Putting Together a Book Trailer

Hello Lovelies!

It has been quite some time since I've posted. Ironically, I've been blogging the last 10 weeks for a marketing research company. Technically, their new website is about to come up, but they have 9 of my posts ready and in the queue for when the blog finally launches. I'll be posting when the time comes!

Today though, I figured I'd talk about putting together a book trailer. As some of you know I've been helping out Stacey Darlington, author of Athena's Curse, with publicity efforts, and of course, her official book trailer. The beauty of a book trailer is the fact that there is either limited or no animation. Instead, it relies on the mood created by the music and images chosen for the piece.

Step 1. Decide the mood you wish to convey. Eerie? Adventurous? Romantic? Terrifying?

Step 2. Decide aesthetically how to convey this mood. For example, would cartoons work? Black and white illustrations with sparse colors, like what I used for Stacey? Or would photoshopped images and photos create a better impression and aide you with the mood you wish to convey? It's really a matter of preference. Also consider what is easier and readily available to you.

Step 3. Do you have a program that you can build this trailer on? Or know someone who does? Figure out what it is capable of before you jump in. Mac has iMovie, not too sure what Windows has.

Step 4. Create a storyboard. This can be as elaborate as a giant poster or as simple as a few thumbnail (miniature) sketches that contain the general idea you want on each slide/scene.

Step 5. This step goes hand-in-hand with Step 4. Consider the copy (words) to go along with each frame. Remember keep this short and minimal. You know those tag lines and elevator pitches we use whenever we go to a conference? Keep it to that length.

Step 6. Once that has been decided, get started on those pictures/drawings/illustrations or what have you.

Step 7. Choosing the music. This step can really be done at any point in the process. Some prefer to know what kind of music they are using beforehand so that they know what works as they created the images. Others, like myself, wait towards the end once we have the idea on paper. Remember to choose royalty free music or music you or a friend composes themselves. Here are a couple sites my tech-savvy cousin recommended I try:

http://incompetech.com/

http://freepd.com/

Step 8. The last step is putting it all together using a simple program. My advice: If you don't have a lot of knowledge keep things as simple and clean as possible. Simplicity can oftentimes have a greater impact than those trying to clutter a screen with extraneous details. Trust me. Keep it simple.

Below is the trailer for Athena's Curse. Hope you guys like it!

Internship Advice: Ask Questions

Well, I've started my first public relations internship. I do like it, but as an intern I'm doing a lot of the grunt and base work. So I've begun to wonder after this work is done, what happens to it? What is the end result? What is it the actual PR specialists do with it? Here's an example, I wrote a press release for a restaurant and its new menu and catering/delivery options, but I don't know if it has been sent out yet or not.

What I'm learning is questions are your friends. If you're curious about something, why not ask? Just the other day I asked one of my "bosses" why they chose PR. Turns out they also had an interest in advertising and were themselves a recent graduate from college. PR was just the first opportunity offered and she's ended up loving it. Sometimes we think of our "bosses" as these people so high up we can barely reach them, but they were just like us once. I bet you will learn a lot from their experience and advice because they have been in our position before. So just ask. Questions are your friends and a sign that you are truly interested and hungry to learn.

Cheers!

Liz

P.S. I made that picture senior year of high school for my english teacher's picture book...I just thought I'd post something cute :)

Help me win a $3,000 college scholarship. Vote for my essay!

Help me win a $3,000 college scholarship. Vote for my essay!

Guys, I've written a (I promise it's short) essay about Nazarea Andrews who has been a wonderful mentor throughout my experience with the publishing industry. She has truly taught me how to write a great query and how to find and know who are the best agents for my work. Please vote for my essay. :)

Thank you all,

Liz

New Internship

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Finals begin this week. I'm not too happy, BUT at least I only have about two...I think. I'm so happy to announce that I have a new internship starting May 4th at TresKoi Public Relations. I will be a Publicity Assistant. Yes, I have a title...makes me giddy! At my old internship, Beloved, I was a Creative Coordinator. You want to make an intern feel special--give them a title!

