We’d like to extend a warm welcome to today’s guest blogger, Sheila Clover English.
Thank you to Magical Musings for inviting me to participate as a guest blogger.
I want to address three topics:
1. Book Trailers® and COS Productions
2. Publicity
3. My books; Circle of Seven and The Gemini Keys
BOOK TRAILERS®
Mike Miller and I decided we’d create a company that helps promote books through video. In 2002 we created the first Book Trailer®, Dark Symphony. In 2003 COS Productions started booking media for the 30 second version of the Book Trailer® on local television stations. We began offering publicity over and above marketing videos and our client list began to grow. In 2004 we started a strategic alliance with Regal Cinemedia and the first Book Trailer® to play in a movie theater was Dark Secret.
In 2003 Borders Group, Inc. began playing the videos online with great success! Other bookstores began to request them. COS Productions started putting together a viral marketing plan to have the videos shown more and get more free press for them. Then, in 2005 COS Productions was awarded a first place Telly Award for the book commercial, Mind Game. Our small, struggling business had won amongst such greats as Time Warner, SciFi Channel and Disney Studios!
PUBLICITY
COS Productions doesn’t just do videos. We format them. We help the client get them out to as many users as possible, but we also do things like create press releases and send them out to online magazines and television websites.
There are other companies popping up left and right now that COS has shown that the videos are effective. But, it is important that anyone paying good money for a product know what they get in addition to that video. Unless the client is already a marketing person you may just end up with a novelty item for your website.
COS Productions doesn’t use a template. Each client is interviewed to find out exactly what they want for their book and for their career. We encourage name branding and create videos with the author’s future in mind. It is important to sell that book, but it is equally important for the author to make a name for themselves.
Douglas Clegg who not only is a brilliant author, but is a well known expert in publicity for the book industry had a Book Trailer® made for his novel, Priest of Blood. Mr. Clegg shared his opinion and experience with us saying, “COS Productions exceeded my expectations in creating a state-of-the-art book trailer(tm) for my novel The Priest of Blood. Sheila Clover English goes above and beyond, by continuing to find ways to promote the trailer effectively, to reach markets my book would not otherwise reach, and to handle advertising in television and in-theaters. Given the exposure my trailer got, and the enormous response from readers who first came to my book because they’d heard about — and had seen — the book trailer ™, I attribute much of my novel’s early success to COS Productions and to Sheila’s excellent attention to detail and marketing savvy.”
MY BOOKS
Circle of Seven was always a book first. After some time it was decided that COS Productions would publish the book itself. It will be an experiment in marketing. This book is by an unknown author with nearly no budget. The book will be available in paperback at Amazon.com in May or June of this year. All of the COS Productions marketing and publicity avenues will be used to sell the book, including television time.
The books are based on the idea that there is a government of paranormal beings here in the modern day. Circle of Seven concentrates on the immortals and a cursed sword. The Gemini Keys concentrates on the Lycanthrope King. The heroine has a split personality and when she is Tori she loves Lucas, the Lycanthrope King and when she is Jade, she loves Aden a witch-made-vampire and old flame. Both of the those books were written in first person, but the third book in the series, The Vampire King, is written in third person as are all the subsequent books. A notice will be sent out to all those people who signed up for the COS Productions members log when the books are released and where to buy them.
Please feel free to leave comments and I will check back often. Thank you for the opportunity to share my ideas and passions with you.
Sheila Clover English
www.cosproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/cosbooktrailers
Wow, Sheila. I am so impressed with your marketing vision. It sounds like an invaluable tool for authors. Your own books sound fascinating, too.
Thank you ever so much for posting today, Sheila. It’s interesting to see the directions some writers go in. You saw a nitch that has never been explored before and made it a viable marketing tool. Good going.
Sheila, I really admire your vision. Several writers I know, including Allison Brennan, have book trailers. Rae Monet said her trailer hleped get her agent interest.
