Last year, Mashable released an article claiming book trailers are now essential to the publishing industry. Although, in the past few years, I’ve only seen a handful of book trailers and 95% of them have been 30 second James Patterson television ads that do little more than show his name in large capital letters and the cover of the book (example). But when you’re James Patterson, and you basically invented the television book ad, it totally doesn’t matter what you do, your books are going to sell. But, I kind of love this idea.
I bought What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies about five minutes after watching this book trailer. I could perhaps have been swayed solely by the photographs of perfectly delicious-looking food, but I like to think the trailer gave me an idea of what to expect. Not simply a cookbook, but a lifestyle. Not just recipes and pictures of well-styled food, but a non-celebrity chef who made the dishes without extravagant kitchen supplies, and created the atmosphere in which they might be enjoyed and presented. Ultimately, I was swayed by the trailer.
I’ve always felt like we’re a very visual society–we connect with story, but sometimes need motivation to get there. Knowing a book is about something doesn’t necessarily compel us to purchase, borrow or even turn the page, right? So, maybe a short film will…
Take a look at Katie’s book trailer below, then take the jump for a few more I think work well to sell the books!
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