I'm not a video person (I like to read!) but my spouse loves video and he definitely will watch a book trailer. They are less splashy than a movie trailer of course, but I do think in this era of Instagram reels and Tiktoks that a short form video content does have its audience. The issue then becomes more about cost and effort. There are already so many things that an author may be tasked with doing or coordinating with their publicist that I can see something like a book trailer being somewhat low priority. That said, a friend of mine who consults on Amazon ads notes that the video ads (which use book trailers) are doing well right now.
When my last book came out instead of doing a trailer, I did a mini documentary. I find that book trailers tend to be not as well received as they were years ago and a longer tail social media strategy using reels is better these days due to people’s attention span.
I know one author who believes her book trailer made a significant difference in preorders (she got over 1000!) - but she is the only one. I completely agree that for most people, the juice isn't worth the squeeze! We decided not to do one for the launch of HUNGRY AUTHORS.
I’m cutting a trailer for my upcoming release, but because the story is about my adventures producing indie films in the 90’s and 00’s, I get to include some fun video from behind-the-scenes. The plan is to use it as a marketing tool to attract more podcasts etc - people might be more inclined to click on a 3 min trailer link than read 3 paras.
Sometimes they are worth it. Most of the time they're kind of boring with bad music. I do like the Christine Feehan trailers for her Shadow series. But to be fair, I would buy these books with or without a trailer.
THANK YOU. Someone said it. I remember the original tizzy about book trailers, and everyone "had to have one" but honestly, it'd be a rare day when any of those YouTube videos had more than a handful of views. To me, this "strategy" was just another way for writers to get themselves out there (and another source of marketing anxiety), but of all the available tools in the toolbox, it has never made much sense to me. Especially now in the video landscape that's dominated by TikTok and Reels. I have never advised an author to go all out for a book trailer.
This is such an interesting discussion! I enjoy watching book trailers. If done well, it can give you a feel for the book. I'm working on my first novel, so I haven't had an opportunity to make one yet. But I have been experimenting with making trailers for blog posts, which I post as reels on my IG account. They get more views than a post of the same nature, but I'm not sure if they're more effective. I have fun making them, though. :)
I always make a book trailer, mostly because it's a tangible thing I can do in those anxious weeks before a book comes out, and also because I truly like doing them. I like doing something immersive and creative for a book that I haven't been creatively immersed in for years. I don't count on them to sell books, but view them as a fun promotional thing I can do. If I hated doing them, it wouldn't be worth it! But I went to a farm for my last one, since it was a farm book (https://youtu.be/-aFS8f3OB-U?feature=shared) and I'm interviewing dogs at the animal shelter for my next one. (Huh, maybe I just use them as an excuse to meet animals?)
I enjoy making book trailers. I’ve never had a reader tell me they bought one of my books because of a trailer but I never had anyone tell me they didn’t buy one for the same reason. I’m no pro but I enjoy playing with the themes and characters in my story across different mediums.
I'm working on my book trailer (pub date 8/25) right now and it's an important part of the branding package! I'm designing it myself, using stills instead of video footage, and having a student put it all together -- it can definitely be accomplished on a budget!
I also have been around long enough to remember the early days of book trailers, and produced/contributed to a few $$$ of them that I'm proud of that got lots of views, and... probably didn't sell many books on their own.
I've noticed that the Trailer of the Day in PW is most often from small houses and self-produced. Bless.
But, while old-school trailers aren't what they once were (if they ever were) the core strategy is still sound
- Create compelling video content that supports your book
- Have a plan and platform to promote it
- Use it to create a connection between the creator and their audience
- Fun, funny, quirky is just as effective as a slick production
- Put the appropriate amount of effort into it. (I used to say, "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" around the office all of the time. A trailer/piece of video content is a fine addition to the toolbox, but don't squeeze too hard)
Isn't it amazing? The author worked in advertising and called in some favors. TRIVIA: The original name of the book was "Maggie Meatloaf" and I made them change it.
