Book Trailer News
The Wall Street Journal’s weekend edition had an article on book trailers. Now, it seems to me the WSJ is a tad late to this party. After all, haven’t book trailers been around for awhile now?
Anyway… The WSJ talked about how some of the biggies are resorting to book trailers to sell books. Meg Cabot’s puppet shows (which I find a bit odd even though I love Cabot’s books and writing voice) get big play. Other heavy-hitters are mentioned, namely Jodi Picoult and Chuck Palahniuk. According to the article, many authors think book trailers are beneath them and refuse to do them. Others are using big name directors to make these trailers. Honestly, that last part sounds like overkill to me. But what do I know.
The most depressing part of the article for me was this:
In a book industry flooded with titles and facing sluggish sales, a growing number of authors are going to dramatic lengths to attract attention. The latest tactic: producing and starring in zany videos aimed at the YouTube audience.
It makes me sad because it sounds as if bookstores are selling collectively three books a year. It’s enough to make me want to run over to Bloomingdales and pick up an employment application to sell hats. Have you seen what I look like in hats? Yeah, not good.
But the people who should really hate this article are authors Sherre Hirsch and Jami Attenberg. Their books were highlighted as examples of how book trailers don’t work. Unfair, but now it’s out there for all to see, along with the fact each book sold 3,000 copies.
Seems to me this might be a good time to remind you of the one book trailer I’ve done (actually, Alison and Walt over at DreamForge did it):
June 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I must admit, I’m not a fan of book trailers, even though I’ve done one (for my pen name). That was a group effort for an anthology. I don’t think I’d bother doing one just for one of my own books alone. My attention span for book trailers is VERY short. I find most of them to be too long and I lose interest. I enjoy the Author Talk book trailers because they keep me entertained, and I think I saw one by Diana Holquist I really liked. Other than those, I probably wouldn’t like my own book trailers if they weren’t about MY books, LOL.
I think DreamForge did a snappy job with your trailer. But can I watch the entire thing? No. I don’t why… I think it’s because, to ME, “trailers” are for movies and TV. I just can’t shake that.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I have to be honest, and say I don’t really like book trailers either. They don’t do much for me, and I find myself getting bored :X. What gets me to buy a book is the author, and/or the excerpt. I agree with Cindy - and admit that I pretty much have the attention span of a goldfish. Book trailers generally tend to be images with scrolling font set to music… which is pretty “eh” to me. They also remind me of middle school “AV” projects [yeah I've dated myself]. I mean in high school, I was doing my own [bad!] animation. So.
I have seen one book trailer that was amazing - an author did a contest for who made the best trailer. Otherwise… still not very sold.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I don’t like to watch book trailers but it doesn’t stop me from wanting one of my very own! It’s on my wish list.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I don’t have much interest for book trailers, either. But if one of my favorite authors had one, I’d certainly enjoy watching it. It wouldn’t make me decide to purchase her book, however, because I would have done that anyway.
BTW, HelenKay, your speech yesterday was very inspiring! Great to meet you in person.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:38 am
It amazes me that trailers are such a craze even though every time the subject comes up, reader opinion is unanimous that trailers do not sell books. Unless you happen to be James Patterson or Nora Roberts and your trailer airs on network television, people have to go looking for it on the internet, and given the unpopularity of the things, I don’t envision hordes of people going to all that trouble. I can’t see how they could possibly attract new readers—how would one who doesn’t already know the author or the book even know to search for the trailer?
As much as I love the Author Talk videos (which I don’t consider trailers anyway), they still haven’t persuaded me to buy a book I didn’t already plan to get.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:29 am
I agree, don’t really watch them. Sometimes a favorite author will do one, or there will be one that gets some attention, but overall, I don’t seek them out. I feel bad about that, but I find word of mouth or the backcover blurb gives me enough of what I need. Maybe one day that will change, but for now, I like my process of selecting books.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Like those before me, I’m just not that into book trailers. I tend to lose interest and don’t see much of a point in them. While I did watch yours all the way through, I generally don’t because I get frustrated with how long they take.
I much prefer the blurb on the back of the book for getting information on a book, though I tend to scan some of the book as well if I’m in a book store. If not, I scoure the internet for any additional information on the book, especially exerpts. Excerpts definitely catch my attention much more than anything else.
June 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I’m a visual person, even when I read the visions to go along with the words just zapp through my brain so I like the trailers, I prefer the written word because I love to use my own imagination but if I can glimpse a little of their world that I have never seen,
well.. sometime it makes my imagination that much better.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Just watched your book trailer since I’m on my daughter’s computer…I’m not able to watch them on mine … it freezes up every time. Interesting.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Yeah, what Kerry said. If readers don’t like ‘em or care about them, why are there so many and why do authors keep doing them? I wonder. There must be a group of folks out there who like them…right? Or, maybe it’s one of those times when authors are searching for something that resonates with readers and try this too. Don’t know.
Lucie - It was fabulous to meet you on Sunday! Thank you so much for coming to hear us speak. We were worried we’d be talking to the B&N manager and some random dude who was trying to read a magazine and drink his coffee. You have a great group. Very fun.