Just to let you know that, unless something of huge consequence occurs, I'll be absent from Grace Notes for a time. Need to complete the WIP, plus I have a stack of research to get through as well.
Unless I should hear of an invasion of galactic book-eating monsters or the cancellation of "24" --or the release of a brand-shiny-new-and-the-coolest-Mac-ever--I'll be out of touch until I can once more see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In the meantime, you can contact me through email or "tweet" me.
In yet another example of the Obama Administration's deliberate advancing of the pro-abortion agenda, the new budget includes this: a move to overturn the ban on taxpayer-funding of abortions and eliminate all funding for abstinence education.
Some of the questions circulating among writers these days have to do with online video trailers for books: Why use them? How effective are they? Is this just another trend? Do they really help sell books?
For my part, I love giving my readers a "teaser" that will introduce them to the heart of the story and give them at least a peek at the setting.
My book videos have received thousands of views from the many places the experts at PulsePoint Design, (who have created the trailers for three of my novels- American Anthem, Rachel's Secret, and Song of Erin) have distributed them. And these trailers have elicited wonderful feedback from readers all over the world who learned about my work through the videos.
Here are just a few of those comments:
Wow!!! I haven't heard of this movie(?) before. Thanks for posting this. I have to see it now!" - Christina Hogan (My design firm wrote and explained the video was a promo for a book available right now in her local bookstore)
"Wow!" – Birfin Adzimba from Russia
"I'm gonna buy the book first thing tomorrow :)" – Basima Sabbagh
"I am definitely buying this book!!" – Ana Izquierdo from New York
"I'm a big BJ Hoff fan, and I think this video perfectly captures the spirit of her wonderful novels! Beautifully done." - SongLover7
Other than my own experiences with this great new technology, I don't claim to have specific answers to the questions about video value I'm often asked, but I do think the questions are valid and would like to provide at least some information.
Following is an article written by Kelli Standish at PulsePoint Design that I believe you'll find interesting. Hopefully, it will help to answer some of the above-mentioned questions and some of your own, so read on.
BJ
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(reprinted by permission)
"They’re out there…flashing, teasing, intriguing, beguiling, scrolling, thundering, and occasionally boring us comatose. Have you seen them?
Whatever name you use, whether it’s: Book Trailer™, Book Preview, Book Video, Book Teaser, Book Clip, Book Short, or Book Flick, these products of the Internet Generation are becoming more common every day.
But are they worth the investment? Do they influence sales? Are current trends moving to or away from Internet video?
If you’re wondering what all the hype is about, and whether this is something you should pursue, read on! This article is written with you in mind.
What Are These Book Video Things?
Wikipedia defines a book trailer/video/teaser as:
“A video advertisement for a book which employs techniques similar to those of movie trailers. They are circulated on television and online in most common digital video formats.”
Basically, a book video is a brief, (hopefully) entertaining teaser that presents intriguing bits of the plot to readers, or features clips of the author interspersed with plot points, while using a contemporary visual medium to draw new audiences to the book.
A quality book promotion video, like well-written back cover copy, will intrigue while maintaining the mystique and promise of the story.
Do People Actually Watch Online Video?
Consider this: Google recently modified its search engine results to include video in the main search pages, not just in the video sub tab.
In the coming year, Google also plans to modify how they rank web sites in search engine results. Sites that feature "engagement objects", including audio and video, will receive higher placement in search results pages.
The writers strike last November that robbed us all of new episodes of LOST (sob!) was staged primarily because writers felt they were being deprived of the major profits studios gained from online and digital media consumption.
And there’s more:
According to comScore estimates 73% of U.S. Internet users viewed video online in February, 2008.
eMarketer estimates that one in two Americans, or 154 million people, will watch an online video at least once a month in 2008, and that audience size for online video will hit 190 million by 2012.
A study by Nielson Online shows traffic to online video sharing sites has more than doubled since November of 2007. YouTube claims an 18% increase in traffic, while video start-up Crackle, has seen traffic double to 2.4 million users.
A new study from the Solutions Research Group shows a MAJOR increase in people viewing primetime programming on the internet in the past year. SRG says that almost 80 million Americans — 43% of the online population — have watched one of their favorite shows on the internet. That’s up significantly from 25% a year ago.
Pew Internet & American Life recently released a study showing that 53% of men and 43% of women watch online video, and over 70% of Internet users under the age of thirty actively visit video-sharing sites.
Simmons, a unit of Experian Research Services, suggests that consumers are 47% more engaged in television commercials online than on television. The study also found that people are 18% more engaged in ads online, as opposed to print versions in magazines.
A new report from the Convergence Consulting Group suggests that by the end of the decade, “about one out of every four times somebody sits down to watch a show, they’ll be facing a computer monitor or a television connected to a computer.”
And according to the “Streaming Media, IPTV, and Broadband Transport: Telecommunications Carriers and Entertainment Services 2008-2013″ report from Insight Research, streaming online video and music revenue is expected to increase at an annual growth rate of 29% over the next five years.
