Today, I'm excited to share with you the trailer I've created for my upcoming release, She Lights Up the Dark (November Snow Book 2), available now for pre-order on Amazon Kindle. Here she is:
I'd be ever so grateful if you took a moment to watch, like, comment, and share.
I had some trepidation about trying to create this trailer, and I had a few false starts until I hit upon the idea of letting November herself explain her situation. As you can probably guess, things are looking rather dire in book 2. I had a great time choosing photos and coming up with the music. I thought I'd pass on some tips gleaned from what I learned along the way.
1) Always be ready to snap a photo
Smartphones are great for the indie writer. They allow us to record inspiration wherever we find it. Most of the photos I use for my marketing come from my snapshots. whenerver I see something beautiful or ugly or interesting that could represent an aspect of my characters and their journeys, I grab it. This gives me a ready-made pool of material for when it's time to put marketing material, including trailers, together.
2) Find a stock photo source you like
Sometimes your own pictures aren't enough. Find a source for stock photography that you like and that is easy to use. I love Canva, because they are inexpensive and a one-stop shop for desiging. Which brings me to . . .
3) Find design software you like
You need a way to crop and filter and otherwise mess with images. Picmonkey and Canva are my favorite. Canva is awesome. I use it almost every day. It's free for your own images. Stock images are only $1. They save all your previous projects. Their customer service is amazing.
4) Find audio software you like
If you want to do your own narration or music, you need a way to edit it. I love Audacity. It's free, open source, and easy to use. You do have to download a plugin to export mp3 files, but if I could figure it out, you can, too.
5) Find movie software you like
I use Microsoft Movie Maker, which I know makes me kind of lame, but for the casual, inexperienced user, it's simple and easy to figure out. And it was already on my computer, so it won.
6) Find a free or cheap source of audio
There are a lot of public domain songs out there. Just do some digging, and you'll probably find something that works. You can start with freepd.com.
7) Have fun with it
Making a trailer is a creative endeavor, just like writing is. If you're not having fun, then pay someone else to do it. Life's too short.
I'd be ever so grateful if you took a moment to watch, like, comment, and share.
I had some trepidation about trying to create this trailer, and I had a few false starts until I hit upon the idea of letting November herself explain her situation. As you can probably guess, things are looking rather dire in book 2. I had a great time choosing photos and coming up with the music. I thought I'd pass on some tips gleaned from what I learned along the way.
1) Always be ready to snap a photo
Smartphones are great for the indie writer. They allow us to record inspiration wherever we find it. Most of the photos I use for my marketing come from my snapshots. whenerver I see something beautiful or ugly or interesting that could represent an aspect of my characters and their journeys, I grab it. This gives me a ready-made pool of material for when it's time to put marketing material, including trailers, together.
2) Find a stock photo source you like
Sometimes your own pictures aren't enough. Find a source for stock photography that you like and that is easy to use. I love Canva, because they are inexpensive and a one-stop shop for desiging. Which brings me to . . .
3) Find design software you like
You need a way to crop and filter and otherwise mess with images. Picmonkey and Canva are my favorite. Canva is awesome. I use it almost every day. It's free for your own images. Stock images are only $1. They save all your previous projects. Their customer service is amazing.
4) Find audio software you like
If you want to do your own narration or music, you need a way to edit it. I love Audacity. It's free, open source, and easy to use. You do have to download a plugin to export mp3 files, but if I could figure it out, you can, too.
5) Find movie software you like
I use Microsoft Movie Maker, which I know makes me kind of lame, but for the casual, inexperienced user, it's simple and easy to figure out. And it was already on my computer, so it won.
6) Find a free or cheap source of audio
There are a lot of public domain songs out there. Just do some digging, and you'll probably find something that works. You can start with freepd.com.
7) Have fun with it
Making a trailer is a creative endeavor, just like writing is. If you're not having fun, then pay someone else to do it. Life's too short.
Awesome trailer and terrific information! Thanks so much for sharing!!
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