Book trailers–mini-movies–seem to be all the rage these days. They’re everywhere on MySpace, as well as in blogs and on websites. I’ve heard they’re even being shown in movie theaters. And they’re not just being used by epublished authors.
Deidre Knight has a fabulous trailer here: Deidre Knight
Sylvia Day has several: Sylvia Day
Eden Bradley has one here
And unpublished Kristen Painter has designed some for published author friends: Kristen’s Blog
I even gave it a shot. Here’s my less-than-impressive first attempt (Compared to Deidre’s and Sylvia’s, it’s pretty shabby): My Blog
I have to say, I love watching these! Will they make me buy a book? Can’t say they have yet. But they are a brilliant way to introduce people to a new novel.
Anyone else want to share their thoughts on book trailers? Or how about a link to a favorite? You know me–I love to feed my addictions.
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I’ll have to check them out.
The only ones I’ve seen are the flash movies from Lucy Monroe. I enjoy them - they are fun - but to me it’s just another marketing tool that hasn’t really made a dent in my decision-making. Will that change? Maybe. I won’t rule it out, though I still prefer the good old-fashioned word of mouth as being the most effective way to give me a great rec. Never say never…
by Stacy ~
on September 28th, 2006 at 7:26 am
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Thanks Stacy! I’m going to take a look at Lucy’s.
I think in some cases they’re quite effective in communicating the mood of a book–especially if the cover is sort of deceptive or vague. Music is one of the biggest elements and I think it can definitely impact the impression someone gets about a book. Is the music sultry? Lively? Dissonant?
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The few I have seen were really fun and well done. However, they don’t tell me if I will like the writing style of the author. I still need to read a few pages to decide to buy a book.
by Little Lamb Lost
on September 28th, 2006 at 10:09 am
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I have to confess that I am no fan of book trailers. For me are book blurbs & excerpts more important
by Danny
on September 28th, 2006 at 10:40 am
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They are fun to watch but a blurb and excerpts will do more to help me decide. Trailers just capture attention. I would not buy a book based on one.
by Cherie Japp
on September 28th, 2006 at 10:48 am
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they are just fun and i am curious about it
by KIM H
on September 28th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
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Interesting comments! Thanks for sharing. Cherie, I’m like you. They do capture my attention. And they make me remember a book. And I think that’s what works. When I go into a store, I’ll remember that movie on Lucy Monroe’s site and I’ll head to the shelf to look at her books. In the end, it might be the blurb or first few pages that makes me take the book to the cash register, but it could very well be the trailer that makes me think to look for it in the first place.
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They don’t work well with slooooow dialup.
by Estella
on September 28th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
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I love the trailers. Wish I could afford to do them myself, but as a new author, I’m on a budget. Here are a couple of my blogmates:
Anne Frasier, PALE IMMORTAL, on sale now (click on video): http://www.annefrasier.com/
Kathleen Eagle, RIDE A PAINTED PONY, 11/06: http://www.kathleeneagle.com/
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I have to say that I hate them. Whenever one pops up on a website my brain says…”wtf?” 
I don’t understand the point of them because it’s a book! But I guess if they’re fun for readers, they’ll become the next “It” marking tool the way blogs have been for the past two years.
by Camilla
on October 8th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
