And the Award goes to…

…TurnHere! Bookvideos.tv scored again. On June 12, we were thrilled to hear that our book-centric video network won the 2008 American Business Award for Best Video Web Site. Also know as the Stevie Awards, the ABAs were created in 2002 to honor the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people; they are one of the world’s most prestigious business awards.

In just a few years, Bookvideos.tv has become a resourceful and innovative tool for the publishing industry, but it’s the videos that made the award winning possible. Many thanks to our 5000 talented filmmakers all over the world who made it possible!

We're constantly looking to improve our site and love your feedback, so please visit bookvideos.tv and leave a comment.

Online videos and authors: the winning combo

This past year, web video became an important, new online marketing tool for the publishing industry. Publishers and authors alike recognized that authors can connect with readers, differentiate their titles online and engage in the conversation around books through the use of online video. 

TurnHere has been pioneering online video as a way for book lovers to connect with the author in a comfortable, authentic setting.  On May 8, 2008 we launched the new version of our book-centric video network, BookVideos.tv, which allows readers looking for more information about their favorite titles to get the 'story behind the story' by hearing direct from the authors. Following the success of the site, Morgan Brown, our Director of Marketing, was a guest on Book World News to discuss how online video is becoming indispensable to the book business. You can listen to the interview here.

In addition, Wall Street Journal recently published an article, Watch This Book, explaining how, in a book world where authors struggle to stand out and sales are on the slow side, authors use online video to attract readers’ attention.

Clearly online video has become an important part of the online marketing plan for authors and publishers.  See how we help them succeed with online video at bookvideos.tv.

Bookvideos.tv continues to change the game of book marketing

Book Marketing has a long history of promoting titles with rather conventional (and conservative ?) methods. This long tradition is continually evolving with the advent of new media marketing opportunities online, including online video. Since its launch in November 2007, TurnHere's Bookvideos.tv has captured the attention of readers and introduced an innovative way for the publishing industry to market books online. Our video-centric Web site showcases video-profiles of popular authors discussing their newest titles.  Readers have really connected with the video, enjoying the perspective that the author brings to the experience of reading. 

Using web videos as part of their online marketing strategy, publishers can distinguish themselves from the competition and give book enthusiasts an in-depth view of their titles. Columbia University recently published an article about the benefits of online video for book publishers and more specifically Bookvideos.tv.

From the article:

“The films are shot by local filmmakers wherever the author happens to be, cutting costs and imbuing the films with a natural, homey vibe.

“There’s a certain magic when you get a local producer and local writer together,” explained Brad Inman, founder and CEO of TurnHere. “They create a story together that they think will be engaging for the reader.” He added, “It’s a new way—an easy, efficient way—to get authors out there.” To date, 20 different publishing companies have signed on with BookVideos, among them Simon & Schuster, for which BookVideos has made more than 100 author shorts.

Writers whose books have book club appeal, like Walls and Picoult, are perfect subjects for the videos, according to Sue Fleming, vice president of online and consumer marketing for Simon & Schuster’s adult publishing division, because their personal narratives “engender discussion.”

On May 8, 2008, we launched the latest version of Bookvideos.tv. The new site has a ton of features and all the social tools you can think of! We love feedback and are always looking for comments to improve the site so please let us know what you think about it.

TurnHere's Publishing Seminar Wrap

The 2008 version of the TurnHere Publishing Seminar: Innovations in Digital Marketing is in the books.  Thanks to all of you who attended and made the event a big success. 

The event was held at the Hearst tower; the only diagrid (triangular framing pattern) eco-friendly building in Manhattan with a 3-story water sculpture and smart button-less elevators. It was an incredible setting and perfectly suited for our all-star panelists. The panel included Sara Nelson (Publishers Weekly), Mike Skagerlind (Barnes & Noble.com) and Tom Turvey (Google), and was moderated by TurnHere’s CEO and Founder, Brad Inman.

While our attendees enjoyed a gourmet lunch and the breathtaking view from the 44^th floor; Brad (our CEO and Founder) kicked off the seminar by unvieling the new bookvideos.tv Web site, giving attendees a sneak-peak a few days prior to its official launch.  Sara, Mike, Tom and Brad then proceeded to engage in a lively and informative discussion about how video can be used as an innovative, emotionally-engaging and powerful marketing tool in the publishing business.

Many thanks to our speakers, the Hearst crew and to everyone that contributed to the success of this event. If you couldn't make it and are now worried that you missed out, don’t worry, Naje, one of our top NYC filmmakers, was there and captured the entire event.  We’ll post the video soon.

