A quick note to say that my monthly humor column was posted more than a week ago. Sam the Plumber is continuing his attempts to provide novelists with services they don’t want or need. His latest foray into the world of publishing takes him into the murky world of book trailers. Take a look here.
What’s your opinion? Do book trailers work? What does it mean to “work?” How do you know if a trailer works?
I tend not to watch book trailers. They take longer to load, and longer to “read,” and don’t seem to give any extra information. But everyone’s doing them, so maybe I’m just odd.
I made a trailer for my book because I was interested in the process. That in itself was enough for starters.
I have the laptop on the table at author signings and some people passing by have been drawn in by the trailer. Other people have asked me questions until I’ve got to the point where I suggest the trailer just so I can shut up for a moment. ‘That looks interesting’, they say and they buy.
One person watched half the trailer and said, ‘I’m a family therapist. I deal with that stuff all day and I’m not going to read about it for leisure’.
The trailer gives a visual impact, which for visual dominant people can be the clincher. At 90 seconds it’s really at the limit for what people will watch. The next one will be shorter.
On the other hand, it took me a long time to learn the software and it will never pay for itself at any reasonable hourly rate. But my writing doesn’t do that either.
As usual, Sam has managed to capture my attention. You should put him on permanent retainer. No, wait. Sounds like you already have.
I made a book trailer because “everyone else was doing it.” Made it myself at no cost, posted it several places, and have no idea whether it’s doing any good. Frankly, I think Sam’s “book trailer” idea makes more sense. Do you happen to know if his daughter is booked for April?
Okay, I give . . . what’s a book trailer?
I made one in preparation for my book possibly getting a publishing contract in a contest last year, and had a lot of fun with it. The people I forced to watch it liked it and said they’d totally read the book based on what they saw. But that was before I removed the duct tape, so it’s probably not as accurate as some stuffy scientific poll. No offense, Randy. I’m sure gaining statistical information mathematically is fun too.
I’ve wondered where exactly you post and promote a book trailer? I’ve seen some on publisher’s websites, but I doubt the average reader is trolling Zondervan or Waterbrook sites when looking for a good book. My daughter is sure I could YouTube it and totally conquer the world, but I’m not convinced. I wonder if they can be included with Kindle books, like the previews for other films on DVDs.
I asked the same question on my blog last year and posted my book trailer experiment for feedback. (If you’re curious, click my blog link and click on March 2009 / Book Trailer Buzz. I promise I won’t hurt you.)
I would imagine that like all other marketing things, a book trailer “works” if it generates sales or visits to a website.
I threw a “teaser trailer” for the book I’m working on right now on you tube, then embedded that clip on the website I set up for the book. Virtually all of the views have come from people who have visited the website, rather than folks goofing around on youtube.
It’s been a useful piece of content for the site, inasmuch as I don’t have much else on the site.
Here are some statistics courtesy of Publishers Weekly and The Teenreads.com 2009 Reader Survey. Note that these statistics only apply to teens, though teens do read outside the YA category. From the survey:
“With time on their hands, teens gravitate to YouTube; 46% of the respondents watch online book trailers, and 45% have purchased books after watching them. Before every marketing department races to create more trailers, though, 55% report that trailers have not influenced them.”
“Author interviews, either podcast or video, attract 24%, with an additional 21% who like video but not podcast. Yet 53% do not like either podcast or video interviews or are not sure how they feel.”
So there you have it. As with all other videos, book trailers should also be posted to YouTube. But even then at most about half of your potential viewers will see it. I imagine this number goes down sharply as the age of your readership goes up.
Very fun, Randy, and a good lesson!