RM Brand Self Help Series

Book Trailers (Part 2): The Script

Now that you’ve written the book, got your artist working on the cover, you want to create a book trailer. Rather than go into the “why” part, I’m just going to dive right in.

A book trailer ought to entice your audience to read your book. Much like a movie trailer, you want to focus only on the main characters and plot.

Watch Movie Trailers

Although there are a few good book trailers out there, movie trailers still do a better job of enticing people into theatres. And since your aim is to hook readers to buy your book, this is one place to start. Go to your favorite movie trailers website (I use http://trailers.apple.com/) and start watching trailers to stories similar to yours or that have similar themes. While you’re watching them, look for how text is presented or words were used, jot down a few notes as you go (remember, you can always stop or repeated video as you go).  Afterwards, make a list of movies you love and watch their trailers (you can Google the movie title and find the trailer that way). Again, jot down what you liked most from that trailer. While you’re doing all of this, keep your skill set in mind. Don’t expect to do feature film if you’re not even familiar with PowerPoint. If you like specific special effects, you will most likely find a how-to on the web if you take the time to search for it. I mostly used Video Copilot’s tutorials for most of my effects. Since I am writing this for individuals with experience in After Effects or similar software, I won’t go into what you need to learn as it has a very high learning curve. As I’ve mentioned before, I suggest you head over to Andrew Kramer’s website here to learn more if you are interested.

Warning: Do not be tempted to start buying images yet! First work out the script, then buy the images. Otherwise you will waste money on images, sounds or movie segments you won’t use. In a later post I will tell you where to find images at a reasonable price, along with music, audio and video segments.

1. Dialogue or Twists

It helps to narrow down pieces of dialogue or twists in the story that can either be added as text, sound bites and/or images during the trailer.  

2. In The Beginning…

How do you want to begin your trailer? This is the introduction to the story. Did you want to start off with a question, a phrase, quote, or maybe a thought-provoking image that swells with a chord of music? You’re setting things up, so you want to make sure to show the audience the subject of the story. I struggled with this, so I watched a few trailers and found the one that I really liked, I Am Number Four.

3. Hit Them Where It Counts

The middle of your trailer should consist of narrative (either text or audio*) that tells the audience was is going to happen. It would be the “what is” part of the Duarte formula, with you working up towards the “would could be.” Use images, text and music to build tension towards the big finale. Remember, this is a teaser to hook the audience. So use enough information to whet their appetite without giving everything away.

*You can add audio narratives with Sonokinetic’s TrailerVoice. My next trailer for By Virtues’ Design will include it.  

4. End With A Bang

Some have suggested ending your trailer with a cliff hanger, with everything else leading up to that cliffhanger. I’ve done something similar with The Shaman’s Beacon. The theme of your story should give you some inspiration. The music at this point ought to end with a dramatic end (a drum-hit or crash or even heart beat or flat-line sound).

5. Where and When To Buy

Make sure to put a few seconds (10 ought to be enough) to display where to purchase the book. It should include a website as well. When you are ready to upload the video to YouTube of Vimeo, you can add URLs to the description as well.

6. Storyboard the Trailer

There are plenty of templates out there to help you storyboard your script. I created my own with 3x5 cards with a simple concept and related phrase. I then taped it to my hallway wall, which got no lack of commentary from my peanut gallery loving family. You don’t have to tape it to a wall, but I prefer to see it in quasi action. Hence the wall. Plus, it’s easier to picture the movie if its spread all before you.

Be prepared to write, rewrite, and get stuck. It took me forever to do my trailer because I was doing everything from scratch, including the special effects. I now buy my templates from Videohive. This lets me focus on the script and less on the special effects.

Optional: Splash

I added a splash to the beginning of my video for Red Sage Publishing, along with an introduction to the author. You don’t have to have this, but I did it as a courtesy to Red Sage Publishing.

On my next installment, I'll go over the Storyboard process, how to conceptualize an idea into a graphic, text or music. 

Other Resources on Book Trailers

http://leannareneebooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/leannas-do-it-yourself-guide-to-book.html

http://katenoble.com/blog/2011/05/how-to-make-a-book-trailer-for-5/

The Shaman's Beacon

Buy now at Red Sage Publishing

Yee-haw!
Announcing the release of The Shaman's Beacon, now on sale at Red Sage Publishing, available in ebook format for all electronic devices.

What's Inside
A high-heeled workaholic meets a cowboy while on vacation in Wyoming and learns that not only is her new boyfriend hairy behind the ears, he’s being hunted by werewolf trappers bent on turning him into a designer handbag and her into an accessory.

