Getting help for a book trailer?

Sorry, I can't contribute any skills. But, I'm interested in the answer too.

I think I've seen some quotes at $2,000, but I think that's with live actors.

I priced it, and it started at $300 for the minimum. Then the prices went sharply upwards. In the end I did my own - the software and stills were a lot less than the premade trailers and I can reuse them.

Circle of Seven prices: http://www.cosproductions.com/videoproducts#chart

If you look around and ask, people will often give you access to sound samples or photos in return for a credit which saves money. You can also see if you know anyone with video skills or if a local film student will do it at a lower rate.

Circle of Seven is probably the best out there when it comes to trailers. I've been very impressed with their work. However, the cost is quite outstanding, especially if you're working with a minuscule budget. I highly recommend taking a look at Animoto. Very high quality for a free service but, do note that you will have little creative control over what the end result is. Nevertheless, it's worth playing around with to see if you do like what the roulette wheel spins for you. This service will work best if you have the capability of doing your own soundtrack for the trailer. In the end, if you can use Animoto to create something cool, you can pay them a pretty nominal fee (7 bucks if I remember correctly) to get a hi-def version to post to YouTube, embed on your site, etc. By the way, you MUST get the hi-def version; otherwise, it will look terrible (pixel-laden and grungy looking).

Personally, I've tried making my own with Windows Movie Maker, etc. and I just don't have the skills to do it correctly. I'm too picky and not capable of meeting my own standards when it comes to the film-side of things. Luckily, as the other posters have indicated, if you don't want to go with something free/random like Animoto, you can probably find someone who is skilled in these arts to assist. Try an ad on CL or check the local college.

Here are a few other companies that I found online when I was doing research on this very topic:

TwoRock Media - $2000
The Aforementioned COS - $350-$2500
Nowicki Productions - $550 - $950
Author's Broadcast - $129-$499

Note that you really get what you pay for when it comes to trailers. It's such an important thing as far as your "image" online is concerned. I wouldn't want to skimp on this. Just like a great website can catch a reader's attention or turn them off, likewise with a trailer. Make sure it's exactly what you want before you post it online - don't rush it.

Hope that helps!

Here is a blog I wrote today on how to put together a simple book trailer. All the images I used are free as long as the artist is credited. Most have a fee as low as $5 if you do not wish to credit them. In my case this was an experiment in doing it for free. The music is provided free of charge from Youtube. They have an extensive range to choose from. I linked a couple of free editing programs too.

http://caroloates73.blogspot.com/2010/11/video-editing.html

Those are all pretty terrible (those Circle of Seven ones as well).

Aside from those sponsored by literacy programs, and one from a larger publisher (the one for The Book Thief), there's only one trailer I can remember that made me at all interested in reading the book.

It was for The Body series, a genre I'm not even normally interested in. It was produced amazingly well, with stellar graphics, image, sound, plus it had this great fact tidbit presented by an expert.

Outside of writers, I've yet to find anyone who's even aware of book trailers. If you're hankering to do one for your own entertainment, then by all means do so. I think there are far more effective ways to market your book.

(And this is coming from someone who does video for a living.) If the video isn't top notch, no one but your friends are going to sit through it. I've politely watched several that were awful, from small press friends, to anthologies that I'm part of. It's a different animal, even to write for - and why make the book look terrible? Honestly, it's what most of them do.

(AuthorHouse was soliciting video artists a few months ago - their offered budget went from $2500 to $250 if you answered the ad...I do wonder how much they're charging the writers.)

Having produced other types of shorts - a decent short will start at around seven thousand dollars and go up. More for GOOD animation. There are plenty of book trailers that are full of bad animation, and lousy artwork. That could be why they won't sell the book.

Now, if you want to sell yourself (not as dirty as it sounds), a one minute mini documentary about you might not be a bad idea. Show people what an interesting person you are, get them to like you, and they might show an interest in the book. If your area of expertise coincides with some aspect of the book, even better!

And it can be oblique - perhaps you worked at a four star resteraunt in college. In your book, the murder happens in a resteruant. Talk a little about how tempers and tension run high in the kitchen, and how that could lead to violence. Or something. You get the idea.

Or, if you're wealthy, hire a company that knows what they're doing to make the trailer. Otherwise, you're just throwing money away.

Alitriona said:

Here is a blog I wrote today on how to put together a simple book trailer. All the images I used are free as long as the artist is credited. Most have a fee as low as $5 if you do not wish to credit them. In my case this was an experiment in doing it for free. The music is provided free of charge from Youtube. They have an extensive range to choose from. I linked a couple of free editing programs too.

http://caroloates73.blogspot.com/2010/11/video-editing.html

Click to expand...

Carol,

Thanks for the info. Very helpful!

Peace,

Sean

One of the best places for free photos is SXC. Of the nearly half-million available photos, many don't even require crediting or notifying the photographer. Just follow the clear restrictions guideline before downloading. SXC makes money by partnering with iStockphoto. When you peform a search of SXC's free photos, you'll also be offered a selection of iStockphoto pictures available for a fee.

