Thursday, March 27, 2014

Book Trailers Part 4 - The God-Awful Informercial & The Hey Looky Here

I know, I know. It's been a while what with all the conventions, cover reveals, edits, contracts, distractions and other groovy stuff getting in the way of science. Well I'm back and I'm here to lay on you the next spine-tingling installment of my strange journey into Book Trailers.

I classified the book trailers I found into five categories listed below.
If you’ve been following this earth-shattering series you’ll notice I'm changing things up a bit today. I dedicated an entire post on each one of the first three but I'm going to lump the last two in this one today because I only have one example of each. I coulnd't make myself look for another "God-Awful Informercial," and my "Hey Looky Here" cannot be followed.

If you haven’t seen the previous posts, grab some popcorn and go check them out. It’s all linked above. I'll wait.

<Pause while you go back and read my brilliance in the previous posts>

Back so soon? Wipe that grin off your face. Yes, I write long fiction too. Check out BEATRYSEL now on Amazon and watch for THE UNSEEN ELEANOR coming out in July. But now, back to the blog.

Okay, here we go, the God-Awful Infomercial.

One of the reasons it took me so long to get to this post is that I absolutely hate the next  book trailer. Maybe if it were for a different book by a different author in a different dimension where greed wasn’t made a virtue and religion a tool of oppression, patriarchy and conservative politics, I could warm up to it. But then of course I’d be a being of pure thought then, transcendental and orange. Yeah, I’d probably be orange.

Check this out.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0QPHGVawxE

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937077632/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1937077632&linkCode=as2&tag=johworsbloman-20
I don’t like Dave Ramsey. I associate his voice with right wing hate radio, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. A friend of mine gave us tickets and the wife and I attended a Dave Ramsey show here in town. It was a money management seminar, but it was held in an auditorium and he spent as much time plugging books and other seminars as he did teaching us the principals of money management. I got a couple of good gems out of it, but the experience was so heavily politicized it made my tie-dye bleed.

Okay, putting aside my own feelings, I have to admit that this is a good book-trailer. Or do I? Is it really a book trailer or is it just a commercial?

I wrestled with this for a while while I decided to include it or not in this survey and came to the conclusion that it was a book trailer. How else can a non-fiction book be presented except by a commercial/infomercial? I guess one could show what was in the book, give demonstrations and quotes, share a little info, but this works too and is the more common approach.

"Infomercial" might be too generous a title for this one. This trailer doesn’t give any information. Like the Mood Medley, it’s working on emotion not fact or direct content. It doesn’t offer any useful tidbits of information that would lead to interest in the book, like putting money aside in savings, not using credit cards or paying tithing regularly to your local Conservative Super PAC, which are probably all in the book. Nope, nothing useful in this bit of imagery except happy American people living better lives because (assumedly) of what they read in the professionally advertised book.

It is one slick commercial. Television quality - primetime, not just late night insomnia theater. It has money behind it. It's slick.

Family, work, and blame are all present. The cornerstones of any good book on fiscal responsibility. Considering Ramsey’s crowd, and having seen him live, I have little doubt that the formula in this book trailer is effective for his audience. It’s probably playing in a loop right now in some SuperDome lobby while people stand in line to buy his books at a special seminar discount prices. As of this writing, Smart Money Smart Kids hasn't been released yet, but I'll bet good money it's a best seller when it is. Say what I will, Ramsey sells books. There's much to appreciate in his marketing.

But it's Dave Ramsey.... Ahhhhgggg. Moving on.

What we need now is a palate cleanser. This brings us to one of my favorite book trailers of all time.

I present to you the Hey Looky Here! in the form of a "book trailer" for Brent Michael Kelley's Chuggie and The Desecration of Stagwater.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBqZg1pR1DY

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615571042/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615571042&linkCode=as2&tag=johworsbloman-20
Wasn't that something? Or was it something else?

This little masterpiece was commission and delivered from Fiverr.com for five bucks. It’s worth a hundred times that for just it's camp factor, don't you think. Hula-hoop, bunny ears, tattooed navel, rock and roll and pink everywhere. Gotta' love the internet.

Chuggie is an off the wall fantasy character, so an off-the-wall trailer is perfect. But who cares - this is just the kind of thing the internet was made for. Watch it again.

So silly.

Is this an effective book trailer? It depends on what you want it to do. If you want it to sell your book, this might do as well as anything else insofar as it’s interesting, hypnotic and mentions the book. The strange tale of Chuggie and Stagwater is not diminished by this silliness. I’ve read it and I know. The book is a riot, like this trailer. Both just make me happy.


Next week I’ll sum up my findings on book trailers and let some other people say a word or two.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

DADDY DOIN' WORK cover reveal

I am neck deep in edits. Exciting stuff coming. Stay tuned.

Today's blog day and luckily for me, my publisher has asked me to share with you another cover reveal.

Behold, the new book Daddy Doin' Work by Doyin Richards coming soon from Jolly Fish Press.