I just popped in to announce that--hopefully I will be learning a lot more when it comes to social media although I learned a great deal at Beloved and am slowly implementing that knowledge into my own Twitter.

On a side note I'm reading Firelight! It's been so long since I've sat down with a good book. (I have been listening to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series on road trips home & Tamora Pierce's Wolf Speaker)

I should be reviewing Firelight sometime in the coming week...between studying. Beautiful cover I might add--yes I judge a book by its cover--probably the artist side of me.

Anyways,

Happy Writing/PRing/Advertising? (I need a new fairwell...)

Taking Things Way Too Far

Some people just take things way too far. I'll admit the Internet is where one can speak freely about their opinion, but damn was this post hard to ignore.

I don't mind listening to someone's honest opinion, but when you belittle the choices of others you come off quite ignorant. This guy, Joe Konrath, basically insults those who pursue traditional publishing. Because we don't have million dollar contracts, apparently, we are wasting our time. At least if we self-published we could make some money. Are you kidding me?

This I do not agree with. Yes, self-publishing is growing and yes it is the right path for some to take, but the bottom line is IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. Insulting those who choose the usual route is like me saying those who self-publish are idiots. I understand why some, especially those with non-fiction publish, but for others like some of us fiction writers traditional publishing seems like the better route. It's a matter of choice. I think people should be RESPECTFUL of others choices.

One of his most laughable statements: "Here's the simple math. If your book sucks, you'll never get a legacy deal, but you'll sell at least a few copies by self-pubbing."

Alright, so he doesn't mind publishing crappy work? Maybe this is just me, but as a writer I want to write something people will enjoy, something that'll brighten their day, and move their hearts in ways we never thought we could. Why publish shit and make a quick buck? The publishing industry is in no way easy to break into. I'm still trying. I'm shopping around a second manuscript. Looking back on my first am I glad no one published it? YES. I love the characters and one day I will go back to it, BUT it was my first and a royal mess. Sometimes stories are rejected due to bad timing, but other times it's just not ready, no matter how much we wish it were.

Look, whatever route one chooses to take to publication I commend them, but DON'T belittle those who make a different choice than you. It's ignorant and quite foolish. This coming from a nineteen-year-old. It's sad how close minded some people can be.

Anyway, I wish you all luck in your publishing endeavors whether they are traditional or self-publishing. We aren't enemies here.

~Liz

Blog Posts for the Boss Man

So last post I talked about some blogging I did for my internship, Beloved. Well here's two of them. :)

The first one is about Publix's sappy commercials...Oh come on you know you love em'. It talks about what the point of making us cry is. :)

Here's one on an intern's daily life there. Surprisingly, most of us really didn't know how to make coffee. Go figure?

Enjoy :)

Torn Between Two Industries & a Swarm of Bees

So today's post is going in a different direction. See I've recently been interning at an advertising agency handling the social media, which includes, yup, you guessed it--blog writing. I'm finding myself torn between two industries: Advertising/Public Relations and the Publishing Industry. So where does a college student turn to? The route that promises you a stable job and hopefully, security or should they take the route that promises rejection and hardship, but where the benefits are even sweeter. Yeah, I want both. You constantly hear writers talk about what if they could quit their day job and just write? That sounds all fun and dandy, but knowing me, I'd be bored. Only an hour or three would be spent writing. What else is there to do for the rest of the day? Besides, the people you meet outside are the best for providing story ideas. Just yesterday, I was in Subway and a cop asked me if I was coming or going from class. I said, both. Then I mentioned that my next class was fiction writing and I was a writer. We had a few laughs and then I left to eat outside. Later, I bumped into him again. He asked, "So will you write me into one of your stories?" (His name..I think..was Eric) I shrugged and laughed--ya know that awkward it-doesn't-work-that-way smile. His response, "I could just arrest you." Um, okay, dude.... My awkward smile returned. His face was dead serious. (I hoped he was kidding) Oh and please note, just down the sidewalk a swarm of bees was, well, swarming. This was a random occurance during my day, and yet, who knows maybe I'll write about a swarm of bees, a girl, and a cop who threatens to arrest her, ya never know. What I'm trying to say is. Why can't we just have it both ways?