Book Trailers

I have to say, I'm not entirely convinced that book trailers sell books. I rarely watch them, unless I already know about the book or I know the author, and I've never bought a book as a result of one, unless I already intended to do so. I have seen the odd person say they've watched a trailer and bought a book, but again, usually because the book was already on their mind. So perhaps as a final point to encourage a sale, they do help. But they are definitely an 'in' thing. (As an amendment here, I have to mention that after the launch of my latest trailer someone tweeted to me that they were interested in reading the book having seen the trailer. So maybe they're more effective than I previously believed. I'd love to see some data on it!)

When my friend Lauri J Owen made one for her book, she encouraged me to give it a try. I'm not going to say it's easy because it took me a while to figure it out, simply by playing with the software until it clicked. But I found it a lot of fun to do (once I knew what I was doing) and a heck of a lot cheaper to do it yourself, providing you're prepared to put the time into it. So, I did one for Keir, and just last week I redid one for my upcoming release Gethyon, and I thought I'd show you the process.

You will need:
Windows Movie Maker - most computers will probably have this as a standard piece of software when you buy them, but if not it's a free download, and you can find it here.
Some royalty-free music - I use Kevin MacLeod's site here but there are others if you search for royalty-free music.
Some images - either use your own or buy or you can find some royalty-free, although you may have to include a link in your video back to the site that provided them - check their terms and conditions carefully. I generally use dreamstime.com, and have a mixture of paid-for and free images.
A rough script - I generally use the blurb to the book. A trailer works exactly the same - you want to give readers a taster but finish with a hook. Try to sketch out what script and image you want together, and what order you want them in.

(As a hint, I recommend you collect all the images you want to use for the video into one folder and name it as such. I've learned to my cost that having to go look for individual images again when you work on the project is a time suck!)
So, two main points of advice. Keep it simple and be prepared to spend time on it. For me I take two or three days to make one book trailer because I am OCD about timings. But I enjoy doing this despite the strain on my patience.

Once you've downloaded Windows Movie Maker, you should see this on opening it -

Your version won't have the little image icons though - that's just my old files

My first task is usually to pick a piece of music and download it. Typically I'll go for something about a minute and a half long. You CAN put two pieces of music together or cut down a longer piece, but these are complications I've avoided so far. Doing a longer trailer may give too much away and cost more for extra images! Once you've downloaded your music, left click and drag it into the Audio/Music section of your time line. You should now see this (timeline at the bottom of the image) -

Tip - if you find the timeline too compressed to see the elements in it clearly, strech it out using -

This will also allow you to make finer adjustments too.

You can now add your images. Click Import Media, then Pictures if that's where you've stored your folder of images. You can load them all individually or Ctrl+A to select them all. Once these are loaded into WMM, you'll see something like this.

You can now click and drag your images into your movie timeline (the section marked Video). You'll need to do this in the order you want them to appear, which is why a rough script of some kind beforehand is a good idea.

You may find the images then extend further than your music. Don't panic! You can shorten the images by left clicking and holding on the RIGHT hand side of each image. You'll see a little red adjuster symbol come up, allowing you to extend or shorten the time your image will show on the trailer. You need to adjust the RIGHT hand side of each image as necessary.

 
You may find at this stage you'll need to start playing the trailer to see how and where your images fit into the music. I suggest finishing (and lingering!) on an image of your book cover, with your publisher's name, a release date if it's not yet out, and perhaps some major retailers it will be available from.

Once you have them matched to the music (if the images are a bit short, don't worry - you'll be adding credits at the end. It's up to you if you want music on these or not.) it's time to add some script to your trailer. Click on the image you want to add text too, then Tools, Titles and Credits.

You can vary the font, and to a degree the size and placing of the script. Again, experiment with it until you find something that works for you. You can also add lots of flashy effects, but bear in mind you want people to be able to read it. Keep it short and check it's on screen long enough to be read easily. Again, play it through and adjust until you're happy it's all flowing together and in the right places. You can also add effects directly onto each image to give them more movement.

Then you can add effects between the images (Transitions) to merge them together.

You can also blend images into the one before by left clicking and holding the LEFT hand side of each image. You'll see a little blue bar come up that you can drag left into the previous image to blend them. Be aware this can pull the entire timeline forward and affect the timing in the trailer, so check each time you use it.

Finally, add your credits (Tools, Titles and Credits). Put your name and copyright. It isn't always necessary to credit the provider of your images or music, but I like to do so. Check it through a few more times to ensure you're happy with it, then Save Project As and give it a name. (BTW, it's worth saving at regular intervals as you work, just in case your computer is interrupted at any stage!). Your final timeline should look something like this -

Windows Movie Maker saves them as MSWMM files. You'll need to convert it to a .wmv file to upload to YouTube, which you can do by clicking File, Publish Movie. Please note, once it's published you CANNOT alter the .wmv file, and the MSWMM version will be gone. So if you think you may want to tweak it at a later date without remaking the whole thing, say after release day, save TWO copies of the MSWMM files under different names. Once you've loaded your trailer up to YouTube, you'll then be able to embed it on your blog or website.

