One of the resources for marketing books is to create a book trailer. Sometimes, these are done by the publisher. Other times, the author creates one. In the case of the latter, I asked Christine Lindsay to share her experience with putting together a book trailer. She has done it twice.
"You
put together the book trailer for your newest release Captured by Moonlight. How did you go about it? What did you find to be the hardest part, and what cautions or recommendations do you have for others who might like to do their own book trailer? - Sandy
(Note: Since there's both marketing and creativity involved in book trailers, I split Christine's answer. The second part will run next week.)
Christine: When Shadowed in Silk was
released, I had very little money for advertising. Still don’t. Being such a
visual person, I thought a trailer would create some attention.
I’m sure a professional artist or video maker could point out the
mistakes, but a few of my artist friends have looked at the trailer for Captured by Moonlight, and smiled, nodding
and saying, “Not bad, not bad at all.”
Before I ever decided to write, my interests were drawing and painting. So,
I have a good grasp of the color wheel, tones, balancing a composition, and
therefore confident enough to enjoy experimentation.
You’ll see this in the way I have the script coming in at different
angles in Captured by Moonlight. But
don’t go too crazy with this, or you’ll make your viewer dizzy.
I played around with a few programs, and discovered Windows Movie Maker
that I didn’t have to pay for.
I just kept at it by trial and error, and as I did, I discovered little
things in the program that just made the visual sound bite come alive. Fade
ins, fade outs, animation of the photos, etc.
The first thing I suggest is pick your music. Even if you’re going to do
a talk-over trailer, you still want background music. As a nation of movie
watchers, I believe that’s what we need—a tiny little movie that moves us
emotionally.
I go to iStock for audio files. When I find music that stirs me and
makes me think of my story, I buy the licensing. I paid about $25 for the music
for Captured by Moonlight. It’s pacing
is resonant with the fun and passion in the story.
It’s a bit hard to find the piece of music that is exactly the length
you need. Fortunately for me, my son is a music major, and edited my music to
the right length. But you might find someone in the music department of your
church that can help.
After creating the trailer for Shadowed
in Silk, I discovered that I’d made it too long. Most video sites and
watchers prefer only about a minute and a half long, tops.
Then I started gathering my photos from stock sites, such as iStock,
Dreamstime, Shutterstock. Because I had a hand in the creation of the front
covers of my books, I had photos of the models in period costume.
I might deviate a bit here for the reason I had a hand in my own front
covers.
When my publisher was designing the cover for Shadowed in Silk, they sent me photos of models which strangely reminded
me of my birthdaughter, Sarah, the grown child I had relinquished to adoption
when she was 3 days old. On a whim, I suggested Sarah (whom I am now reunited
with). I also had the silk for the sari that I had bought on a missions trip to
India.
For book 2, Captured by Moonlight,
my publisher was happy to let me use my own daughter, Lana for that role. So I
had lots of photos of the 2 girls.
It takes a while to get used to whatever program you end up using. But
learn how to adjust the photos visually, to be drawn into the center or off
from one side.
This became especially fun for me in Shadowed
in Silk when I tilted the photo of the airplane so that it appears it is
actually moving. At another point, a child is holding a man’s hand, and I had
the script and the photo scroll upward, creating the movement of a child’s eye
looking up at his father figure.
Book
Trailer for Shadowed in Silk
The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home. She and her husband enjoy the empty nest, but look forward to all the noise when the kids and grandkids come home. And like a lot of writers, her cat is her chief editor.
Have you ever created a book trailer? Do you use book trailers to market your books? What tips can you share from your experience?
~~~
Christine Lindsay writes historical novels with strong love stories. She’s proud of her Irish roots. Her great grandfather and grandfather worked as riveters in the Belfast shipyard, and one of the ships they helped build was the Titanic. Another ancestor served in the British Cavalry in India, seeding Christine’s long-time fascination with the British Raj and became the stimulus for her series Twilight of the British Raj, and her debut novel, SHADOWED IN SILK. Her current release CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT is Book 2 of that series.
The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home. She and her husband enjoy the empty nest, but look forward to all the noise when the kids and grandkids come home. And like a lot of writers, her cat is her chief editor.
