Monday, November 8, 2010

Pimping Your Read

Okay, you have the book finished, your edits are complete, and you're pacing the floor worrying about getting the message out that your baby is on the way.  

Sometimes it seems like an insurmountable task to get a title in front of the public so they are even  aware of your newest release. A book video is one means of celebrating and promoting at the same time.

I've seen some fantastic trailers, scripted so tightly that in 90-120 seconds they capture the essence of a longer print work and I end up saying, "Must read". *blink*  





It's hard to imagine reducing a 90,000 word book to a two minute sound bite, but for my new erotic western, Five Card Stud, debuting from Ellora's Cave on December 1st, I think this video  is a great snapshot of what's to come.
I'm sharing my new trailer, created by romance author, Alanna Coca, with a  sexy, original soundtrack written and performed by Canadian blues musician, Marv Lee. 

What do you think? Anyone have other great book videos  they've seen lately? Do trailers influence what you decide to buy?
Visit me @ 
Gem Sivad 

2010 EPIC AWARD WINNER

BEST WESTERN ROMANCE & BEST EROTIC WESTERN 2009

7 comments:

Vivien Jackson said...

I'm old-fashioned: I hate anything on my computer that forces me to put on headphones. I even avoid news clips that don't have accompanying text. As a reader, I buy based on recommendations, excerpts, and, once in a while, reviews.

Gem Sivad said...

Good thing my above video is captioned. :)

When buying print, I always read a page or two just to see if I like author style. Ebook excerpts resolve that issue and influence my choices more than anything else.

But, if a great cover or trailer catches my attention, it leads me back to the excerpt and I am far more likely to "find" a new author this way.

I recently watched Keta Diablo's video for Where the Rain is Made. I was so intrigued I bought the book, loved it, and now Keta has a new fan. :)

Vivien Jackson said...

And those captions are intriguing, too! I did click on this and watched the whole thing. I'm really impressed that y'all were able to find consistent, appropriate images and weave them together so well. If I did something like this, I'm sure it would look bleakly South Park-ish. This, however, looks slick.

Savanna Kougar said...

Gem, loved it, adored it! The music is just fab, the perfect beat and background. Alanna did an amazing job. And, as Vivien said the captions are intriguing... they hooked me. As did the images.

The only reason I don't normally watch the trailer vids is because dial-up is a pain in the rear... it took about an hour just to download your vid.

Gem Sivad said...

*Ahem, that's why Alanna Coca does my trailers. I can write a blurb (sort of) but finding the right lines and blending them with sound and pictures is beyond my limited ability.

I really don't know if a book video has any impact other than making me happy. But, if it gets a little interest where there was no interest, it works for me.:)

Thanks for commenting Vivien.

gem

Gem Sivad said...

Wow, Savanna that's hard-core determination on your part. Thanks for taking the time. And, I'm glad you liked the video.

Marv Lee, a Canadian musician wrote and performed this original score for Five Card Stud after listening to my hand wringing description of what I wanted.

Thanks for taking the time to download and watch, Savanna.

gem

Keta Diablo said...

Love the trailer, Gem, and particularly the ending, "Deal 'Em". How kewl!

Great job!

Wishing you loads of success on your new release, Best, Keta
http://www.ketadiablo.com