And there you go! I really enjoy making trailers and find it a change from writing while still being creative. Don't be afraid to try it out! But if you'd rather a professional handled it, you could check out Danielle Fine here.

In the meantime, here's my finished trailer.

What does a reader see?

I've always been fascinated by what someone sees when they read something of mine. A reader might have an idea what a certain character looks like from a book cover (although the cover may be nothing like what the author imagined since they're generally decided by the publisher) or even images posted by the author relating to the story or the inspiration. It should also give readers an idea of the setting/genre/theme, although that's something very open to interpretation. If someone writes 'castle' or 'forest', most people will have a general idea of what they think a typical one looks like, then adjust it as they read more details. For instance, perhaps they saw a light, silver birch wood, only to learn two sentences in that it's a dark, brooding oak forest, or a sweltering rain forest.

I can remember asking...no, pestering an author about his space ship, wanting to know whether I'd imagined it correctly, to the point of posting pictures that echoed what I thought. Luckily we knew each other well enough that I don't think I offended him. I never did get a straight answer though...

I can't draw particularly well, but I love to sketch out my ideas in words. That's part of why I write. The art comes in describing it enough to give an outline with necessary details without bogging down the story, and yet allowing the reader to use their imagination without too much effort. I've had the odd review compare my female MC to River Song from Doctor Who and even as the Doctor himself. Keir has been cast as Orlando Bloom and Aidan Turner. These kind of comments always fascinate me. But a couple of weeks ago, I received something that just blew me away. A good friend of mine decided to commission a piece of artwork as a gift to me, based on how he saw the opening scene to Keir . To say that I'm flattered is an understatement. The image is beautiful, but the thought behind it even more so.

I'm not going to tell you how close or not this is to the image that was in my head. I want people to form their own opinion. Some will be influenced by the official cover. But you can judge this one for yourself by downloading the first chapter for free from Lyrical Press Inc here or by using the Look Inside via Amazon. And if you do, I'd love for you to come back and tell me what you think of this picture then. Meanwhile you can check out the artist Jonathan Moore here. And you can check out the humorous comic strip about life in New Zealand done by my good friend Mr Reasonable here.

So, what else is new?

Success!
I've already announced it elsewhere, but to continue from last week when I said I'd had a request for a full MS, I can now confirm that I HAVE A NEW CONTRACT! Woo hoo! My scifi Gethyon will be out June 2013 with the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Champagne Books - Burst. I'm currently in the process of filling in paperwork, and already have my editor assigned and my two deadlines laid out. This meant that I dropped my Campnanowrimo project at the weekend, having reached 28K. I'm a little disappointed I won't get to finish it, but I was already struggling with the word count after feeling that When Dark Falls had a split identity problem, and that I actually appeared to be trying to write two seperate and conflicting stories. The stories won't be deleted, but what I have so far is going on my project list for next year. For the rest of this year, it will now be edits, promotion, finishing and submitting the sequel to Keir, and preparing my other sfr novella Tethered for submission early next year. I've also decided to go ahead and self-publish a short sfr story I did for a submission call that never happened. But more on that later...

Happenings
My book trailer for Keir is up for voting in the August contest at You Gotta Read blog at #20. Please stop by and vote! I know, I'm not cute when I beg so how about this?



There's also giveaways still running on my blog here for two print copies of Keir. The Goodreads one is proving extremely popular and is open until September 17th. The other closes on the 29th August and is running on my blog - all you have to do is comment, and currently there's not much competition, but the closing date is sooner! The monthly Amazon tagging list will open on the 27th, with the party on the 30th. There's an additional note on the subject of 'malicious' tagging so please read the party post carefully when it's up.

Ping Pong
Donna - interesting post on remakes. I have to say I groan a little each time I hear another remake/revamp is on the way. Maybe next year we'll see something new.
Sharon - love the post on world-building. That's one of my favourite parts of writing. :)

Author Margaret West on Creating a Book Trailer

Today I'm interviewing author Margaret West about how she created a wonderful book trailer for her new release TWO FACES ONE LIFE available as an e-book or on Amazon as a paperback.

You can see her book trailer here or at the bottom of this post. Be sure to also check out Margaret’s website.

Q: Hi Margaret. Thanks for offering to share your knowledge and experience. I’m sure this is a topic many people will be interested in.

A: Hi Laurie, and thank you for inviting me here today to blog.

Q: Let me start with a few questions about how you created your trailer. First of all, is this your debut novel or have you published before? Tell us a little about the story.

