Book marketing in the 80’s and 90’s was, for the big publishers, a somewhat standard ordeal. It started with sending out galleys and ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) to book reviewers and magazine editors. Then traditional advertising spots were bought in the book sections of magazines/newspapers. Upon release, the author was sent around to talk shows and bookstores to talk about the book, all while displays were bought at major bookstores. While some publishers ventured out beyond that, those were the methods that worked - and why should someone do otherwise?
Well, along came the internet to shake up the advertising world. Between facebook, twitter, goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, and book blogs, as well as a slew of other online media, publishers have been playing around with how to best utilize these new tools. One of the most recent trends is my topic for today: the Book Trailer.
A book trailer is almost exactly like a movie trailer - in fact, after watching quite a few of these, I was asking myself, “When is this movie coming out?” Below are a few examples of book trailers:
These are three examples but there are hundreds of these book trailers, drastically ranging in quality and length. Some of them take a humorous approach and talk more about the author, whereas others focus on the book itself.
The effectiveness of these book trailers is questionable at best. It becomes nearly impossible to draw a direct correlation of the increased (or decreased) sales of a book based off a book trailer. While a trailer that has 1,000,000 views may be considered a success when it comes to viewership, many forms of media just do not convert as well as others. That being said, trailers do open books up to a wider audience. With some claiming that the average internet user has an attention span of about nine seconds, book trailers with moving images and sounds better capture the interest of most web browsers. These trailers can reach many non-readers or occasional readers and bring better awareness.
Personally, I would prefer a sample chapter to get me interested in a book. Animation for me stimulates a different section of my brain and desires. I want to see the movie for Stephen King’s new novel (I’m sure they’ll make one) because of this trailer, not read the book. To me, the beauty of a book is that I get to use my imagination, and not be given the exact likeness of a character.
What are your thoughts on these book trailers? Do they make you want to read the book more? Does it give you desire for a movie version?
-Nick
