Writing is an art. Authors are the creator’s par excellence. However, these days, they need to modernize their marketing strategies to attract a younger audience. For this, the concept of a book trailer was created.
In the era of modernity, audiovisual material tends to stand out more in the eyes of the public. Using tools such as book trailers will open the doors to a different audience for your work. Invite your potential readers through your creativity and your ability to tell stories in a different way.
Please find out more about what a book trailer is, its characteristics, and how to make a good book trailer step by step.
What is a book trailer?
The definition of a book trailer is obtained from the decomposition of the term. A book is a book in English; a trailer is a “set of sequences of a movie intended to promote it.” In this case, we are not talking about a film, but about a book.
Book trailers are short videos that serve to create public expectations and promote and anticipate a book. In other words, in a trailer, he seeks to intrigue people about the plot of the book so that they are encouraged to read the work. The most common use is to promote the pre-sale so that people have access to the purchase of the book before the launch or presentation.
Making a book trailer will be a great advertising tool to attract a different audience to read. We use audiovisual content to attract people who usually have an interest in series or movies.
We will use our originality and creativity to amaze potential readers. Book trailers work great for introducing a new saga, a new author, or creating expectations for the next issue of an odyssey.
Characteristics of a book trailer
1. Short videos. They are short-lived audiovisual creations. Normally, the time of the book trailers ranges between 1 and 3 minutes. Also, due to its short duration, it must have great intensity to create an impact and intrigue in the mind of the viewer. Also, take into account that short videos are more successful and viewed on social media.
2.Communicate the essence of a book in an entertaining way. It works like a small advance. Extract the main ideas from your story. But remember, there should be no story spoilers. If you tell them the whole book in the trailer, they will no longer feel the need to read it. It is not a summary of the plot of the book; it is to convey the soul of the story and attract new readers.
3.Provide information. The book trailer has to tell us all the information about the book and how to buy it. The publisher, author information, release date, and points of sale will be data that must be included yes or yes.
4.Motivates reading. This is the main goal of a book trailer! It seeks to engage the public and increase book sales, and, in turn, promote the habit of reading.
How to make a book trailer step by step
Make a script
Every project requires planning! Developing a script for the book trailer will be the first step in putting your ideas together. Think about how to translate the novel in a simple way. Start with an eraser. Create your concept and continue with a Brainstorming. Decide what you like and what you think might work for you, and separate it from what doesn’t excite you.
Use sequences of short sentences and describe the images that come to mind. Remember that the book trailer seeks to create intrigue about the plot. It should also be consistent with the genre of the book. You can include a segment of the play or a short introduction to the main characters!
Then, organize the content of the book trailer in a script in audiovisual language. Building a storyboard will be an extremely useful tool to start visualizing your ideas. Also, you can use illustrations from the same book.
Another factor that we must take into account is time. When laying out the book trailer, assign an approximate time to each element. Remember that they are short videos lasting between 60 and 180 seconds.
Book trailer production
Maybe you want to resort to animation? Or use actors? Maybe you want to use free bank images and videos? There are endless options! You must choose the one that best suits the concept of the book trailer, your skills, and your budget.
Today, we have tons of tools at our fingertips. There is a simple software for beginners and editing programs for audio and video professionals. It will depend on what you have at your fingertips to determine what you will use to make your trailer.
First of all, we need to decide which format we are going to use. In this way, we can select the necessary resources and put together a production plan for the trailer.
On the other hand, you can use the animation format. We call animations the process of giving movement to digital illustrations. The industry has evolved a lot in recent years, and there are many techniques for creating different types of animation. This will be a great and creative strategy to target a more youthful audience.
Venture into the world of animation! Learn 2D animation and 3D animation with the courses that Crehana has for you.
Finally, we can decide on a proposal for a cinematic book trailer. This will be one of the most expensive options, as we require recording equipment and staff. We must also hire actors. Usually, it is used by established authors with a platform and means to hire a production and post-production team.
Remember that the most important thing is to have a clear concept and ideas. The production will go into the background as long as you have defined what you want to present to the audience with the book trailer.
Book trailer editing
Once we have selected what we are going to watch, we will have to determine what we are going to listen to. The music for the book trailer will be an elementary part to convey what we want and, thus, attract the target audience.
Through the descriptions in the script, we must recognize the rhythm and tone of the project that will go according to the genre of the book. The sound must communicate emotions so that the people who see the book trailer understand the essence of the argument and manage to connect with it emotionally and, thus, call them to acquire the book.
Remember that the songs for the book trailer must be free of copyright. To get these sounds for free, you can use the Freesound platform. Also, you can download music from YouTube channels NoCopyrightSounds and Audio Library – Music for Content Creators.
Where can I make a book trailer
Now that we have the images and the audio, it is time to integrate everything. Give it the right tone, rhythm, and transitions. Make sure the book trailer maintains a harmonious aesthetic and connects with potential readers.
Would you like to know everything about video editing and post-production? Learn Adobe Premiere from scratch with the Byron Cortez Course. I use FlexClip a lot. It has some amazing templates which are very friendly for starters. Explore the most used software in the industry and edit your book trailer like a pro.
Lastly, don’t forget to include the information from the book. Usually, it works best at the end, in the form of credits. Emphasize the title and author. It also lists where to buy it, how to buy it, and when it will be available. Also, if it fits within the format and aesthetics of the book trailer, you can include the cover.
At Last
We hope you found this information interesting and useful. You already know how to make a book trailer step by step and all the tips to make the best of all.
