How to use online video to sell a book
Several weeks ago eBay began allowing the use of video within auction listings. I didn't pay much attention until I saw this listing.Here's the video. The link is about midway down the page.
Now that's a great way to sell a book online. I was curious, though -- the video is so professionally done, I thought it had to be made by a company that specializes in online videos. But I couldn't find anything to identify the company that produced it.
My friend Jane e-mailed the eBay seller to ask about this. It turns out he did the video himself using a cheap camera and his own microphone. Online bookselling is his hobby, and his "real" job is doing voice-overs.
Pretty cool.
There's no way you could justify the hassle of making a video for every run-of-the-mill book. But for a collectible like this, I think it's well worth it.
Labels: collectible books, eBay
posted by Steve Weber at 8/10/2007
7 Comments:
AWESOME!!
Thanks so much for pointing out a new tool to sell fine books. I think it would help those pricey titles sell much faster. I only hope my techie husband can help me to set this up. I have perhaps one shelf of books I am going to attempt to do this with. I'll report how difficult it is, or isn't to do in reality.
I wonder how much this guy will feel when I, and several of my friends, take up our hobby of doing voice overs? The industry is beginning to seek 'cheaper' talent from the hinterlands, and not just LA Land and New York.So a variety of opportunities exists for those of us with great voices.
Not sure why this guy would "feel" badly if anyone did voice overs for this or any other title. I think the voice on this video is pretty good. Ebay has been allowing voice intros for a long time with service like Auction's Voice but I was never impressed by those.
For booksellers, a video of the front and back, along with the seller's voice, gives an idea of the pluses and minuses of a book. The guy is honest about spine fading, for instance. Also, it didn't take long to listen to it. Some people prefer this to the best photos taken.
As Steve notes, this could NOT be done for every book. It takes some time and cuts into listing time.
To be clear about my last point, I don't know how doing voice overs would be an issue or competition for this guy? Are Ebay sellers seeking voice overs?
Using audio in a video is trickly. This is just my personal bias but I do not like to here music playing in the background, an intro by sellers about themselves or their books while reading a listing, etc. I also figure the price for any services are being passed on to the buyer in the listing price but could be wrong about that. When I polled buyers and booksellers on opinions, most did NOT like audio. But this is different, a description tied to a specific book more than a promo for the seller.
Hey Steve, Good posting!
I did appreciate that a potential buyer had to click on the video to see it. I too do not like it when, while viewing an auction page (or any website for that matter), I suddenly hear music or someone talking to me.
Well done and I'm sure this video will up the bids. Worth trying out that is for sure. Thanks for linking to it. - Paul -
Hi all!
I'm the creator of the Rushdie video, and I was quite happy to run across this page. I had been wondering why so many people were downloading the video after the listing expired. I have some hints to pass along for making better movies, but first I'll point out the file has been overwritten. That's to reflect that the book will be re-listed in October. And since I changed the titles, I added production information at the end. So Steve is correct mentioning the first version was devoid of credits.
Having briefly (and long ago) edited video at a small TV station, corporate voice work is what I do now. Books are a life-long passion. This video was just the bringing together of "talents" and resources. It's unlikely I'll compete too much with those who sell books for a living -- but it wouldn't be so bad to make videos for you pro sellers when the right titles come along.
Anyway, when making your own videos, the single best thing you can do is separate the shooting from the voicing and put the two together in editing.
Just write a script, shoot the video most anywhere while reading the script aloud, leaving a few seconds between shots. Then take the script into a bedroom or any well-damped room -- and with even a $30 mic and a little cable, you can get great results recording straight to your computer. There's a powerful and free-download audio editor called Audacity that will do all you need.
Even Windows Movie Maker can handle the editing. The first step is importing the audio and laying it down first. Then add the shots to match the narration.
My best to all, and thanks Steve!
PS: visit provoicetracks.com for contact info.
Thanks, Brian
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