What I Learned From Making My Own Book Video

Here is what I learned from making my own book video.

I hadn’t really given it much thought until I started writing this post.

For four years, I tried making my own video and it just wasn’t working. Either it looked corny or ammateur. So, I tabled it.

Every year I’d put myself through this ordeal, over and over.

I saw indie author friends proudly sharing their book videos and I was tempted… but still too nervous to try.

I felt like the little girl too scared to jump in the swimming pool even though she could swim well. Duh.

I even stuck a toe in and looked into having someone create the video for me but the price was too much for my wallet.

So, to the back burner the video project would go again.

I had several struggles I wasn’t grappling with too well.

First, I knew I needed to make a video, but to be frank I didn’t think I had enough knowledge of marketing to know what would work and what wouldn’t. Another challenge is Bumbling Bea was written for middle grade students, but many adults read it as well. Do I try to market this to both groups?

So what did I learn about making my own book video?

Don’t do it. Let someone else.

Oh, that sounds so curt and cynical and honestly I’m not.

I thought I could create one myself. Well, you know how that goes, right?

These are questions I needed to ask myself, but I was too overwhelemed to do so:

What did I want to say?
How long should the video be?
What mood of music?
What colors?
Which photos? (That was a toughie because finding two royalty free photos of young girls who express the essence of the characters was nearly impossible. Plus, one girl must be Japanese or at least look like she is of Asian heritage.)
Should I include any of the artwork from the book itself?
Who am I trying to reach?
Should I include quotes from reviews?
Should I mention awards Bumbling Bea has won?
What do I do with it once it is created? (This question nearly stopped me in my tracks. I don’t like to waste time. I think time is too valuable. What if I go to all this work and nothing comes of it?)
Do I put it on Youtube? Yikes.

You can see how all of these questions rumbling around in my brain in the early hours of the morning (usually around 4:00 a.m.) were bothering me. Ha, not bothering me enough to do anything about it though, right?

If you aren’t familiar with Bumbling Bea, here is a little synopsis for you:

Beatrice thinks she has no talent, but that doesn’t stop her from entering the annual middle school play. Easy. Except a new girl from Japan comes along and ruins everything! So begins Beatrice’s humorous and diabolical journey to scare away the visitor. Except Michiko has goals of her own with no plans to leave soon. What’s a girl to do? Plenty.

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of Bumbling Bea, go to: Bumbling Bea on Amazon.com

Do things occur in your life which point you in the right direction, even though you weren’t even looking for them?

In May out of the blue, a guy contacted me about creating the video. I won’t give you his name, because after he made it he wouldn’t communicate with me any more. I guess he’s a one shot deal with no changes. I wish he’d told me that. On the other hand, I didn’t sign a contract or anything.

It was a great deal, really.

What did I learn from making my own book video?

Don’t do it. Let someone else. (I sigh with relief just admitting that to you.)

See what you think.