Photo courtesy of Sara Nelson.  Read her coverage of the event here.

In the meantime, check Sara Nelson’s blog to read more about the conference. See you next year!

It's Alive! TurnHere launches the v2 of Bookvideos.tv

We are thrilled to announce that our new Bookvideos.tv site went live yesterday! Since its launch in November 2007, Bookvideos.tv has captured the attention of readers but we felt a little makeover couldn't hurt (or actually a huge makeover). The new version of the site offers a ton of new features; all the social tools you can think of, like Digg and Facebook posting, embedding and sharing options for the video, and publishers can create a customized page for each author, promote their leading books and link them to major online retailers.

From our press release on the launch:

Bookvideos.tv, which initially offered book and author videos exclusively from Simon & Schuster, now includes a range of leading publishers, delivering the most comprehensive book-centric content on the Web. The new site allows authors to have customized, individual pages on the network as well as to convey important book release and author-news items on their homepage. Bookvideos.tv also offers viewers more polished viewing, browsing and searching capabilities, expanded e-commerce functionality, and more engaging social networking features to promote sharing and discussion.

"Joining the Bookvideos.tv network was a natural extension of our marketing efforts and a unique way for us to reach more readers online," said Darcy Cohan, director of publicity, Chronicle Books. "Combining high-quality, narrative video with social media and e-commerce capabilities on a uniquely branded site is a compelling way for us to deliver more value-added content to our readers and build customer loyalty."

We'd love your feedback on the new features and how we can continue to improve the site.  Thanks to all the readers, viewers and folks who gave us feedback to help v2 a reality.

We highlighted one of the newer videos we've done - this one from the book The Garden of Last Days, by Andre Dubus III. 

The Circles - an interesting spin on personal relationships

It seems that there is a new self-actualization book hitting the shelf every week following the wild success of The Secret, and The Circles is a strong entry in to the space.  It follows along the vein of taking control of your life by managing the relationships that impact your world on a regular basis.  The Circles is an intriguing concept and a book that makes great use of video to evoke the power of the concept and to demonstrate how the technique works.

Talk about character - authors shine in book videos

If you've ever questioned the power of videos in promoting books you simply need to watch the video below for proof at how effective they can be. John Banville is a compelling interview subject and his insight in to his books penned under the name Benjamin Black is enough to make you race out to pick up Christine Falls and The Silver Swan.

The connection you build with Banville as you watch the video is filled with mystery and awe and makes you want to see how his personality is manifested in his writing.

Check the book video about The Silver Swan yourself, and if you agree that it is a powerful medium for promoting authors and books contact us to learn how we do it.

TurnHere Highlights Video Production for Publishing

We recently launched a new internet video ad that showcases our work in the publishing business and the success that video has in capturing the "stories behind the stories" of your favorite authors and publishers.  The ad features Leslie Jonath, director of creative services, Chronicle Books; Steve Colca, manager of internet marketing, WW Norton; and Anne Watters, associate marketing director, Broadway Books sharing their success with video and how it helps drive awareness, business, and differentiates their titles from the competition.

If you want to learn more about how video can help your author and book promotional efforts contact TurnHere today.

Chronicle Books Details Success with Internet Video Produced by TurnHere

Chronicle Books and TurnHere announced today the extension of their successful relationship that has seen book sales skyrocket with the help of promotional book videos produced by TurnHere.  These results are validation that book videos create awareness, reader and media interest and drive sales for publishing houses.  The versatile book videos work for Chronicle Books in many ways including: public relations outreach, direct-to-consumer marketing, added value for retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, and additional author promotion.

From the release highlighting the success of TurnHere book videos for Chronicle Books:

Online video has been an important strategy for Chronicle Books and will continue to be throughout 2008. The company believes that its short author videos, including Amy Nobile and Trisha Ashworth’s “I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids”, have played a vital role in securing television publicity opportunities, driving interest from online retailers and significantly increasing sales. The Nobile and Ashworth video caught the attention of NBC’s “The Today Show” and landed the duo on the popular morning show in 2007. Following the appearance, Chronicle saw orders for the novel jump nearly 300 percent. Other Chronicle titles for which TurnHere has produced videos include “Fashion Makeover”, “The Armchair Quarterback Playbook” and “Mastering the Grill”.

“Our decision to work with TurnHere was an invaluable marketing move,” said Darcy Cohan, director of publicity, Chronicle Books. “Not only have the videos garnered us an increased media presence — online, on television and in print — but we have also seen a direct return on our investment due to the added exposure garnered by the videos and the subsequent increased sales after media coverage appears.”

