A-Z Blog Challenge: V

Video Book Trailers

Making a book trailer is a fun way to promote a new novel.  Whether your novel is self-published, an e-book, or a New York Times bestseller, a video trailer is a great way to catch the attention of more readers. 

The best way to begin is to watch some that other authors have put together.  You can find a host of them on YouTube by doing a simple search or check out authors’ websites.  Notice what makes them stand out and make notes.

Write a short blurb about your book.  This should be easy…after all, you’ve already condensed your work into a few short sentences for that cursed query letter. Lol. 

Find pictures to represent the story.  This can be fun.  There are a lot of places to collect just the right image online.  Be sure the images aren’t copyrighted.  You can select “labeled for commercial reuse” if you’re using Google Images. 

Some book trailers incorporate video. If you’re tech savvy…have fun.  As for me, I had to stick with the slideshow style.  But these turn out beautifully too.  Many fantastic book trailers use only images and words, and are very effective.

To create a slideshow, use a movie editor such as Windows Movie (for PC) or iMovie (for Mac).  Another option is to use an online editor, such as Slide Roll.

Now select the music, or use a voice over.  This is a great way to set the mood.  Pop tunes for a light, contemporary novel, dark, classical music for a historical mystery… 

Book trailers can be as simple or complex as you want them to be.  But it’s advised to keep them to from 1.5-3 minutes in length.  Don’t let them drag on or give away too much information.  Remember, they are to catch the attention and reel in the reader to take a closer look.

Here are a few to spur your creative juices. 


Michelle Argyle self published Cinders and hired models for her promtional images.She's now with Rhemalda Publishing.

This is my own...simply done.

This book was written by a teen and publishded through KidPub.  Well done Julianne Gentry!

Have fun creating.  And let me know how it goes.  Do you have trailers for your books?  Or know of some that really caught your attention?  Share them with us!

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