Ficlets

An interesting article from the Associated Press about how book videos – short promotional films for books – are becoming a necessity:

Once a novelty, book videos are increasingly common and, publishers say, essential. Hyperion Books, HarperCollins and Penguin Group (USA) are among those using them. Powell’s Books, a leading independent store based in Portland, Ore., plans its own series of films, starting with a video for Ian McEwan’s new novel, “On Chesil Beach.”

“I don’t know if we’re reaching people we wouldn’t otherwise be reaching, but we are reaching people who are not necessarily reading book review sections or always watching a TV show,” says Sue Fleming, Simon & Schuster’s vice president and executive director for online and consumer marketing.

No one makes definitive claims that videos increase sales, but publishers and booksellers agree they can help, especially if they catch on at YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet.

I’m not personally entirely sold on the necessity of book videos. I think they can be a healthy and nutritious part of any promotional diet – and may even get some interest from people who might not otherwise know about the book – but if someone is expecting a video to make or break their book, they’re probably a little high.

My own publisher has created promotional videos for my books, and they seem to pique people’s interest to some extent. However, I’ll note that my own rather silly promotional video that I made on my kitchen table for nothing, seems to be just as effective, in terms of reaching people:

This suggests to me there’s still some fiddling to do before publishers and authors get this whole book video thing sorted out.