Falling for Jordan is LIVE!

As far as my videos go, if I’m not using the Ripl app for IOS and Android, I use:

Camtasia 3 – I started with Camtasia 2 so long ago and have recently upgraded to 3 a few months ago. It’s supposed to make it easier and so far, it is. It’s like iTunes Movie Maker on steroids. I like having different tracks to work with, one for the sound, another for the clips which I stagger if there are any transitions and other effects. I like all its bells and whistles and there are tutorials online on how to get it to do what you want it to do.

Storyblocks – This is where I get my royalty-free images, video clips and audio. I don’t use the images as much since I use Depositphotos.com for that and then I use a Squash app to basically lower the file size so my video won’t be too ‘heavy’ as far as its media assets go.

Depositphotos – I mentioned this above as far as images I use for covers and teasers, and my video trailers. Once or twice a year they have a special where you can buy 100 credits/images for as little as $40 and I usually snatch that deal up no matter how many credits I still have. Their regular deal is $100 for 100 images and the regular price is much higher, like $7/image. Other sites I use for royalty-free images are Shutterstock and Unsplash.

I don’t care if you’re a struggling writer, please don’t steal photos. Even if you say you’re going to credit them, unless they specifically allow you to use their images (like Unsplash and Pixabay), don’t. I’ve seen authors use cropped images of actors thinking if no one can see the face, no one will know they stole it. I’ve also seen Fiverr “cover designers” use images of actual actors in the designs they sell you or images where they don’t have the license to use them. Sure, it’s $5 to get that image done but it could cost you way more than that if the studio or photographer comes knocking.

To edit the images, or put them together in an ad or teaser, I use Canva and Stencil although I also have Pixelmator, a cheaper non-subscription alternative to Photoshop.

To create my videos, I usually start with the script and for my books, it usually means the blurb and that’s part of my storyboard. Make it short and snappy. Then I find the right music. If I want to post it on social media, then I need to make sure it fits their time requirements. Twitter is 45 seconds and Instagram is 60 seconds. Facebook is however long you like it although most people only watch a video for an average of a 10 seconds or so before they scroll. Size also matters so check to see what optimal size requirements are for whatever social media site you’re going to post your video. Ripl app has its default so sometimes I use them for quick ones on the go. I then get my pictures set up, from hero and heroine and setting, or overall atmosphere, and then the book images, whether in ebook format or paperback. I usually make them on ecoverauthority.com and sometimes a few times a year, they have specials when it comes to pricing.

Here’s another video I made for a collaboration project I’m part of where we write a novella (up to 20K words or more depending on your series, I guess) with the same title in mind: Hidden.