Advertising

So my editor/ visual advert graphic lady is Danielle Fine, and we have spent the day doing nothing more than trying to come up with little facebook ads for my upcoming book. All day you ask? Yes. I am particular about visual media. Let's hop into the way back machine to 1991. I had just gotten out of the military (Well off active duty, I was in the Reserves, National Guard to be exact) and got a job as a male model. Yep, I know. In any event I was hired by a company called the Cavalry Store, which sold military gear to people. I knew how to wear it, how camouflage was properly applied, and was hot. So I was a model for a while. Easiest job I ever had. But thing I learned is that models sit around a lot. It takes forever to set up a shot and then after initial pics are taken adjustments are made. Being intelligent, which made me very different from my fellows, I followed people around and asked questions. I found out that photo shoot directors are insane. They have three or four people whose whole job is to find something, anything, wrong with a picture before the final shoot or before the pics are released.

Case in point - advertisement of some sandwich for KFC. They had sheets and sheets of the buns looking for the perfect bun to make sandwich, Finally fine it. The test shoot is good, real shoot is good, but under examination with a magnifying glass, they see an almost invisible to the naked eye crease in the top of the bun, and start over.

So in addition to learning that I could never be a director, I did learn a lot about images and advertising. What works, what doesn't, how they eyes tracks things and so one. Hence the reason for being so persnickety about the ones we have been working on.

I'm still surprised at how little other authors advertise and how they mostly just use their book cover. I'm trying to do better and not be lost in the crowd. Here is one.