04 March 2011

Book Trailers


There are a slew of book trailers out there on Youtube; some great, some made by fans, and some are so professionally done they leave you wondering when the movie is coming out. Which leaves me wondering…are book trailers really necessary?


I just finished reading the excerpt from one of my favorite authors, Kimberly Dertling, and when finished I saw that she had a book trailer. Now, most trailers have pictures flashed up over some melodic song, a hunting ballad or love story. So when I watched “Desires of the Dead, I loved that it was live action-with actors acting out scenes and a voice over explaining a little about the main character. I was instantly hooked and wanted to search for any book trailer video I could find!


But then I thought it would make a far more interesting blog, wondering if it’s worth it to the author to make these videos, because most of us have to do it on our own. Or pay some one out of our pocket. Some authors are talented enough to do it on his or her own. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.


So that leaves me asking, are book video trailers really worth the time and/or money sunk into them? Ebook authors promote themselves, it’s how we get our name and stories out there, but has anyone ever heard feedback from their book trailers?


And which are the best book trailers you’ve seen?

5 comments:

  1. It depends on who creates the trailer and the motives of the person creating it. Is he/she creating it for the profit he/she will gain from the author of the original book, or is the creator of the trailer the author him/herself, someone who's creating it for pleasure, verses money.

    Even book trailers can capture the hearts and attention of many readers. It just takes time and effort. 4 days ago I uploaded a book trailer for my first novel. Later that day I received an email from someone asking if they could upload the video and promote it- along with my book- on their site intended for readers. I am not in any way bragging about this. This is just the point I'm trying to make about how valuable book trailers really are. These visual aids are not a waist of time. They can also be really cheap, or even free if you know how to create them.

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  2. Hi Ashley! Thanks for your input, wow....that was amazing about your book trailer! (and please, brag ahead!!!) :-) Now, I'm going to look your trailer up....

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  4. My pleasure :) I hope you enjoy the trailer!

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  5. By far thee best book trailer I've seen is for WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS by Dean Koontz. It's a 15 second tease that gives away little but made me and my husband instantly want to read it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHI0UkHnges

    I have mixed feelings about "live action" acting in trailers. Almost every one I've seen contains rather cheesy dialog, which takes away from an otherwise good idea. I'd rather see well done still images than stilted performances, myself.

    Are trailers the best way to sell books? No. But they DO sell them, which is why I spend untold hours learning special FX editing and graphics. While trailers aren't vital, readers enjoy that multimedia glimpse inside the pages of a book, and I enjoy offering a different aspect of a title than merely a typed description.

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