Book trailers are more often used for published books, or upcoming books, to raise awareness among consumers. Very few people create book trailers for unpublished books. But Cheri Lasota, author of Artemis Rising, has done just that. She created a movie-like trailer for her book, which she’s currently seeking representation for. The end result is impressive, to say the least, both in terms of scope and quality. Unlike most book trailers, which only run around two minutes, Cheri’s videos is well over four minutes long. Here it is:

Cheri was kind enough to grant me an interview, explaining the process and hopefully shedding some light on it all for those of us considering creating our own book trailers:

How did you come up with the concept and script for your trailer? (Did you look at other book trailers, movie trailers, etc.? Did you storyboard or do some other kind of outlining?)

I had known the director, Bill Thoma of Axiom Shift Productions, for many years. In fact, we were in the same writing group for a time. What I didn’t know was how brilliant he was at filmmaking. We pulled off a four and a half minute trailer in about 3 months with almost no budget to speak of.

Bill and I sat down over two consecutive evenings and he listened closely as I basically gave him a rundown of my novel’s plot. He asked a lot of questions, trying to get to the heart of what I felt were the most important elements of the story to get across.

Bill is outstanding at whittling down a 350-page plot into a few snippets of dialgue and some powerful images. And that’s just what he did. We created the script together, as I looked for excerpts of dialogue from the book, etc.  It was fun and collaborative.

I looked at a few other trailers, but most of them were a succession of still images with voiceover, and we wanted to do much, much more with this one. Essentially, I wanted to bring several scenes from the book to life.

The director eventually moved from the script to a step by step storyboard for shooting. Mostly that was for his purposes, as he came up with interesting angles/shots for the different scenes.

Did you think about doing other kinds of book trailers, like interviews or a still image-based trailer? What made you decide to go ahead with a more traditional, movie-type trailer?

Usually, book trailers are a succession of still images, but those don’t catch my eye like movie trailers do. Perhaps it is because I went to school for film. I like the visual medium of filmmaking as opposed to photography, and when I wrote Artemis Rising, I always saw it as a film.

Did you consider doing the entire project on your own before deciding to hire a director?

I definitely wouldn’t have tried such an ambitious project on my own. I don’t personally have the camera equipment or directing experience necessary. However, this project re-awakened my love for filmmaking, and Bill let me do any part of the project that I felt able to do. I ended up serving several roles: producer, actor, script supervisor, art designer, and costumer. I’ve never had more fun in all my life than I did on that film set. The experience was priceless.

How did you find your director and other professionals? What about staff?

The director was a dream to work with because he was always the calmest person on set. He knew the shots he needed, knew how to communicate with the actors, and had the experience to roll with any complications that came up. The director of photography, Brian Neubauer was also a fun and calming presence on set–and an excellent cameraman too. Once I settled on the right actors–I had difficulty finding ones with just the right look I needed–everything fell into place. They were incredibly professional and it was mesmerizing for me to watch them work (most had theater or film/TV experience). The rest of the crew are friends I had worked with before on other film sets, and I knew they were hardworking and reliable, particularly makeup artist and art designer, Lyndsey Shaw.

Did you pay cast members and other staff or was it all on a volunteer basis?

Because the project was low-budget, we paid the actors in demo reels and the rest were volunteers.

Did you have to get permits or special permission to shoot in public places? How did you find out about what you’d need?

Having directed projects before, I had a good sense of what I might need to get this project rolling: costumes, makeup, props, locations, crew lunches, transportation, camera equipment. I have to say, organizing is one of my favorite things, and I took over most of the communications with actors and crew. We filmed at my apartment, outside a church, another filmmaker’s backyard (with a huge handmade crane shot), and at Cannon Beach, Oregon. We considered a few other locations, but decided that gaining permission would take too long. But, yes, often locations will require written permission, etc. We wanted to avoid the hassle, and all the locations worked out brilliantly.