The Story Behind The Story
Clayton McIntyre was the answer to a burning question, “What would a loving and nurturing werewolf be like?” Male werewolves are generally violent, aggressive, and severe. Clayton is the antithesis of the stereotypical werewolf. Sure, he can be a mean hombre when provoked, but his good nature and gentle manner heals even the deepest wounds of the heart. That’s precisely what Linda needs. 

As a pack shaman, Clayton gets all the perks of being an alpha without the worries that come with it. That gives him the freedom to practice his craft unabated. He doesn’t limit his treatments to weres only. He reaches out to all with a level of humanity rarely seen in humans or immortals. That’s because he sees the best in people, especially the woman he loves. Things don’t generally faze him, except when Linda decides to take on the pack’s enemies. That brings out the wolf, which leads him to hurt her worse than anything anyone has ever done. It’ll take more than shamanic healing to get her to forgive him and even more to forgive himself. This book is about the healing power of love and what it takes inside each of us to find it.

Book Description
Linda Menendez vacations to Lander, Wyoming and meets Clayton McIntyre, a Texas cowboy who insists he’s a werewolf. He’s a shaman too, complete with a talisman. She ain’t buying it, until that woo-woo turns into whoa-whoa when she sees a wolf being skinned alive. And not just any old wolf, a werewolf. Despite the implications of that, she won’t sit idly by while their corpses are dumped around the small town in Wyoming she’s fallen in love with. She’ll fight back no matter what it takes, but Clayton doesn’t like that one bit. He’ll hog tie her to keep her safe. But then who will keep him safe? 

Clayton recognizes his true mate, Linda, the moment they meet. The picture she carries around is him in wolf form, though she refuses to believe it. He mates with her, bonding her to him, and takes her on a shamanic journey to help her accept who she is and the truth about him. But Linda is one very stubborn woman, especially when she decides to take on the pack’s enemies, including a militia led by a fanatic half-blood intent on skinning weres into extinction. No matter how much Clayton tries to convince her that she can trust him, the woman keeps putting herself in harm’s way. If he can’t get her to slow down she’ll end up in the scrap pile right along with him.

Have A Taste
Linda applied more raspberry lip gloss.

“Why you putting that junk on?” Clayton waited for her to catch up and put his arm around her.

She dropped the lip gloss back into her purse and snapped it closed. “Think of it as a deterrent.” After they crossed the side entrance a strong waft of dung hit her. She grimaced.

Her date, however, wasn’t fazed. He led her past several rodeo crews and asked, “You hinting that I’m a bad kisser?”

“God no!” That was a little louder than she was going for, enough to get the attention of some cowboys working with a bull. She leaned closer to Clayton. “You’re the reason mothers warn their daughters about men.”

He chuckled and took her hand.

Clayton led her past a group of men who were preparing a bareback bronc rigging on a palomino while the rider was securing his gripping glove before his ride. They stopped and the men shook his hand one by one. He introduced her to them as ‘my girl from Los Angeles.’ They all offered her a warm greeting. Clayton might as well have announced she was his wife the way they were so happy for him, as though she signified some important event in his life. They seemed to know something she didn’t and it was disconcerting.

An older Native American woman with a chambray button shirt called out his name from another chute. He turned and that brilliant smile spread over his face when he saw who it was. She gestured to Linda and spread her hands inquiringly. He drew Linda close to him and shouted, ‘my girl.’ Damn, he sounded so happy and proud.

Linda’s felt her cheeks flush when a few people turned to look at her. She elbowed him, which felt like hitting a brick wall.

Clayton bent down and gave her a kiss that nearly knocked her feet out from under her. 

The lip gloss was an absolute failure.

Want To Talk About It?

I'm all over the place, me, my shelf, and likes. I do occasionally enjoy a tweet and for you couch potatoes out there, I do have a boob-tube channel. So don't be shy! Let's chew the fat with Bubba for a while.


All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce any portion of the work mentioned above from The Shaman's Beacon in any form whatsoever in any country whatsoever is forbidden.

The Books, the Web, and All Things In Between

I've got a few things to share with you all. First, I've finalized my book trailer. Take a look and be sure to "Like" the video if you enjoyed it.

The novel is due for release September 1, 2011. You can pre-order the book now here.



I also launched my new web site The Hen House. There you'll find what's coming and some quirky things about me. It's a work in progress and no doubt will grow as more books are published.

I'm currently working on the next novel, By Virtues' Design, that is due for release October 15, 2011. The book cover is done, which I will post soon.

