I’ve now created enough book trailer videos to combine the footage and create a new composite video.
So what’s a book trailer?
Book trailers are a marketing tool. I first became aware of them in 2006, when I wrote the first in a series of historical novelettes for young readers. (Under the name Gayle Martin.) They were something of a novelty at the time, and most early book trailers were PowerPoint slideshows. Cheap and easy to produce. My first two Luke and Jenny book trailers were slideshows with a generic royalty free music loop.
Things soon starting changing once iPhones and DSLR cameras came on the scene. Both were able to shoot video, which meant everyone now essentially had a camcorder in their pocket. That’s when I went from using slide shows to producing an actual video.
A book trailer is like a movie trailer. It’s highlights scenes from the book without giving away the plot, and producing them is like making a mini movie. I have to cast the video, scout locations, and schedule the shoots. I have other videographers who help with filming and editing. It takes a bit of time to produce, but once complete, I had a really cool one to two minute commercial for each of my contemporary romance novels.
While it’s been fun producing a trailer for each book, it’s also becoming a little problematic. I can only put so many items in my sidebar. The other big challenge has been finding the right location. I may live in Tucson, but my contemporary romance novels are set in many different locations. Making a Tucson location look like Denver or Las Vegas doesn’t always work.
Thankfully, we’ve now shot enough video footage to create an action packed composite that’s exciting and eye catching. Best of all, it will be easy for me to add new clips for future contemporary romance novels.
Marina Martindale