book vid lit iconSheila Clover-EnglishBook Vid Lit

by Sheila Clover-English

Sheila Clover English, the CEO of Circle of Seven Productions, has been a pioneer
in book video production, marketing and distribution for authors and publishers.

There is a lot going on with digital video these days.  For example, new technology that embeds live links throughout a video, YouTube distribution tricks and successful new distribution sites that can give your video increased exposure.Live links embedded in a video is relatively new - at least in the way our company, Circle of Seven Productions, is using them.  The links can be embedded wherever the retailer, author or publisher wants them and provide access to additional information.  You can view a samplethat uses three links within the video.  Just follow the instructions at this site.  The added dimension this provides the viewing experience almost guarantees that embedded links will be the wave of the future.  (This video will be featured on the Borders Media site in a couple of weeks.)YouTube logoCOS has started doing industry news once a week on YouTube.  Our intention was to keep the news program available for 48 hours and then take it down to encourage viewers to subscribe to our YouTube book trailers feature  (http://www.youtube.com/booktrailers).  However, we had so many people ask us to leave it in place, we felt compelled to honor their request.  Our first video blog or vlog, focuses on using live links within YouTube videos. You can see a pattern emerging here and there’s a reason for that. People want more engagement. They want more from their online experience. Live links give them more to do and see. Historically, YouTube did not allow live links. Most social media sites don’t either.  But, we discovered a couple of weeks ago that YouTube had changed their policy and was allowing the links. (Whether this is an oversight or an evolution is yet to be seen.)  Regardless, if you upload video to YouTube you can include the “http://” at the beginning of your URL in the description area of the upload and it will become a live link when you save. This is great because you can now direct viewers to your website and to a place where they can buy your book. Perfect for the impulse buyer!Revver.com logoI had planned on talking about utilizing RSS feeds to extend your distribution, but I had been using the Revver.com RSS feeds. They are very easy to work with. But, a few days ago I heard that Revver went up for sales and it’s looking grim. It’s a great site, just not assertive enough with ad shares and incomes. So, I’m now shopping around for another site with easy to use RSS feeds. I can recommend a new site though.  It’s FastClips.com. 

cell phone videoFastClips.com is in its infancy, actually still in early beta stage, but if the site can generate enough revenue to stay afloat this year, I expect it will be a huge success.  They have something rather unique. Their videos will be viewable through all portable devices. Their mobile video is like nothing I’ve ever seen.  Being a beta tester for the site, I was able to check out the mobile feature on my Smart Phone™. The thing that sets them apart from other mobile video offerings, is their ability to offer different sizes and formats to the end user before the video plays.  Many sites can send to mobile for a particular type of phone.  FastClips is set up so that any video-enabled phone can use play their videos.  I also found that the video was pretty clear despite its small size.

wall of TV screensUtilization of book video continues to grow as the technology advances.  Mobile phones, RSS feeds, and new distribution opportunities abound.  If such features continue to emerge at this rate, it will become harder for publishers and retailers to justify other types of advertising.  For just $75 we can upload a book video to over 1,000 online sites.  It is easy to see the potential of numbers like that.  Consider this example. If the top 10 upload sites show your video 1,000 times each and the other 990 sites only show it only 50 times each, that’s still 49,500 exposures. And bear in mind these are very low estimates.  Even better, online viewers are individuals who have chosen to watch your video.  This makes them more likely to become a customer. 

By contrast, you could pay $5,000 for a television ad that reaches roughly one million people.  But how many of those people will be watching the moment your ad is played? And of those who do, how many will actually pay attention to your message?  Of the individuals who do pay attention, how many will be able to recall the name of the book by the end of scheduled program they were watching?  And finally, of those how many will think to buy the book the next time they’re out shopping at a bookstore? There’s a strength in online views that television views can’t match.  Online videos can be watched again and again at the viewers option.  They can be bookmarked for easy reference and to share with others.  Motivated viewers can link directly to an online store and purchase the book immediately. 

All this can be summarized by something I discussed in an earlier post:  television views deliver quantity views; online delivers quality views.  Each medium has its time and a place. The secret is knowing which is best for your book when it matters.

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