Tap into the Power of Promotional Videos
Promotional videos used to cost $10,000 to $20,000. But with today’s computer software and hardware, you can accomplish the same for much, much less.
WinePress Multimedia offers a range of services from promotional videos to audiobooks, all created and produced in-house.
On their promotional video, WinePress authors Joshua and Kerry Williams, tell an amazing “Isaac and Rebecca” story of how God worked in their lives to bring them together. The video featured Joshua and Kerry’s book, The Perfect Date, along with information about their music and their ministry to youth.
This is the caliber of product authors should have to promote their message to potential media producers and speaker selection committees.
At WinePress Multimedia, we create everything from short, promotional book trailers to in-depth videos. We offer:
- B-Roll footage. Footage of you or something other than your interview. B-Roll is intercut with your interview footage to either help show something about the content on the subject, or to visually pace the video in a dynamic way.
- Voice-over talent. For use with narrative, reading of testimonies or endorsements.
- Possibility of showing archive footage of a time period, depending on subject and era; also archive still photography.
- Photo montage, pictures of you, your book subject, any other pictures. (If montage is about client, client must supply pictures.)
- Custom motion title bar intro based on theme of your book.
- Motion graphics of your book, showing the outside and inside.
- Testimony interview clips from a friend or family member.
- Endorsements from other people, if possible in a video or audio format, but also in a written format to display on screen.
If you have a Web site we can work with the Web hosting company to cater to the file format they need to host your video.
Check our authors’ promotional videos on YouTube.
Tweet This!How to Avoid the Stress of Mess
By Marcus Isom
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
While some may debate this saying, keeping your surroundings clean and free of clutter is helpful when writing that best-selling novel.
I’ve learned from experience that I stress less when there’s no mess. When things are kept tidy, clean, and in their proper place, my mind can reflect likewise. There’s freedom from the constant worry of that bill sitting under a pile of paperwork that’s due in 2 days. There’s no trying to find the phone handset buried under cream soda cans.
Everyone has different ways in which they’re prone to making mess, whether it’s the workstation, desktop, inbox, e-mail messages, or even computer files.
If you struggle to conquer mess, here’s a routine that will help you kick the clutter out of your life.
Clean
De-Clutter
File
Clean and file as you go
Don’t obsess over avoiding mess
Marcus Isom is a general office assistant at WinePress.
Tweet This!3 Ways to Develop a List of Key Influencers for Your Book
If you haven’t begun writing your book yet, now is the perfect time to begin planning your book promotion strategy. That’s right: you must begin thinking about how you’re going to market your book before you even write it.
1. Determine your target reader
The critical first step is to determine what individuals and groups will be most interested in your topic.
Picture your target reader. Now find an old magazine and cut out a couple of pictures of people who “look” like your target reader. Tape those pictures next to your writing space, so you always keep your reader at the forefront of your mind. Every word in your book should speak directly to your targeted reader.
2. Ask for referrals
Before, during, and after writing your book, you’ll want to make meaningful connections with your target readers. Here’s one method many authors use successfully:
Ask for referrals from everyone you know and/or meet.
Let’s say your expertise is in the area of adoption. Most people you meet won’t be actively considering adoption, but almost everyone knows someone who is.
Perhaps you’ve written an inspirational book for women in ministry. Most people you run into aren’t in charge of a women’s ministry or are on the planning committee for a retreat, but they might know someone who is.
Asking for referrals is a non-threatening way to build a list of names of key influencers in your target market.
As you build your list, get phone numbers, addresses, or e-mails, and document the name and number of the person who referred you. Don’t forget to thank them for the support (a hand-written thank-you card is always a nice gesture).
3. Follow through
Next comes the important, but scary part: follow through. Introduce yourself to the prospective influencer via a brief phone call or an introductory letter/e-mail. Follow up a couple of weeks later.
Open by explaining that so-and-so gave you their contact information and suggested you contact them about your book. Ask the contact for permission to send them some information.
Remember: you want to become a resource for that person, so don’t be pushy, and be considerate of their time. Ask when would be the best time for you to chat. Verify their address and then follow up a week or two after you send the information.
Whatever you do, don’t neglect to follow up! All the work to develop a list of contacts is wasted if you don’t follow up.
Tweet This!How to Use Outlook’s Task Function as a Filing System
By Janice Robeson
As a baby boomer, I was slow to switch from paper to digital for keeping track of things. Gone are the days of the rolodex 
or the hefty 400-page phone book next to my phone. Now that I see how orderly and efficient it is to do things this way I would never go back to the old method.
Often I’ll have a co-worker ask me for a phone number or ask me to call another business to gather information. I go to my task list in Outlook, choose “Click here to add a new task” and start a list of frequently requested phone numbers.
Because I have a large number of categories, I have several different lists of lists in my task folder. I can print them if I want to keep a hard copy” or give my list to a co-worker.
The requested numbers will range anywhere from our favorite restaurant for ordering a pizza for a meeting to the local office supply or hardware store. It’s easy to add or delete numbers (and descriptions where necessary) and to change font colors on entries, making them easier to spot if I have a long list to scroll through.
This system also works for ordering supplies. I start a Word document and I keep digital copies every time I order office supplies – of the date ordered, how many and price per box or item. I type in the stock number and what page it is in the catalog. This helps me reference how fast we have used a particular supply and whether I need to order more the next time. I can always refer to a previous order, then copy and paste anything we are re-ordering. When I call to place the order I can refer to the stock number and assist the order person in getting the order placed quickly and efficiently.
My computer is like a compact filing system and I’m always finding ways to exploit it. Aha! A gadget that is doing exactly what it is supposed to do!
Janice Robeson is the Receptionist at WinePress Group and also handles copyright registration, and outgoing mail/shipping. She enjoys becoming acquainted with each of our authors and hearing their particular story.
7 Key Components of a Resource-Rich Web site
If you want to make the most of your opportunities for exposure, you need a quality Web site that offers information, resources, and links. 
1. Decide on a central message or theme
2. Develop a slogan or tagline
3. Create a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate site
4. Thoroughly investigate sites you link to
5. Offer good information
6. Update your site frequently
7. Offer bonus goodies
