At first I was merely intrigued by this striking book trailer. Then completely mesmerized. Pretty soon I realised I was witnessing one of finest pieces of book promotion I’d ever seen, and yet, it was so simple.
Take a moment to watch it:
‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’
Featuring Author Rebecca Skloot (2 minutes 30 seconds)
What Makes This Such A Great Book Trailer?
This video featuring the author, Rebecca Skloot, works so well because she tells the ‘story of her story’ and makes it deeply personal.
Rebecca has a burning belief that the whole world needs to know about Henrietta Lacks. That the whole world should hear the incredible story
Rebecca’s passion for getting this incredible story out there burns like a flame behind every word she utters, and it’s the very act of showing this passion in the video that creates the huge buzz around the book.
She drew on a deep well of emotion over what she saw as a massive injustice to create both the bestselling book and it’s remarkable trailer.
“Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more.
Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.”
Writers wanting the secret of an effective book trailer need look no further than this author’s example. Forget bland text quotes drifting in and out over cheap still shots, that go on and on over a cheesy sound track. Book buyers simply won’t watch those any more.
Instead, it needs a human communication. Rebecca Skloot has nailed this perfectly, with a personal video presentation that’s very simple, intercut with low-cost stock video to dramatize the points.
(NB: Video footage for your trailer can be purchased at relatively low cost from online stock libraries. Shooting and assembling your video is a subject for another post, but it’s actually relatively easy with a flip-cam and a laptop – and there are plenty of people out there who can help you with this.)
But What If You Don’t Want To Appear In A Video Trailer?
I’m aware that most people don’t want to be in front of a camera. That’s ok, because you can get much of the same effect by recording an audio track to use over stock footage and slides – as long as the emotion, what you feel, shines through in that audio.
So present yours personally. The real author speaking. Focus on the emotional core underlying the main ‘cause’ or theme in your book, embodied by the crisis facing the main character, and build out a brief 2 minute script from there. Skloot’s book is dramatized fact, but the principle applies equally to fiction.
The solution is already in your book, if you take a moment to think about it. Why did you write this story? Start your script there. What is the story of your story? Were you stunned by an injustice and it ended up in your story? Are your main character’s experiences drawn from your own, maybe from childhood? This is what excites and intrigues readers.
Use The Book Trailer Where It Has The Greatest Effect
The first and most effective place to promote your trailer is on YouTube, as this will ensure as many readers see it as possible.
Next, you can add your video trailer to your Goodreads author profile page – this can set you apart from all the other authors on there, most of whom are not taking advantage of this. Amazon also allow you upload videos to Amazon Author Central – provided you stick to their rules.
Finally, make sure you embed the Youtube video trailer on your own author blog too. (You can even direct agents and publishers to it there, if you’re taking the traditional print publishing pathway – this will give you a huge advantage over most other authors seeking similar deals.)
Note: Rebecca Skloot also started her book promotional program several years before she launched. She made media and blogging contacts far and wide, and maintained contact with them all the way through. This is a large part of the reason for the success of her book.
Do you like Rebecca’s book trailer? Have any other ideas on how they should be done? Please do leave a comment below.
Article by Jonathan Gunson
Author / CEO Bestseller Labs
I totally liked Rebecca’s trailer, but don’t think I can get mine as good as that! On Goodreads nearly all the videos are kind of weak, like the ones you say with ‘bland text quotes drifting in and out over cheap still shots’. I’m going to redo mine. Have a cool idea for it. May I put a link to it in the comments when done?
Please do Jen. Standing by for your video.
Hmmm … this gets the “wheels” turning. Look forward to your next post on shooting and assembling …
I love Rebecca’s book and trailer, but my favorite for humor is the one for Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars. http://youtu.be/Ie52BGvaDd0, which won an award for book trailers. called a MOBY.
Joanne. Very cool – made me laugh! ‘Packing for Mars’ is highly amusing. Tons of people, personality and humor, but … a little beyond the budget of a regular author I fear.
