“The Shadow Man” Book Trailer Competition Up and Running!
Dear fans of “The Shadow Man”
We have decided that one ideal way to promote “The Shadow Man” is via a book trailer–that is, a video trailer that captures the essence of what the book is about, sort of the way that a movie trailer does for a film. With that in mind, we have put together the Shadow Man Book Trailer competition.
THE DETAILS:
Trailers (1-3 minutes in length) should try and take advantage of the Savannah setting while incorporating aspects of the city that are present in the story. The iconic cover shot of the Forsyth Park Fountain at night must be incorporated into each video as well links to the author’s website and Facebook page.
The winning videos will be reviewed by Dr. Murphy, and his PR Firm, PR By The Book, (Austin, TX). Selections will be based on creativity, originality and usability as a marketing tool.
What’s at stake:
First place will win its team $3000; second place, $1500; and third place will win $1000.
The process:
Entrants will have the opportunity to talk with Dr. Murphy, either directly, via this blog or via e-mail, to cover questions about content, style, etc. Participants will have two months to create their entries. The winning selections will be announced after judging, and prizes will be awarded.
All entries, both winning and non-winning, may potentially be used in the promotion of the novel.
I believe that viral video marketing is under-appreciated as a medium–and is in many respects the cutting edge of the marketing of media-based products (film, TV, music, literature) in the future. There is at least one media company that specializes in making book trailers for novels already; here’s a link to that site:
I could contract with a company like this to put together a book trailer, but I think I might just get the “safe” alternative–not the wildly creative stuff that really catches people’s attention. In that sense, I thought it would be interesting to put on a book trailer competition. I am looking for a video trailer that represents what The Shadow Man is all about, in the same sense that a movie trailer is a teaser about an upcoming film. The book is a thriller (very cinematically written, I might add) set in Savannah about a surgeon who is framed as a serial killer by another surgeon–a surgeon who is, in fact, a real serial killer.
The video should be eye-catching–something that might have the chance to go viral on YouTube. It should be compelling. And it should ultimately link to my author website, giving people a chance to buy the book. That address is here:
The deadline for submission is currently March 31. This may be extended if enough viable entries are not received by that date.