Chronicle Books saw the opportunity early and we couldn't be happier for them that it has paid off.  If you want to learn how book videos can help your publishing business watch our demo video.

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson of The Wire Talks About Grace After Midnight

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, one of the stars of the hit TV-show "The Wire" released a memoir titled "Grace After Midnight" detailing her rise out of the rough urban neighborhoods of Baltimore to television stardom.  "Snoop" chronicles her upbringing in rough neighborhoods, her struggle as an undersized "runt" and the culture of drugs and violence that seemingly condemned her life to more of the same.  Watch the video as she returns to the streets of her youth to talk about "Grace After Midnight."

TurnHere Works for Chronicle Books

Web Video Report highlights Chronicle Books' use of web video to promote new releases and drive sales of large-run titles.  Chronicle Books first chose video after their [now former] director of publicity Andrea Burnett noticed people commuting via public transportation were reading less and listening and watching more on their portable devices.  It was an epiphany that led her to begin a series of podcast interviews for NPR and ultimately contract with TurnHere to build publicity-generating videos for her outreach efforts surrounding the release of new titles.

From Web Video Report:

Video was particularly necessary for Chronicle since it’s a West Coast publisher and most media outlets are in New York. “We would pitch an author and I’d have to scramble to get tape to ‘Good Morning America,’” Burnett recounted.

The solution: That’s when Chronicle turned to San Francisco production company Turn Here to produce two- to three- minute videos of its authors to post on the Internet.

Chronicle primarily uses the videos for publicity, but also posts them on its site, on TurnHere’s and on Google and YouTube. In addition, Chronicle has begun offering the videos to online customers such as Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and Borders.com.

The results have been nothing short of astounding.  According to Burnett:

“The primary purpose of these videos is to land national media attention and national media attention sells books,”

The article continues:

Burnett credits the video as playing a key role in landing that publicity. That in turn led to higher revenue with sales almost tripling the week after “The Today Show” appearance. After the "Rachael Ray" appearance, sales jumped 85 percent for the week.

Chronicle Books has found that TurnHere videos generate excitement within desired audiences producing buzz and higher sales.  We're proud to produce such a powerful product for our partner.

The Perfect Book for Expecting and New Moms

If you are a new or expecting mom, or have a mom-to-be in the family, you need to pick up this book: "The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide."  The book is all about how to choose and buy the best toys for babies and small-children; an invaluable resource in trying to navigate the maze of toys and products available today. 

I know my wife would love this book and I've just put it on my holiday shopping list to get for her.  If you are concerned about the safety and development of your child "The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide" is your field book to finding the safest and best toys and products for your newest addition.

Watch the video to get a feel for the author and style of the book.  This is definitely not a text-book!  It's a fun, entertaining look at the world of baby products that arms you with the right questions and resources to make buying the right product easy.

Danger in the High Sierra Madre

Richard Grant recounts his dangerous adventures in the Sierra Madre as told in his book "God's Middle Finger."  The border region between the United States and Mexico where the story takes place is home to dangerous and colorful characters that inhabit the mountain range.

 

View more great videos at Bookvideos.tv.

Feeling historic?

TurnHere shoots historian David McCullough on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Book Videos Take Off

Today, we announced the launch of the multi-publisher book-centric network, Bookvideos.tv. The site will feature videos from leading publishing houses including Bantam Dell, Chronicle, Disney (Hyperion), Doubleday Broadway, Hachette Book Group, Loyola Press, MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, Thomas Nelson and WW Norton. Together with the publishers, TurnHere will produce videos that tell the stories behind bestselling books and their authors, in addition to offering previews of anticipated new titles. The video network will be syndicated on YouTube as well as numerous video portals across the Web.

“Book lovers have always been interested in what motivates their favorite authors and what the inspiration is for their characters and plots,” said Martha Otis, Senior Vice President, Advertising and Promotion of Hachette Book Group. “Now they can hear the stories behind the stories directly from those authors. This network broadens the entertainment experience for readers and also allows them to engage with one another in book discussions. It’s a tremendous vehicle for publishers to connect directly with their audience and increase awareness of authors and their books.”

With the expanded Bookvideos.tv platform, publishers will be able to cross market their books and link to major retailers across the Internet to maximize readership and audience loyalty. Viewers will be able to learn about an author or see a preview of a book and then share it or discuss it with friends, add it to popular social networks, and easily purchase it from one of several popular online destinations. TurnHere will also post the two-minute videos to the company’s branded YouTube channel.