With free stock photos the main restriction is not to use the photo as the main selling point. For example, you can't use the photos as a calendar or t-shirt art for resale. But they specifically allow you to use them for book covers and in book trailers.

Great! I was looking at animoto yesterday. Looks like a decent option.

I realize book trailers aren't likely to sell many books on their own, but they do give the option of enhancing the promotional mix when trying to generate some buzz. Plan to tackle an attempt at animoto much later in the year (a bit premature for me for now).

nextrickman said:

Circle of Seven is probably the best out there when it comes to trailers. I've been very impressed with their work. However, the cost is quite outstanding, especially if you're working with a minuscule budget. I highly recommend taking a look at Animoto. Very high quality for a free service but, do note that you will have little creative control over what the end result is. Nevertheless, it's worth playing around with to see if you do like what the roulette wheel spins for you. This service will work best if you have the capability of doing your own soundtrack for the trailer. In the end, if you can use Animoto to create something cool, you can pay them a pretty nominal fee (7 bucks if I remember correctly) to get a hi-def version to post to YouTube, embed on your site, etc. By the way, you MUST get the hi-def version; otherwise, it will look terrible (pixel-laden and grungy looking).

Personally, I've tried making my own with Windows Movie Maker, etc. and I just don't have the skills to do it correctly. I'm too picky and not capable of meeting my own standards when it comes to the film-side of things. Luckily, as the other posters have indicated, if you don't want to go with something free/random like Animoto, you can probably find someone who is skilled in these arts to assist. Try an ad on CL or check the local college.

Here are a few other companies that I found online when I was doing research on this very topic:

TwoRock Media - $2000
The Aforementioned COS - $350-$2500
Nowicki Productions - $550 - $950
Author's Broadcast - $129-$499

Click to expand...

Very interesting thread!

I used to agree with 8thSamurai and would just roll my eyes at trailers, because I couldn't imagine saying, "Hey, I think I want to read something. Maybe I'll go hunt down some book trailers and see if there's something interesting."

But I've since changed my mind on the value. Not because I think readers hunt them down, but because *excellent* trailers have their uses.

1) Used in-house to communicate to the sales team and share excitement.

2) Used by sales team in outreach.

3) Used by authors on their book's websites for readers as interesting, interactive content. The more time a reader stays on site, the greater the chance she/he will buy the book. And the reader is already interested. You know this because he/she found your site in the first place.

4) Used in social media campaigns. Gives your family and friends something interesting to pass on to their friends and family.

5) Used by authors to generate excitement from existing fans for next book.

6) RARE: Goes viral. Trailer is so good it gets passed around the Internet by complete strangers. This, of course, is magic.

Here's a GREAT article about the creation of an amazing book trailer. It was part of an effort to launch a debut book directly onto the bestseller list. The publisher laid out a lot of promo money, but this video was funded by the author. That's how much the author believed in it.

http://dld.bz/MPmT

Diane Holmes said:

Here's a GREAT article about the creation of an amazing book trailer. It was part of an effort to launch a debut book directly onto the bestseller list. The publisher laid out a lot of promo money, but this video was funded by the author. That's how much the author believed in it.

http://dld.bz/MPmT

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Loved the trailer. Except for the male voiceover. His deep, dry voice made the book sound boring.

I made a teaser trailer of mine while it was a WIP-just to try doing it, and now I'm working on my actual trailer now and having some fun with it.

Although they don't seem to be popular among this community, I found out about them in another writer's forum, and I figure that any possible opportunity to market your work is a good idea. And the significant impact that something as shareable (i.e. social media friendly) as a video can have isn't something to be ignored.

Focus

I have some friends who did that too. It's pretty motivational and made them feel their books were "real." Hey, why not?

FocusOnEnergy said:

I made a teaser trailer of mine while it was a WIP-just to try doing it, and now I'm working on my actual trailer now and having some fun with it.

Focus

Click to expand...

Diane Holmes said:

I have some friends who did that too. It's pretty motivational and made them feel their books were "real." Hey, why not?

Click to expand...

Exactly. Why not?

Mine was also helpful, because my original concept for my memoir was "transformational spiritual journey by a large corporation and a community after a tragedy", but that didn't fly very well in the community, based on their responses to the teaser trailer.

I reconcepted it and rewrote so it is now a "gossipy tell-all about a large corporation and a community after a tragedy".

Apparently, that's what people wanted.

Focus

8thSamurai said:

Those are all pretty terrible (those Circle of Seven ones as well).

Outside of writers, I've yet to find anyone who's even aware of book trailers. If you're hankering to do one for your own entertainment, then by all means do so. I think there are far more effective ways to market your book.

(And this is coming from someone who does video for a living.) If the video isn't top notch, no one but your friends are going to sit through it.

Click to expand...

lol. My first trailer Try and Catch the Wind was pretty raw, but it's had more than 6,000 views, and believe me, I don't have 6,000 friends.