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Carrie Ryan’s new book, The Dead-tossed Waves, debuted yesterday. And there is this amazing book trailer here that makes me just want to rush out to buy the book. You can also see the book trailer for the first book here. So here’s some great info if you’re thinking about making a book trailer.

  1. First, watch book trailers on youtube. See what’s already been done. You should definitely look at books that are similar to yours.
  2. Look at movie trailers or music videos you enjoy. What feel are you going for? Carrie Ryan’s book is horror, and they really bring the feel out in the book.
  3. Now think about your book: are there some passages that stick out? What are some good scenes that would entice people to read? What do you tell people when you talk about your book? What motivates them to read it?
  4. You can choose between stills and video (if you want to go for other than something like a personal interview). Good programs for video editing are either iMovie or Final Cut Studio. In my experience, iMovie is a bit more user-friendly, though Final Cut offers more options.
  5. Now it’s time for soundtrack! Music is a great way to give your trailer feeling. It lets your audience know how to feel. Classic music is in public domain, and can be great mood music because it isn’t super distracting.
  6. If you don’t feel competent in making a book trailer (or don’t have the technology), hold a contest. Give away a copy of your book to the person who creates the best book trailer for you!

For a few more links to awesome book trailers, take a peep at the following:

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Wake by Lisa McMann

Gone by Michael Grant

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Published by Chersti Nieveen

9 thoughts on “a look at book trailers”

  1. I clicked on the Beautiful Creatures one, because I just started reading that last night and was curious. I definitely have to say that I prefer book trailers and book covers NOT to show faces. This one was great because it just gave shots of black curly hair and a charm necklace and black Converse — things that give me the idea of the character without actually ruining the character with a specific face. And I thought the still shots they used were lovely. I would totally copy theirs for my own book trailer. 🙂

    1. That’s a really interesting idea about not using faces. Sometimes I like that a face… though I don’t always imagine that face when I’m reading the story. Do you have pictures for the characters in your story? I like to draw pictures of my own characters so I get a really good visual.

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