Sheila, I am one of te readers who “found” authors through the trailers on their sites. How long does it take from concept to finished product and can you tell us more about the differences between a Trailer and a teaser?
Much luck to you!
Sheila its good to see you and COS getting some well
disserved recognition. I know that COS is expanding
every day. I am thrilled that we will soon be able to
pruchase the books. I am also aware that there have been
attempts by other companies to use the term Book Trailer
which you have a trademark on. Has this form of piracy
slowed down any? Can’t wait to see more of Isaac Woofter.
I am waiting impatiently for new Trailers staring my favorite
cover model C J Hollenbach. Best of luck
Sheila, I really enjoyed your post. I’ve seen the work that you did for Christine Feehan–I actually hop over to her website whenever a new book is going to be released just so I can take a peek at the trailer.
Very interesting. I can’t wait to see how this new marketing avenue continues to develop.
Hi Sheila, I am so glad you posted today..I watch your book trailers also to get an idea of whats out there, new and fresh, so I can purchase the books. I also love the Christine Feehan trailers….Dark Demon was awesome…great job. Continue with the wonderul work..I look forward to seeing more trailers in the future. My next purchase is Susan Squires…thanks to your wonderful video….The Burning!
You always do a great job, Sheila. I’ll always be behind you cheering you on! COS ROCKS!!! I can’t wait to get your books. I love Aden. ^___^
Thank you! I have really enjoyed creating the trailers and working with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met. It’s fun, it’s hard work, but fun!
Cynthia, I’m so thrilled that you look for the trailers on Christine’s site. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I developed a game for her site called the FOG (Feehan Online Game). It’s fun! And you can see some video clips that have never been seen before!
Lisa,
A trailer is the longer version of the video that you see online. It is too long for television or movie theaters, but is fun and tells a bit more of the story.
The teaser is taken out of the trailer and lasts 30 seconds long. That is the normal length of a tv commercial.
Pre-production will take about a month. Production takes 1-3 days and post can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months.
Mini teasers, which have no actors, take about a week from the time an author contacts us to the time they get thier product.
Thanks for asking!
Sheila
Mary, I am so thrilled that my book will be out this year. I am equally thrilled that so many wonderful cover models are participating in my project. I will have some pictures in the book. Isaac Woofter, CJ Hollenback and Mark Johnson will all be there representing characters.
We knew when we trademarked the term “Book Trailer” that it would be difficult to enforce at some point. When we trademarked it there was no such thing as a book video. Our attorneys aruged that issue and the government gave us the term. Many people get angry that we have the term. We did what any other American would do, we came up with our own original idea and did the best we could to protect it. Now that book videos are really making a difference in the industry people want to use the term and feel that they have a right to since it is a common term. It was NOT common when we won the trademark and no one cared that we had it back then.
It will always be an uphill battle over people using the term. We politely ask them not to. The law says we must try to uphold the right to having the term or we forfeit our right. We don’t do it to be mean and are often attacked over the issue. We’re a business and we’re an honest and honorable business at that. Perhaps they should make up their own term, or be angry with the US Trademark service? We’re just trying to protect ourselves and our idea.
Wow i am excited to read your stories and will watch amazon like a hawk for your book!!! I love the work that you have done with Christine Feehan and will definately look for more trailors
Thanks for all the wonderful creations you’ve made you’ve helped make a reader out of me!!
Sheila,
Kudos to COS for a well thought out plan and a prosperous future. I will be the first to admit, the trailers for Feehan sucked me in hard. Love those!! Huge fan of hers, and of yours. You do exceptional work.
Congrats on the book and best of wishes for COS!!!
Hard to argue when it is basically a common term. I’m curious, though. What should other businesses wanting to jump the wagon call their trailers? Still, you had the idea first and you had the legal savvy to trademark it. Too bad, so sad. You saw a need in the industry, came up with the concept and ran with it. Congratulations on that.
