Lights, camera, action! – Capturing your readers the ‘reel’ way

Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming to my blog, the effervescent Theresa McClinton - author and owner of Making it Reel, a book trailer boutique that creates high quality, tantalizing video trailers that help sales soar. Let's hear what Theresa has to say:

Hello to all of you wonderful readers out there. First, I’d like to thank the fabulous Noelle for having me on

her blog today to talk about my book trailer boutique, Making It Reel. I’ll be highlighting how trailers can be used to help market your novel, and why you might want to think about getting one.

 

First, a little history. I first began Making It Reel when I wanted a book trailer of my own, but couldn’t afford any of the five hundred dollar packages offered by other industry professionals. I was struggling to find ways to promote my debut novel, as most of us do, and just wanted something quality for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, I found that was asking a little too much.

 

So after suffering some serious sticker shock, I decided I’d do it myself. Because really, how hard could it be...right?

 

About six weeks later, my first book trailer was complete. And after launching it on YouTube, I discovered people liked it. Like...really liked it. And that got me thinking...

 

Why should other authors like myself have to be stuck in the same boat I was in? Why couldn’t I use the tools I’ve invested quite a bit of money in, and offer affordable, quality book trailers to everyone?

 

The answer was: I can!

 

So after a few rounds of e-mails with my graphic designer, the logo for Making It Reel was created, and my concept was born.

 

Making It Reel. For authors with a six-figure book, not a six-figure budget.

 

Since the launch of my modest boutique, I’ve produced book trailers for suspense authors, paranormal authors, Harlequin authors, indie authors, and a few of my trailers have even been featured on USA Today.

 

Now, as promised, I’ll talk a bit about how you can use a trailer to promote your book, and why it may be worth looking into.

 

First, I won’t sugarcoat the obvious. Not everyone likes book trailers. You’ll find readers who haven’t watched a single one. But when you schedule your next blog tour, and readers see your trailer highlighting your book, do you think will hit play? Absolutely. Why? Because trailers are not only visually appealing, but if done well, can summarize the very essence of your novel, portraying your writing style with music, photos, and video, all to showcase the story in an accurate and creative way to help the reader decide if it’s something they want to buy.

 

And much like the contest Noelle has entered her trailer in for Let Angels Fly on yougottaread.com (Go vote! ;) there are tons of other ways to attract attention to your novel using your trailer.

 

Can you produce a book trailer yourself, and what does it take to make one?

 

Great questions. First, yes. You absolutely can produce a trailer yourself—as long as you have the right software, resources, and knowledge. It’s not horribly difficult, but it’s also no secret some book trailers are better than others. Why? Because professionals, like Making It Reel, have invested in the most functional software available, and have multiple memberships to the top stock video, photo, and audio track websites around.

 

Now for the big question: Do book trailers sell books?

 

That’s a question I don’t have any hard data for, and I don’t think anyone does. But what I can tell you is I have received e-mails from multiple clients, telling me about comments they’ve gotten from prospective readers on how much they loved that author’s book trailer. In fact, they loved it so much, they purchased the book, which not only leads to more sales, but hopefully more reviews. It’s just like any other marketing tactic. If you present something irresistible to your reader, they’ll see the value in it and invest. That’s the goal anyway. And that’s why I work so hard to tailor make each book trailer to the author’s specific needs.

 

And just so you know, Making It Reel is running a super special during the month of July, for new clients only.

 

We are offering the Diamond package for only $100.00.

 

So if you’ve been thinking about it, but haven’t quite decided, this is a perfect opportunity to have a premium book trailer professionally produced for your novel at a fantastic price. You can also check out my other packages at www.makingitreel.net.

 

Thanks so much for having me today, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed hanging out. I look forward to chatting with you guys, and answering any questions you might have.

A final word from Noelle: Theresa, thanks so much for coming along and letting everyone know about the importance of book trailers as a marketing tool to promote their books. As Theresa mentioned, there is a book review site that runs a monthly competition which showcases book trailers. I had my trailer created by Making it Reel, and have had so much good feedback from readers and other authors, I decided to enter it. So, how would you like to click here http://www.yougottaread.com and scroll down to the list of 20 videos, then click on No. 4 - Let Angels Fly. Theresa and I would both be most appreciative of your support. :-)

  

How to contact Making it Reel:

• Website: www.makingitreel.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Making-It-Reel/140059899489629?ref=hl
• Twitter: @makingitreel
• Email: production@makingitreel.net

And finally - see some of Making it Reel's handicraft here: