A Video Trailer is Your Book’s Virtual Cover

A somewhat frustrated author told me recently, “It feels like I have to sell every book.” She’s right. Getting noticed is tough business, even for the best of authors published with the “big” houses.

To have a hope of getting your potential readers to pay attention,  you need a strong marketing plan. As guest blogger and owner and executive producer of Trailer to the Stars Misty Taggart puts it, you have to be creative and you must meet people where they are. One way to do both is by adding a video book trailer to your promotion tools.  Read on as Misty explains how a book trailer can help boost your book sales.

Okay, fess up … how many books have you purchased simply because you loved the cover?  Don’t want to say?  Well, you’re not alone. I’ve actually purchased books because the covers complemented the decor of my guest room. Book covers are an enormous component of a book’s success. But, things are changing rapidly in the publishing world.  Your readers are now not only browsing through brick and mortar bookstores, they are browsing the Internet. Many buyers make their literary choices by viewing book trailers. This truth requires a change in marketing tactics for authors and publishers alike.

As an author, you know word of mouth leads to sales. Books don’t receive the huge pre-release marketing budgets that CDs and films enjoy. You have to be a bit more creative.  You have to reach out to readers where they spend most of their time… online. And while a great cover is a start, real word of mouth marketing today starts with video book trailers.

A book without a professional video trailer is a book that isn’t being marketed for today’s reader. If you are self-publishing or if your publisher is not providing you with a trailer, then step up and make sure you have one.  Give your book every opportunity to be noticed.  How many hours, days, weeks, months, years did you spend creating your manuscript? Now that it is being published, make the most of that window of opportunity.

A professional book trailer is written and produced in the perfect style to complement your marketing plans.  Professionals understand the flow and tempo of video.  Scripting and editing work hand in hand to embrace your book, whether it is fiction or non-fiction.  Photos, video clips and music are chosen and combined with the ideal voice-over.

Author Marketing Tip: Be sure to purchase and retail all rights to your trailer so you can use it anywhere.

With a professional book trailer, a whole world of marketing opportunities opens up to you. Your blog tours become more plentiful and interesting. At signings, you can play your trailer in a loop on your laptop to draw attention and bring readers (aka buyers) to you.  Many online bookstores will run your video only a few pixels away from the BUY button.

A well-produced book trailer can make the difference between a sale and a quick look. A trailer doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg … but it does need to be professional.  The Internet has made your audience video savvy.  Think of your video as the second cover of your book.  Your book is being judged by not only its cover, but its virtual cover as well.  That is the evolution of book marketing.  Shrug it off as an unnecessary part of your marketing and you will be making an already risky marketplace even more precarious. 

Readers purchase books when they see a compelling video. Done well, videos effectively pull people into the story.  Once they become aware of your book, they talk about it, Tweet about it, Facebook about it, blog about it, and, most importantly, click the BUY button!

Want to know how a video book trailer could fit into your marketing plan? Let’s talk!  I will be happy to answer your questions about book video trailers and how to use them.  You can then make a well-informed decision.  Contact me at TrailerToTheStars@gmail.com for a free video consultation and take a moment to view some of our latest video releases at http://www.youtube.com/booksinmotion.