and half minutes gives you plenty of time to get your message across. This is a marketing tool not a movie streamer.

Creation time should be a consideration

The question you have to ask yourself is: Am I creative enough and have the skills to do this myself or do I need help? Remember if you can’t get your readers to visualize what your selling here you should outsource the project or move on.

Best-Selling Author Pamela Burford said in a recent Author’s Spotlight post, “I find it too easy to spend enormous amounts of time on promotion, at the expense of writing time.”

At the end of trailer

The last slide should be timed to allow the reader to consume the information. Typically the last two slides include Coming soon announcements, contact information, the author’s picture or the cover. You know like the back cover type information.

I am not a big fan of Internet addresses or trailer credits at the end, especially the rolling text kind. I guess that’s why I like the embedded version of the trailer. Remember YouTube goes directly to an advertising page when your trailer is done, so that last page is gone unless you can extend the viewing time.

So what is your Goal if you decide to go down this trail?

It is all about marketing. You want the prospect to watch the trailer and want to buy it as soon as possible. Make sure to put links to your trailer everywhere. Then you need to get readers to watch it. The trailer should be a part of your complete book marketing package, together with a well-done trailer. Sometimes not doing a trailer is an okay decision.

Dani Amore, an award-winning, international bestselling crime author, said recently, “I have done book trailers and have no idea if they helped or not.”

Mystery & Thriller Author Maree Ward Russell expressed it differently. “They are yet another avenue for attracting readers – especially as the visual medium is always so effective. I am looking into it.”

Award winning author Dawn Greenfield Ireland echoed the same thing. “A book trailer is high on my list.”

So now did the Big Authors do in my review?

I was very proud of my Spotlight Authors compared to some of the top authors. Let me summarize what I found.

The top authors had most of their trailers under one minute. Most had poor music or none at all.

They had professional voice over when it was used. They did have strong music but very poor timing on the slides vs. text.

One had kids acting with very poor sound and a misspelled word. I won’t release that trailer.

They basically were selling their self and not necessarily the book.

I must include this. One of our top indie authors (not a Spotlight author) had the poorest trailer in the survey. The trailer was 29 seconds long. It consisted of the author holding the book up in front of a camera and yelling “Buy me” over and over again.

Things like this are why indie authors and self-publishers get a bad rap.

What do you think?

Is there a pay back? Is it worth the time and money? did you read anything here that will help you create your next trailer? I know I did.

Other documents

How To Create A Book Trailer by Joanna Penn

Book Trailers: 11 steps to make your own also by Joanna Penn

Writing 101: Book Trailers by Jade Varden

Follow me:

Follow Me on Twitter: @jimhbs

Or EMAIL at: jim@jamesmoushon.com

View my website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer

Or visit my blog: The eBook Author Corner

Take a look at my Author’s blog: HBS Author’s Spotlight

Check out the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels:

Call Off The Dogs

Or newly released:

Black Mountain Secrets