Best Videos To Promote Your Book

Everyone knows how book trailers can be used to market novels and picture books, but did you know that there are other types of book marketing videos as well?

Here are 10 types of other promotional book videos that ElectraFox can make for you that are not book trailers.

10. Author Interview

This is where the author appears on-camera and is asked specific questions about the book that is being released. Typical examples of author interview questions could be:

1. How long did it take for you to write this book?
2. What is the book about?
3. What inspired you to write this book?
4. Are you planning a sequel?

The purpose of an author interview is to get people interested in the book… but don’t give away too many spoilers! The amount of information you’d give in a query pitch or that would be written on the back cover of the book would suffice. People are interested to know the face behind the novel, and they will be intrigued to hear you talk about your book. For best practices, keep the edited video length between 1 and 2 minutes.

9. Author Trailer

The difference between an author interview and an author trailer is that the purpose of author trailers aren’t to promote a specific book, but rather the author themselves and their greater body of work. Author trailers focus on the author in a broader sense rather than just on a specific book or project. She or he may talk about their inspirations, how and why they became an author, their writing process, their childhood, and their plans for the future.

Author trailers aren’t to promote a specific book, but rather the author themselves and their greater body of work.

8. Pre-order Announcement

Is your book available for pre-order? Awesome! Let’s make a video announcement to let people know about it. We’ll be sure to include what incentives there are for pre-ordering. It can be you talking on camera vlog-style, an animated cartoon version of you, or showing text on the screen with a voiceover.

7. Cover Reveal Video

A book cover is the first true visual you have of your book. There are examples of this done with 3D graphics. In addition to revealing the cover art, we can also add in some early reviews from advanced copies. The primary purpose of the video, however, should be recognition of the cover design. You want your potential readers to remember what the book looks like so they pick it up in the store!

6. Unboxing Video

You’ve just got the first physical copies of your book in the mail. Before you rip open that package and throw packing peanuts in the air like confetti, turn on your video camera and record it! Take your readers on this journey with you… this is an exciting moment. Send us the unedited footage and we’ll fix it up with editing, color correction, and graphics that will keep your audience engaged! Yes, we can even make a cellphone video look snazzy.

5. Live Reading

You can livestream yourself reading the first chapter of your book and let people interact via chat with a Q&A at the end. Make it an event! You can record the stream and send that file to ElectraFox. We’ll edit it down to a highlight reel of the funniest or most engaging moments so that people who missed the stream will get to experience the best parts!

4. E-book Teaser

If your book is going to be available in digital format (e-book) then that is also a prime opportunity to make a video and let people know about it! We can make a short, engaging e-book teaser with a call to action for people to download it!

3. Giveaway

Readers LOVE book swag… make a video with a small contest! You don’t have to give away anything crazy expensive… you can give away signed copies to the first 5 people who pre-order through your website. You can give away free e-books (that won’t cost you much/anything). You can make a poster, hat, or coffee mug with your book cover design or logo on it… there’s plenty of options. Use a small giveaway as an opportunity to grow your email list and promote your book. Shoot the video with your DSLR or Smart Phone, send us the files, and let us handle the rest!

2. Hype Video

Where an interview is an author talking about their book, a hype video is other people besides the author talking about the book. This can be critics, readers who have seen advanced copies, or other authors who have agreed to give a testimonial.

Simply put: a hype video is a video of reviews. They can appear on-screen as text (see this example) Or you can ask reviewers to take short video clips of themselves praising the book and stitch those together. If people are physically in the video themselves, they are more likely to share it which will help widen your reach.

Each one of your reviewers will be given a username and password so they can upload files directly to ElectraFox! We’ll edit it down, add exciting background music and graphics, and create an exciting and engaging hype video to get people buzzing about your book!

1. Post-Launch Video

This is the first video you will release after your book is officially launched. Make sure to thank your readers who have pre-ordered the book and who have shared your journey with you up to this point.

Three fun ideas for a post-launch video:

• If you are having a launch party, film it!
• If not, film yourself driving to the store and document your reaction seeing your book on store shelves for the first time.
• Arrange a local reading at a library or bookstore and make a short promotional video out of it.

Again, ElectraFox is here to turn these files into a magical and shareable piece of book marketing material!

Interested in one of these options? Want to learn more? Contact us today!