How did you find your locations? Did you have to scout new spots, or did you already have places in mind?

It was critical to me that we film at Cannon Beach, as I knew it would be the perfect location for a cliffhanger shot we needed. Other than that, I was really open to other locations for other scenes/shots. Bill and I took a day trip to the beach ahead of time, and we drove up most of the coast, looking for the right location. But for the cliff-hanging, we had to take safety into consideration, so it was important to find the right spot. I suspected we’d film at my apartment, and that worked out well as a base camp for all our shoots.

How long did it take to shoot the trailer? How much footage did you end up with?

Principal filming took place over a weekend–one day in Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA and one day at the Oregon Coast. The following weekend we did pick-up shots, green screen, and voiceover work that we missed the previous weekend. The whole process took about three months, for pre-production, production, and post-production. I’m not sure how much raw footage we ended up with.

What was the post-production process like? How long did it take?

Post-production was cool. Bill let me into the editing room, so I could go over shots and scenes with him. He also let me watch him edit from time to time, since I am interested in every stage of the process. But mostly, post-production is just Bill in the editing room, slowly putting shots together. He did a lot of effects shots that had me pleasantly surprised, particularly the shipwreck and the book title sequence at the end.

Were there hidden expenses or time-wasters you hadn’t anticipated going into the project? Anything you would have done differently in hindsight or any advice you wish someone had given you?

The project was much less expensive than I originally anticipated actually. But that may not be the case for others. My book trailer was quite long by traditional book trailer standards. Most are around 2 minutes. I wouldn’t give up my 4:30 minute trailer for anything, as it may be the closest I come to seeing my book on film, but I wish we had originally created a 2-minute version for marketing purposes. The director is actually working on shortening it now.

I thought I should mention why I decided to make a trailer in the first place. I’ve never heard of any other writer creating a book trailer before his/her book is published. This was essentially an experiment to see if I garnered more agent/publisher interest if I included a link to it in my submission query letters. It worked. I’ve gotten more agent interest in my novel than ever before. I would say it tripled my response rate from agents, and most of them mention they loved the book trailer when requesting materials, including the latest three who have are reviewing it now. Regardless of what happens, I can use the trailer for the life of the novel’s marketing campaign, so I knew it would be worth it for me.

But nothing can match the excitement I felt on the days of principal production. It was a dream come true for me to see my characters come to life right before my eyes. I wouldn’t have missed that for anything.

Image by Greencolander, via Flickr

But beta readers can be an elusive topic for the aspiring author, especially one who doesn’t belong to a formal critique group or otherwise have a circle of writerly friends. So, I’ve compiled this guide to help direct you toward forming a good relationship with your readers. I’ve had a total of four manuscripts read by beta readers (two partials through an online writing site, and two fulls through personal contacts), and so far I’ve had a very positive and productive experience with beta readers.

When to Use Beta Readers

Figuring out when to use beta readers can be tricky. There are two basic times when you should consider betas. First, when you’re just starting out writing. Betas at this point can point out the major flaws in your writing. Things like overuse of common words or repetitive sentence structure. I was guilty of the first offense when I started writing. I overused the word “that” to the point it was incredibly distracting once it was pointed out. I was lucky to have readers who mentioned it without disparaging the overall manuscript. Now that I’m aware of it, I can figure out when it’s appropriate to use “that” and when it’s not.

The other time you want to use beta readers is before submitting to agents, publishers, or literary magazines, especially for your first few manuscripts. At this stage, you want betas who can point out any major structural issues with your manuscript, as well as any underlying issues with your writing. You want to present the strongest manuscript possible when submitting to agents or publishers, and having an extra set of eyes helps ensure there aren’t any major problems.

When NOT to Use Beta Readers

While beta readers are invaluable when you’re first starting out and right before submission, there are times when using betas can be detrimental to your writing. The main time this is relevant is when you’re finding your own voice. It’s time like these when you’re still unsure of your own writing, but are getting better every day. You’ve ironed out the major technical issues and are working on forming your own style. This is an important time for a writer, and unless you have very, very gentle beta readers, hearing a bunch of negative feedback can have a huge impact on your confidence levels.

