You’re very accustomed to hearing voices in your head. In fact, you take pride in having those conversations with imaginary people who only exists in the gray matter between your years.
After all, you are a writer.
But there are other voices in your head. Oh, not the ones who are telling you to murder the protagonist or devise a happily ever after. It’s the little people who constantly tell you how you will fail.
No one wants to be a one hit wonder.
You know, write that first book, or first series, and then struggle to find more success.
I was in this boat after the Nashvegas books.
Not that they were a break out… in fact, they weren’t at all.
So I had to decide what to write next that caught my publisher’s eye.
I was blessed to be at a house that believed in giving an author more than a one-contract chance.
But if I didn’t find some success soon, there was no reason for my publisher to continue with me.
I was writing chick lit but it was dying a quick death as a sub romance genre.
At an ACFW conference, I braved a conversation with my publisher. “What can I do to turn things around?”
“Well,” he said, “we’re not quite sure how to brand you.”
This really confused me. I wrote chick lit. Romance. How was it hard to brand me?
I was recently part of a Facebook group discussion on book trailers. The conversation included pre-pubbed, published and multi-published authors and opinions varied. Here’s where I landed:
If your publisher is going to pay to create a book trailer for you…awesome.
If you have video editing know-how and time and think it’d be fun to create your own cool, non-cheesy trailer…awesome.
If you have to use your own money to pay someone else to create a trailer…well, that’s where I waffle a bit. But not because I have anything against book trailers. I think they can be a pretty smart move and I’ll tell you why in a second. The only reason I’d waffle is if paying for a book trailer takes away resources from other, possibly better marketing efforts.
For instance, if your choice is between a book trailer and a well-placed ad on an incredibly well-read, reader-oriented website (note “reader-oriented”–placing ads on websites designed for writers probably isn’t as effective), then go with the ad.
But here’s why I think book trailers can still be a good idea and aren’t just a passing fad:
They give you AND your fans something to do and something to share before your book releases.
You say you want a mentor. Fine. But have you stopped to think about who you’re looking for? Beyond the obvious “I want another writer to mentor me in writing” – have you considered what characteristics make a quality mentor?
