Support for Indie Authors discussion

I've been tossing up with the idea of shooting a trailer for my novel Failhard (partly because I have no experience with that kind of thing and thought it could be fun), and over the last few days I've decided to take a proper crack at it. I was wondering, how many writers here have gone down that path in promoting their work, and how effective did they find it? How much effort are authors putting into the process, and does anyone have any advice?

I do simple trailers for my novels. I find them to work well as a marketing tool. I didn't spend a lot of money producing it.

I did it, and while I was a novice, I can say it added a few sales. Not many, but a few. I am not sure I'd do it again. Like you, I did it as a lark, and I honestly don't like trailers for books. Don't know why, but I feel like it cheapens the process. Still, I did it...

Hmm, thanks guys. Yeah, the idea of creating a trailer for a books as opposed to a film does feel a little alien to me. I'll not take the whole thing too seriously.

Doug, I'd do anything for a lark right now; Lark is quite a good brand of whiskey down this way!

I personally don't like book trailers. As a reader, I don't look at them. They're usually poorly done (amateurish), and that just cheapens the image of the book.

Now if I saw a book trailer that someone put $5,000 into making, I might change my mind. But that will never happen.

... just my 2 cents

I make my own trailers and I find. them fun to make. As to whether or not they make good marketing tools I'd have to say it's debatable. I've been saying for a while now they are a very underrated way to promote and I haven't found a way to really cash in on using them but I'd say there is definitely an audience for them.

Here is the example of the one I had made (for $21):

https://youtu.be/MIFgSBWd2m8

I read Seraphina because of a trailer I saw in a Goodreads add a few years ago. Dragon shape-shifters and a girl with secrets? The trailer showed me just enough to spark my curiosity.

Martin wrote: "Here is the example of the one I had made (for $21):

https://youtu.be/MIFgSBWd2m8"

This is great and peaks my interest but I was wondering about the music for trailers. Where does it come from? Is it recorded music from bands and if so how does it work out that their music is allowed to be used for advertising a book?

Legal ... of course.
Guaranteed not to get you sued? Don't bet on it.
The score, the performance, and the original work all have to be permitted.
Therefore, I am guessing classical (Carmina Burana?) run through a processor?

I have never been swayed to even check out a book I wasn't already interested in based on a trailer for it.

Anything CAN work if it convinces enough people to spend money on your product. But in general to me a trailer that one watches is the specific product of movies and to a lesser extent TV. To create one, even with talented people and a (rare) large budget feels out of place to me. Apples and oranges.

I've never bought or even been tempted to look up on amazon a book I've seen a trailer for. I know I'm not a typical book buyer, but that doesn't bode well for their effectiveness. I don't watch videos when I'm looking for books. I don't visit youtube and look up book trailers. I don't click on book trailers from author web sites or from twitter or facebook.

And the only trailers I've looked at (navigated to from GR) typically have extremely low view counts, like no more than a few dozen in the first month they're out there. I suspect after they've been out there a while the number of views per time frame goes down and down.

So, count me highly skeptical of their effectiveness.

I'd recommend doing them only if you find it fun/easy to do. But don't count on them making a real difference.

That truly depends. These days a lot of younger readers look for them. Many of them are quite nice (movie trailer quality). I have started looking for them if I see a book that interests me. I would not pay a lot to have one made, but it is easy to do one on your own and many available sites as well. Here is mine if you are interested.

The Rise of Nazil Book Trailer

It seems like there's a basic consensus that they're of limited effectiveness and more of a curiosity.

Martin, your trailer for "Still Falling" seems simple and to the point, and it's interesting to see a novel presented in that way. The route I'm thinking to take is a more cinematic one that I hope I can pull off with a video camera and some snappy editing (luckily the book isn't a sci fi or something needing to involve CGI). Honestly though, if I feel the end result comes across as too cheap looking I'll likely not put it out there at all.

I suppose I'm thinking of a trailer as a way to tap into an otherwise-separate consumer pool, sharing through youtube and such and maybe catching the interest of some views who weren't specifically seeking a book. That's probably a touch naive; I may have mentioned I'm new at this stuff!

Aaron-Michael wrote: "That truly depends. These days a lot of younger readers look for them. Many of them are quite nice (movie trailer quality). I have started looking for them if I see a book that interests me. I woul..."

I LOVE book trailers, especially good quality ones and I agree with Aaron-Michael that younger readers especially find them interesting (myself included). One of the first book trailers I actually remember watching (I'm sure I've watched them before but they were poor quality or just didn't grab my interest) was a fan made Fifty Shades of Grey. It was so good I initially thought it was the ACTUAL trailer for the film. See it here: https://youtu.be/swSA_GiB0g0

But the point is that perhaps it's a possibility to have a fan make one for you or to find someone on youtube who would be willing?

Or you can pay someone $5 on Fiverr.com for a book trailer. Some are actually QUITE good. I've used Fiverr 4 times now (for logos and banners, etc.) and each seller has been super responsive and very accommodating :)

Link here: https://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?ac...