Marc Nash's Blog - Posts Tagged "trailers"
Book Trailers- Much Cop As Sales Tool?
Book trailers are a relatively new phenomenon. Partly because there are so many authors in a crowded marketplace, seeking new ways to push their product. Partly with the accessibility of cheap video technology and file sharing platforms.
Using a filmic medium to promote the printed word. Interesting juxtaposition.
POINT 1 - It always amazes me when authors neglect to put some words from the book into the trailer, either as text or in voice over. Remember, first and foremost the video is supposed to sell your novel. Give them a taste of your style. A killer sentence, you'd probably tweet the same as a sales tool wouldn't you?
This crossing over of visual discipline between viewing moving images and reading static print blocks is not a unique thing. If you think about pop music videos, they are there to sell a song. The video tells its own story, allied closely to the song of course, but very much with its own narrative impulse. It's the same for book trailers.
POINT 2 - The visual language of a video is very different to that of the written book. You might think in terms of the video standing as a piece of art in its own right, one that just happens to be about your book. You need to storyboard the video from beginning to end before starting compiling it. Just like a real movie!
In a way, if the trailer video has to stand as a work of art in its own right, we have to ask is it actually doing the job of pushing the book? By this I mean if someone happens on your trailer on a general video sharing site like YouTube and is interested in it enough to watch it through to the end, are they responding to the film narrative of the trailer more than any genuine interest in the book? They're watching it because it's a good video, not necessarily because the book appeals to them. Don't forget, our trailers go under the designation of "Entertainment" rather than any specific 'books' section. The culture of books being as significant as say cute kittens (or music videos) for going viral has yet to establish itself. I remain unconvinced as yet that YouTube is a significant platform for book trailer by mid list and debut authors. Philip Roth interview, a respectable 75,000 views. Stephen King talking books, an impressive 236,000 views. Lady Gaga "Judas" video, 144 million views...
POINT 3 - Once you've made your trailer video, there are several sites other than just YouTube you can display it. Blazing Trailers, Vimeo, GoodReads, your Amazon author page and others. Then there are dedicated sites for YA and fantasy trailers. You can of course mount it on your blog and FB and therefore tweet links and you can get feedback and comments. I actually think GoodReads could be progressive and start up its own video channel for GoodReads authors, with not only trailers, but interviews, readings and build a reputation as a dedicated video channel for all things contemporary literature. Just a thought.
I'll return to the contents and style of trailers later, but I just want to point out that author reading footage or discussions/ interviews I believe are more conducive to promoting books. Talking about books in general is liable to glean a bigger audience and in between you can slip in information about your book. Talking about where your book originated from, or some interesting anecdote about the research process, personalise it far more than a book trailer. You can record readings at home, but be aware without the sense of a live audience, the sight of you or me, book in hand (probably part blocking our face, or else our eyes are looking down at the book held low rather than into the caemra), plus the static nature of such an act, does not sustain the visual medium for very long. Then you are really thrown back on the words to carry the viewer and chances are, if they're from any part way through the novel, shorn from their context, they're not necessarily going to elicit an entirely clear understanding in the reader.
POINT 4 - Live readings with audience appreciation from bated breath to applause really helps validate what the viewer is looking at. It conveys a certain instant status to you as author/performer.
What is a viewer actually looking at? Again, back to the different visual language of video medium. I've already stated that YouTube is perhaps too blunt a platform for literary content. Having said that, if you appeal to its viewers in the language they are used to, the language of kitsch, cute, edgy or whatever, then you may just hit on something that goes sufficiently viral in book terms (how many views do we anticipate? Not the 100,000s of music videos, maybe knock a zero off that figure for a 'viral' trailer).
POINT 5 - Have in mind a realistic idea of what you expect your trailer to achieve. if nothing else, such thinking will help you set your budget for its production.
I'll give you an example of what I mean about using the visual language of YouTube. I viewed a trailer that was entirely composed of what looked like security camera footage of someone being kidnapped in a car park and bundled into the trunk of a car. Unsurprisingly it was a thriller being promoted. To me it had a kind of "Blair Witch" campaigning feel about it. The viewer asks themselves what they just viewed, was it real footage? Was it specially filmed? Is it found footage that just happens to fit in with the book? Anything that makes the viewer linger over your video and think about it beyond the 90 seconds that the viewing lasts.
More specifically now on the style of trailers. They all look the same right? Those off the shelf computer generated packages where the characters are flat two-dimensional cartoons. Every horror trailer has a skull and dagger in it. Probably a raven too for good measure. Every fantasy book has a sun halo behind the head of the main character and a broadsword. To my mind it's really hard to distinguish one book from any other done in these styles. And as to the words flashed across the screen, more often than not I don't get the sense of what the book is about, certainly not how it differs from any other book of its ilk. You know the word "Quest" will slide across the screen at some point of any Fantasy trailer. The paucity of text appearing in many trailers is akin to tagging your book on Amazon or on your website with just one label. Only with a trailer you're not actually limited in number, so use them! Words are the main currency of what we all do as writers right? I think it's great if the author's voice reading even a sentence or two over the images can be done. Or failing that, those two dynamite sentences scrolling across the screen.
POINT 6 - Use your imagination, make your video look different to every one in that genre that has gone before.
Summary:
1) YouTube is maybe not the best platform for trailers and any literary content. But there are plenty of others
2) Your video ought to be a piece of art in its own right. It must be aware of the differing visual language between film and a book
3) Your video ought to look to be different from all others out there, both in visual style, but also consider it's hook (the example of the 'kidnap' footage I gave above)
4) Think hard about budget, how much you can afford, weighed up against a realistic set of expectations of what the trailer can achieve
5) Remember you are selling the words of your book. Don't neglect to offer some up in the trailer
6) Don't overlook other types of book-related video content. Live readings, author interviews etc
Using a filmic medium to promote the printed word. Interesting juxtaposition.
