Video Q and A Response - Engaging Fans

I recently approached Verla Lacy Powers, author of Child of Desire, about doing a video Q and A event for her facebook fans. It worked like this:

-Verla first put out a call for questions to her fans on facebook, explaining that their questions could be answered in a video response.

-After a week, we compiled the responses and picked 5 (the rest would be answered via facebook).

-Then we set a time and I filmed her responses.

-Finally, I edited together the first response in a tidy little package and we released it last night. We'll be releasing the other four video responses over the next couple of weeks.

This is an example of another way of using video content to market your book, in this case to engage with your fans. It's a way of developing a sense of connection, and building what you might call brand loyalty. By spreading out the release of the videos, we supply fans of Child of Desire with a stream of content; content they can share with their friends, helping promote the novel.

Check out the video below:

If you're interested in similar video content for your book, or in a book trailer, contact us today at collegiatefilms@gmail.com to get started!

Kansas City Writers Meetup Group: Self-Sufficiency

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of speaking to the Kansas City Writers Meetup Group at the Oak Park Library. I talked about the importance of video content in this day and age, the dos and don'ts of book trailers, and even what to look for in a production company (including pricing models).

The group was very welcoming and made my job a lot easier by willfully participating. It was a great experience and I'm currently seeking out more speaking engagements so I can do it again. But I don't normally use my blog for company news, I have facebook for that. So why am I writing?

I posited the question to this group of authors, "how do you define success?" I got a few different answers: best-sellers lists, financial stability, and self-sufficiency. It was this last one that really grabbed my attention. You see, the lady that suggested it said that she sees self-sufficiency as being able to take a book from conception to sale...by herself. And that's really the beauty of our times, isn't it? For the first time, authors have the resources to write, publish, and market their own content without relying on third-party publishers.

But can an independent author really compete with the big traditional publishers single-handedly? And should they?

Ultimately, the established publishers have a wealth of resources (both financial and human), to put their authors in the best position to rack up sales. Trying to employ all the little marketing techniques they use, while still finding time to write and have a life probably isn't practical. But that's where people like me come in. Collegiate Films is a small part of the effort to give the little guy a fighting chance. With our low-cost production model, we enable authors to more effectively market the content they've worked so hard to create, without breaking the bank. By doing so, we help close the gap, and give authors a hand in being self-sufficient.

Shoot us an email today to start your journey to self-sufficiency! collegiatefilms@gmail.com