Wednesday, March 12, 2014

DEFIANCE Cover Reveal

You may remember my interview with Adrienne Monson. It was in the middle of the night. Well, she's back with a new book DEFIANCE. Here's the awesome new cover. Check it out!


Leisha and Samantha barely survived the vampires and immortals six months ago. Now, an explosive battle between the vampires and immortals seems imminent.

It's more important than ever before that the prophecy child is found, but there's a problem—Leisha has lost her powers. She seems like nothing more than a human. Her newfound humanity is further complicated when Tafari, her old lover, appears with a desire for reconciliation.

Can Leisha lock up the past to save those she loves? Or will fate tear everything from her once again?


Monson’s debut novel, Dissension, book one of the Blood Inheritance trilogy, came out in 2013. Defiance (book 2) is slated for release February 24, 2015.

She lives in Utah with her husband and two kids. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Zumba, kickboxing, reading, and trying new recipes.

Links:
Web site: http://www.adriennemonson.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adriennemonson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adriennemonson
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6584385.Adrienne_Monson
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/adriennemonson

Thursday, March 6, 2014

LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD Cover Reveal

Proud Blog Mansion alumni, Amie and Bethanie Borst have a new book coming up and, since it is the season to Spring new covers on us (Ha!) I must interrupt our regularly scheduled silliness to share LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD with you. Also, scroll down for a chance to win their first book, CINDERSKELLA. Without further ado, here it is –


You know things are going to suck when you’re the new kid. But when you’re the new kid and a vampire… well, it bites!

Unlike most kids, Scarlet Small’s problems go far beyond just trying to fit in. She would settle for a normal life, but being twelve years old for an entire century is a real pain in the neck. Plus, her appetite for security guards, house pets and bloody toms (tomato juice) is out of control. So in order to keep their vampire-secret, her parents, Mort and Drac, resort to moving for the hundredth time, despite Scarlet being dead-set against it. Things couldn’t be worse at her new school, either. Not only does she have a strange skeleton-girl as a classmate, but a smelly werewolf is intent on revealing her secret. When she meets Granny—who fills her with cookies, goodies, and treats, and seems to understand her more than anyone—she’s sure things will be different. But with a fork-stabbing incident, a cherry pie massacre, and a town full of crazy people, Scarlet’s O-positive she’ll never live to see another undead day.


Not even her Vampire Rule Book can save her from the mess she’s in. Why can’t she ever just follow the rules?


Add Little Dead Riding Hood to your Goodreads to-read list here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20860725-little-dead-riding-hood


Amie Borst is a PAL member of SCBWI. She believes in Unicorns, uses glitter whenever the opportunity arises, accessories in pink and eats too much chocolate. 

Bethanie Borst is a spunky 13 year old who loves archery, long bike rides and studying edible plant-life.

Little Dead Riding Hood is their second book in the Scarily Ever Laughter series. Their first book, Cinderskella, released in October 2013 and has been nominated for three awards. 
You can find Amie on:

Twitter (www.twitter.com/AmieBorst)
Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/AmieBorst)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors (www.fromthemixedupfiles.com) and
Blog (www.amieborst.com).
Together they can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AmieAndBethanieBorst).


You made it to the bottom! Cool, here's the prize!

GIVEAWAY –

To celebrate the cover for Little Dead Riding Hood, Amie is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The more ways you share, the more points you earn!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday, March 3, 2014

BLACK MOON Cover Reveal

My pal Teri Harman, who visited The Blog Mansion back in June has a new book coming out. Book two of THE MOONLIGHT TRILOGY: BLACK MOON. Take a look at this freakin' awesome cover. Wow. Just wow....




BOOK SUMMARY

Simon Howard accidentally killed three people. Four months later, the nightmares won’t stop. Willa Fairfield, his girlfriend, his soul mate, wants nothing more than to help him move on. But guilt isn’t the only thing getting in Simon’s way.

When unexplained earthquakes hit the small town of Twelve Acres, and dozens of people go missing, the Light witches discover their most feared enemy, Archard, is still alive. Employing the twisted, dynamic magic of a legendary witch known as Bartholomew the Dark, Archard plans to exact his revenge and take control of the Powers of the Earth on the night of the black moon, a rare lunar event infamous for Dark magic.

As the Light Covenant fumbles to defend against Archard’s sadistic intentions, Simon’s magic grows inexplicably more powerful, even dangerous. Willa throws all her efforts into solving the mystery of Simon’s transformation, but when the events of the past storm into the present, the couple’s future changes forever.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939967015/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1939967015&linkCode=as2&tag=johworsbloman-20

GIVEAWAY: Teri is giving away a signed hardcover of BLOOD MOON, book #1.

Rafflecopter giveaway



Teri Harman, author of magic and wonder
Blood Moon, Black Moon (9/2014), Storm Moon (9/2015), A Painted Life (2015)

Blog: http://www.teriharman.com/
Instagram: @authorteriharman
Goodreads: goodreads.com/TeriHarman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTeriHarman
Twitter: @TeriHarman, https://twitter.com/TeriHarman