I was also sent this one by Sam Missingham, and it is beautiful / clever. But again beyond the budget of most authors: Beautiful Book Trailer
Furthermore, one other experience that I ran into frequently in ad agencies. Cleverness or ‘artfulness’ picked up all the industry awards (Such as MOBY) while the poor old hard working TV commercial that actually sold things remained a wallflower.
Interestingly, this trailer is quite similar to how Michael Hague (Screenwriting and pitching guru dude) says you should pitch – which is by approaching it from the angle of what makes you passionate about the story. I can’t speak with any authority on book trailers, but I know it works in pitches. Thanks for sharing this. Good food for thought!
Michael Hague is on the money Imelda. Hope your writing progresses well?
Cooking with a moderate amount of gas, Jonathan, thank you! Am getting up the sharp end in this story and it’s getting exciting. I feel rather as if I have a team of feisty horses and my job at the moment is to keep them all going in the same direction as the pace picks up…
Exciting indeed. If you’re at that stage, I imagine your characters have started to become real. Lurking in your house or dropping in unexpectedly.
I am so impressed with this well executed trailer. The trailer is appealing because: 1) the author speaks about what motivated her to write the book, 2) it shows how the subject relates to the general public, and 3) there are photographs which add to the human interest. The author is also warm and engaging, and obviously passionate about her material. When I get to this stage, I’m going to use this as an example. Thanks for sharing this example.
Diana. Inevitably you have a clear view on this. Is this video not deceptively amazing? You’ve keyed into the precise things that make it work.
It is the author’s abundance of enthusiasm that makes this trailer so engaging. The snippets of photos peeks our interest as she talks…food for thought. Thank you
There’s no doubt that personality helps greatly. But a reasonably clear ‘voice’ with genuine intent and passion for the subject will go a long way towards the same result.
As ever, a little enthusiam goes along way.
Hi! Great article–may I use it, with attribution, of course, in my FAQ-Knowledgebase-Resources section on my site? We’re revamping, and this is exactly the kind of “how-to, don’t screw it up” article and exemplar I’m seeking. I’d LOVE to use this, so I hope you’ll say “okay!”
Hitch. Sure – not the whole article, but a snippet is fine, with a link to this page, and, as you say, attribution.
Brilliant, bubbling over with enthusiasm, and you can see the passion in her eyes. I never thought of doing a book trailer from that perspective. Of course the book delivers. I read it last year. Thank you for sharing this with us, great article, Jonathan.
“You can see the passion in her eyes.” Precisely. Like it.
Great post, Jonathan! Thanks for demystifying the process of creating a compelling book trailer. A poorly executed trailer (and unfortunately, there are an abundance out there) can really hurt a book’s buzz. This should be required reading for any author considering adding a book trailer to their PR campaign.
I’ve done 4 book videos myself, but the video that is my favourite of all that I’ve seen lately is Can You Hear the Music? http://youtu.be/cMzcqsMzF5E
Take a look and see what you think.
Carol. Watched the ‘Can You Hear the Music?’ book trailer. Beautiful.
This bypasses the low cost but effective choice of the author’s voice, and actually has actors to play the parts in the book. Amazing! A mini-soap that is quite a costly production I suspect. I hope your link generates some views for the author.
I have been told by the author of the book that it was her son who did the production who is in that business. Would be nice, wouldn’t it, if we all could be so lucky. lol.
I did all of my own book videos and did the best I could using movie maker. It is very limited as to what one can do. I do, though, try to tell a mini story and to make it a little different from the novel, that is not use the exact same words.
I find that a lot of videos I view veer off from the story and get carried away with the music or production.
I wrote and produced commercials for years and don’t see that a book video is much different. One thing that makes me cringe is when music under changes quickly. It gives me a shock and I am jolted from the storyline. There is a way to change music under, but it must run smoothly and with a purpose behind it.
