My next novel FINDING VERITY is currently in the hands of Beta readers so, while they’re reading the book, taking notes on how I can make it better, I’ve been working on a BOOK TRAILER.
A book trailer is similar to a MOVIE TRAILER. It’s a few minutes long and its purpose is to entice people to want to read your book.
Last year I made a trailer for my novel WINDFALL so I’m not a total newbie. Based on the comments I heard last year, this year I added narration. In my opinion, adding narration makes the book trailer more professional but, it is not necessary. A trailer without narration uses the concept of a slide show with words flashing against images.
I thought how I approach making a book trailer. I do not film anything thought that is certainly an option. Instead I purchase all the images on-line. If you have never made a book trailer before, the following guidelines might help you. Keep in mind that there are no steadfast rules.
- Write the script for your trailer. Try to make the script about three minutes long.
- Find the pictures you wish to use. There are numerous places on the internet to find images. I bought all of my video and stills from FOTOLIA.com. Just google “royalty free images” and start to explore.
- Select music to go with your video. I use “free music” that I download from INCOMPETCH.com. Kevin Mcleod offers a wide variety of music that is ideal for trailers. So, before you spend money, you might want to check out his offerings.
- WINDOWS LIVE MOVIE MAKER is free and all you need to make a book trailer. There is a learning curve but the program is user friendly.
- Put the book trailer’s pictures in the right order.
- Open Windows Live Movie Maker and START A NEW PROJECT.
- Once the file is open, the first thing you will do is add pictures. Remember, your trailer is a chance to show your story VISUALLY. Add the pictures in the order they will appear in your trailer. (You can change the order later if you desire.) You can choose animation for the pictures for transitions and fade outs. At this point you will only guess how how long each picture is displayed.
- Record your narration. I recorded my narration in snippets, one paragraph at a time. This way you can move the narration around in your Movie Maker file.
- The next step is to add your narration. Time your narration with the appropriate pictures. (Or time your pictures to the narration.) Use the ADD MUSIC feature to add your narration.
- When the pictures and narration are timed perfectly, save your file as a MOVIE. Don’t forget to add the credits at the end, giving credit to those who contributed to your trailer (music, pictures, etc.)
- Open a new project and import your MOVIE (the pictures and narration that you just saved). At this point you will add the music to your book trailer. You can adjust the fade in and fade out of the music as well as the length. Once everything is done, save the movie again.
If the trailer is ready for an audience, upload it to your website, YouTube, etc.
