Making a publicity video Moira Butterfield

I managed it! I managed to make a book publicity video and post it on my own Youtube Channel (which I did not have until a few days ago) and on Instagram TV (which I didn’t even know existed until a couple of weeks ago).

 

I’ve done this because publishers want as much as possible from us in terms of online material, and I knew I had to bite the bullet and step up – even though I am not yet sure who will watch it other than my family and friends (see last month’s blog).

 

During lockdown I did a great Society of Authors workshop with Candy Gourlay and Chitra Sounder which made filming seem less daunting. Because I don’t have novel chapters to read out I decided I wanted to be a ‘roving author’ -  not sitting at a desk. That meant filming outside when the weather was sunny – giving good lighting. I discovered it’s best to face towards the sun when filming, though not so much that I had to squint.

I did put on sunglasses at the end, for effect.

 

I read up on selfie sticks and chose a BlitzWolf Bluetooth Selfie stick that has an extendable arm but also doubles up as a tripod. It has a (tiny) remote control so I could, in theory, turn it on and off from afar – but I admit I haven’t got the hang of that yet. 

 

I also followed up on Candy’s tip to get an autocue app on my phone, which is excellent.  I’m using Teleprompter – I can type in a script or link to one on the computer and then choose the font size, colour and the speed it scrolls up on the phone screen. As I film I can see the script and as I’m looking at the camera nobody would know I was reading it.

 

I split my video into separate takes to make things easier and I chose an outfit that looked bright and breezy.

 

So, all set with my plan, I ventured outside one sunny morning, and discovered just how incredibly noisy my neighbourhood is. Neighbours coming out, dogs barking, recycling trucks, strimmers, radios, car horns, kids shouting, motorbikes….It took all morning to do it in different locations, and I ended up with a few takes that made me look insane and scary, but I eventually got the hang of it. It was fun to do and the hardest thing was finding locations where I could film undisturbed.

Shut up, everybody! I'm filming!

 

I gave the videos to a friend who, for modest payment, edited it together with some of the book illustrations and added some groovy sounds (that is way beyond me). He’s given me a tip for next time – leave more of a pause before starting to talk and also when ending a take – so he can edit it more easily. He did two versions – landscape for YouTube and portrait for Instagram TV. We changed a few things and then got ready to post.

 

I was concerned this was going to be difficult but it was easy enough. It took me a while how to work out how to link Instagram TV with my Instagram story function but I did it with the help of online instructions – There are lots out there. It all seemed pretty intuitive.

 

I have no idea who will watch these but who knows? I feel much more confident filming now, so I guess as I add in more videos I might get more interest. At least I can say I did it, and it wasn’t beyond me.

The video ends with the cover and information, though not details
I might have to change for foreign editions.

 

It’s not too difficult, and it’s a lot of fun! (I bought a cheap halo light to help with indoor filming but haven’t tried that yet, so I will report back another time).

 

Check me out here, and do let us know any other filming tips you might have.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk74GKogEymUxb3HBNUNzhg?reload=9

Moira Butterfield
www.moirabutterfield.com
Twitter @moiraworld
Instagram @moirabutterfieldauthor

 

Catching the glitches. Non-fiction authors have checking duties right up to the wire - Moira Butterfield

I’ve spent some days the last week working on a non-fiction book that I finished writing nearly a year ago, for the 8+ age group. There’s careful pre-press checking to be done, and it’s a very vital stage of illustrated non-fiction writing.

I've been pre-flight checking my book this week. 

 The book I’m talking about has spread headings, captions and labels that work closely alongside the illustrations, like an orchestra of musicians playing different instruments to create one piece of music. There’s a glossary, credits section and contents spread, too.

An illustrated non-fiction book for the 8+ age range has a lot of different features that work together. 

It’s up to the non-fiction writer to be available at the right time for checking duties leading up to press date. That means consulting with your editor so you are aware when you are likely to be needed, and not disappearing off the grid without warning.

Er...Where did that writer go? 

 I usually get a slightly panicky feeling at this point. Will I miss something? Will I let a big mistake go through that will ruin my book? It’s unlikely, because I won’t be the only eagle eye on the case, but the fear of letting something slip through does concentrate the mind on doing a thorough job.

As a young inexperienced editor I once made a big pre-press mistake. I was given loads of colouring books to organize, featuring characters owned by different Licensors such as Disney and Hanna Barbera. Each book had to have the right copyright notices on the back, but I got some of the Licensors mixed up. This would have been a big deal and would have led to the pulping of the books and consequent costs if anyone had noticed. Luckily I was getting friendly with the young man in the sales department who was responsible for sending out approval copies to the Licensors. He…ahem…omitted to send the colouring books, so nobody ever noticed. I was saved and yes, reader, I married him.But that was definitely a one-time only bacon-saving strategy!

"OK, I won't tell!" 

 In case you also find yourself checking a complicated visual project, here are the most common things that I have found I am likely to spot:

A last-minute art error appearing - Has the artist illustrated something that contradicts the text? I will have checked art roughs and, hopefully, caught anything untoward, but small details could have been added since. For instance, on the space spread I’ve just been checking some of the people are weightless but some appear not to be. Children will definitely notice that, so some judicious seatbelt-type straps will need to be added to figures casually sitting down.

Has some of the text been put in the wrong place? This is a common issue as non-fiction book text can comprise lots of small sections and often, with the amount of work involved the pressure is on and the deadline looms uncomfortably. It’s easy for a section of text to be accidentally placed wrongly at the last minute.

Are the labels near enough to the pictures to make sense? It’s relatively common for them to be misplaced because they’re small and fiddly, and there are sometimes lots of them.

Have I written consistently? In position, text issues can sometimes become suddenly clear. For instance, have I used the same terms throughout? The glossary inevitably gets written much later than the rest of the text and that’s where terms can sometimes accidentally change. Did I say nanobot in that glossary when I’ve been saying nanorobot everywhere else?

Are all the extras correct? It’s perfectly possible for everyone in a team to miss mistakes in the extra material – Headings, contents lists and folios. The author should always take a moment to check them because they’re all too easy to forget.

 My name – I don’t know why but it’s often spelt wrong. I make a point to check the spine, where a weird version of it may well have slipped through.  

How hard is this name? It's surprising! 

It’s a very good idea to do this checking process in a calm state without kids running around or people wandering in demanding your time.

This will never work!

Finally, remember this - All will be well and, even if something small did slip through, so what? It can be changed on a reprint and, really, will anyone even notice or mind?

The book will be born and it will be marvellous. Fingers crossed.

I have been ‘preflight checking’ A TRIP TO THE FUTURE, published by Big Picture Press in July. It’s my shot at inspiring the scientists and inventors of the future.

See you in July! 

Moira Butterfield

www.moirabutterfield.com

Twitter @moiraworld

Instagram @moirabutterfieldauthor