What Does This Mean For Authors?
It means that television viewers are migrating to the Internet for their entertainment. It means that more users than ever are sharing and watching online video. And it means that if you want to meet them when they arrive at your cyberdoor, a book video or trailer could be a solid addition to your book promotion arsenal.
Videos are sharable, promotable long after your book’s release date, and they capture the attention of potential readers in a way back cover copy cannot.
ABA Publishers Turn to Video:
A recent article from the Christian Science Monitor entitled “Why Book Tours are Passé” confirms the move toward book promos and online video by ABA publishing houses, saying
“Author readings and signing sessions, once the staple of publishing publicity, are being usurped by virtual encounters and promotional videos.”
Penguin’s UK branch recently ran a world-wide competition for creation of a book video for author Chris Mooney’s The Missing. (See the winner of the competition on Penguin’s web site.)
Author Dean Koontz, in partnership with Random House, recently ran a competition for a book promo video for his latest book, The Good Guy.
Smaller presses such as Kunatiand Mercat Press of Scotland are also featuring book videos.
I’m wrapping up here, but I should mention just a quick word about the awards and new frontiers in book promotion that have sprung up in response to this fresh art form.
The Moving Stories Film Festivalwas created specifically to highlight book video excellence, and the well-known review magazine, Kirkus Reviews in partnership with Random House, has sponsored the Teen Book Video Awards several years in a row. And the Telly Awards known for their awards of excellence in the Television industry, have recently expanded to include online videos and book promos as well.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ” Isaiah 30:21
Here at PulsePoint Design, we’re strong advocates of trailers and online video. Not because we believe in chasing trends, or even in setting them (although we do lean toward that second one:). We advocate the use of this medium because it’s another way to use today’s technology to love and uplift your readers. To reach out to them, and to share your heart and the beauty of your story.
With that said, I hope very much that NO ONE will go away from this post feeling terrified that they must get their own online video or else. The reality is that God can do marvelous things with the work of your hands, whether you have some fancy online trailer or not.
Online video is a useful tool for spreading the word about books in a new way. But like every other promotional medium, it is not one-size-fits-all. Not all authors are comfortable in front of a camera. Not all books lend themselves to trailers.
Ultimately, you must listen to the Coach in your heart, and invest where God directs you to invest. This is true of your time, your energy, and your technology!"
I thought you might enjoy watching the video trailer for American Anthem.
Kelli Standish and the geniuses at PulsePoint Design have created an amazing video for my newest release--a video that captures the heart and spirit of the American Anthem story in an incredible way.
Every now and then we all need to watch a movie that makes us feel good. With all the dark and gritty, depressing, desolate films released over the past few years, it's fair to want to shout "give me a break!" A break from the lack of story, lack of redemption, and lack of hope that permeate so many contemporary films.
We have some favorite "family films" we turn to when we want to watch something that doesn't make us feel like taking a shower at the end or jumping off a bridge. High on the list is a simple, "homespun" movie made a few years ago called Because of Winn-Dixie, which we've watched a number of times--most recently a few nights ago.
You get the feeling it was made from the heart, though it's not syrupy, and it captures a variety of emotions without being deliberately sentimental or manipulative. I suppose you could call it a coming-of-age film, but it's more than that. Among all our friends and family who have watched it, it's more common than not to hear that the adults enjoyed it every bit as much as their children did.
Briefly, it's about a lonely young girl growing up in Florida with a reserved, emotionally wounded preacher-father, who's also lonely. Not only are their lives changed by a scruffy, orphaned dog, but so are numerous other lives in the small town where they live. It cements what I've always believed: every child should have the experience of growing up with a dog!
Yet it's not a "dog movie," and the dog--wonderful and funny as he is--is not the "star" of the film. If there is a star, it's the town and its people. The talented young Annasophia Robb lends a very real presence to the screen. Jeff Daniels, a highly underrated actor, plays the father with emotional honesty and pathos without attempting to wring pity from the viewer. The wonderful Cecily Tyson's performance as an elderly blind woman with a heart that sees what others can't is brilliant, while Eva Marie Saint is classic in a role that lets her natural elegance shine through. And Dave Matthews--yes, that Dave Matthews--has an understated but forceful role that makes you wonder why he doesn't appear on screen more often.
The book on which the movie was based is so good that a few readers took issue with some minor changes in the movie--but the changes really are minor and in no way do they mar the integrity of the book.
I could tag this with a lot of adjectives--"heartwarming," "charming," and "funny" to name a few--but it somehow seems to cheapen the overall magic of the story to try to describe it. If you've missed this one, you've missed something special. If this is one of those times you need something to make you feel good--try it. I can almost promise you you'll come away smiling and touched by hope.