As you say Carol, the author fortunate indeed to have a son in the movie business. It shows. The sound track is far more important than the images. An author’s voice with a minimal script, making a single point that is drawn from real passion, is optimal. (Or actors … but who can afford?)
The sound tracks are definitely integral to these productions. I’ve watched dozens of trailers, as we prepared to create one ourselves, and so many miss the mark with the music.
Finding the proper music to accompany the images or video can magnify the impact and really make the impression that’s needed.
We actually licensed a track to use in our case. It definitely added to the cost, but the final result we felt was definitely worth it and we continually get comments about how the trailer really generates emotion. Hopefully it helps sells books too.
RC
Entirely agree re music RCR.
I’d never seen her trailer; it is indeed perfect for her book!
Making the trailer for my own forthcoming novel, CASCADE, was an interesting experience–it’s another whole little art form, and involved so much effort: pacing, condensing, getting the right copyright-free images to convey the 1930s time period, providing a taste of the story, the themes, etc.
I’d love for you to see it:
http://www.maryanneohara.com/cascade-trailer/
Cascade trailer is a little masterpiece Maryanne. 5 Stars. Great to see you appear in the video – your feeling for the project burns brightly, and is plain to see.
Thank you ! I’m fortunate in that I have a very talented brother who is an artist and filmmaker, and who made the trailer for me. It was a fun experience, so different from the interior world I inhabited, writing the book.
This is a perfect example of using different music themes under and making them work. This is obviously a professionally well-done video. I would have to view it again to get what the story is actually about as I was caught up in the scenery and the style of the video. I loved it!
I think you were referring to my video, Marlene, and if so, thank you!
[...] Jonathan Gunson on The Best Book Trailer I’ve Seen in Years, and Why It Works [...]
I don’t like trailers like this at all, but it’s clearly a matter of taste. Book trailers of that ilk remind me of movie trailers that give too many highlights or even reveal the whole arc of the story. I want to be intrigued, enticed, not bombarded with information. And I do not want to hear from the author.
Here’s my latest book trailer, for a novel I recently read from in Florence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV78JGcU0MI
Lev. In product promotional work a point of difference is required – a unique approach that stands out in the sea of voices all clamouring for attention. Yours is very nice, but I fear it may be lost in the crowd.
P.S. One suggestion I will make is that you should put a link to your book on the YouTube page.
Here’s my hand-made trailer for my second book, using old-fashioned animation and a few toys I ‘borrowed’ from a friend’s children. I’d be interested in any comments people might care to make.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnBG5ReFb2w&feature=g-upl
William. Advice re your animated book trailer:
One key thing I learned during my 10 years as a TV commercial writer / art director is that the sound track is 100 times more important than the video, even though far more work goes into the video on average.
Your unique trailer has a certain fascination. But it would catch fire (with music and visuals as is) by adding a voice-over and some sound effects such as in this Sandra Boynton trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AybZlVgT6Qw
Thanks, Jonathan. I shall give that a go.
Found this studio that create high quality trailers for competitive prices. http://www.vidokimedia.com Not much of a website but they produced this trailer here, pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfriMMDMrFw&feature=plcp
Nice trailer Phil. Real animation – there’s a lot of work in that.
Jonathon, I want you to know that this blog post on Rebecca Skloot’s video inspired me to make my very own. In fact, my video will go live in the next week or so. I plan to post it on all the places you mentioned in this post. I’ll send you a link on Twitter when it goes live. Any other advice or suggestions on helping it go viral? Thanks again for the inspiration – it’s been a fun project to work on. (BTW, I recently downloaded your Twitter For Authors and plan to tackle building relationships with book bloggers next.)
Great news re your video Stephanie.