A: I am a Romance and Paranormal Romance writer. I have had three novels released over the last two years, a few short stories and some poetry. I also write home study courses for Psychic Development and Crystal Therapy. Right now I have three books in the works and another romance release due later this year. In every one of my novels I always try and leave a message for the reader within the story. TWO FACES ONE LIFE is no exception. It is a short story based on the lives of two people who are disabled. Ted is blind after an accident and Sarah is badly disfigured after a house fire. They meet in a park and from this meeting discover that you don't need eyes to see someone, or looks to make someone notice you. It is a beautiful story that will have you reaching for your handkerchiefs.

Q: What software did you use to create your trailer? Why did you choose that application?

A: While there is software available, it is a bit expensive, so I chose Windows Movie Maker as it is free and already part of Windows.

Q: Can you take us through the steps on how you created the trailer? (Does the software have templates? Etc.)

A: The colours are down to your own preference for the back ground as there are a wide range of colours. The same to the fonts. You need to play with it and see what catches your eye and then think would it catch a readers? Because, don't forget, this is about keeping your readers attention, not just making a trailer that catches your attention. It doesn't have templates because you’re making them yourself. Think of the blank pages of a book and you are able to add any pictures or writing you like to each page.

I'll start from scratch, for those, who like me, are not really computer minded.

I'll keep making references to my book trailer as I talk you through the various stages to save confusing everyone.

Step one.
The trailer needs to incorporate the whole of your book in a few minutes. So your main characters need to be in it, the hook of the story and the premise. In my case it was Ted and Sarah. They met on a park bench, so I searched the internet for a couple sitting on a park bench. Now be very careful about your pictures. EVERYTHING is usually copywrited, so you CAN'T use it. So it is better to work with obscure silhouette pictures, rather than actual images, unless you are using pictures from your novel.

If you have Microsoft Windows, movie maker will be in your programs. [Note: I found Movie Maker under Accessories on my system.] Go to it and click on it. When the page comes up, to the right of your screen will be a black preview square, which shows you what you are doing. On the left hand side of the screen is a drop down menu which will say IMPORT, EDIT and PUBLISH TO. Click on pictures and it will go to your picture files. Click on the picture that you want and then click import. The picture will then appear beside the black preview box. Import all the pictures that you need for your trailer.

Step Two.
Drag your pictures down to the timeline bar at the bottom of your screen in the order that you want them to appear on the trailer. If you wish to alter the way the pictures will appear, go to EDIT. Click on effects. This will allow you to play with each picture . Do you want them to look dark in places, wobble or ripple, etc? Chose which one you like, you can change them any time if you change your mind half way through the trailer.

Step Three.
Go to TRANSITIONS. This makes your pictures fade out, shatter, etc when leading onto the next picture. Play with this and see which one you like. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Step Four.
When you want to add the music, click on MUSIC/AUDIO FILE, this will take you where you store your music on the trailer. Select your music and click import. This will bring your music file to the trailer program. Now drag the music to your timeline at the bottom of the screen. Play with this as you may need to stretch the music to be longer with certain picture etc.

Step Five.
Now go to TITLES AND CREDITS. Click on each one and it will tell you where to put your text and end credits. You can use the fonts/colours here too.

Step Six.
When you have done this and you are happy with the trailer preview, on the drop down menu, where it says PUBLISH you can either save it on your computer, DVD, or publish it on the internet, etc.

Q: You mentioned it was easier than you expected. What was the hardest part about creating it?

A: Finding pictures that are not copywrited and the same problem for the music.

Q: Can you tell us what elements of the story you wanted to capture, or what message you wanted to get across in your trailer?

A: I wanted the reader to actually see the characters rather than just visualising them and of course to draw them into the book by adding snippets from the story that pulled at the heartstrings.

Q: Are there any sites that have more information for those who are interested in learning how to create a trailer?

A: None better than Windows Movie Maker. Although I can’t say that I surfed all the sites out there.

Q: Any other advice for those who'd like to give this a try?

A: Don’t be afraid to play with the trailer. Try lots of different types of music.

Thank you again for sharing your insights, Margaret. TWO FACES ONE LIFE looks like a great story, and I love the book trailer you created for it.

I experimented based on Margaret’s instructions and was able to begin putting together a sample book trailer in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, most of the pictures I have saved are copywrited, so I can’t use my experiment as an official version. However, there are websites available where stock photos can be purchased for use in promotional materials, or some sites grant use of their pictures. Give it a try and have fun.

Book Trailers as a Marketing Tool

Check out my article on The Toasted Scimitar about book trailers....like movie trailers for books. I've included three examples from authors Linnea Sinclair and Michelle Moran. Be sure to add your comments.

http://www.toasted-scimitar.blogspot.com/