Author Kevin Daum started with a tattoo.

I had dinner with Daum and several other writers last week while in New York City for the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual conference for writers. I was glad to have an opportunity to meet Daum in person after reviewing his book, Video Marketing for Dummies, here on the blog.

He mentioned that when he wrote an earlier book, Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle: A Business Fable, his goal was to make it a New York Times best seller. To make sure he didn’t forget — and to make sure he worked toward that goal every day — Daum tattooed “New York Times best seller” backwards on his chest.

Why backwards? So that he’d be able to read it in the mirror every morning.

Here’s my picture of it. Let it be an inspiration to anyone who wants to achieve the same goal — or any high goal, for that matter.

(Did it make the list? Nope.)

What would you do to make your book a best seller?

Their basic premise is that authors shouldn’t be using PowerPoint to create videos without people. In fact, if you want to learn how to convert a PowerPoint file into video, or to do a “talking into my computer’s webcam” video, don’t buy this book. It has one paragraph on the topic — and that paragraph says, essentially, “You can do better than that.”

The authors say that we should be writing and recording short scripts featuring stories and actors. During their panel, they used their own book trailer as an example.

It’s compelling, isn’t it? Don’t you want a video like this for your book?

You’re storytellers!

“You’re storytellers!” they kept saying. “You’re creative! You can do this.”

Can I? And will their book show me how to do it?

Yes to both.

Have I done it yet?

No.

But that doesn’t matter right now — I’ll make the time for this eventually because I know that even if what I create isn’t top quality, I’ll have fun in the process (and I am all about the fun).

Learn how to script, shoot, edit, share

What counts is that the book walks non-videographers like you and me through the process, covering everything from camera options (Daum and Scott say that point-and-shoot cameras with HD video capability work just as well for this as flip camcorders) to editing software (start with the free software that came with your computer — iMovie for a Mac and Windows Live Movie Maker for a PC) to scripting and casting and shooting. There’s information on the importance of music and how to add it as well as how to share and promote your video.  (Make sure you check out the book’s “cheat sheet” with tips, too.)

Video Marketing for Dummies offers the technical know-how we need to create scripted and acted videos that tell a story. I still need help, though, figuring out the story I might tell and how to incorporate the humor the authors think is essential for video marketing. My new book, Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book, solves a problem for authors, so I can see how I could script a problem/solution story. But making it funny and entertaining? That will take some thought — and probably a brainstorming session with a couple of smart friends and a bottle of Justin cabernet.

Did you create a book trailer or video? Have you seen one that you love? Share the link here!