Thursday, 6 November 2014

Tips for making a promo presentation for your book

Everyone likes watching a video or slideshow and they are immensely useful when marketing your book. There are plenty of packages available, some of which are free for the basic version. Even though I work on an iMac which has iVideo, I use Animoto, which has ready-made templates and a large choice of accompanying music. This is how I build the show.


  • Make a list of events and crises in your book. This is your "storyboard". 
  • Find pictures that suit the event or crisis. N.B. Make sure you have either permission to use the pictures or that you buy them from one of the many online sources, such as Kozzi or Shutterstock. Read the terms and conditions very carefully, otherwise you could find yourself in breach of copyright. In certain circumstances, you cannot use your own photographs, eg. Hampton Court Palace. Check if you are unsure
  • Caption each picture you intend to use. Make the captions powerful and dramatic - "Luke is the only man who can stop the killers" - and also make some captions questions - "The enemy is closing in. Can Luke save the day?
  • Try rearranging the order of the pictures to see if it gives the presentation more impact.
  • Don't make the presentation longer than 1-2 minutes otherwise people will click out of it.
  • Find music that fits the content. There are also copyright issues here, so check again that you are permitted to use the music.
  • Play the presentation through a few times and do your utmost to pick holes in it. Don't be sentimental about this. It is a marketing tool and, as such, needs to be examined without emotion.
  • When you are happy, send it out into the world. FB it, Tweet it and put it on YouTube.
To see two examples, here are the links to the videos I made for the first two books in The Tudor Enigma. 




April Taylor COURT OF CONSPIRACY http://amzn.to/1eQ3bFl and  

April Taylor TASTE OF TREASON http://amzn.to/10nY5K5 and


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