Valerie Ormond's Thoughts On …

Writing Tips from Valerie Ormond

Tag: Believing In Horses Too

  • Book Trailer Resources for Authors

    Video is in. Few of us had heard of TikTok in 2016, and today over it gathers over 1 billion views per day. In this visual age, authors can take advantage of this trend by using book trailers as one more marketing tool to engage potential readers.

    If you want to create your own book trailer but don’t know where to start, I’ve pulled together a collection of resources to help. I’ve learned a lot by research and creating trailers for my books, and I’ll share those lessons learned with you.

    Personal Experience

    To make it easy (ha!), I used different software applications to make each trailer. It wasn’t entirely my fault, as I created my first trailer so long ago that Microsoft no longer supported the same software (MovieMaker) when I went to make my second trailer. So, after watching Kevin Stratvert’s 5 BEST FREE Video Editors tutorial, I experimented with several programs and ended up using OpenShot to create my second trailer. If you want to know more about that, please see my previous blog post—Book Trailers – Yes, or No?

    For my most recent trailer, I researched current video editing programs again, played with a few, and ended up using Microsoft’s Clipchamp. I consulted my go-to YouTuber Kevin Stratvert (again) whose Clipchamp Video Editing Tutorial: FREE Windows 11 Video Editor provided me the guidance I needed to create a short clip that worked for me.

    My top lessons learned during these three efforts?
    • Shorter is better
    • Music selection is important
    • If one type of technology is not working for you, try another
    • Don’t be afraid to experiment
    • At some point, call it done

    Outsourcing

    I’ve had colleagues who have hired professionals to make trailers for them, and if that works for you, by all means do it. If you don’t know someone who creates videos, sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer have people who provide these services.

    I haven’t personally used any of these sites because I like to do things the hard way, evidenced by the three different video editing programs mentioned above. So I decided to try one of the sites I mentioned before I passed the information along. In less than a minute on Freelancer, I answered three questions, and here is what Freelancer generated for me:

    Project name
    Historical Fiction Book Inspirational Trailer

    Project description
    I’m seeking a professional to create a compelling 30-second book trailer for my historical fiction novel. The trailer should convey an inspirational mood and include the following key elements:

    • Voice Narration: The narration will play a significant role in delivering the trailer’s message and should be performed by a female voice.
    • Inspirational Tone: The overall feeling of the trailer is to be suspenseful yet uplifting, instilling a sense of hope and inspiration in the viewer.

    Ideal candidates for this project should have prior experience in creating book trailers or similar video content, with a strong portfolio demonstrating their ability to convey emotion through visuals and audio. They should also have access to high-quality audio equipment and editing software to ensure the final product is professional and polished.

    At least that part seemed easy.

    Additional Resources

    • A good place to start is Jason Hamilton’s step-by-step post on the Kindlepreneur website, which has a ton of helpful book marketing and sales advice: Book Trailers: How to Make Them in 6 Easy Steps.
    • Rocket Expansion, an author marketing business that offers a variety of services, shares good tips , a variety of trailers, and an explanation of why they like them here: 22 Epic Book Trailers (Inspiring Videos and Why They Work).

    Believing In Horses Book Series Trailers

    All of my book trailers are on my Believing In Horses website’s landing page, my YouTube channel, and in blog posts. I’ve shared them on social media and use them for live events, when it makes sense. Here is my third trailer, for Believing In Horses, Too, created earlier this year. I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts and tips on book trailers!

  • My Irish Luck with Gaelic Storm

    In the spirit of March and a salute to the Irish, here is the story behind the music in my Believing In Horses book trailer.

    I LOVE Gaelic Storm’s music. Gaelic Storm is perhaps most famous for being the “band” in steerage in the movie Titanic. Their use of traditional Irish instruments including bagpipes, fiddle, and Irish drums combined with an upbeat rock flavor and lots of spirit make for a foot-stomping, heart-pounding sound like no other. When thinking about music to accompany my book trailer, the choice was easy: it HAD to be Gaelic Storm.

    So, with my public relations team of one (me), I reached out to the band by finding contact information on the web. I emailed people who might be able to help, told them my story, and asked if they could help an unknown author with a silly dream. I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Before long, I received a phone call from Gaelic Storm’s manager, Matt, from Nashville, Tenn. More details back and forth; Matt’s discussion with the band; and voila, I had permission to use this world-famous band’s music in my trailer!

    The band’s one condition: a small donation on the band’s behalf to Maryland Therapeutic Riding (MTR) in Crownsville, Md. Gaelic Storm had shot their “Bring Yer Wellies” album cover at MTR and were fans of the organization.

    As my Irish luck would have it, I was thrilled to be contributing to MTR. Without spoiling the book, a therapeutic riding center is discussed in my book, and although I hadn’t written my second book yet, I knew I would be featuring the organization in Believing In Horses, Too. What a fantastic facility with a tremendous mission and phenomenal donors and volunteers! 

    Not long after my first book was published, Gaelic Storm played at Ram’s Head in Annapolis, and this was my first opportunity to see them perform live. After the show, I had a chance to personally thank a few of the band members, give them a copy of the book, and was again struck by their graciousness. The photo at the top is with Gaelic Storm’s beautiful, talented violinist at the time, Jessi Burns.

    Slainte! And now for the trailer….

  • Who’s That Indie Author?

    Thank you to Barb Vitelli for hosting me on her Book Club Mom site and introducting me to her followers and readers. I loved her questions

    Who’s That Indie Author? Valerie Ormand | Book Club Mom (wordpress.com)

  • “Adults do like to escape….”

    “Adults do like to escape….”

    Thank you to award-winning and prolific author Janice Spina for having me as a guest on her blog! Janice writes in many genres and supports other authors in their journeys. Interview an Author on Jemsbooks.blog: Valerie Ormond! | JEMSBOOKS

  • Actively Learn with “Believing In Horses, Too”

    Educators from Actively Learn discovered Believing In Horses after the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test featured an excerpt of the book in its 2015 annual test. Following discussions, Actively Learn decided to feature two excerpts from Believing In Horses, Too in their creative curriculum. Actively Lean uses a new approach to learning by providing free English Language Arts (ELA) and other content embedded with standards-aligned assignments to help students learn.

    Tessa Polizzi, Actively Learn’s Senior Manager of Product & Content, identified the following assignment from Believing In Horses, Too, which thrilled me because it was one of my favorite chapters. She said:

    “I started reading Believing in Horses, Too thinking that I’d look for an excerpt connected to Sadie and her dad, but then I came across the chapter “New Kid on the Block.” I love this one. It stands alone as a story pretty well on its own, connects to an experience that kids are familiar with (making a new friend), and touches on some of the hard situations that kids face in their lives.”

    See the “New Kid on the Block” assignment to engage your learners!

    Tessa also asked if she could develop a curriculum based on an excerpt for the “Bullies Don’t Rule” chapter, another one of my favorites. I think they did a great job on this lesson, too!

    I hope these might be additional help to those homeschooling or to introduce young readers to a new and fun way of learning. And thank you to Actively Learning and Tessa for bringing these stories to more readers.