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5 Video Tips For Authors + Giveaway

The other day I took a break from editing my new book Second Chance Bride, Book 2 of All Brides Are Beautiful, so I could create the video for the new box set I'm in.

Unforgettable Weddings, a collection of 8 wedding romances by my friends and I--all NY Times and/or USA Today bestselling authors. This box set contains my book April Fool Bride.

I've done quite a few video trailers now so I have some tips to help you with yours. Plus, I'm giving away a video to 1 lucky winner. Details at the bottom of this post.

First, watch my latest video. Let me know if you like it! Hopefully, it will make the viewer/reader want to buy Unforgettable Weddings!

Remember, after watching the video, scroll down for 5 tips on how to make an effective video book trailer, plus the Giveaway offer.



Video Tips

1. Make it short. A successful video should be no more than 60 seconds. The first one I ever did was over 2 minutes long. I just didn't think I could convey a visual representation of my book in a shorter length. Wrong!

2. Make a separate image for the YouTube Thumbprint. That's what you call the image that appears next to the video in a list on YouTube. It's the image you see above.

3. Think about theme or branding. Do you want to brand your author name, the kind of books you write, or a particular book? Or do you want the video to be a visual synopsis of your book? What is the impression you want the viewer to receive from the video?

4. Select great music that isn't too fast and frenetic or too slow and draggy. You want the music to move the story along. Music can either make or break a video.

5. Have a good opening image for your video and an equally good closing one. The opening shows what the reader can expect, and the closing image cements that image with the viewer.

Giveaway for Your Own Video

No Purchase Necessary.

(1) Click LIKE and leave a comment on Unforgettable Weddings on YouTube. (Please subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're there.)

(2) Copy the comment you made on the YouTube page and paste it into the Comment section of this post with your email written out--not as a hot link.

(3) Winner chosen by random draw.

(4) Winner will receive a 60 second or less video for a book.

(5) Giveaway offer closes May 20. (6) Winner will be contacted by email after that date.

By the way, Unforgettable Weddings is an Amazon Exclusive and is available for preorder now for only 99cents.

Takeaway Truth

Video trailers may not sell a book, but they do grow awareness of the book and the author. Hopefully, that leads to "discoverability" and that's what all authors want.

Visit Joan online: Blog * Amazon * BookBub * Facebook * Twitter.

Want a free ebook of one of Joan's popular romance novels? Just click here to sign up for Joan's mailing list.

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