Hi, I’m Anita Ayres, one of the authors here at Amarlenn Arts Publishing. I was asked to write an article about book trailers. Recently I gained experience with creating a book trailer for my novel. Some of you may wonder if I’ve been living under a rock, but I had never heard of a book trailer before this experience. Maybe others of you have been living under that same rock, so let’s start with the basics.
What is a Book Trailer
A book trailer is a video presentation designed to introduce your book to the public in a similar way that a movie trailer introduces a movie to the public. Book trailers have been around since 2002, but I had never personally seen one before now. Perhaps because I do not frequent the social media platforms where they are used most often. I have one social media platform that I use and have dabbled in a couple of others. I also consider myself fairly old-school and technically challenged. Not as a matter of pride. It just is what it is – I am not technically sophisticated. Even so, it was suggested that I dip my toe into some new creative waters with the creation of a book trailer. Here is what I learned.
Raise Awareness with a Book Trailer
A book trailer is one way to raise awareness about the existence of your book. It may not directly lead someone to buy your book, but it could be a way to shine a spotlight on your book. They say that a person needs to encounter a new idea (or book, in this case) seven times before it sticks with them. This could be one of your seven ways.
Speak the Language of Your Reader with a Book Trailer
With young people, the language they speak most clearly is film. They have grown up with computers and video games, so they are naturally drawn to those mediums. If your audience is Elizabethan England, save yourself the headache and forget the book trailer. My audience is 21st Century teens and young adults. Skipping this assignment was not in the cards for me. Truth be told, I am glad because I learned so much from the experience.
What I Learned from Making a Book Trailer
I learned that I could do it. Next time, I may hire it out to a professional, but I did the job – and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to do. All joking aside, how does an author take their 65,000+ word novel and reduce it to a 60-90 second video?
Start with a Script
You must start with a script. Introduce your character(s) and their mission. Give us a reason to care about them. Just remember to keep it short. You only have 90 seconds to highlight your whole story.
Think About Your Visuals
A picture is worth a thousand words. Your pictures or video clips can say a lot about the mood of your book and the plight of your characters. I put my book trailer together on a shoestring budget and without taking photos or videos because I didn’t have a lot of time to get it done. For the next one, I will pull out my camera and take my time.
Music Matters
The music you choose to go with your book trailer can make it or break it. I had in mind a composition that feels like my book, but when I put it with my visuals, it didn’t work. As a matter of fact, it seemed cheesy. Then I was left to find royalty free music that I could use. This search dropped me squarely in YouTube’s lap. When you join, they allow you to access and use their library of music for your videos. Me on YouTube? Who would have seen that coming? Not me. Not in a million years. That being said, I am excited about it, and I like the perks of membership.
How I Produced My Book Trailer
I am not saying this is the best way to produce a book trailer, it’s just the way I created mine. There are a ton of how to videos on the subject already out there using various techniques and equipment. I have Power Point, so that is what I used. As I already mentioned, I am an author on a budget. Maybe you are too. If so, use the tools and equipment you have. Ask friends and family to help. Search online for the how-to videos that are in abundance. With all the changes in technology, try to look at the videos that are most compatible with the equipment you already own or can access easily.
Since I used Power Point, my book trailer is somewhat old-school. Like me, I suppose. My trailer is basically a slide show with music. I had created slide shows with Power Point before for my children’s graduations. So that part was not new to me. I knew that I wanted to introduce my book in a video-type format in order to speak the language of my target readers. Is it the best example of a book trailer? No. However, I believe it will do what I want it to do.
Examples to Inspire You
Here’s my first book trailer for my first novel: “Shifts in Time: The Adventure Begins”. This is an example of a simple slide show presentation.
This is a more cinematic book trailer for “Ablaze” by Christopher Krovatin.
“Diary of a Whimpy Kid: No Brainer” by Jeff Kinney put out this animated book trailer just last year.
And here is one more from another indie author, “Nightmare Fighters” by Author WoodInk. I absolutely love the comic book feel of this trailer, especially because it is for a graphic novel.
The last one I am sharing comes from Jacob Guy and his novel “The Scorpion Unit”. It is another very good trailer from an indie author and an example of the trailer matching the tone of the book.
In Conclusion
If you choose to use a book trailer, make sure it is reflective of your book. Your music, illustrations and any film that you use should point to the mood of the book. You aren’t re-telling your book, you are just making an introduction. Above all else, enjoy the process.