Feedback I’ve received right before submission could have crushed me when I was still unsure of my voice. It could have made me question everything I thought I knew about my own writing. At this point, though, I’m pretty comfortable with my style and the way in which I write, so I can easily pick through the feedback I get and figure out what’s valid and what’s simply a difference in style and voice between my betas and me.

If you’re sure you’ve worked out the technical issues in your writing but are still nervous about your own style and voice, be wary of beta readers. While good betas can help you refine your voice, they can also destroy it. If you want outside feedback, find writers who have a style similar to what you’re trying to create and ask them if something works or not. Tell them you’re still trying to figure out your own style and see if they can point you in the right direction.

How to Find Beta Readers

There are two main sources for beta readers: other writers, and readers. You probably already know readers. Look for people who read in your genre and who won’t be afraid to tell you if they didn’t like something. Also reassure them that you’re open to criticism and you want their honest feedback.

If you don’t know any writers, join some online forums. There are plenty of sites online that have critique groups. Authonomy, Absolute Write, YouWriteOn and WEBook are just a few. Specific genre sites are also out there. You can also use sites like Meetup.com to find local writers’ groups if you’re not comfortable sharing your work online.

It’s best to find other writers for early beta readers, as they’re more likely to be able to pick out specific flaws in your writing. Both writers and readers work well for pre-submission beta sessions.

How to Handle Feedback

What you do with the feedback you received is just as important as the feedback itself. Some writers get a document back up with a ton of comments and immediately start going through and changing everything the beta pointed out. That’s not the best way to perfect your manuscript. You have to remember that your betas are people, too. They’re not always right (but they’re not always wrong, either).

Look at the big-picture stuff. If your betas were confused by a certain passage or storyline, then that’s something you’ll need to deal with. It’s your job as a writer to make sure your readers understand what you’re saying. If your betas didn’t understand something, that’s your fault, not theirs.

If they found inconsistencies, plot holes, or loose ends, those are other important things to deal with. Characterization is a bit more subjective, but consider what your betas say about your characters, and adjust accordingly if needed.

The tricky thing to deal with from betas is comments on smaller things. Sentence structure. Word choice. Chapter breaks. Things like that. If you’re comfortable with your voice and style, you can likely figure out what’s actually an issue and what’s simply a difference in style between you and another writer.

Make sure you keep in mind whether this particular beta reader is someone who regularly reads your genre. Differences in genre standards can lead to misguided advice. For example, if your beta reader usually writes and reads chick lit and your book is horror, you might need to disregard advice to make things “lighter” in places.

But sometimes getting feedback from outside your genre can help you improve your writing overall, and can even make your book stand out from the dozens or hundreds of others agents and publishers see in your genre every day.

Treat Your Betas Like Gold!

I don’t care if you disagree with your betas. I don’t care if you think their advice is some of the dumbest, most-misguided, most trivial advice you’ve ever received.

They took the time to read your book.

In all likelihood, they took time away from their own writing to help you out. Sure, they brought their own preconceptions, their own prejudices to the table, but so will every single one of your readers in the “real world”.

When you receive feedback from your betas, you WILL send them a thank-you note. You will tell them you appreciated the time they took to read your book. You will NOT argue with them if you disagree with something they said. You can ask questions if you’re unclear on something they said, but make sure you do so in a manner that is respectful and polite.

Remember, no one has to read your book. You’re not entitled to beta readers (or any other readers). Treat them with respect, and if they then ask you to read their manuscript down the road, do so and give them honest, useful feedback without regard to the feedback they gave you previously. And if you are lucky enough and talented enough to get published, make sure you thank your beta readers in your book’s acknowledgments.

