• Increase traffic to your Author Website.   The search engines love video! In addition, a Book Trailer on your website helps increase the professional image of your book and helps to separate it from the pack.
• Promote your book to your social media network.  Facebook, Goodreads and LinkedIn are all good places to post your video Book Trailer and, if you have a strong social media network, should get you a lot of feedback and comments.  If you have a popular Author Blog, a video Book Trailer is a must.
• Provide excitement at Book Fairs and Book Signing Events. We live in an age that loves movies and visuals.

Below are some Video Book Trailers Bookstand Publishing has developed for authors for your reference and enjoyment:

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MEMOIRS

Last Days of Tranquility

The Accidental Purpose

Last of the Red Hot Poppas

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INSPIRATION

Bushels and Barrels – Redefining the American Dream

A Girl’s Guide to Becoming Great

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ROMANTIC SERIES

Signature Affair

Costly Affair

Presidential Affair

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FICTION

Backseat

Ouija

Tomorrow, Mickey, Tomorrow

Homicide Queen

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POETRY

A poem about the Hudson river by Edward J. Jeffs,  author of Another Season.

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Bookstand Publishing can create a Video Book Trailer for you.  You can find this service under Online Marketing Services on our Marketing Services Order Form.  You can also call Andy at 408-722-8746 to discuss.

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Video Book Trailer $250

Video is the latest and most effective tool to increase online visibility for your book and get top listings for your book and website on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Through this Campaign, Bookstand Publishing will create a simple video based on your book cover and on key words and phrases related to your book, and will submit the video to more than 6 video and social bookmarking sites including YouTube and Yahoo! Video.

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The easiest way to get Amazon book reviews is to ask your friends and family to post book reviews on Amazon for your new book. However, it has been my experience that they won’t do this until you make it real easy for them.  Here is how to make it real easy.

First find your book on Amazon, and scroll down until you see the “Write a Customer Review” button (see the screen shot below).

Click on the button and you will go to the Customer Review Page.  Highlight everything on the page link up until the “&” symbol (see highlighted page link in the screen shot below)

Copy this link and paste it into your email and let them know this is where to go to write a review. This way they don’t have to figure anything out.  Your friends and family can just go to this page and start writing a review.

In addition, in your email, mention three or more ideas they could mention in the review.  This will make it even easier for your friend or family member to post a review.

Now send individual emails (not a group email) to friends and family members asking them to post an Amazon book review, with the customer review link for your book, and the three or more ideas for the review. Below is an example of an email asking for an Amazon book review for your reference:

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SAMPLE EMAIL

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 Hi George,

As you know I have just published my new book, Whitewater Rafting in the Pacific Northwest.  It is the definitive guide to whitewater rafting in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

I was wondering if you could help me out and post a review for my book on Amazon (after you have had a chance to review the book of course).

Here is the link where you can go to post the review: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?ie=UTF8&asin=161863612X

Anything you want to write would be fine, of course, but if you would like some ideas on what to say you might mention one of more of the following:

•  It is an up to date guide to all the whitewater sites in the Pacific Northwest
•  Each whitewater site is described in detail and given a rating
•  The tips and resources in the book are helpful both to beginners and experienced rafters
•  The author is an expert in white water rafting having personally rafted all 361 sites himself

Please note that you do NOT have to buy my book on Amazon to post a customer review you just have to have an account on Amazon.

Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Andy

Author of Whitewater Rafting in the Pacific Northwest

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The Road Less Published – by Fishn4Souls Radio

I was on a panel discussion on Wednesday on Self-Publishing on the Christian Blog Talk Radio station Fishn4Souls hosted by Matt S. Senge.  You can listen to the entire discussion here at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fishn4souls/2013/01/24/road-less-published-1.  I thought the discussion was very instructive and I think Christian authors in particular will enjoy the panel discussion (and the weekly radio program). 

If I could summarize my advice to the many aspiring and published Christian authors who were on the panel and who called in, it would be this:

There may be many reasons God has put the desire in your heart to write and publish a story.  It may be that He wants you to:

• Publish a story to leave a record, or legacy, for your children and grandchildren.  Many memoirs of faith are motivated by questions asked by children and grandchildren.
• Write as therapy to help you make sense and learn from the trials you have had.  By giving your story to the world by publishing it, others may benefit from what you have learned.
• Share your testimony with your church and friends to encourage and strengthen their faith.

However, if want to make money from your book and/or want to reach an audience beyond your family and friends, you will need to give some serious thought to marketing your book.  Marketing your book is just thinking about your book from the standpoint of your customer.

Jesus talks about putting yourself in the place of others in Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”  If you want your customers to buy from you, you need to think about what they want, not just what you want to say.  If you want them to give you something (book sales) then you should give to them what they want from you (a compelling story, advice they can apply to their own situation, etc…).

To help you think from marketing or customer oriented standpoint, I recommend all authors consider these four basic marketing questions:

1. Who is my most probable customer for this book?  Some people are more inclined to buy your book than others.  Who are they?  Are they mothers with small children.  People suffering from cancer?   To understand things from the standpoint of your customer you need to understand who your customer is and what they need.
2. Why should my most probable customer want to buy my book?  Why would someone want to buy your book?  What are they going to get out of the book that will help them, inspire them, or give them a better life?  If you want to sell books, your book should be written for your customer not yourself.
3. What do I have to say to my most probable customer to make them want to buy my book?  Does the title and subtitle of your book match what your customer is looking for?   Does your book description match what your customer is looking for?  Does your cover design tie into your compelling message?
4. How do I reach my most probable customer?  What magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, stores etc… does your most probable customer visit?  This information becomes very important when it becomes time to promote your book. These are the places where you want reviews of your book, where you want to advertise your book, do book signings, etc…