And since you ask, one of the best ways to draw attention to it (e.g. On Twitter and a post on your blog that you can promote with the video embedded), is to avoid directly saying ‘watch my video’, but talk about the ‘making’ of it, and the world around it instead. For example, how hard was it to talk to camera? Who shot the video? Is the music cool? Was it hell to make? Was there conflict over how it should be done? In fact that last one is a beauty. e.g. “I nearly throttled Dave when he suggested we use “Shake, shake, shake by the Sunshine Band as the music for my video (link).”
~ Jonathan
Oh wow, GREAT advice. I definitely have several behind-the-scenes stories. For example, having to arrange for my husband to get my young sons out of the house on three different afternoons … writing the script, trashing it and just ad-libbing instead. And my wardrobe malfunction and the cat meowing in the background during one of the takes, etc., etc. The wheels are turning! I like highlighting creativity on the my blog and how a little insane courage can go a long way. This video is definitely a product of that, inspired by your post. The day I read it, I literally started planning out the video. So please know that you made a difference.
Any tips on what the title for my video should be on YouTube? There are so many different ways that authors are naming their videos… some author use the book name, others use their names. I literally used Rebecca Skloot’s video as a guide … me talking about my book and making it personal. So it’s part author interview and part book trailer. Thank you for your guidance …
Stephanie, the thing you’re popularizing is your book, so the video should have the book title in the YouTube title. I wouldn’t over-rely on YouTube for your publicity either, even though the traffic there can be huge. Best instead to just use YouTube as your video host, and post it on your blog (and the other places mentioned). Send people to your blog in particular so the video can be seen in context with your amusing / interesting story around it.
This is all about getting the right type of views – ‘traffic’ if you like, and it’s what every man jack and his dog on the internet wants. It’s not easy and it won’t happen in a rush. The REAL solution is to see it as part of your author platform and your long term build up.
See my article about this syndrome with Kindle books.
http://bestsellerlabs.com/why-your-amazon-kindle-book-will-be-far-bigger-than-you-imagine/
Thank you, Jonathon, for all the advice. It helps me feel like I’m not alone! Will let you know when my video goes live.
Standing by.
[...] http://bestsellerlabs.com/the-best-book-trailer-ive-seen-in-years/ [...]
Hi Jonathan. My book trailer is now live. You can view it here – LITTLE 15 by Stephanie Saye – Book Trailer
I plan to promote it on my blog and throughout my social media platform over the next few days. So you’re getting an official sneak peak! If it wasn’t for your blog post on Rebecca Skloot’s video, I would have never embarked on this journey. I learned a lot on this project – it’s definitely expanded my creativity. Thank you again for inspiring me and for all your support.
Hi Stephanie. Regarding your new book trailer for ‘Little 15′.
I’m honored to have played a part in motivating you to create this. Verdict: Highly successful, because you make a single, clear, uncluttered point: The essence of your unique storyline. Plus, I love that you present this personally and close up. The mask is completely stripped away, revealing how passionately you love your idea, which not only helps hold a viewer’s attention right to the end, but makes it highly persuasive. Congratulations.
-Jonathan
Coming from you, Jonathon, a best-seller author and someone who spent years in advertising and publishing, your review of my video means a great deal. Thank you. This project was so much fun. It also taught me to trust my inner artist and to go with my instincts, which it a great reminder for all artists and writers alike. I’m preparing a blog post that will capture these points, as well as reveal the inspiration that started it all – your blog post. (I’ll send you the link when the post goes live.)
Standing by Stephanie.
[...] then I ran across a blog post by best-selling author Jonathon Gunson that completely changed my [...]
Jonathan, here’s the link to my blog post that just went live. http://wp.me/p1UDsm-Xa
John, Thanks for sharing this video and your thoughts. This lady’s enthusiasm for her subject is intense but but delivered with great poise and after reading a thousand tweets that say ‘buy my book, buy my book!’ the effect is even more powerful.
There’s also a feeling that the science is not the central character, which is reassuring.
Had more or less given up on the idea of making one myself but I realise that what’s happening here is like sitting across the table from the author at one of the dinner parties she describes – and it works.