But choosing a theme can be overwhelming (I think it took me about six weeks to decide on the theme for this site). There are thousands of themes out there. And while there are plenty of great themes, not all of them are particularly well-suited to the blogs of writers, which tend to be text-heavy and image-light.

So here is a collection of WP themes particularly suited to writers, along with links to try them out and download them. A few things most of them have in common:

• They have light backgrounds with dark text. Reading large blocks of white text against a black or other very dark background can be trying on your eyes. Since most writers want their blog visitors to spend plenty of time reading their work, a dark background can be counterproductive.
• They put the emphasis on the text. Again, you want people to read your work, not spend hours admiring your design.
• They look good even without adding tons images to every post (some require at least one image per post, especially for featured posts).

When looking for your own themes, keep these guidelines in mind. The goal is to have your work read. You don’t want to do anything that may jeopardize that.

Bold and Graphic Themes for Writers

BlogTheme

Vector Flower

Black Pearl

Curious

Notepad Chaos

Desk Mess

Wilderness

Bus Full of Hippies

Simple and Minimalist Themes for Writers

miniBlog

Typogriph

The Latest

TransGravita

Chara

Equilibrium

Oulipo

(I think this one might be my favorite on this list)

Manifest

Satorii

Undedicated

Magazeen

Notepad Theme

Brilliance

Modicus Remix

The Erudite

Pristine

Evidens White

Doc

Cypher

Mixtape

Too Newsy

Blass

Arthemia

(Arthemia is the theme used for this blog)

Photo by Jeff Milner, via Flickr

So I thought I’d put together a bit of a “best practices” guide for getting the most out of social media and the Internet if you’re a writer (published or aspiring). Here are some tips for using social media tools effectively and in a way that’s likely to get you more followers and fans.

1. Set up a good website. There are thousands of free website templates out there. If you have no design skills and no money to hire a designer, use a template. A professional-looking website goes a long way toward making you look like a professional. Make sure you include basic information about who you are and what you write. It doesn’t need to be complicated. It does need to be user friendly and professional.
2. It’s okay to have a blog as your primary site. Just make sure you include an about page that details who you are and what books you’ve written (or, if you’re unpublished, what you’re working on and the kinds of things you write). And if you’re going to blog, make sure you update regularly and moderate your comments. There’s nothing worse than coming to a blog and seeing no updates for three months and tons of spam comments.
3. List the genre of your books! It’s not always apparent from the title of a book, or even the brief description and blurb what genre your book fits into. I don’t know how many books I came across that left me wondering, “Is this a thriller? Horror? Mystery? Romance?” Make it clear so that if you’re ever included in a list of authors or mentioned on someone’s site, they identify you with the correct genre (the last thing you want is to be identified as a thriller author if you write romance, or vice versa).
4. Engage with your fans and followers. If you’re using a site like Twitter or Facebook to interact with your readers, make sure you engage with them! Have conversations. Retweet their (valuable) content.
5. Don’t just promote yourself. This is a big no-no. When compiling these lists, anyone who just promotes their book(s) automatically got cut. Don’t use social media as a giant advertisement. If anything, it’s more like a press release. Give your followers a reason to follow you and a reason to be engaged with what you’re doing. Offering up glimpses into your day-to-day life, what you’re reading (both online and off), and useful links and resources goes a long way toward making you look like a real person instead of just a self-interested twit.
6. Update regularly! This one is really important. Whether you choose to update hourly, daily, or weekly, make sure you do so consistently. If I came across Twitter accounts where the person hadn’t tweeted in three weeks, you can bet they weren’t included on the list. The same goes for people who would tweet consistently for a week and then nothing for two weeks. I get it if you don’t have a chance to update on some days, but make sure those days are few and far between. For example, if I’m going to be out of town for the day without Internet access (I live in Northern New England, hot spots are few and far between in most places up here), I’ll tweet in the morning to say I’m going out of town and won’t be back until late. This way my followers know not to expect new updates.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but hopefully it at least provides a starting off point for using social media.