Write a book - CHECK.  Edit the book - CHECK.  Publish the book - CHECK.
Market the book?  Uh…  About that…

Feel a little stuck in the marketing department?  Not sure where to start or what the necessary steps are to get the word out about your book?   Did you think the publishing company was going to do it all for you?

Whether you signed on with a traditional publisher or you decided to self publish, when it comes to marketing, your book needs YOUR voice, YOUR promotional efforts and YOUR push to get the word out to readers everywhere!  I don't just mean setting up a few local book signings and speaking events (of course, those don't hurt), but in today’s web-driven-world, a GREAT way to kick-start your marketing endeavors is to build an online presence for you and your book. 

Most people already have personal Facebook and Twitter accounts - but these are also great tools to use professionally to help market your book and YOU as a budding author! 

Create a website.  Start a blog!  Sign up on AuthorsDen.com.  Join Goodreads.com, Jacketflap.com and other book oriented sites where you can network with readers and other authors.  And YES - sign up with Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. and build a Facebook Fan Page for your book or for you as an author.  Build separate accounts and followers from your personal online networks.  Yes, it’s important to keep your friends and family connected to your work, but you need to do more than just showcase to those who are near and dear to you already.  You also need to promote “Your Name,” Author of “Your Book” to the WORLD!

I have THREE websites, a blog, a FB fan page, a twitter account, a jacketflap account, a Goodreads account, an AuthorsDen account and a LinkedIn account… And you know what - this is hardly a dent in the online presence I COULD have....  but it is a presence and it helps!!  Now, you don't have to do this all in one day (it WILL TAKE TIME to build your online presence), but these are necessary steps if you want to promote your book to a wider market. 

Online venues will also help you connect with reviewers, interviewers, bloggers, other authors, etc.!  There are SO MANY online source and connections that can bring attention and awareness to your book.  Look into being featured with online Author Spotlights, write and host guest blog articles and do online interviews.  Once you get a feel for what opportunities are out thee, the sky is the limit!  The sooner you get started, the better! 

If you want to get your book attention and achieve the success you deserve as a hard working author, you need to take some BIG steps in the marketing department, and building a strong online presence is a great way to get started. 

My name is Magda M. Olchawska and I’m an author of children books (Mikolay & Julia Adventures www.mikolayandjulia.com) as well as an award winning filmmaker.

In this guest blog I’m going to share with you a few ideas & concepts about creating a book trailer.

You have your book written & you are about to be published.  Just before your book comes out you probably try to arrange book tours and try to get as many interviews & reviews as possible, try to get the top reviewer from Amazon to agree to read your book etc.

One of the new tools a lot of writers started using as part of the marketing campaign is a book trailer.

I just want to make sure that we understand each other book trailer isn’t going to sell books (just like a movie trailer doesn’t sell cinema tickets.) book trailer is going to make more people aware of your book.

It’s going to be easier for people to watch 60 sec. trailer than read a synopsis.

If you are either using a company or making a trailer yourself there are a few basic rules to keep in mind:

• Don’t make it too long. The average trailer should be between 30 sec.-90 sec. at the most. People loose attention after 90 sec.
• Make sure you are using a font that can be read and understood. Nothing fancy.
• Having music is necessary for your trailer. Music is an integral part of any kind of trailer. It often expresses more than words will do. However before you choose the right music make sure it fits your trailer. Don’t mislead your readers/audience in any way.
• Make sure you are telling the book’s story visually. Don’t give away too much. You don’t have to explain everything to your audience in a trailer.
• While making a trailer your job is to make sure it provides relevant information about your book & is mysterious & intriguing enough for people to go to your Amazon page & buy the book right away.
• Think about your book trailer as a 20-word logline of your book. How would you describe your book in 20 words? What would you say with the images in that 20 “words”?
• I strongly suggest having your website’s link through out the duration of your trailer. The best place for that is in the bottom left corner. This way you give the audience enough time to register the name of your blog/website.
• Leave enough time for your audience to become familiar with your book cover.
• Don’t try to use MTV cutting style (very fast paced cutting) for your book trailer ‘cos you won’t be able to convey any information this way. It’s not a music video.
• Try to come up with one thing that is very unique in your book & use it in your trailer. It could be your book’s trademark.
• When you buy or choose visuals for your book trailer, try to make sure they are attractive & are able to tell your story. Don’t buy random images or images that look outdated.
• Your book trailer is going to represent your book visually. If your visuals aren’t good people will think your book isn’t good either.
• I would also suggest to write a script for your trailer. This way you will know what you want to portray.

Try to do a little homework & watch as many movie trailers as you can. The people who make them are Pros & know how to trigger emotions.  It doesn’t mean you have to spend millions on your trailer. The less money you have the better ‘cos you really need to be creative.

If you would like some help with your book trailer please visit me at http://www.magdaolchawska.com/about/creative-consultations

Thank you so much for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you would like to find out more about my work as a writer & filmmaker please visit www.magdaolchawska.com

If you would like to find our more about my children books please visit www.mikolayandjulia.com

Authors: Trying to get the word out about your book(s) or broaden your fan base?  Why not connect with other authors and writers for a few interviews?  It's an opportunity to get your name out there AND have fun sharing juicy tid-bits about yourself!  Plus, networking with other authors and writers is a great way to reach out to new readers!

I recently had the honor of interviewing with two different people, writer & filmmaker, Magda M. Olchawska, and romance author, Desi Moon.  I had a blast with each and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet people outside of my usual domain. 

Check out my recent interviews below!
Interview with Heather Payer  - by Desi Moon
Interview with American Author of ”The Nameless World” Heather Payer-Smith - by Magda M Olchawska

Interview Tips:
- Keep things light-hearted.  You want your audience to have a good time reading your interview.
-  Keep things interesting.  Readers will want to take something away from your interview, whether it is learning more about you and your work, gaining insight into your methods or even learning a few fun facts about you that show you're someone worth getting to know.
- Be informative.  Give readers a reason to follow you!  Show them that you're an expert at what you do.  Show people that you have something to say worth listening to.
- PROMOTE!  Don't be shy when talking about your work.  This is a great opportunity to make more people aware of your books and why they should read your work!
- Be gracious.  Do your best to help promote the interview AND the interviewer. 

Keep in mind, author interviews are an excellent way to introduce your followers to someone new, as well.