What's the Ideal Amount of Time to Take Between Writing Novels?

These signs always amuse me so much. Although, in New Mexico, the lakes are often somewhat hidden from view, and one can come upon them precipitously, from flat mesa to deep canyon filled with water. Still... the warning signs make me smile.

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is the Novelist's Refractory Period: How you handle that time between "just finished the novel" and when you “have” to start the next.

I’ll be interested to hear what everyone else has to say. I suspect that, for some of us, this is driven by the “have” to of deadlines. It sure it for me – both of the self-imposed and external variety.

But I do have this little fantasy I nurse. It’s on the same shelf with the one about the villa overlooking the Mediterranean, a lovely house of vine-draped balconies and sweet cabana boys who bring me balanced meals and vodka cocktails. In this fantasy, I take a month or two off between novels. I see myself as this glamorous writer who plans exotic vacations during her “down time.”

I would use this down time to take a Mediterranean cruise, or hike along Hadrian’s Wall. I might stay in a little house in Bali and spend the mornings meditating and the afternoons snorkeling. (And the nights in wine-drinking.) No matter what I did or where I went, people would (of course) recognize me and say how they loved my last novel and what will the next be about?

This is when I toss my long, fringed silk scarf over my shoulder and say, “I’m mulling it. No doubt this [hike along Hadrian’s Wall/cruise of the Mediterranean/month in Bali] will provide inspiration.”

I love this fantasy.

But who am I kidding? If it ever happens, that’s pretty far down the road. That time between finishing one novel and starting the next? It’s usually a weekend. Sometimes three days. I’m actually trying to plan my writing schedule better so that I finish drafts right before planned weekend or week-long vacations, to give myself a little rebound time.

At this point, the most of a break I feel I can give myself is to switch to editing instead of drafting, or to draft in a different genre than I just finished writing.

One day, when I can afford to take that time off in between, though, I totally will. 

*Note to self: must buy long, fringed silk scarf. 

My Mini Movie Book Trailer Phase

Our topic this week is basically book trailers and how effective they are as a sales tool. My colleague K. A. Krantz said earlier: “Usually, book trailers are done because the author simply likes having them.”

Yup, that's exactly why I happen to have any. They were fun to do, not that I have the skills to make them for myself! But I enjoyed the collaborative process of picking out images and music, and working with creative people who did the video making. I LOVED having what I viewed as mini movies of my books. Who knows if I’ll ever get actual movies made of any of my stories? (Came close once but hey…Hollywood, you know?)

So I have…  I don’t know five or six book trailers maybe? And I worked with four or five different people, and the experience varied each time but overall was cool and fun. Do I think any of the trailers sold any books? No.

                Besides making me personally happy, the videos are useful to add to blog posts, tweets and Facebook. I had several featured on USA Today Happy Ever After blog when they reviewed book trailers. Not sure they even do that anymore. (Yes, I am a contributor there but I had no influence over the tastes and choices of the person who was the video critic.)

A couple of the older videos are wayyyyyy too long. One is now cringeworthy as tech has moved beyond where it was at the time. I saw a lot of the stock photos I’d chosen used by other authors since, on covers etc., as we’re all using the same sites and models. I always envied the authors who could afford the actual made-for-them videos with actors and vignettes from the book, but I was never going to have that big a budget and even if I did, I couldn’t afford TV ad time.

Will I ever do any more? Not unless my book take off into the stratosphere or I win the big Powerball lottery and thus I have money to burn, so to speak. I make wiser choices with my marketing pennies nowadays. I got over my “gee whiz I have a mini movie of my book!” phase.

I’ll share my biggest budget trailer, for Star Cruise: Marooned, and my most recent, for Hostage to the Stars, which was the last one I had made, and was about four books ago. The trailer for Hostage was on the low end of my cost curve but I loved it. Cheri Lasota was a joy to work with.

SFR Galaxy Award Winner Hostage to the Stars is still on sale as an ebook for $.99 by the way! Buy Links:     Apple iBooks     Amazon    Kobo     Barnes & Noble

Book Trailer Challenge

I know nothing about book trailers. Except that I've seen a few, and those few haven't left a good impression. There might be a way to create a killer book trailer, but I sure haven't seen it yet. Maybe if I did Claymation excerpts? But, you know, I already have a job or three. So that's not likely to happen in this lifetime.

