Book Videos—are they worth it?

Impressive if they’re done right, book trailers may be a valuable tool to grab attention for a new release. I’m not certain they translate directly into increased sales—but then I haven’t found a way to determine whether any of my promotional efforts directly affect my bottom line. Still, I like trailers.

They can be pricey, though—particularly if live video is done by skilled professionals. Purchased trailers using stock photos and inexpensive music tracks can still cost upward of $150—a lot upward depending on the graphic artist/promotion company that you use, as well as the cost of photos and music the artist chooses.

Recently I discovered Windows Live Movie Maker (free from Microsoft) and found how simple it is to produce simple videos using it, from start to upload. The only other software I use to size, crop and modify stock photos—and occasionally to create a fancy text sign or two—is Adobe Photoshop. (It’s certainly not free or inexpensive, but I already had it. If I had needed to buy something simply to do these functions, not to play with for my own amusement, I would get Photoshop Elements or use one of the many free software selections online to perform these functions.)

So I can make my own book trailers. What materials do I need to make them?

1. Book cover—the tone of the trailer needs to reflect the cover art since it’s     generally included as the beginning and/or ending frame.
2. Some background music. I troll the web looking for free—or royalty-free—MP3s that reflect the tone of my books: dark, lively, romantic, etc. When I find free ones, I download them for possible future use.
3. The story I want to tell in the video. I usually follow the content of blurbs I’ve already written for the book, which saves time and effort that it takes to select the photos and write the text.
4. Some stock photos, either free (preferable) or royalty-free. (For a one-minute video, you’ll need the book cover and five to seven photos that illustrate the text on each frame. If you can’t find a suitable photo, you can write text on a blank screen and apply a text effect to it.)
5. A few hours (how many depends on how much you play with your story line and how much you decide to crop/modify your images—the sample above, for my upcoming book, WILD ONE, has three frames that I created in Photoshop to use more than one image on a frame and to add fancy text. It took a while!)

Over the course of eight or nine months, I’ve accumulated a bulging folder full of stock photos, most of which I’ve found for free. I’ve bought and stockpiled a few Jimmy Thomas RNC cover shots and cropped them for use in trailers. And I’ve taken and filed away a lot of photos that I’ve taken, but I won’t use those that include people or readily identifiable landmarks unless I have releases—I don’t care to get sued.

Making book trailers is fun, a nice break from writing words. Since I write mostly contemporaries, putting videos together for them isn’t too stressful because I’ve been able to find a lot of free material that works to illustrate particular frames of my books. I doubt it would be nearly as easy to locate trailer material for historicals because of costuming and so on. If I wanted to do a video for a futuristic or a shifter story, I’d probably have to create many of the frames from scratch—something that would require a lot more graphic art skill than I have.

Happy trailering! Video trailering, that is! 🙂

Ann Jacobs

http://annjacobs.net
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WILD ONE, book 3 of my Caden Kink series, coming Jan. 4 at Ellora’s Cave Publishing

Do They Walk Among Us?

What if the people you see everyday—the woman you pass on the sidewalk, the man in the office next to you or the child playing on the swing set with your child in the park—weren’t all they appeared to be? What if, in fact, the woman who does your hair was a werewolf, or the man in the line at the grocery store was a demon and the child playing on the playground was a wizard? It would change the way you look at the world. You might become paranoid or you might decide to join the paranormal investigation team of your local police force like Katya Danske in DEMON’S EMBRACE. It’s fun and kind of creepy to think of creatures who look like us, walking among us, who aren’t quite human.

Ever have a creepy premonition or feeling? Comment about your paranormal experience, or tell me about one you’d like to have for a chance to win a download of Myla Jackson’s SEX, LIES & VAMPIRE HUNTERS.

