Do you have a book trailer?
I didn't until about a month ago, just before the release of A Corpse for Yew. I talked with Carol Green at Serenity Promotions and she gave me a great deal on a trailer and some other promo items.
I've never had a book trailer before because I can't decide if they're worth much as far as selling a book and they were too expensive. I probably could've done one myself but frankly, I have enough on my plate already. It was a treat to hand it over to someone else!
Carol did a good job. It was kind of stop motion with good pictures and some promo words about the book. I especially like the red, red flowers when the words say Peggy found someone dead with curously red lips.
Did it help book sales? Hard to say. The book started out #13 on the B & N bestseller list but Perfect Poison (last May's book) was about the same. Sales are good on Corpse but is that because of the trailer or because of everything else we put into it? I asked around to see what other writers and readers thought.
Here is what I found out:
LaVonne Stein said: "I've only seen one by Dana Stabenow and one by Brad Melzer. They were great! I think they aren't done much, but with all of the access to YouTube and other social media sites, it seems like a good way to spread the word."
Author John Desjarlais said, "It's much too early to tell whether or not book trailers help to sell more books, especially since, in my case, the book isn't out yet. However, I've noticed some of my Facebook contacts are passing the trailer (or a link to it) along to their friends. It's just another way to get the book's title out there, create a buzz and stand out from the clutter." PS: Here's the trailer link for BLEEDER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPt5y1p5yJc
CC's own Judy Nichols said: "I've heard authors talking about their book trailers at great length, but I've never heard a single reader say a word about having seen a book trailer, let alone buying a book because of one."
So if you're a reader or an author and have some ideas on this, please speak up. Maybe I can get some concrete answers to the question before I buy a trailer for GHASTLY GLASS this fall!
Thanks! Joyce Lavene
PS - Here is my trailer. Does it make you want to buy my book?
2 comments:
I personally have never seen a trailer that would make me go out and buy a book just like that. I have seen some that intrigue me and make me want to know more. I've also seen a lot of obviously amateurish ones that left me cold. I see you mentioned you could have made one yourself. Yes, you could have since most PCs and Macs these days come with software to do that, but having the software doesn't mean you can produce something that looks professional. I think I'm a pretty good writer but I know nothing about graphics or video production. I'd also like to know the kinds of prices you are refering to as being too much. Just curious.
I like it. Would it make me buy the book? Don't know. As you know I'm a Peggy Lee fan, so just knowing a new book is out makes me buy it. Of course, this doesn't help your survey.
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