I like video/film as a mode of expression. Not crazy about it as a means of selling. That's a me thing. I suspect I've got some prejudice about using the visual storytelling mode (video) to tell a story about a story told in a nonvisual mode. It shorts my simple brain. Right now, YouTube seems geared for the unbearably cute, the sadistically amusing, or the insanely clever.

I'm sure someone out there can create book trailers that fit all of those criteria. That someone is not currently me.

So while I think video has some serious strengths if you understand the pros and cons of the medium. It's an excellent teaching tool. Most people in our culture are visual learners. So there's that. Silly cat videos (KittenLady and TinyKittens, anyone?), DIY projects, instructional videos, experiences travel and adventure vids, and actual performance (assuming you can handle the trolls) - those are the things that really seem to pop on YouTube. If I still had an orange cat (sniff) I'd consider doing a trailer for Damned If He Does - it would be all from the cat's point of view. But. Ship sailed.

All of that said, I do have a YouTube channel. It's pretty invisible because my video quality is crap. It's all cat videos, boat videos, and this. The Night of The Frogs.

So. Book trailers? Nope. Not unless I can come up with a way to make marketing the written word via a visual medium I can't justify the cost or time. Now. Someone come tell me why I'm wrong. I'm always interested in learning that I'm thinking about something incorrectly.

The Value of Video Promotion

So, I've mentioned before that I don't think Book Trailers, as they are typically done, are effective marketing for a book.  Frankly, they're rarely going to get the attention of anyone who wasn't already interested, and at best they probably won't detract from audience interest.

And that's because translating "movie trailer" style to promoting books doesn't quite work.
But I've been putting some thought into how video can be used, if not for book promotion strictly, then as part of author branding (there's that thing again).  And, I mean, I do have a degree in Film & Video Production.  So I know something about how the medium works.

So I'm putting something together, teaming up with my son (who is pretty gifted in the video arts, see below) which should be fun and dynamic to watch in its own right, and just possibly inspire some book sales.  We'll see.  Watch this space, because stuff is coming.  (And in case you missed it, earlier this week we dropped the cover to Lady Henterman's Wardrobe.  Check it out.)

Book Trailers, Animations, and Cat Scully

Because we are talking about videos and trailers in book marketing this week, here, again, is my trailer for Jovienne, featuring music from the original score I composed...


Yes, that's my music. I created a new arrangement of the song Immanence  just for the trailer, which I also made. This was my first ever attempt at a trailer.

My research showed 45 - 75 seconds was prime. I shot for that, but the feedback I recieved forced me to push it a little longer. I would like to think that the music was interesting enough that it maintained viewers for the full play. Personally, I don't think there's anything WRONG with it, but I know it could also be better because I believe that anyone's first attempt at anything can be improved upon. The constraints of a trailer include not only the skill and experience of the creator, but the budget. I purchased images of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower, as well as a demonic eyes image. The woman representing Jovienne is a friend, and her images, taken by Candylust, were used with permission.  ALL of the images I tweaked/altered in Photoshop. (As a dormer graphic artist, I do have some skills in that area.)

This was 1.) a great means to enable people to quickly know something about the story, and 2.) give them a taste of the music I've composed for it. For me, this was a triple win... 3.) I had fun and learned stuff creating it.

You can buy a digital copy of the CD for $5.99  HERE  or you can buy a hard copy CD from me either at a convention, or you can use the link on my website HERE.

Now, the important question: Has this generated sales?

Answer: I don't know.

I can tell you, though, that I plan to do more trailers for my books and music because it was fun, I love being creative, and it can't hurt.

That said, I recently saw a "book animation" for another friend's book, Christopher Golden's Ararat.
I was struck by it. I'm currently reading that book and this animation captured the essence of the tale. The premise of it is straightforward and simple (though I doubt the work involved with it was) and as a viewer, I came away with a sense of quiet menace, which pairs perfectly (IMO) for the story.