About the Author:

Elle James aka Myla Jackson spent twenty years livin’ and lovin’ in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. She has 31 works with Harlequin, self published works under pen name Elle James, over 40 works with other publishers including Samhain, Elloras’ Cave, Kensington and Avon and 18 works self-published under pen name Myla Jackson. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn’t wrangling cattle, she’s wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, out snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.

Demon’s Embrace
Harlequin Nocturne Cravings
Dec 2012
Buy at Amazon | Buy at B&N

The winning commenter for the Merry Christmas to You Contest is Ronnie Cornett!
Congrats, Ronnie! Send me an email to let me know where you want your gift cert sent!

* * * * *

Hmmm, I was supposed to have a guest today. Sorry, to the author, but I’m bumping her until tomorrow.

Her file is on my PC which is across the street. I’m housesitting for my daughter while she’s visiting her dad in DC. The day before yesterday when I packed, it was 60 degrees. Yesterday it rained throughout the day, and then last night it snowed. Snow on top of thick ice. I’m stuck. No coat. Definitely no boots. I have a vehicle, but it’s covered in a foot of powder and an inch of ice. So, I’m hunkering down until it warms up a bit today before I make a dash for my house.

So, I’ll leave you with a question…

When you’re wearing it, what type of clothing makes
you feel the most like the real you?
Question from “The Question Guys”

Just a note to wish you all a very, merry holiday, however you choose to celebrate!

My family celebrated yesterday. My dd and SIL headed to DC this morning, so I’ve moved to their house to take care of the 8-year-old, 3 dogs, and 5 cats for the week. I hope they don’t expect to come home to a clean house because amidst all that critter-caring, I have to write a book!

I’d love to hear about the lovely things you received or did. My standout gifts are a gorgeous, hand-crocheted afghan with Ganesh (half-boy, half-elephant Indian god) in the center, a rose-gold ring, a Fenton glass unicorn, and a lampwork bead-making kit—yes, someone trusts me with a torch in my hands! 😈

Craft Therapy – The Zen of Weaving

“You have a weaving class looming.”

Groan.  My coworker said that to me and giggled about it for the rest of the afternoon, but he was onto something.  I’ve written before about crafts and their benefits, and it’s something we have to keep learning over and over.  Crafts bring pleasure but, more importantly, they bring us into the moment.  That class looming over me for the day reminded me that my life isn’t all about my day job.

I take weaving classes at the Chicago Weaving School with Natalie Boyett.  An amazing teacher, Natalie understands the Zen of art.  She knows how to be gentle and she knows how to inspire.  More than that, I find weaving puts me in the moment and while I’m working on the simple back-and-forth or counting, my mind relaxes.  From there, it’s an easy jump into my story.  Weaving makes me a better writer.  I’m sure it has that beneficial effect on other walks of life too; my classes are full of teachers, nurses, and professionals of all stripes.  We come because weaving is fun.  We stay because it’s a way of life.

Too melodramatic for you?  To New Age?  Let me share with you the magic and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

My project is a simple kimono.  The ancient art of kimono, developed in Japan over centuries, is a way of making clothes that shows off hand-woven fabrics.  From simple to ornate, they require little cutting or shaping and are a perfect way to use the product of our handweaving.

I decided to use a pattern from a classic weaving book.  A variation on a twill, it requires you to thread the heddles (put the yarn on the loom) in a certain order.  The process of doing so is mechanical and not very artistic:  put this thread in 1, this one in 3, that one in 2, then 4-3-1, then 2-1-4, or some other order.  It’s painstaking and detailed.

It is, though, one half of the process of weaving.  Once you’ve dressed the loom, you’re halfway done.  Magic.

Once the loom is dressed, we weave a header to even out the threads and set the stage for our pattern.  I’m using a lovely but fussy rayon thread for my warp, which is the red/blue in the photograph.  My weft, the yarn I use to weave, is a rich teal.

After the header, we start with the pattern.  This, too, is done in a particular order.  The difference is that now we begin to see the magic that is weaving.