Thanks again and a happy Christmas to you and yours,
Tom
Tom. Do make a trailer.
And regarding the “Buy My Book!” syndrome on Twitter, I’ve just updated my ‘Twitter for Authors’ course, and one of the central focus points is exactly this. “Engage First, Sell Second.” i.e. Don’t shout your book on Twitter.
Here’s an excerpt from the text that pretty much agrees with your point:
“… Unfortunately, when most writers start using Twitter to ‘promote’ their book, they assume it means grabbing attention by ‘shouting’ the title of their book as if social media was a megaphone for pushing a one-way message. But that is anything but socially engaging. It repels, not attracts. Yes, the temptation to ‘shout’ your book is almost irresistible, but the reality is that it’s completely ineffective, generally viewed as annoying spam, and can get you unfollowed. At best, it simply isn’t interesting to people on Twitter.
Seriously, if you’d just met someone for the first time at a cocktail party, would you begin the conversation by shoving a book in their face and saying “Hi, I’ve just written this book, please buy it!”? Of course you wouldn’t. That’s not how social interactions take place.
Always good to hear from you Tom.
~ Jonathan
P.S. All best wishes to you for the festive season.
[...] I’ve written a brief post about Rebecca’s remarkable book, and the lessons we can learn from how she went about promoting it, which you can read here: The Best Book Trailer I’ve Ever Seen, And Why It Works [...]
Hi Jonathan
I’m an ardent fanatic of trailers (for books and movies) and I’m dying to make a few for my books. I have written two books and now on the third.
I’m a Nigerian. I live and work there. And promotion seems to be my greatest challenge (even my two books are published in e-copies). Watching this video has inspired me greatly and I instantly know shooting a trailer for those books will go a long way.
And I thank you for the tip
Let me know when your trailer is done Atabo. It does not have to be as sophisticated as Rebecca Skloot’s trailer either.
~Jonathan
Really enjoyed this post, thank you Jonathan. I’ve been dreaming of my book trailer for a while, even though the novel itself is only about one fifth of the way completed!
I hope to bring the same passion into my trailer, explaining my own inspiration behind the story and desire to use the publicity to benefit the real life parties involved. My book centers around an outbreak of a new pox disease in the endangered mountain gorillas of the Congo and Rwanda that quickly begins spreading into the human population as well. I was initially inspired by a National Geographic cover photo and article about the plight of the mountain gorillas and the international players involved in their fate, and I think it will be fun to share this story without having to give away much of my plot itself.
Thanks!
Eliott
Sounds like you have a book ripe for publicity using the endangered species angle. Best start filling your theater now, not wait until you launch.
~Jonatha
[...] just you talking about why you wrote the book, so people can see your passion. Here’s a link to [...]
Hi Jonathan – Since I always felt my personal story was vital to my first novel (which became a NYT bestseller and launched my writing career 15 years ago) when I began prepping it for eBook edition and planning marketing, I knew I wanted that story to be the heart of the trailer. When I found this post and watched Rebecca Skoot’s trailer, I knew I’d at last found a model for my own video.
There’s a big difference between ‘talking heads’ and an author telling a story with passion. This is one reason why popular reality shows like ‘The Bachelor’ go in for the close-up intimate confession; nothing engages an audience like a close shot of someone telling their personal, intimate story. Psychologically, humans are attracted to other human faces. Much more so than words, even clever graphics.
Most video trailers bore after 15 seconds; Stephanie Saye’s trailer is 4 minutes and it feels like 15 seconds. Skloot’s you can watch over and over. Question: I’m in Florence, Italy and struggling to find a production company. Any suggestions? Anyway to find out who did Rebecca Skloot’s? I do wish companies would credit themselves.
Many thanks! Janice
Hi Janice
You’re on the right track re trailer content. Re Production: Best path is to send an email to Rebecca Skloot. Locate her website using Google search.
~ Jonathan