2010-11-21 00:00:00

Originally Posted on Thursday, November 18th, 2010 by Carrie Spencer at: http://romanceuniversity.org/2010/11/18/book-videos-part-2/

Jeannie Ruesch gives tips on going to the pros with your book videos and other marketing needs.

Welcome back to the social media series at RU.  Today’s post is a continuation of our discussion on book videos and a further step into choosing professionals for your marketing efforts.

In my last article, I shared with you the things to focus on when you’re waffling over the option of a book trailer® as part of your marketing plan, whether to try it on your own and some of the tools to use if that’s the route you want to go.  We also touched on when it’s time to call in the professionals.  The initial intent for this column was to focus solely on professional book video makers and what they bring to the table, but I realized this is a big question.  When do you call in the pros? When can you justify the expense of it?  Do you have to be published? Do you have to have a certain amount of sales?

Unless you have unlimited funds and the ability to spend them willy-nilly on whatever meets your fancy, your dollars need to be accounted for and spending large amounts to promote your book may not even be possible.  There are plenty of things you can do yourself as an author looking to build your career. With the help of your publisher, your agent and your ability to do some basic market research on your own, you can easily form a marketing plan, create a budget and research the best places to spend that budget.  Depending on your strengths, you can blog, you can advertise, you can network and tweet to your heart’s content.

Often, the items in your marketing plan you consider doing yourself are the ones with a higher financial stake. Websites, designed printed collateral, and book trailers® are among the top three pieces I see home-grown. (Sometimes to the author’s detriment.)  That isn’t to say you should never tackle these on your own, but before doing so, be aware of the costs, some of which are often unrealized.  Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, either way, you’re looking at a high cost: in dollars if you pay the pro versus time spent if you do it yourself.  The unrealized costs lie in the unknown factor that could help or hurt you: what does the effort do to your brand as an author?

Continue Reading the rest of the article at: http://romanceuniversity.org/2010/11/18/book-videos-part-2/

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