Bookvideos.tv originally launched in May 2007 in conjunction with Simon & Schuster, which is growing its relationship with TurnHere.

TurnHere Announces New Distribution Partners for BookVideos.tv

TurnHere has added nearly one dozen new distribution partners for its highly-successful book-centric online video channel, BookVideos.tv. New distribution relationships include  aNobii, Blinkx, blip.tv, Book Divas, Buy.com, FORA.tv, Goodreads, Lib.rario.us, LibraryThing, Revish, Veoh, Vuze and WhatsOnMyBookshelf.

TurnHere’s current distribution network consists of many of the major Web portals including AOL, Google, MSN, Yahoo! and YouTube. With new video and publishing partners, TurnHere aims to bring a worldwide audience of book lovers even broader access to BookVideos.tv, which launched in June 2007.

In addition to introducing new and innovative distribution options for BookVideos.tv, TurnHere also unveiled a brand new customizable widget and enhanced video player for book publishers, which will expand the reach of author videos across the Web (please see http://admin.turnhere.com/bookvideos/getawidget.html).

 

New Book Video

Expanding BookVideos.TV

We are excited to announce the expansion of BookVideos.TV to a multi-publisher platform. The centerpiece of BookVideos.TV are high-quality video profiles of authors that serve as powerful marketing tools and leverage the power of the Internet to market books.
BooksVideo.TV began as a partnership with Simon and Schuster and is now being expanded to include other publishers. A multi-publisher platform increases the number of titles, broadens the exposure for authors and publishers and gives Internet users a rich experience. We have produced or are under production with three of the largest publishing houses and many smaller publishers.
BookVideos.TV is a new and exciting marketing platform centered around exciting videos about the lives, habits and ideas of the authors. Produced by TurnHere, the story telling style and he production quality emotionally connects readers to the authors and to the book, building a new audience and fan base for the titles.
BookVideos.TV offers a video distribution system giving the video and the book wide exposure across the Internet including YouTube, Yahoo!, Google, AOL and MSN. Traffic to the videos was far greater than we expected. We work with individual publishers to design a distribution system that works for them.
The videos are embedded in social media tools allowing users to virtually engage with the authors. In addition, users can send along the videos to friends or fellow book club members, save them to their Facebook or MySpace accounts and download them to their desktop.
The BookVideos.TV distribution system takes advantage of the latest RSS technology for distributing publisher content, maximizing search engine rankings through the innovative use of meta data and video content.

TurnHere takes center stage in Vator interview series

TurnHere founder Brad Inman appeared on Vator.TV this week in the first installment of the site's weekly interview series. View to learn more about TurnHere's initiatives in the publishing industry, local business video production, and organizing filmmakers around the world.

Video book review

Web video innovator Andy Plesser of Beet.TV did a video review of TurnHere's partnership with Simon and Schuster.

Watch great video about your favorite authors and books

This week, TurnHere launched BookVideos.tv, which lets you watch the story behind the story. At BookVideos.tv, visitors can watch high-quality videos about their favorite authors and their bestselling books. The site is also a social media experience. Watch videos, share them with your friends, comment on the videos, and even embed video in your own blog or Web site!

Check back every week for new videos!

Here is a video about popular author Jeannette Walls, a contributor to MSNBC.com and author of memoir The Glass Castle.

   

Books and video

Wow, we are shooting a video profile of President Jimmy Carter next week as part of our work for Simon and Schuster.
Separately, we are launching a book-centric internet video channel to promote Simon & Schuster authors and their new releases. Together, we will produce videos with in-depth information on featured books and authors as well as sneak previews of upcoming titles. The channel, called Bookvideos.tv (http://bookvideos.tv), will launch in early June, will be hosted at a major online video site and will be cross promoted and linked to numerous sites across the web. The videos will also be available at SimonSays.com.
“Readers have long hungered for greater contact and more information about authors,” said Sue Fleming, Vice President, Online and Consumer Marketing for the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group. “Now readers will have a way to view and share compelling content about our authors, available on a 24/7 basis. Bookvideos.tv will allow readers to easily use the internet to replicate, for the digital age, the critical and time tested word of mouth excitement that comes from talking about a good read. Working with Turn Here to tap this huge potential audience is an exciting new way of marketing for us, and we expect to find legions of new readers while at the same time giving a new experience to dedicated fans of our authors.”

Demolition Desserts

TurnHere is the leading producer of videos for the book publishing industry. Here is a sample.