Thursday, January 31, 2013

Book Trailers Need to Come of Age

 



A Book Trailer is not a 'Back of the Book' Blurb! 
 
For many years television saw itself as radio with pictures. Eventually, however, it realized it was its own special medium with opportunities and rules that were independent of radio.  A great question that should have been asked at the dawn of television is: “What would television by like if radio never existed?” 
 
Today that question could be asked of book trailers in this way: “What would trailers be like if writers never heard of ‘elevator’ pitches, book blurbs and synopsis?”
 
Book trailers today seem to have learned nothing from a hundred years of movie coming attractions. Just imagine a movie coming attraction, also called a trailer, that showed a woman, then a man, then a castle, then a rose, then a sunset with the copy something like: "She faced a forced marriage to a man she hated. The man she always loved is from a warring clan. Time is running out and so is her hope of ever finding happiness. Will love triumph? "
 
The movie viewer would look at this and think: “I don’t want to know the plot line. I want to seen scenes from the movie to see if it is worth watching. Show me your best stuff.”
 
Book trailers need to do the same thing: show the best stuff. Show pictures and read quotes from the most enticing parts of the book. Let the quality of the book shine through. Let the reader think, “I’d like to read something this well written.”  Style and voice count in writing. Show this. Let the reader experience it in the trailer.
 
I know this would be very hard to do. The writer of the trailer would need to read the book and also be a good judge of quality writing. However, in this very competitive world, the fact that something is very hard to accomplish, is no reason not to do it.  Writers could highlight parts of their books, as they are writing them, which they feel would make the best impact on readers.
 
If the trailer is not going to be shown on television, then there is no reason to keep it at just thirty seconds. If the book actually has two and a half minutes of high quality and enticing quotes, then two and a half minutes should be used. Direct marketers know that some sales require more time and effort to close. That’s why they most often favor print media which allows for enough words to close the most sales on a cost effective basis.
 
A trailer is not a ‘back of the book’ blurb. To think that it is, is to miss the full potential a trailer could provide.


Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“What many people forget is that someone does need to preach to the choir.  The word of God is the water of spiritual life.”
 
Vince Mooney

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Don’t Take Your Eye Off the Ball!

 



Social media is ‘small ball’.

 
It attracts people who might buy your book because they like you and may want to please you…for now. This only works on a small scale.

‘Large ball’ is focusing on selling your book by attracting the attention of those readers who would most enjoy reading your book. Readers don’t have to know you to love your books. Readers don’t have to like you to spread great word-of-mouth advertising about your books. Readers seek  great reading experiences not personable authors.  

Loved the Racing.
Don’t worry about social media. Write, write, write. Always be improving the reading experience you provide your readers. When you do market your books,  make the kind of noises that will attract the type of readers who will most enjoy what you write.  If you’ve written a romance about professional bicycle racing, visit bicycle websites! Tout the book and bicycle racing! Make readers want your book for the book’s sake, not yours.

Make your book the hero in all your marketing efforts. Books have legs. They can run on their own from reader to reader without any help from the author’s personality. Rather than looking for people who will like you enough to perhaps buy one of your books, seek people who will enjoy your books – even if they don’t like you.  Politians and prostitutes have to sell themselves, authors don’t.
 
 
 

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“When I’m reading your newsletter, I’m not reading your book. When I’m visiting your blog, I’m not reading your book. When I’m on your Facebook page, I’m not reading your book.  Collectively hoards of authors are cannibalizing the very limited time readers have available to read their books by talking about themselves.”
 
Vince Mooney
 
 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“Revisions are just your editor’s little way of letting you know how she would have written the book.”

Vince Mooney


Monday, January 28, 2013

I'm Sick of the Box!

 
 
 
 
I’m sick of the box!
 
 
First of all, there is no box.
 
Second of all, if there were a box, the whole idea would be to keep stuff in it.
 
If you’re really serious about 'thinking outside the box', think without using thoughts.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 
 
 


“What beginning writers don’t understand is that writing a novel is rocket science.”
Vince Mooney

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day




“A writer is free to write the book of her heart but if her heart is set on selling books, then she better write the book of a lot of other people’s hearts.”

Vince Mooney

Monday, January 21, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day



“When authors begin to take writing rules as articles of faith, they are worshiping a false god.”

Vince Mooney

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day



“Beginning writers are advised to write about what they know because that allows them to spend all their time learning how to write instead of learning about what it is they are writing about.”

Vince Mooney

Friday, January 18, 2013

Amazing Pantser Fact!

 

“Pantsers can write what they know without even knowing what they are going to write.”
 
Vince Mooney
 
 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

It’s Humor!


“Psychoanalyzing my characters to discover their motivation is driving me nuts.”


“Authors who psychoanalyze their characters to find out why they do what they do have lost control of the creative process.  Authors should give characters the motivation needed to produce the outcomes the story requires. It’s just a matter of who is in charge.”
 
Vince Mooney

 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Goodbye Gioconda! Welcome the New Donna!

Paul Emsley, Artist

Oh! The Humanity!

 

I couldn’t love this portrait any more than I do. In an age of digital photography, when we question the value of oil portraits, along comes a masterpiece to show the artist’s vision and give us a glimpse of the inner person. The Mona Lisa at long last has a companion and competition. 
 
Leonardo da Vinci
 


Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 
 
 
Fuzzy Plotting” is the art of combining the rigors of plotting with the freedom of pantsering to produce the most rewarding reading experience.”
Vince Mooney 
 

Friday, January 11, 2013

New Age Blogging Quote

 
“Some of those Prove You’re Not a Robot tests are so difficult that a robot would have a better chance proving it was human than I do.”
 
Vince Mooney

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day


“To the degree that an author’s current book does not sell her next book, to that same degree she needs to use social media to sell herself to a new batch of readers.”
Vince Mooney

Monday, January 7, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 
 



“Plotters are just pantsers who use a safety net.”
 Vince Mooney
 
 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day


"Clichés are like a sharp knife that gets duller with each use."

Vince Mooney

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Starting from anywhere

 


 
The calendar changes
But the wind blows just the same
And if the earth could think
It would think it odd
That anyone would number
Its rotations.   
 
Vince Mooney

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 
 

“Clichés were once welcome guests who have since worn out their welcome.”

Vince Mooney