So You Want To Write A Book

Writers more and more are turning to “vanity” publishing in order to get their work out there. There are several problems with that, which all can be boiled down to quality, or better said the lack thereof.

Let’s face it, we all have egos. We all think we’re pretty damn good at what we do and when we hear criticism or rejection we get defensive, including yours truly. If you let it get to you that’s going to be a problem if you want to be a successful writer. Yeah, I’ve heard the “I’ve got a thick skin” smack that holds as much water as a Dixie cup on the Titanic. Need proof? Simply send your work to a number of agents (not all at once, mind you as most don’t accept simultaneous submissions) and wait for their response. I guarantee you that when you read their bland form rejections again and again and again you’ll see a pattern here. That’s right, you’re work doesn’t cut it.

There are many factors that involve their decision. It could be a formatting issue. Agents generally require specific things in each submission, but most people don’t even bother to do their homework by checking the agent’s web site to find out what the agent wants to see. It could be grammatical errors in your query and/or synopsis. Nothing turns an agent off faster than grammatical errors. Why? Because the public hates them too. It also could be timing, where the market is saturated with the genre of your book or it’s on a decline. Oh sure, these are all legitimate reasons to reject your work. But the reason they send you that bland reply most often than not is because your work needs work.

After several rejections you turn to self-publishing (aka. vanity publishing). Hey, if Amanda Hockings can do it, so can you. Right? Actually, there's more to being an author than just writing a book. That's a fact. You spend a good portion of your time doing other things related to writing, but don't despair. Sometimes the other stuff can be just as much fun.

We all want our novel to shine, but in order to do that you have to spend some time researching and getting into the business side. Without this knowledge you can make fatal mistakes that turn your best seller to your best stinker. Things to consider are:

1. Sales data on genre. If it ain’t selling it ain’t selling. That means you could have something great on your hands, but if the market isn’t buying you’ll have a tough time selling it until the trends change. If you’re patient, great. If you’re not, try reading what’s hot and see if that genre is something you want to write in. However, and please read this very carefully, do NOT write something for the sake of it. If you’re not feeling the story (i.e., getting into the heads of the characters down to their dark little secrets) then forget about it. Stick with what you want to do. Who knows, you could prove everyone wrong by writing the best novel in that genre that’s ever been published.
2. Know your genre (even if it’s mainstream). There are specific things readers expect from their favorite genres and if you don’t deliver them they are most likely not going to buy the next book. In some cases you might even get a negative review. And trust me, readers do read these. I know. I do. In fact, that’s the first place I start, because I do not trust people to be honest about the work. Check association web sites (like Romance Writers for America or Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) to get the latest scoop. These are fantastic resources for writers, and given that many have advice on writing, it behooves you to check them out.
3. Editor, for reals! Don’t have your family and friends do your editing for you. If you have to hire someone do it. You want someone who does this for a living in one capacity or another, preferably either someone who works in the publishing industry or has experience editing large documents and has a passion for reading (before you hire someone make sure to check Writer’s Beware for hacks and con artists). If the editor reads in your genre, even better. They will be able to give you insight on what’s working and not working in your manuscript, which can be vital to turning a story into a best seller. Remember, these are people who read a lot and know what’s out there. Keep your trap shut and listen. It doesn’t mean you have to do everything they suggest, you’re simply ingesting information. Who knows, it just might be exactly what you need to hear, even if they tell you “This stinks!” If they do tell you your work stinks have them quantify exactly what they didn’t like about it (i.e., grammar, plot, lack of character development, etc.).
4. Read. Seriously. Read until your brain is mush. Include blogs like Joe Konrath’s A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing and Eric’s Pimp My Novel. Joe is a prolific e-book author. Eric works in the publishing industry in marketing (he’s the guy who helps you sell your books, like imaging, branding yourself, etc.). Both have different takes on the industry, but their sage advice is valuable for all sides of publishing. If you’re publishing ebooks or heading into the traditional legacy house publishing both will provide you statistics on market trends, the health on book distributors like the big box bookstores, and tips and tricks to get you published. Eric goes into ebook sales, so its worth a look. There's also this fabulous blog entry from Nathan Bransford that goes into revenues and current trends. Very informative stuff.
5. Thou Shalt Not Criticize the Critic. Don’t go Howett on a critic. The worst thing you can ever do is argue with one. It’s not even advisable to argue over someone else’s work. Read #3 if you don’t get it, particularly the part about keeping your trap shut and listening. Critics take their free time to read your work and then offer their insight on what they liked and what they didn’t like. You can learn a lot about your work even through scathing critiques. You just have to chill out and process what they’re saying. And don’t chalk it up as “that’s their opinion.” Yeah, an opinion from someone who reads a lot and knows a thing or two. Countering a critic can lead to spectacular rejection by the public, even those who haven’t picked up your book. That’s what Howett is about. An author not only posted repeated arguments against the critic and his visitors, she resorted to throwing the “F” bomb. Do you know what happened to her ratings on Amazon? Yep, it tanked. People posted reviews of her work who blatantly declared they hadn’t read it simply because of her reaction to a critic. Bad form on the author’s part. Period.
6. Get Up Off of That Thang. Well, figuratively speaking. You want to be out there, in the public, and with all the social networking opportunities this is a great time to start publishing your polished work. Some great advice on this comes from Joe again, What Works: Promo for Ebooks. He goes into the nitty gritty about electronic and self-publishing. The man is brilliant and successful. One more thing I would include that he hasn’t, and that is getting involved in your local association. I’m a member of the Northwest Houston chapter of Romance Writers of America and I can tell you they’re a wonderful group of people. In just two visits, I learned about voodoo from an actual voodoo priestess (Ms. Ava Kay Jones) and how to dig up bones of your character (a lecture on the intricacies of introspection to determine character style, personality, and weaknesses). Plus, I’m surrounded by brilliant artists from all walks of publishing and their advice is like mana to my starving writer's soul. Getting out there gives you presence and that presence can have a positive effect on your writing and publishing, without a doubt.

