Books aren’t like movies. They don’t have previews that can be watched on TV. Reviews and releases are a good way to market, but what about a trailer? They make movies look good, and they can do the same thing for books. They help build excitement for a book with a few well-picked photos, captions and music.
The first question is how does someone go about getting a book trailer? The first obvious answer is hiring someone else to do it. There are plenty of online website that have made a career out of creating such trailers, though it might be cost prohibitive for anyone on a tight budget.
Book Trailers Don't Have to be Expensive
There is a cheaper and even a free option. It might not be as professional quality as from those expensive companies, but if done well can be very entertaining and efficient. The best place to start is to do a little research. Typing "book trailers" in any search engine will result in a plethora of information.
To get started right now with a Windows PC computer, download the free Microsoft program called Photo Story 3. Once installed and opened, Begin a new story will default, so Next should be clicked. The next screen is where the images are imported. Make sure to use either personally owned pictures or find royalty free photos online. There are many sites online that either give them away for free or sell them cheaply Even having to pay will only average around $1 each.
After ten to fifteen photos have been selected, import them all to your Photo Story. Each photo can either remain how it looks when it is imported or it can be changed to fit the screen. If black bars are not desired, click on “Remove Black Borders” and then move the box around until picture looks the way it needs to be (see first screen shot). Special effects can also be applied to photos, such as black & white or charcoal to name only a few.
After the pictures have been imported, click Next. Captions for each picture can be added on the next screen. Click on the thumbnail for each picture before typing caption. Click on the font button to change the size, font and color of the text. The other six buttons will move the text around on the screen. Click them all until text fits best with the picture. Once finished with the captions for all photos, click Next.
Transitions are very important in book trailers, so this next step is vital. Make sure to highlight the first thumbnail in the slide show at the bottom and then click Customize Motion below the larger photo. 5 seconds is the default transition from one photo to the next, but that can be increased. Trailer should be between one to two minutes, so adjust the time accordingly. Select the Transition tab to see how it looks after each change.
There are several different transitions that can be chosen to find the right one. Once favorite has been selected, save and close screen. The first photo will transition from a black screen. Every subsequent photo will transition from previous photo (see second screenshot for example). Work through all photos, adjusting the transition for each. The option to narrate the story is also given but will not be discussed to keep this tutorial simple. Instructions are given in the program for those brave individuals that would like to try it.
What Would a Trailer be Without Mood Music?
When finished with transition, click Next. Music can be added to the trailer to help set the mood for the viewer. Music can be uploaded from a computer by using Select Music, but care must be taken to avoid copyright violation. Using the music provided with program is recommended. Click Create Music to begin. Peruse the many different genres and bands, adjusting the tempo or intensity to create original music. There is a play button to sample what the finished product will sound like. Once a match has been found, click OK. The music will adjust itself to the length of the book trailer, which can be previewed at any time during any step to see how it is coming along. When done with the music, click Next.
Upload Your Trailer to the Internet
Assuming the book trailer will be posted online, leave the save setting at default. Location where trailer will be saved can be changed or left at default. Click Next. Depending on the length of trailer, the save could take a few minutes. Once it’s finished, view the story to make sure it looks all right. It is then ready to upload to the Internet. Veoh.com is a good site to upload to, since they will distribute videos to other popular sites like YouTube. Be sure to save Photo Story project before exiting program, to make future edits easier.
Judith Lee - Judith has been a writer for over two decades. She is also a blogger and book/movie reviewer.
