Why Do a Book Trailer?

MOOD STATUS: "stressed". I need to cut back on some things I've gotten myself into...

Happy Monday, all!

First some good news: I recently got an e-mail from my editor at Avalon Books and the production of Georgie on His Mind has finally begun. Hooray!!

So you know what that means, right? No? Oh.
It means that I've now begun compiling notes and pictures so I can create a book trailer for it. :)

Now you may be asking yourself, "Why, Jenn? Is that really necessary? Why do a book trailer?"

Well, you may or may not know I'm huge American Idol fan, so I'm going to answer with an example from a recent show.

Picture this: a few weeks ago, it was Beatles's week on American Idol. Awesome singer Lee Dewyze is singing his heart out to "Hey, Jude" and doing a fantastic job.Then... out of nowhere a bagpiper starts playing and descending the stairs behind him. (It's not very often you hear the bagpipes in a contemporary song)
I admit, I was as shocked as the judges. But it was still very cool.

Anyhew, after the performance, Ryan Seacrest went up to Lee and asked the question we were all kind of wondering, "Why the bagpipes?"
Lee's response: "Why not?"


Yes, WHY NOT? I LOVE that answer! Especially if you have an opportunity to set yourself apart.


Okay, so maybe this isn't quite the answer that will sway you all into doing a book trailer.
After all, deciding to do one for your book has more to do with marketing than "just because" or "why not?", and you also might be wondering if having a book trailer really will make that much of a difference in your book sales.

The answer? Probably not. I mean, nothing trumps writing a great book with great word of mouth, right?

But here's some reasons why you should consider a book trailer anyway:


1) It's an easy (and often cheap if you do it yourself) form of advertisement for your book. There are probably more places to upload or use your video than just your book cover online. And what's best, you don't need to say anything to sell your book. Your video will speak for itself.

2) It's a great opportunity for author branding. Maybe having a trailer on YouTube won't mean mega book sales, but if you're doing a good job promoting your video, you will get many views. And if your name becomes recognizable it could mean sales for future books.

3) It's an opportunity to reach a market you might not reach by traditional methods. I have an e-book author friend, who not long after putting her video up on YouTube, was contacted by a person in Europe who saw her video and ended up ordering her book.

4) It's fun. Whether you create one yourself or have one made for you, there's nothing more fun than seeing your book put into a different vehicle. (Maybe not as a fun as seeing your book made into a movie, but it's pretty close) Okay, maybe not. But still fun. :)

5) It adds pizazz to existing book promotion. I've hosted a lot of blog book tours on my blog and a good majority of the authors had book videos to add along with their first chapter sneak peak. Much more interesting (in my opinion) than just using a book cover. (Like adding whipped cream to a hot fudge sundae)

I've probably missed more. But all in all, I think those are reasons enough to sway you into considering a book trailer for your book.

I mean, why not? :)

What do you think? Have you or would you do a book trailer?
Why or why not?