Ha ha ha Maggie Meatloaf. MORE TRIVIA: I was getting review copies of books at that time, and after I emailed you telling you that it was my favorite book of the year, you sent me a MAGGIE MAYFIELD FOR PRESIDENT pin which I still have on my bag.
I just made a trailer for my upcoming release that I will share on social media. I understand it’s mostly for my followers and fans…not readers new to me. I don’t expect to get sales from it (hard to tell as I have a trad small press publisher so I can’t see when sales happen even if it were possible to correlate). It was fun to create on Canva and didn’t cost me anything except my time. Is there ANYTHING that moves the needle on sales?
I think that's great. I don't think publishers should spend money on them--there are other things! And I am going to write about moving the needle as soon as I can type more.
One other interesting tidbit…I did have some people share the trailer to their Facebook posts feed. So…maybe a few new people saw it. But I bet a well-designed Facebook ad would be much more effective.
I’ve only seen one book trailer. They clearly worked hard on it, and yet… it was cringe-inducing. It featured the author talking about his book, and he came off as just trying too hard to seem cool and mysterious. I had already bought the book and was excited to read it (and it was very good). But the trailer instilled doubts that hadn’t existed before. My take-away is that book trailers probably don’t help much; in fact, they can actually hurt.
Ten years ago or so I attended a SCWBI event where the presenting author had spent the entire advance to promote their book, including dropping thousands on an animated trailer. It was definitely eye-catching - but it didn't make me want to buy the book. I think the author saw it as investing in their career, but I sat there thinking "I don't think this will pay off."
I'm not a video person (I like to read!) but my spouse loves video and he definitely will watch a book trailer. They are less splashy than a movie trailer of course, but I do think in this era of Instagram reels and Tiktoks that a short form video content does have its audience. The issue then becomes more about cost and effort. There are already so many things that an author may be tasked with doing or coordinating with their publicist that I can see something like a book trailer being somewhat low priority. That said, a friend of mine who consults on Amazon ads notes that the video ads (which use book trailers) are doing well right now.
When my last book came out instead of doing a trailer, I did a mini documentary. I find that book trailers tend to be not as well received as they were years ago and a longer tail social media strategy using reels is better these days due to people’s attention span.
I know one author who believes her book trailer made a significant difference in preorders (she got over 1000!) - but she is the only one. I completely agree that for most people, the juice isn't worth the squeeze! We decided not to do one for the launch of HUNGRY AUTHORS.
I’m cutting a trailer for my upcoming release, but because the story is about my adventures producing indie films in the 90’s and 00’s, I get to include some fun video from behind-the-scenes. The plan is to use it as a marketing tool to attract more podcasts etc - people might be more inclined to click on a 3 min trailer link than read 3 paras.
Sometimes they are worth it. Most of the time they're kind of boring with bad music. I do like the Christine Feehan trailers for her Shadow series. But to be fair, I would buy these books with or without a trailer.
THANK YOU. Someone said it. I remember the original tizzy about book trailers, and everyone "had to have one" but honestly, it'd be a rare day when any of those YouTube videos had more than a handful of views. To me, this "strategy" was just another way for writers to get themselves out there (and another source of marketing anxiety), but of all the available tools in the toolbox, it has never made much sense to me. Especially now in the video landscape that's dominated by TikTok and Reels. I have never advised an author to go all out for a book trailer.
Never really thought about book trailers to be honest. Maybe in a radio/podcast/audiobook format it could be feasible.
This is such an interesting discussion! I enjoy watching book trailers. If done well, it can give you a feel for the book. I'm working on my first novel, so I haven't had an opportunity to make one yet. But I have been experimenting with making trailers for blog posts, which I post as reels on my IG account. They get more views than a post of the same nature, but I'm not sure if they're more effective. I have fun making them, though. :)
I always make a book trailer, mostly because it's a tangible thing I can do in those anxious weeks before a book comes out, and also because I truly like doing them. I like doing something immersive and creative for a book that I haven't been creatively immersed in for years. I don't count on them to sell books, but view them as a fun promotional thing I can do. If I hated doing them, it wouldn't be worth it! But I went to a farm for my last one, since it was a farm book (https://youtu.be/-aFS8f3OB-U?feature=shared) and I'm interviewing dogs at the animal shelter for my next one. (Huh, maybe I just use them as an excuse to meet animals?)
