Using Video Book Trailers to Promote Your Book

Image by mohamed Hassan 

from Pixabay 

If you’re an author looking for ways to promote your book, have you considered creating a video book trailer? 

So, why is video an important medium for books? For one, a video book trailer can serve as a "new release" or a "mini commercial" for your book. In addition, video accounts for nearly 65 percent of all the traffic currently seen on the Internet, according to a study by Sandvine, an application and network intelligence company based in Waterloo, Ontario.

What's more, by 2023, nearly half (47 percent) of all devices and connections will be video cable, according to a study by Cisco. a multinational company, that provides software-defined networking, cloud, and security solutions. 

So, it appears that authors should not have too much difficulty capitalizing on the video trend for a long time to come. But, before that happens, authors have quite a bit of preparation work to do before launching a video book trailer. 

Creating a Video

The first—and most important step—is developing ideas for your video. This is considered the "pre-production" stage. Among the questions you will need to ask yourself are:

• Do I need a script or a storyboard for the video? 

• Where will I record the video?

• Do I have the proper equipment to produce a video?

• How will I feature my book in the video? 

• Should I be in the video or hire actors?

• How will I layout the video?

• What type of sound will I add? Music, sound effects?

The Author Learning Center recommends seven elements of an effective book trailer, one of which is knowing your target audience: “The better you know your potential readers, the better you can cater your message specifically for them.”

Do-It-Yourself vs. Hiring Someone

Should you produce your own video or hire a professional video production company? 

If you have previously produced and edited videos, and have the proper video equipment, then go for it. However, make sure that you produce a quality video and not an “amateurish” trailer that will turn off potential readers. 

If you are not adept with a video camera, consider working with a professional video production company. A thorough online search or recommendations from businesses, friends, or other authors who have gone through the process are good places to start. 

There are many quality video production companies. So, as you research potential video production candidates, remember to:

• Review their portfolio.

• Read reviews from clients.

• Ask about the company's experience in creating video book trailers.

• Ask about other services that the company offers.

• Get a quote to determine whether the cost will fit into your budget.

MarketingNewAuthors.com (MANA) has worked with video marketing companies to create video book trailers for MANA’s authors while other MANA authors have pursued this project on their own. 

Click on the title of the book to view the video book trailers for MANA’s authors:

• Simply: A Collection of Poetry by Jessyca Mathews 

• Nick Christoper: Time Traveler: by Gregory Shafer

• The Curse of Shadow Park by F.P. LaRue

What did you think of the videos?

It's Time to Upload Your Video 

After your video book trailer is completed, it's time to promote it on social media platforms, your personal website, and other promotional sites. 

Without a doubt, the top social media networks are Facebook and YouTube, with 2.9 million and 2.5 million monthly active users, respectively, according to figures from Statista. Following closely behind are WhatsApp and Instagram, each with 2 million monthly active users.  

Whether you decide to hire a professional video production company or produce the video yourself, you want your video to stand out from the rest. In other words, you want to have a unique video and not a “cookie-cutter” product.

Remember, the goal is to promote your book to as many people as possible and a video book trailer is a great way to do that. 

Would you like to market your book using a video book trailer but don’t know where to start? MarketingNewAuthors.com (MANA) can help. Contact MANA at info@MarketingNewAuthors.com.