Monthly Archives: March 2013

Book Trailer!

Click on the photo to watch the book trailer on YouTube.

It used to be enough to just write a great book and sell it and hope folks liked it. Times have changed! As a self-published author, not only is it up to me to make sure the book itself looks great and is well edited (and I’m grateful for the great team who helped me do that), but I’m also responsible for what seems like hundreds of social media decisions and constant updates. Twitter, Facebook, an Amazon author page, Goodreads, Google, a YouTube channel…the list could go on and on, but so far I have stopped with those. My latest adventure has been creating a “book trailer,“ which is the new must-do thing. I’m not sure if it actually helps to sell books, but especially when dealing with Kit Lit you never want to overlook a way to connect visually.

I’m very grateful that I already have a basic knowledge of how to use Windows Movie Maker and have been through many sessions of vocal and voice training (not to mention drama classes). As a family, we are quite addicted to taking pictures of our beloved Kimba, so I had many to select from. The photo I used for “Regalus” is one I found on the internet when I was writing the book. “There he is,” I thought, so it seemed right to share what he looks like in my mind’s-eye. If you imagine him even scarier, go for it. He’s not an earth cat, so he would be much more impressive than anything we have here.

Comparing what I came up with to many others out there, I think I pulled it off. Clearly, I did not pay $10,000 for a professionally created video. How many books would I have to sell to cover that cost?! But I do think it gets the message across: here’s a cute book about a cat who finds out she is more than just a house cat and has to decide what to do and how to act on this new life-changing information.

I hope you enjoy the video book trailer and will share it widely with everyone on your various social media lists. You never know who might end up watching. “Why Kimba Saved The World” is just Book 1. There is MUCH more to come.

Lesson 1: Pick Your Events Carefully

Well, for my first time out, things went pretty well. I wanted to support a local business and get “Why Kimba Saved The World” in front of as many people as possible, so I set up a table at a local fundraising event. The problem is: a children’s book of any kind was not a great fit for the event. I suspected as much from the beginning, but it still seemed worth a try. And it was free. In the larger scheme of things, the whole event was fairly disorganized and put together in haste. Those in charge where happy to admit it. Not a lot of advertising was done either. The best of intentions often come up short. It wasn’t a complete waste of time, though, because I spent many hours with some delightful women who also found themselves with not much else to do but chat with fellow vendors. I made a great contact for the local business that my husband and I run. I sold a few copies of “Kimba” to women who were thrilled to get it. But I also learned that it is okay to be selective on where I chose to spend my time. Something billed as a giant yard sale is not going to be as successful for me as I anticipate next Friday night’s circus themed activities in Basin Park will be. I mean, a bunch of kids coming to party should be a captive and interested audience. Right? I’ll let you know next weekend. If nothing else, my daughter should have a great time decorating my booth.

When Frustrated, Just Watch A Cat On A Ladder

Kimba Chases Her Tail On A Ladder

I’m not sure why a cat on a ladder makes me smile and forget whatever drama of the day I am caught up in. If I wanted to see it live, all I would need to do is pull out a real ladder, and Kimba would be at the top lickety-split. Today has left me feeling torn between the YA novel I am doing final edits on and preparing for a target audience read and the fact that I really want to keep moving on “Vacation Hiro” and get that published. A really inspiring workshop with the Northwest Arkansas Writer’s Group this weekend and lots of new ideas from that is not helping matters. There’s never enough time in the day! So I’ve decided that I’ll send out the YA book at the end of March, whatever state it is in, and spend April on “Hiro”. Having goals helps. And then I put on a video of Kimba chasing her tail on a ladder to brighten my day. Click on the photo and let it brighten yours too.

Kimba and My Disney Toys

Kimba and her Disney friends

I freely admit to loving stuffed animals. If you’ve read “Why Kimba Saved The World,” you know that I have quite a collection of Disney mini-plush toys, and Kimba loves them as much as I do. Back in our Houston house, she had a bed up on the shelf with them, and it was her favorite spot to sleep. She also has a little game she plays with them. Every night, when all the humans and the other three cats go to sleep (yes, Hiro, Samantha, & Tabitha have adjusted to a human sleep schedule), Kimba runs the house and plays with the stuffed animals. She jumps up on the bookshelves where they are displayed, picks her favorites for the night, and carries them around the house, singing. It actually sounds more like she is saying “Hello?”. She loves to bring them upstairs and leave them outside my bedroom door, but most recently she has been bringing them to my daughter. This is a new development. And I caught it on video. In my next book, I think I’m going to have to include this. Click on the photo, and it will take you to YouTube so you can watch her nighttime antics. Crazy cat.