Q. What's your favorite magazine--the one you won't miss reading or read cover-t0-cover?
A. I don't read any magazine cover-to-cover, but I do have more than one I don't like to miss, including National Review, Publishers Weekly, Writers Digest, Irish America, Christianity Today, and MacWorld.
Q. What are some research books you'd recommend for a new writer just starting to build a research library--not the usual dictionary and thesaurus and atlas, but lesser known books that you've found useful?
A. That could involve a very long list! I think I'm hearing you say that you want ideas for "unusual" resources or ones that don't automatically come to mind when someone asks for a list like this. Here are a few--and this does include a few dictionaries, though not "typical" ones: the Macmillan Visual Dictionary; The Facts on File Visual Dictionary (Corbeil); New Dictionary of American Slang (Chapman); Harper Dictionary of Foreign Terms (Ehrlich); Bernstein's Reverse Dictionary (Bernstein/Grambs); English through the Ages (Brohaugh); What Jane Austen Ate and What Charles Dickens Knew (Pool); Archaeological Study Bible; A History of Private Life (series--various authors); The Wild Shores: America's Beginnings (National Geographic Society); What People Wore (Gorsline); Victorian Fashions & Costumes from Harper's Bazar: 1867-1898 (Blum); A Field Guide to American Houses (McAlester); the Foxfire Books); the Audobon Society Field Guides (for birds, trees, animals, etc.); The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates (Gorton/Carruth).
Obviously, there are hundreds more: books on usage, manuals of style, writers' handbooks, period and regional histories, resources for characterization, plotting, structure, self-editing, etc., not to mention that dictionary, thesaurus, and atlas you asked me not to list. I think it's probably safe to say that you can easily spend a lifetime building the library you want and need. And it's never too early to start!
Q. What's the best way to handle reviews?
A. Well ... that depends on what you mean by "handle." The best advice I could give would be to not read them at all. If you must read them, don't believe them. Bad or good. Trust your editor, trust your agent, and if you have a couple of good friends and/or readers you believe to be totally ruthless about your writing, you might even trust them. But don't trust reviews. The key word to remember about reviews is "subjective." It applies to all reviews, and if you believe what you read you can think either too highly of your work or too poorly. Both can affect the integrity of your work and play havoc with your confidence and self-esteem.
Did I mention the word "subjective?"
Q. What's the first book you remember reading, ever?
A. I haven't the vaguest idea, though I rather wish I did. Remembering my mother, I have a hunch it was probably a children's Bible story.
Q. Do you have a "hero?"
A. Two of 'em: my husband and my grandfather "Paddy."
As Easter approaches, I'm taking a few days off from Grace Notes (and just about everything else but the WIP) to make extra time for family and take care of preparations for Easter weekend. In the meantime, I want to wish each one of you all the special blessings we've come to anticipate from this most holy season--and even a few unexpected blessings--to warm your heart and enrich your life.
May God fill this glorious time of resurrection and new life throughout all nature with grace and peace and joy beyond all telling. Have a wonderful, memorable Easter!
BJ
"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."
I'm not sure what to call this: a pet peeve, perhaps? It's not merely political correctness, although that's often part of the picture. It's not as simple as the misuse of words or phrases, although sometimes that's what it amounts to. It's not necessarily a deliberate ploy to undermine or soften a situation, or skirt an issue--except in politics, and then ... yes, there's that. Let's just say that it is a pet peeve and lump it all under the same umbrella for now.
The "it" I'm referring to appears frequently in the media, often initiated by politics or politicians, and sometimes by a kind of laziness or outright bias on the part of commentators and journalists. I'm referring to the annoying substitution and changes of perfectly legitimate words and phrases by others that seem, well ... inappropriate or meaningless or downright silly.
For example: the former "global war on terror" has recently ended, replaced by an "overseas contingency operation." Catchy, isn't it?
And then there's "investing" instead of "spending." And "terrorism" has become "man-caused disasters." "Enemy combatants" are no more: they're now "persons whom the President has the right to detain." Look for that one in the next update of your favorite dictionary.
We hear a lot these days about "bailouts," but more often they're just another part of the "stimulus plan." (Personally, I think "porkulus plan" says it all.)
Substituting an "unfortunate error" or "bad decision" is the new standard for sin. Politicians are especially fond of this one. But remember when sin was just ... sin?
We don't clean up our act any longer. We "move forward."
And I know this is trivial--so trivial I'm not even sure why it annoys me, but when a classy-looking, supposedly well-educated news reporter refers to police officers as "cops" or children as "kids" and a collective group of men and women as "guys" or an object of some particular interest as "this puppy," I get a strong urge to call out the slang police.
I know, I know--there's no hill to die on in any of this, but I said it was a pet peeve, didn't I?
Please note that the books listed in this sidebar under "What I'm Reading" and "Recently Read" do not in any way represent a recommendation. These are simply lists of some of the books I'm currently reading and have recently read, not a "thumbs-up" for any single title. Don't blame me for content you dislike or disapprove of--I didn't write them. -BJ