The last thing I will tell you, but will not add to my list because it goes without saying, is to write. Take Amanda Hockings advice. Don’t get distracted. Sit down and write. When the other stuff starts to creep in, don’t get up off that chair. Focus and keep working on that chapter until you’re in the zone. If you have to, find a place where you’re alone. Tell your family and friends that you are working and not to disturb you. Remember, you’re investing time without pay for future rewards, which means you are working, on a job. It is your job to write and you’re the boss. If you have to, use Amanda’s trick or put a large picture of you shaking your finger at yourself or shut your door and don’t open it until you’ve written a chapter. That type of discipline is necessary. Trust me, it never gets easier. Something will always try to creep into your mind. The difference is you’ll learn to recognize it and have the appropriate arsenal to contend with it.

And above all, remember you can do it. The difference between an unpublished author and a published one is tenacity. NEVER give up on your dream.

Just around the river bend...

I love the song Just Around The River Bend from Disney's Pocahontas animated movie. I too have felt that there was so much more to experience in life if I but took the bend in the road. There might be opportunities otherwise unknown or untried if I didn't go. The thing is I knew that it was up to me to try and the only way I would ever make my dreams come true is if I never gave up.

I've seen much in the course of my life, very much like the river described in the movie. Some of those river bends were calm and others wild. The thing that kept me going was knowing the next bend might be the one I've been searching for. I came upon that bend today.

As some of you might know I am moving to Texas. Its a new adventure, to say the least. Even so, I am about to embark on an even greater adventure as a published author.

I have been given an offer by a publishing house I love. I'm so excited by this venture I can't stop grinning. The house is one of the leading e-publishing houses for romantic titles. And thanks to a bend about fifteen years ago that led me into the marketing industry, I will be able to promote my book with publishing experts who know the trends and best practices for getting the word out.

There are many more bends in the river to come, but for now I think I'll just sit in the canoe and relish this one here.

Escape the Slush Pile--MJ Davidson

I have been reading a fabulous book by MaryJanice Davidson published in ebook format only entitled Escaping The Slush Pile.

MaryJanice provides example query letters along with the back story for each, the response and outcome. She goes into detail, outlining why this worked and what didn't. There are pearls of wisdom seldom seen in such books, which has ignited my passion for writing once again. Thank you, MaryJanice!!!

Among the many nuggets I found, one I'm eager to start is attending meetings at the local Romance Writers of America chapter in Houston. This will have to wait until Clint and I move to The Woodlands in Texas, but already I'm chomping at the bit to have the opportunity to meet fellow writers who love the genre as much as I do. I've heard they don't support ebook publishing, but given the way the market is going, they might have to concede to its success soon. Some are reporting ebook sales into the 300% in December and January, which makes sense when you consider how many people received e-readers during the holidays.

Getting back to MaryJanice's book, perhaps the best parts of her book are the queries and synopsis examples. Its hard, really hard to write both. Believe me, I've been doing it for ten years and still I get stuck. Her examples get the creative juices flowing--doesn't that sound yummy--enough that I wrote a one page synopsis in the middle of the night after reading her book.

There are many good resources out there to help authors hone their craft, and Escape The Slush Pile makes an excellent addition to the list.