March 17, 2011
ShareThe best — and most innovative — book trailers can attract thousands or even millions of viewers. We talk to several experts about what works and why.
By Kathleen Sweeney
When the term “book trailer” first buzzed out of Los Angeles in 2002, expectations ran high for video promos to become mandatory launch elements. Nine years later, multimedia roll-outs remain ad hoc and inconsistent. The current mixed bag of clips swings from big budget pseudo movie trailers, to mundane talking head author interviews, to clever indie animations and experimental visuals. As LA Times staff writer Carolyn Kellogg points out, a successful book trailer is not an essay, or a set of onscreen pages. “It is in essence a good short film.”
While direct links between video promotion and book sales continue to mystify the publishing world, many trailers follow a cookie cutter mentality, and take themselves as seriously as, well, Literature with a capital ‘L’. So when innovative eye-pop occurs, it’s unforgettable. Think Miranda July’s 2008 trailer for her short story collection, No One Belongs Here More Than You,(Text NZ$28), or the out-of-nowhere animation for Kathryn Regina’s poetry collection I Am in the Air Right Now.Read the full pice and view several examples at Publishing Perspectives.
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