It looks like the thread is almost beaded, as the rayon shines like fire in the light.  I can’t wait to see more of the fabric as it appears.  It’s meditative.  I look forward to my Thursday night classes all week, because I know I’ll get to spend four hours away from the world, in my little magic bubble of fiber.  When I emerge, butterfly-like, it’s with a renewed appreciation for the art of our ancestresses and not a few plot ideas.  As I weave, so shall I write.

And that, my friends, is the magic of craft.

Happy holidays!

—
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
– E.E. Cummings

My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora

Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry
Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Website | Facebook
Team Blogs: Nightlight | The Writers Retreat Blog | Beyond the Veil | LGBT Fantasy Fans and Writers
Publishers: Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press

Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.
Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

Check out “Taking a Chance“, part of the Charity Sips 2012 to benefit NOH8, available from Torquere Books.

Watch for TIGER TIGER, coming July, 2013, from Samhain Publishing.

NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITION

This year there seemed to be more than the usual amount of ugly Christmas sweaters. Our family decided this year to embrace the spirit of the season, by wearing the loudest, ugliest and perhaps most tasteless sweaters we could find.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What my son-in-law bought for my daughter as a gag gift, turns out to actually be something I’d wear. LOL. Yes. I admit it. I like to wear bold colors and sparkly things. It used to embarrass my kids no end, and often they didn’t want me to get out of the car when I picked them up at school, for fear their friends would see me. We had a pink house, too, but that’s another story (my attempt to make our home look like the Sonoma Mission Inn that failed).

So, this is the collection.  I bought the one in the upper middle for my husband. My daughter bought the light blue one for her husband. Perhaps you’d like a closer look.

Well, we are a family that reads hot romance, so what do you expect?

I also have a little Christmas cheer for you. Everyone who comments on this blog will be given a free short SEAL Endeavor or SEAL Encounter, Kindle format. Please leave your email in your comment.

Here’s a little blurb from my new release, Fallen SEAL Legacy, book 2 of the SEAL Brotherhood series, just released this month. One commenter will be sent a set of dog tags, as pictured below.

Fallen SEAL Legacy excerpt:

A tall shadow fell through the glass and ornate metal front doors of the Brownlee house. The melodic doorbell chime came all the way from an abandoned abbey in the South of France. Whoever he was, Libby Brownlee thought, he’d not be able to get through the doorway without ducking, or smacking himself in the forehead.

“Yes?” She didn’t remove the brass chain connecting the door to the door frame. It couldn’t really stop anyone, especially someone of his size. What she saw scared her, but not in the way she expected. He was a handsome, very, very tall and fair-haired young man about her age. His piercing blue eyes didn’t stray from hers as he coolly nodded his head, and took inventory of her character, without peeling his gaze from hers.

She felt undressed, yet powerless to cover up. But she didn’t look away.

“Ma’am, I’m looking for the Brownlee family.” He said this as he ducked his head and leaned forward. She observed he was trying to make himself smaller. The effort made him look huge.

“This is the Brownlee residence.” Her response was worthy of a domestic. No need to let him know she was a relative.

“My name is Special Operator Calvin Cooper. I’m…”

“I know what a Special Operator is.”

He smiled but continued, “—currently serving in the Navy. I’ve been asked to reach out to the family of Special Operator William Brownlee.”

“Uncle Will.” She bit her tongue. Too late to take it back. “My father’s brother. I never met him. He’s been dead for many years, before I was born.” Libby looked at the ground, but was soon distracted by the size of the young man’s canvas slip-ons. The light brown hair on his ankles and lower legs, punctuated by light purple scars, blazed in the afternoon sun.

A surfer.

“Yes, ma’am. That’s the reason I’m here.”

“It’s a little late for a color guard. He get awarded a medal posthumously or something?”

The sailor stepped back and put his eyelids at half-mast after a flash of anger. He appeared way calmer than she knew he really was. The control was impressive. No matter how hard she looked, the anger did not surface again. He licked his lips and began to speak, softer this time.