Again, kudos to you, Sheila, and the COS team! It was a brilliant idea to create book trailers for the masses that are so into visual stimulation. I am another reader who has “discovered” new writers thanks to the wonderful trailers that you have made — I can’t thank you enough for that! And I can’t wait for your book to come out either!
Is the book trailer concept viable for all genres?
I have to say that I am especially thrilled to hear that the trailers have inspired someone to read, or just to read a new author. That is really what they are intended to do. Those fans of authors who get them done will watch them because they are fun and entertaining, but when we bring a new reader in that is such a great moment for me.
TRADEMARK-
Yes, it’s a common term…now. lol
When we find someone using the term we very politely let them know the term is trademarked and we suggest calling it a book video (which really is the “common” term for them).
So far we’ve met with little resistance. Authors are always nice about it, but we’ve ran into competition companies who want to give us a hard time. They say it is too common to trademark.
Here is the issue I have with that-
Regardless of their “opinion” we DO have it legally trademarked. What kind of world would it be if people just randomly disregarded the law because they disagree with it? I mean, I LOVE to go 85 on the highway…why are you giving me this ticket?…I didn’t hurt anyone! The law is stupid!
Would that get you out of a ticket? Uh…if it does, please tell me where you live…so I can move there! lol
You can disagree, but you can disregard.
Jean,
Great question! Thank you! Yes, Book Trailers are for all genres!
This year we opened our Christian Fiction division and our Comedy division! We have 5 Christian book trailers coming out and one comedy.
Most people think we only do the scary or paranormal stuff, but we do so much more. We’ve done historicals for Jennifer Ashley, Sylvia Day and Lisa Kleypas.
We now have Production Partners with specialites in particular genres.
Sheila,
Congrats on COS and all the work that you’ve done. I had lost interest in reading for a long time until I stumbled onto a book trailer that you did for Christine Feehan. I had never read any of her books and didn’t think that I would like the genre that she writes. But since I watched that book trailer and so many more since then I have not only discovered a newer interest in reading but have discovered a bunch of “new” authors that I would never have read if it hadn’t been for COS book trailers. Once again, Congrats and Thanks So Much
Hey Sistah!!! It’s so good to see everyone that is so interested in your work and just wanting to have you do their next trailerr or teaser. This is so great for all of you. I am so happy for you and COS. Best of luck!!!
Thank you so much for your support!
It is so rewarding to hear stories about people learning to love reading again!
VIDEO ADVICE-
If you have a book video I strongly recommend that you put it up on MySpace. It costs you $0…yep…nothing. You then work on your MySpace network and send out a bulletin with the video and a jpg of your bookcover embedded in it. You can advertise to thousands of people at no cost outside of your valuable time.
Do some research. Create a list of online book sellers that you can send announcements to. Don’t send fodder! Just announcements.
Look for online magazines that highlight your kind of genre. Make a list of them. Make up a cool press release so they don’t have to write anything. Send it out. I’ve never had a press release NOT get picked up by someone. And…it is FREE! You can offer to give the video to the magazine for something cool to “show”.
If you are a writer or even a potential writer you need a website!
Sheila, I’ve enjoyed all of your book trailers. I was fortunate enough to come and visit an early shoot they did and do an article on it. Sheila and her staff take extra time with the actors and authors to ensure a quality product. Over the short period they have been doing the trailers they are just getting better and better. COS is the very best of the best and I would encourage anyone to go and take a look at what they can do for you. jai
Thanks, Jai!
We loved having you on the Circle of Seven shoot! And the article you did on us was fantastic! I love the Romance Zone! RZ just seems to get bigger and better too!
If there’s anyone who hasn’t seen the Romanze Zone site please go to http://www.theromancezone.com. Great articles, great book reviews and great fun there!
Sheila
I LOVE your trailers Shelia! They’re cool….. Course all of us regulators know that already
Can’t wait for your COS books to come out, I’m gonna get em all. ^^
Thank you to everyone for participating in my guest blog. If you have further questions please feel free to contact me at sclover@cosproductions.com
Sheila