Margaux and the Vicious Circle Book Trailer

Margaux and the Vicious Circle Trailer is hot off the presses. I am pleased with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy it. And then, I hope it entices fence sitters to invest in supporting an independent author, albeit, not a starving one.

I decided the time had come to start a YouTube channel after hearing over and over again how important it is to use video channels to reach new readers. Setting up my channel was more challenging that I expected, but I am looking forward to creating and uploading to it, as well as hosting some live events in the future.

why do books need trailers?

I decided to invest in developing a Margaux and the Vicious Circle trailer after an arduous journey through book marketing depression. I’m willing to try anything at this point! It begs the question why one would need a book trailer to attract readers, but it turns out if you want people under the age of thirty-five to take you seriously as a writer, you need to become a movie producer too. And if you are not made of money, you have to also  hone your graphical arts chops.

how can we overcome these hurdles?

This is just another hurdle for older authors to overcome in the world of independent publishing, whether publishing with a small press, a hybrid press, or self publishing. A majority of people, regardless of age and education, are unable and have no desire to navigate all of the media platforms. On top of that, most cannot afford the expense of hiring PR firm. Other costs include cover designers, book layout professionals, and editors to do line editing, copy editing, and proofing. The only way to overcome is to take things into ones own hands.

Can ai do all of this work for us?

Well, the answer to this question is resounding ‘no.’ AI doesn’t operate itself. People skilled at using AI tools can certainly get a jump on projects through idea generation, but your average Joe or Josie is going to suck at generating prompts that yield even good starting places.

I have discovered that one cannot rely exclusively on AI. The output is shabby at best, and this includes pretty  much every category of AI tool I have tested. More on this topic another day, though. I have a lot to say to all of the AI haters out there. If you are good at what you do, you are still good at what you do and will have customers. I, for one, will always have a professional editor.

How did I create this video?

I commissioned it from ‘a friend’ who doesn’t want to be named, and who in fact doesn’t enjoy doing this kind of thing for other people. I get that.

what’s next? booktok?

Ugh. I have signed up, but for the most part find it pretty uninspiring. I’ll keep you posted if I change my mind on that one. Until the next time, my friends. Let me know what you think of my first video advertising attempt!