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Article #113: How To Create And MarketT Your Own Special-Interest Video Productions

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The trouble with publishing a book, from further packaging.
a first-time writer's point of view, lies Because I wanted to use slow motion for
with the slowness of the publishing this last video, I took all the footage
industry. Once written, the book has to to the racetrack video lab (a great place
be accepted by a publisher, rewritten to get access to expensive video
according to the editor, then scheduled, equipment on the cheap) and had all the
manufactured, distributed, and marketed. footage moved up to one-inch tape, then
Most books don't get much in the way of dropped to standard VHS in slow motion -
marketing. all for $200. From the original HI-8
Years later, with the very best of luck, tapes, and the converted slow motion
the author begins to see some small stuff, I built my master and dubbed in
reward for his efforts. Maybe $5,000 if the narration and background music.
he or she is very lucky. If your first You have to keep in mind that this is a
book isn't profitable for a publisher, tiny business for profit, not Walt Disney
you may never have the opportunity of Studios. Profit will come from delivering
having another published. large bodies of valuable information, not
Self-publishing is a better route because fancy video effects, super quality
the author typically knows his audience production, or beautiful packaging. Once
and how to reach them. But the up-front your customers trust you, your packaging
costs of a $5,000 printing can be $30,000 doesn't matter at all. Almost everyone
or more, and the marketing costs can run trusts a company that gives written
quickly into five figures as well. Any guarantees and takes credit cards.
books that go unsold are "dead inventory" EQUIPMENT
or wasted money. Your original footage should be of high
I have written, self-published and quality because as you move from original
marketed four books, all dealing with to master a copy, you're going to lose
exercise physiology and race horses (a some video quality. In order to avoid
very narrow and specialized market). Two paying big bucks for professional
made money, two didn't; one of them was a equipment, my advice is to start with a
total loss and didn't even bring back Hi-8 or super 8 CCD camcorder with a lux
publishing costs. Still the two winners rating (low light capability) of four or
produced a net profit exceeding $200,000 less (Your video dealer can assist you in
over four years, and both are still choosing equipment). For higher quality
selling today. The first book, The Fit productions and more up-front expense,
Racehorse, originally sold for $55 a you can rent studio equipment, studio
copy. My most recent book, The Racehorse personnel, and even a radio announcer's
Owner's Survival Manual, is the other voice. If you're highly organized, know
winner and sells for $59.95. The smaller precisely what you want to shot, and how
the market, the more specialized and you might get by with a one-day, or two
valuable the information, and the bigger half-day studio rental fee. That's $2,000
the retail price. to $3,000 in most cities.
A BETTER WAY SELLING: CUSTOMER AND PRICE
There's a better, easier way to make In your direct mail and print advertising
money in self-publishing. A reasonably the offer has to be irresistible. You
talented communicator with specialized have to guarantee and deliver
knowledge of the value to others is more satisfaction. You have to make the act of
likely to see big profits from his purchasing easy by honoring credit cards
efforts if he chooses instead the medium and providing an 800 number. Your
of video. Today, almost everyone who has advertising should be targeted precisely
indoor plumbing has a videocassette at your potential customer: it's unlikely
recorder/player (VCR). The six months to you'll be able to sell a gardening video
a year needed to write a book can be in a motorcycle magazine! Before you
condensed to six weeks of planning, begin work on any video, plan your
writing, taping, and editing a self-made marketing approach.
video. I use an computer for keeping track of my
I've "published" twenty-eight videos and customer list and a laser printer for
the monthly income from them has been producing all my fliers and the
between $8,000 and $20,000 for more than documentation that I send along with the
four years now. Most are still selling videos. This documentation helps the
(four are new and just going on the videos "stick," providing and extra
market), none have lost money, and I have unexpected bonus for the customer, and
never had any inventory except for a virtually eliminating returns.
supply of blank tapes. The unsold copies Essentially, the documents are close-ups
of my two failed books, in contrast, of the subject matter included in the
represented some $40,000 in unrecoverable video, getting down into detail that
up-front costs. From now on, I'm going to perhaps the tape could not deliver -
let someone else publish and market my sometimes charts and graphs.
books, and I'm sticking to the One-third of my business is wholesale
self-published video business, where the sales. My print ads complete for business
real profit is. with those of the retail accounts I
HOW IT'S DONE: THE SUBJECT service. When I introduce a new video, I
The first rule of thumb is teach what you first offer it to my old direct mail
know or what a friend of yours knows. My customers at a discount in a "pre-release
most recent tape, Exercise Rider, the special."
Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, has returned The prices of my videos are always high.
more than $20,000 in three months - and I I want to make a profit and I want my
don't know how to ride a horse. In fact, retailers to make a profit. The lowest
a friend who likes to visit racetracks price I've ever put on a single video is
took the original footage on a Hi-8 $39.95; the highest, $99. Thus, when a
Cannon camcorder. wholesale customer orders, say a dozen
I sent videos of fifty racetrack exercise $39.95 tapes, they'll send me $240, while
riders to several friends who are experts a dozen direct mail sales of the same
in the field. They critiqued each rider, video will bring in $480.
talking into a cassette recorder as they Remember that you can always lower a
watched the footage. I listened to the price, but just try to get away with
critiques and built my voice-over from raising it! But THINK before you lower a
them. The $69.95 ninety-minute tape is price. At one time, I thought I had
getting raves from buyers, all of whom nearly exhausted the market for a pair of
are guaranteed satisfaction. If they my $99 videos since their sales had
don't love the tape, they can send it plummeted I then cut the price in half,
back within thirty days. Not one has been confident that sales would go up. That
returned as of this writing. was two years ago. The tapes are still
If you deliver valuable information, in selling, but at the same slow rate - and
quantity, in a reasonably decent now my profits are at a lot lower too. I
production, your production will stick. made the mistake by dropping the price on
If you go for effect, but deliver drivel, them.
or plain erroneous or incomplete THE MARKETPLACE
information, the customers will be You may feel, especially after browsing
enraged. They'd much rather buy and keep through specialty video catalogs, that
an amateur production which fills everyone has beaten you to the punch. You
informational needs than one that's may think that big, sophisticated studios
pretty, but shallow. are producing the only videos that
HOW IT'S DONE: PRODUCTION consumers will buy. What you must
As I mentioned above, the raw footage for understand is that a whole new
my most recent tape was taken with a marketplace is out there, and there isn't
consumer-type camcorder. My first tape nearly enough material to satisfy it.
was taped with an older Panasonic camera Information is information, no matter who
and recorder. By today's standards, the delivers it. Major studios feel they
results were blurry pictures with mumbly cannot waste their resources on small
sound, but the tapes did sell and most projects that might require
stayed sold. specialization outside of videography. If
At home I Have a JVC VHS editing console they wanted to produce a video on
that cost me $5,000 new, and five JVC HQ cabinet-making, they would have to locate
consumer decks for making copies. I a cabinetmaker, pay for his time and
"assembly edit" the master tape, videos materials, and using their millions of
first, then add voice and sometimes dollars worth of high-tech gear and
music. Labels are printed by a typewriter expensive technicians begin production.
with memory (you can do any number of the Meanwhile Joe Cabinetmaker, on Elm
same label with just one command). The Street, has made a nifty little video
finished product goes back into the that is informative and enjoyable to
original box and is shipped without watch.






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