POINT 1 - It always amazes me when authors neglect to put some words from the book into the trailer, either as text or in voice over. Remember, first and foremost the video is supposed to sell your novel. Give them a taste of your style. A killer sentence, you'd probably tweet the same as a sales tool wouldn't you?
This crossing over of visual discipline between viewing moving images and reading static print blocks is not a unique thing. If you think about pop music videos, they are there to sell a song. The video tells its own story, allied closely to the song of course, but very much with its own narrative impulse. It's the same for book trailers.
POINT 2 - The visual language of a video is very different to that of the written book. You might think in terms of the video standing as a piece of art in its own right, one that just happens to be about your book. You need to storyboard the video from beginning to end before starting compiling it. Just like a real movie!
In a way, if the trailer video has to stand as a work of art in its own right, we have to ask is it actually doing the job of pushing the book? By this I mean if someone happens on your trailer on a general video sharing site like YouTube and is interested in it enough to watch it through to the end, are they responding to the film narrative of the trailer more than any genuine interest in the book? They're watching it because it's a good video, not necessarily because the book appeals to them. Don't forget, our trailers go under the designation of "Entertainment" rather than any specific 'books' section. The culture of books being as significant as say cute kittens (or music videos) for going viral has yet to establish itself. I remain unconvinced as yet that YouTube is a significant platform for book trailer by mid list and debut authors. Philip Roth interview, a respectable 75,000 views. Stephen King talking books, an impressive 236,000 views. Lady Gaga "Judas" video, 144 million views...
POINT 3 - Once you've made your trailer video, there are several sites other than just YouTube you can display it. Blazing Trailers, Vimeo, GoodReads, your Amazon author page and others. Then there are dedicated sites for YA and fantasy trailers. You can of course mount it on your blog and FB and therefore tweet links and you can get feedback and comments. I actually think GoodReads could be progressive and start up its own video channel for GoodReads authors, with not only trailers, but interviews, readings and build a reputation as a dedicated video channel for all things contemporary literature. Just a thought.
I'll return to the contents and style of trailers later, but I just want to point out that author reading footage or discussions/ interviews I believe are more conducive to promoting books. Talking about books in general is liable to glean a bigger audience and in between you can slip in information about your book. Talking about where your book originated from, or some interesting anecdote about the research process, personalise it far more than a book trailer. You can record readings at home, but be aware without the sense of a live audience, the sight of you or me, book in hand (probably part blocking our face, or else our eyes are looking down at the book held low rather than into the caemra), plus the static nature of such an act, does not sustain the visual medium for very long. Then you are really thrown back on the words to carry the viewer and chances are, if they're from any part way through the novel, shorn from their context, they're not necessarily going to elicit an entirely clear understanding in the reader.
POINT 4 - Live readings with audience appreciation from bated breath to applause really helps validate what the viewer is looking at. It conveys a certain instant status to you as author/performer.
What is a viewer actually looking at? Again, back to the different visual language of video medium. I've already stated that YouTube is perhaps too blunt a platform for literary content. Having said that, if you appeal to its viewers in the language they are used to, the language of kitsch, cute, edgy or whatever, then you may just hit on something that goes sufficiently viral in book terms (how many views do we anticipate? Not the 100,000s of music videos, maybe knock a zero off that figure for a 'viral' trailer).
POINT 5 - Have in mind a realistic idea of what you expect your trailer to achieve. if nothing else, such thinking will help you set your budget for its production.
I'll give you an example of what I mean about using the visual language of YouTube. I viewed a trailer that was entirely composed of what looked like security camera footage of someone being kidnapped in a car park and bundled into the trunk of a car. Unsurprisingly it was a thriller being promoted. To me it had a kind of "Blair Witch" campaigning feel about it. The viewer asks themselves what they just viewed, was it real footage? Was it specially filmed? Is it found footage that just happens to fit in with the book? Anything that makes the viewer linger over your video and think about it beyond the 90 seconds that the viewing lasts.
More specifically now on the style of trailers. They all look the same right? Those off the shelf computer generated packages where the characters are flat two-dimensional cartoons. Every horror trailer has a skull and dagger in it. Probably a raven too for good measure. Every fantasy book has a sun halo behind the head of the main character and a broadsword. To my mind it's really hard to distinguish one book from any other done in these styles. And as to the words flashed across the screen, more often than not I don't get the sense of what the book is about, certainly not how it differs from any other book of its ilk. You know the word "Quest" will slide across the screen at some point of any Fantasy trailer. The paucity of text appearing in many trailers is akin to tagging your book on Amazon or on your website with just one label. Only with a trailer you're not actually limited in number, so use them! Words are the main currency of what we all do as writers right? I think it's great if the author's voice reading even a sentence or two over the images can be done. Or failing that, those two dynamite sentences scrolling across the screen.
POINT 6 - Use your imagination, make your video look different to every one in that genre that has gone before.
Summary:
1) YouTube is maybe not the best platform for trailers and any literary content. But there are plenty of others
2) Your video ought to be a piece of art in its own right. It must be aware of the differing visual language between film and a book
3) Your video ought to look to be different from all others out there, both in visual style, but also consider it's hook (the example of the 'kidnap' footage I gave above)
4) Think hard about budget, how much you can afford, weighed up against a realistic set of expectations of what the trailer can achieve
5) Remember you are selling the words of your book. Don't neglect to offer some up in the trailer
6) Don't overlook other types of book-related video content. Live readings, author interviews etc