“Look. I don’t want to be here any more than you want me, so let’s just get this over with, so I can tell my Chief I tried to reach out and you guys slammed the door in my face, okay?”

Well, this wasn’t the wrinkle she’d expected. “Fine.” She removed the chain, opened the door and the lumbering giant walked in. He smelled like he’d just figured out how to wear aftershave. Something told her he didn’t do it very often.

He scanned the large two-story living room with the carved wood ceiling done in Spanish florets.  His eyes lit on the three-foot tall bouquet of fresh flowers her mother put on the coffee table every day—bounty from her extensive flower garden. Behind the table, a bright red velvet couch was covered with lime and fuchsia-colored silk flowered pillows. No one ever sat there, Libby mused.  If they did, they’d be buried in the pillows, and hidden from view by the bouquet.

Rest in Peace.

“My mother takes pride in her flower garden.” She said. He had been staring at the blooms.

He tore his eyes off the display, and, without saying a word, continued to scan the archway that led to the kitchen, then back around to the walls of the foyer and a view of the grand metal staircase leading upstairs to the bedrooms.

His silence made her nervous. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to say something.

“This is about a hundred times the size of my place.” He regarded her with a crooked smile she couldn’t read. “Kinda like living in a church, although not like a church I ever attended.”

Our house looks like a church?

“Where do you live? On base?” she asked.

“No ma’am. I have a motor home I keep parked at the Silverdale Beach.”

“Wow.” A homeless Navy SEAL?

“Exactly. Got the whole ocean as my back yard.”

“Sounds—different.”

“It’s all I need.”

“Okay. Well, what’s this about? Your visit, I mean.”

“Did he have a family, or someone close, other than your family?”

“He is our family. I just never knew him.” She realized she was being short. “My grandparents are both gone, and my father was his only brother, perhaps he would know.” Libby started tracing the grout line of the marble floor with her toe. “Look, I’m going to need some answers here. You have to kind of spell it out for me. We don’t speak military in this house.”

“I can tell.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t speak military, and I didn’t bring an interpreter.”

“I think you should speak to my father.”

“That would be good.”

“Except he isn’t here. Maybe another time?”

She caught him eyeing the front of her cotton shirt, like he could see right through it without unbuttoning it. With an involuntary jerk, he was focused on her eyes again. It was very odd she didn’t feel afraid of him, like she had every other man who showed interest in her lately. Her heartbeat elevated and her breathing became shallow.

“When will he be here?” His voice sent a tingle down her spine.

“He gets home about four-thirty. But I wouldn’t waste your time unless you can tell me what you want.” She started for the door and he followed behind her. At the front, she stopped, and turned around. “I’m waiting.” She tapped her foot to an invisible drummer.

The giant nodded, but faced his own shoes as he responded to her command, “I’ve been asked to do a little research on S.O. Brownlee. It’s an order from my Chief.”

“And why would the Navy want to contact my family? What purpose would it serve?”

“It’s just what we do. I was given his name when I got my Trident. I’m supposed to know about him. I’m a SEAL as well.”

“After all these years? Why now? Why not let the dead remain dead? Why bother my father?”

The sailor shrugged, looked up at the ceiling, adjusting his stance. With a sigh, he turned his gaze back on Libby. She felt herself melt under the press of his intense study.

Cooper took a deep breath, and continued, “Because, I’ve just lost mine.”

* * * * *

Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope your holiday is very merry and very bright.

Sharon Hamilton
Sharon’s Blog ** Sharon’s Website ** Facebook**Twitter

Accidental SEAL  SEAL Encounter  Fallen SEAL Legacy   SEAL Endeavor  all available through Amazon Heavenly Lover (Amazon) (Nook)   Underworld Lover  (Amazon) (Nook) Honeymoon Bite  (Amazon) (Nook)