Famous Writing Quote of the Day

The same things happen to characters in both good and bad stories.

 

“Great stories are about what happens in us upon reading them and not what happens to the characters.”

 

Vince Mooney

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

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

 

 

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

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.