Here’s what you need to do:

• Create a 30 second (or less) video clip (.mov file)
• Tell us what success means to you
• Save the files as your full name (ex. CarolHousel.mov / CarolHousel.jpg)
• Upload the video file
• Upload a photo of yourself

If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them below in the comments section. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces and hearing what success means to you!

FAQ:

When should I send you my video?
- We’re accepting videos now through November 9, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to be exact. You must have permission to use all of the content in your video.

Where should I upload my 30-second video and photo?
- Upload your video and photo right above the FAQ.

What should the video be about?
-The video should be you telling us what success means to you and how Lulu helped you achieve success. It should also be well lit with good, clean audio.

Does my video have to be any specific format?
-No. Animation, claymation, film, live action, silent movie, dance, mime. Whatever you like. Just be sure its 30 seconds or less, and a .mov file.

How long will I be able to submit my video?
-Submissions can be entered now through November 9, 2009

I use Youtube/viddler/otherplaces to host my videos. Can I just send you a link?
-No. You must upload your clip HERE along with a picture of yourself and be sure to read the terms and Conditions.

I have a great song I want to include in my video while I’m talking. Can I use it?
-No. Please do not play any music in your video.

I live in a cave and it is very dark in here. Will you use my video if you can’t see my face?
-No, we need to be able to see you and hear your voice clearly in your video clip.

My video is 15 seconds long. Will you still accept my clip?
-Yes. Anything 30 seconds or shorter is acceptable.

I’m not in the United States. Can I submit my video anyway?
-No. You must be a legal resident of any one (1) of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia.

OK, what’s the small print?
-Here are some important things that you need to know:

* Lulu.com will retain a non-exclusive license to all videos, in perpetuity.
* Videos will be accepted now until November 9, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
* You can enter as many different videos as you like.
* You must make your video submission.
* Your video submission must not break any laws.
* You must have the rights to all content (visual, audio, or otherwise) used in your video.
* Your video must be exactly fifteen or thirty seconds long.
* Lulu.com approves all submitted videos, and reserves the right to remove any video found to be objectionable for any reason.

And your video cannot:

* Display any non-Lulu.com trademarks or logos or obvious variations.
* Contain any photos, imagery, or video clips that you did not create yourself and own the rights to.
* Contain a minor who you aren’t the parent or legal guardian of.

• First, write a book. This is the most difficult part of creating a book trailer. Once you’ve got that down, you are almost finished.

• Publish your book on Lulu.com. This is imperative and will ensure that your book trailer will better than everyone else’s.

• Be creative. Some book trailers have narrators explaining what the book is about, some book trailers are just words on the screen describing the book. I say make it interesting. You are obviously a creative person, you wrote a book! Use your imagination. Try asking some friends to act out an important scene in your book or maybe explain why people should buy your book using interpretive dance. What ever you do, be creative.

Avoid the book trailer pitfalls of despair:

• Don’t do a book reading via webcam! The sound is awful, the picture is terrible and image is stagnant. You will surely put your potential fans to sleep.

• Make sure you have good lighting! This is so important, as video cameras don’t show contrast as well as film.

• Sound is incredibly important! People can tolerate a bad picture more then they can stomach a loud annoying hum sound or low inaudible talking. You also want to make sure the volume of your trailer isn’t too high or too low.

• Don’t use copyrighted images, video or music! There are lots of music, video and images available on the web that you can use, but avoid the stuff that is copyrighted.

• And the best thing you can do is keep it short! You don’t want to bore your legions of fans to sleep, you want them to get out their credit card and order your book!

Great gobbily-gook! You took my advice and made the BEST book trailer. You are well on your way to fame, fortune and the cover of People magazine. But wait! These next tips are vital for getting the most exposure possible for your book trailer.

• Put a link to your storefront or book in the trailer AND in the video’s description box. This is very important because people can’t copy and paste a link from the video, but they can from the video description. Be sure to include your name and the title of your book in the description as well. You want search engines to direct people to your video, right?

• Put your video EVERYWHERE! Seriously! There are so many video sites, it’s silly to limit yourself to YouTube. The more sites hosting your book trailer, the better your sales.

• Make your book trailer work for YOU! Post links on your blog, on your friend’s blog, in forums, everywhere you can! You are a published author, shout about it!

Congratulations! Now you can sleep at night knowing the world is watching your book trailer AND shelving out cash to read your book!

For help creating your book trailer with Windows Movie Maker, visit: www.canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/2007/02/make_a_book_tra.html
For copyright free images, video and music visit: www.creativecommons.org
For an example of a scene from a book acted out in a book trailer, visit: www.novelfilmtrailer.com/nft-badbosstheory3.htm