I loved this! I could totally see it on TikTok.
Thank you! (I think? I still don't understand TikTok. Ha, wait, yes, thank you.)
I enjoy making book trailers. I’ve never had a reader tell me they bought one of my books because of a trailer but I never had anyone tell me they didn’t buy one for the same reason. I’m no pro but I enjoy playing with the themes and characters in my story across different mediums.
I'm working on my book trailer (pub date 8/25) right now and it's an important part of the branding package! I'm designing it myself, using stills instead of video footage, and having a student put it all together -- it can definitely be accomplished on a budget!
I think for cookbooks, it helps. You still need a plan to have it reach your audience.
Also, visual representation because the photography is a selling point!
I also have been around long enough to remember the early days of book trailers, and produced/contributed to a few $$$ of them that I'm proud of that got lots of views, and... probably didn't sell many books on their own.
I've noticed that the Trailer of the Day in PW is most often from small houses and self-produced. Bless.
But, while old-school trailers aren't what they once were (if they ever were) the core strategy is still sound
- Create compelling video content that supports your book
- Have a plan and platform to promote it
- Use it to create a connection between the creator and their audience
- Fun, funny, quirky is just as effective as a slick production
- Put the appropriate amount of effort into it. (I used to say, "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" around the office all of the time. A trailer/piece of video content is a fine addition to the toolbox, but don't squeeze too hard)
A few of the ones I worked on back in the day...
Press Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj81KC-Gm64
Chloe Instead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTCibnoCndk
The Meaning of Maggie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxxRdVbByTE
Ivy & Bean: Doomed to Dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-Sx-AYxcc
Wow, Lara, these are fantastic. I used to give my daughter Press Here when she was little!
I STILL think about The Meaning of Maggie trailer and how great it is, years after seeing it.
Isn't it amazing? The author worked in advertising and called in some favors. TRIVIA: The original name of the book was "Maggie Meatloaf" and I made them change it.
Ha ha ha Maggie Meatloaf. MORE TRIVIA: I was getting review copies of books at that time, and after I emailed you telling you that it was my favorite book of the year, you sent me a MAGGIE MAYFIELD FOR PRESIDENT pin which I still have on my bag.
These are great! I used to read Press Here to my son when he was little. I love that book.
Thank you! Press Here really is magic!
I just made a trailer for my upcoming release that I will share on social media. I understand it’s mostly for my followers and fans…not readers new to me. I don’t expect to get sales from it (hard to tell as I have a trad small press publisher so I can’t see when sales happen even if it were possible to correlate). It was fun to create on Canva and didn’t cost me anything except my time. Is there ANYTHING that moves the needle on sales?
I think that's great. I don't think publishers should spend money on them--there are other things! And I am going to write about moving the needle as soon as I can type more.
One other interesting tidbit…I did have some people share the trailer to their Facebook posts feed. So…maybe a few new people saw it. But I bet a well-designed Facebook ad would be much more effective.
I’ve only seen one book trailer. They clearly worked hard on it, and yet… it was cringe-inducing. It featured the author talking about his book, and he came off as just trying too hard to seem cool and mysterious. I had already bought the book and was excited to read it (and it was very good). But the trailer instilled doubts that hadn’t existed before. My take-away is that book trailers probably don’t help much; in fact, they can actually hurt.
I've seen ones like that, too. They are a mistake IMO.
Ten years ago or so I attended a SCWBI event where the presenting author had spent the entire advance to promote their book, including dropping thousands on an animated trailer. It was definitely eye-catching - but it didn't make me want to buy the book. I think the author saw it as investing in their career, but I sat there thinking "I don't think this will pay off."
Wow!
Weirdly, I can't remember any book trailer I've ever seen---so I guess my answer would be no.