You have multiple books published and you’re wondering how to promote them all at once? Consider an Author Promotion Video. By pulling together short taglines about each book along with the book cover and other stock photos or video footage, you can create an eye-catching promotional tool that you can use on social media, your own website, and even burn to a DVD to play at an author event.

Don’t know where to start? Personally, I’d use a professional. I’ve seen many authors try this on their own and the free software available through Apple or Windows, just isn’t quite extensive enough to get the job done. Their choice of transitions and text fonts are limited and you want to make sure you don’t use copyrighted photos or music without giving credit where credit is due.

Using a professional does a few things for you:

1. Ensures professional quality
2. Broadens production ideas – it can be overwhelming to know where to start
3. Gives you better choices of clear transitions, clear easily readable font, color tones, and timing of transition to music
4. Professional advice on choices for media that fits your author image

Once it’s produced, then what? You can share the link to the video on YouTube, your own website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…just to name a few. If you get the original file from the creator, you can upload it to your Amazon Author Page on Author Central. Several other book/reader interactive websites also allow for video uploads, like Goodreads and ManicReaders to name a few.

Burn it on a DVD and take it with you to promotion events like book signings or conventions. This can be a great way to draw people to your table, and they can learn all about you and your books while they are waiting for a chance to speak with you.

Remember it’s all about building a professional brand for you as an author, and this is different from a book trailer. Those are great too, but an Author Promotion Video is all about you as an author, not just one book. They usually work better if you have more than one book published, and particularly if you’re an author that writes in multiple gentres. If you don’t know where to go to have one of these videos made, try Select-O-Grafix, LLC at http://www.selectografix.com. We do a great job for only $50. I haven’t seen too many authors take advantage of this unique idea, but if you’d like to see what one looks like, I’ve posted a few links below. Think of it as your own little commercial.

Casey Knight Book Collection

Kelly Abell Book Collection

Marsha Casper Cook Book Collection

If you’ve used video in a unique way to build your brand, please share with me. I’d love to pass the ideas on to our readers.

Books by Kelly Abell     Cover Designs by Select-O-Grafix

Copyright 2014 by Kelly Abell