When I researched it to link it here for y'all, I realized it was done by Catherine Scully, who I met at DragonCon last year and is an awesome woman. You can see here portfolio, LINK HERE. (*And you can see that Ararat animation HERE *scroll to the bottom*) She does so much more than trailers and animations--she's an author too!!!

Her bio:

Cat Scully is an illustrator and graphic designer who enjoys lending her experience to help authors as they develop their personal branding platforms. She's worked for nearly a decade as a print, web, and motion designer for clients like: Cartoon Network, Boomerang, CARE, AT&T, Comedy Central, Cosmo, NBC, ABC, and Marvel/Paramount. She assists authors and publishers by creating illustrated world maps, character trading cards, posters prints, banner stands, website designs, author logos, social media ads, and animated book covers. She currently works with River City Writers, Christopher Golden and James A. Moore, designing their social media ads, web assets, user experience, and assists with print design and production. In addition to being a designer, Cat Scully is a writer herself, and her work is represented by Miriam Kriss of Irene Goodman Literary. 

CHECK HER OUT!!!!

Gettin' Flashy: Can Videos Sell More Books?

Ah, advertising. Trying to grab eyeballs. Create an impulse. Make a sale.

Book trailers. 30-sec video clips. GIFs. Animated ads. Do they sell more books than a static, flat ad? Are they worth the money? The time to create?

Guys, hehehe, ~slaps knee~, let's have a reality check. If sales and marketing divisions knew without a doubt what kind of advertising would guarantee a sale, there'd be a revolution in the industry. 85% of S&M (yes, yes, snigger if you want) is spaghetti against the wall. When an ad has a conversion rate of greater than 10%, it's considered a rousing success. A good campaign is somewhere around 5%, the average is 2%.

The holy grail of advertising is a viral campaign in which the company doesn't have to do much. A Taste Maker has fallen in love with the product and given it legs. If they can't get a Taste Maker, get a teenager (lookin' at you, Fidget Spinners). They're the second most influential group. Women are the group with the greatest purchasing power. You place your ads where they'll be seen by influencers and purchasers. 'Dems da broad strokes of S&M that haven't changed in decades.

So, what's that have to do with trailers, clips, and GIFs?

Disclaimer: I don't work for a publisher or an advertising agency. I do not work for an ad farm or a research firm. I do not have actual stats on campaigns. I do have amazing Google-fu and experience trying to get people to buy stuff they don't know they need.

Let's start with book trailers. You don't make them for the audience you wish you had. They're not a sales tool. You make them as a reward for the readers you already have. At best, they're a retention tool. Usually, book trailers are done because the author simply likes having them.

But what if I'm advertising on YouTube and I want a pre-roll or in-play video ad? Then you probably are spending too much on your advertising budget. ~cough~ In all seriousness though, you have 10-seconds to grab the attention of your viewer, by 15-seconds you've lost 2/3rds of them. 30-seconds is your max time allowed for the ad. My gut says the ROI isn't there for an author. You're selling a book, not a Marvel movie. YouTube isn't where you'll find your audience. If you're committed to a video longer than 60 seconds, you're likely better served by having your own channel and directing existing readers there--again, for the fun of it, not the sale.

Viral Video Clips (15-30 seconds):  Here's the thing, videos take time to render on the page. On mobile apps, they can be turned off, aka, never seen. They're usually prioritized to render last. By then, the consumer's already clicked away or they're reading the content of the page and your video will piss them off when it finally plays because it's now a distraction and it's probably stolen focus (e.g. claimed the cursor's control from scroll bar).

However, if you have fans who send clips to you of your book in the wild, of their reviews, of cosplaying your characters, etc., my friends, that is AWESOME. Promote that stuff on your website (after getting the reader's permission).  Do not make them into ads.

Flash(y) Ads/HTML5 Animated/Rich Media: When the tech behind Flash ads was new to market, it was something hungry advertisers and hungrier ad sales teams pushed. To the point that consumers are now as blind to them as static ads. If you have your heart set on a rich media ad and some cash to burn, limit the play to 6 seconds. More than 9 seconds and your Click-Through-Rate (CTR) tanks. 6 is the sweet spot.

6-second ads, aren't those Vine video clips? Folks, Twitter killed Vine. It didn't replace it as the best tech, the company Twitter bought Vine then killed it. Pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Yes, there are other providers out there. Yes, of course, the tech is still used. If it could have been successfully monetized, it wouldn't have slunk off to the shadows.

GIFs: As a file format for advertising, GIFs aren't typically supported. It's most likely you're thinking of using gifs on your website or on your social media accounts. On sites that support the playback, it's not the time that's limited, it's the file size. It's technically possible to make a 3-min gif. Use GIFs as you would any status update on your social media --to engage with your followers. If you deploy these as cheap/free sales opportunities, you might as well be screaming BUY MY BOOK at your audience. That's how you lose followers.

There is nothing wrong with static ads. Vendors have all kinds of limitations on text versus image and what kinds of images are not acceptable, but there is an industry standard for visual and file size. One ad can go in a lot of places and across a lot of platforms. For now, static ads are still the best bang for your buck.

A better option for your time with minimal money: Build your newsletter subscriber list. Send free short stories to your subscribers quarterly.

The best option for your time and money: Write the Next Book.

Um. YEah

Everything that Jeffe said, except about awards.

I have never tried a video. I just spam the internet from time to time with links.

Have a great week,

James A. Moore

Because we all like the occasional discount: ALIEN: SEA OF SORROWS is available on the Kindle right now for $1.99

PR you can get the entire ALIEN: TRILOGY by Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden and yours truly for @5.97

Each story is a standalone but it's a pretty darned cool price and oif you read them all, there are connections and threads of other things throughout.

Book Trailers and Animated Ads - Do They Work?

Lonen's War is on sale for .99₵! If you haven't read it - or if you've been bugging your friends to give it a try ;-) - this is the perfect time to grab a copy.

I'm doing this in part to celebrate my good news: THE PAGES OF THE MIND and THE EDGE OF THE BLADE are both finalists in the fantasy category of the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal (FFP) PRISM Award! It's always a thrill to be a finalist, but with two books in there, I have my fingers crossed that maybe I'll get one of these:

Only with, yanno, MY name and book on it! A girl can dream.

Marketing: Book Trailers, Vine Vids, and Gifs: Can/Would/Could Animated Ads Work For You?

So... I'm just so not a marketing person. I could probably get good at it if I could get over the idea that a lot of it is manipulation. I have issues with manipulative behavior of all types, and I pretty much loathe advertising tricksiness. I learned a long time ago that the purpose of most advertising is to convince us we have a problem, so they can then sell us the solution. Thus the whole "do you have ring around the collar?" sort of commercial, where you come away wondering, "do I???" And they want you to buy the stuff to make it disappear. 

Marketers like to created fear and worry, so that we purchase their product to make it go away. This fear and worry we didn't have until they created it.

There's this whole divide between showing people that something is available - like, just for example - me leading this post off with pimping that .99₵ sale. I need to mention it, as there's no point in having a sale if I don't tell anyone about it. But I'm not going to be one of those who tries to create fear - SALE ENDS SOON, BUY IT NOW OR YOU'LL MISS OUT! - or worry, by implying that you're the only one who hasn't read it or by telling you about the bills I need to pay. Nor do I want to bombard people.

To me, the flashy, blinky stuff falls in the category of bombardment. Animation catches the eye, so advertisers like it. In the Big Competition for Attention, video stuff does well. 

I like doing Facebook Live stuff, because it's fun and I feel genuine just talking about random stuff. Gifs can be amusing and I use them sometimes, but not for marketing. Book trailers... I know Veronica Scott loves them and she'll almost certainly talk about why. I don't care for them myself. I've never bought a book from a book trailer. They can be fun treats for fans, but otherwise ... meh.

But, you know, I don't much care for video anything. I get annoyed every time I click on a news article link and it turns out to be a video I have to watch instead of something I can read.

I dunno - as readers, are there animated ads you like? 

Could be I'm just old and cranky. ;-)