Comes another one whether you asked for it or not. Back in February I waxed on about book trailers and my thoughts on them. My initial post contained a section of which trailers I watched that either worked for me or didn’t. Ultimately I cut it realizing it made more sense as a standalone post. Thus you are now being subjected to the sequel however, unlike most sequels this won’t be a retread of the first post.
Book Trailers I Liked
I’m grouping together the three trailers for a YA series by Katie Alender as each of the trailers for Bad Girls Don’t Die, From Bad to Cursed, and As Dead As It Gets had numerous great qualities.
Each trailer was well-produced and well-acted and each gives the potential reader a glimpse into the kind of people the main characters are. All three clearly define for the reader what the setting is. The music used was appropriate for each character and worked in conjunction to establish a tone that feels appropriate for each of the books. All of these components worked to pique my curiosity as well as raise plenty of questions I normally have as a reader when inspecting a book to see if I want to pick it up or not. The fact each trailer elicited the same response I get reading the back of a book cover tells me these were great book trailers. More so because these are in a genre I almost never read yet I feel very inclined to pick up the first book.
Blood’s a Rover by James Ellroy
Like most of the book trailers I watched, this one is constructed like a movie trailer. This is both a good and bad thing in my opinion, but that’s not the point of this post. What I enjoyed about this trailer is besides the fact it is walking that fine line between historical fiction and contemporary, it gives the potential reader a great idea of the setting as well as a glimpse into the characters. Like the trailers for Ms. Alender’s books, this one uses both visual and auditory elements to capture the tone and setting of the book. And while the production values are a little bit on the cheesy side, it still gets me interested in the book enough to want to pick it up.
Book Trailers That Were Meh
These were ones I found not to be necessarily bad or good or pretentious, but were just sorta…there.
The Selection series by Kiera Cass including trailers for The Selection, The One, The Heir, and The Crown. Oddly enough the second book, The Elite, doesn’t have one other than a fan made video done with Barbie dolls.
What left me feeling indifferent about these is how repetitive they all were. The music is similar in each as are most of the shots. It’s all glitz and glam with only The Heir differing from the others. If it wasn’t for the character voiceover as a potential reader I would have no idea what these books are about. Strip that away and all you have are a group of young adults in deluxe prom gowns/wedding dresses looking at stuff. Whereas the trailers I enjoyed left me with the kind of questions which would prompt me to pick up the book, these left me with the kind of questions which make me NOT want to pick up the book.
Sherrilyn Kenyon‘s YouTube channel which features several book trailers.
Like the trailers for Ms. Cass’ books these were all pretty much the same. None of them what the books are about or give me much about what kind of people the characters are beyond type of creature. Who are these people really? At least it is clearly made clear what genre the books are as the trailers all invoke a dark fantasy/supernatural/paranormal vibe. The cheesy special effects and actors giving their best fierce look into the camera aren’t as effective to me. Also the music comes close to overshadowing the visuals.
The Miriam Black series by Chuck Wendig
At first the raspy voiceover and words from the actual book was something different from what I’d seen so far. However, the device quickly bored me. If I wanted to read the first chapter from a book to see if I like it, I can. The voice also grated on me and if I were to pick up the book (the concept does sound like something I’d read), I can’t help but think that guy’s voice will be permanently tattooed in the auditory part of my brain. What also didn’t work for me was the inventive ways in which the text was placed onto the screen. Call me weird but I kinda needed punctuation once in a while.
Pretentious Book Trailers
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus
Let me say I appreciate it was unique something you’ll notice each of the book trailers in this section share. Now for what bugged me. At first I thought this was a graphic novel since it’s animated. It wasn’t until I did some research I discovered no, this is indeed a novel. This makes the trailer even more confusing. The fact it’s not clear whether The Flame Alphabet is a graphic novel or a standard novel could change a potential reader’s mind. Another flaw is it is not until the end of the trailer do we find out what the book is about. And it’s just plain freaky and not in the kind of way which I might be drawn to.
Theory of Remainders by Scott Dominic Carpenter
My initial reaction was “What the hell is this book about?” After watching it a couple more times, I still don’t know. If the point of a book trailer is to tease the audience into at least considering your book, then I sorta need to know what the book is about. Crazy, I know. Yet all we are given is some agonized middle age guy in a tiny room while operatic music plays. Maybe he looks pained because of the music. Who knows and who cares. Just screams pretentious.
This is gorgeously shot and I am a little interested in this book because it looks like it’s historical fiction. Why I feel this fits the pretentious category is the numerous close-ups of the actors’. The music selected is annoying and doesn’t fit the time period. I feel like whoever created the trailer was trying to convey just how serious the book is. Instead I get the impression the book maybe overwrought. At least I have a clearer idea what The Women is about.
Straight Up Bad Book Trailers
I feel odd putting this on my list because the author herself posted how bad this was. In her defense she admitted making it herself and had numerous technical issues while creating it. I admire her for doing it herself and as bad and weird as it is, it’s still better than what I could ever hope to put together.
What makes it bad are the weird effects on still pictures and close-ups of crazy looking eyes. It also doesn’t really tell me what the book is about. Is it some kind of trippy historical fiction romp because of all the old timey photos? Is about time travel? But while I have these questions, I was turned off by the trailer and don’t want to look up the book.
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
This one surprised me by how bad and amateurish this trailer is considering it’s for the third book in a popular YA series. While the trailer came out in 2009, its production values scream 1990s. The production values are so bad it makes me think I could make a better one. All it consists of are still photos while overly dramatic music plays. It doesn’t tell me what the book is about. Doesn’t matter it’s the third in a series, at least give a hint so a reader might want to pick up the other books. It feels as if it was produced more to elicit hype more than anything which is why it includes more than one recommendation from Stephanie Meyer.
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Oh, boy. Someone spent money, but apparently not on the actors. Not only does this feature questionable acting from everyone and the vibe of an afterschool special from back in the day, it honestly left me despising the book. If what is in the trailer is the actual plot of the book I can’t. Simply cannot. While we get glimpses into the characters, everyone comes across as stereotypes with nothing to tell me there may be something different.
Like the quality of books, the quality of book trailers is all over the place. Production values and good acting alone aren’t enough to ensure one has a solid book trailer. What it all comes down to for me as a reader is “Do I want to at least consider picking up this book?” If you leave things too vague or too confusing, you’ve lost a reader. If you care more about hyping the book then actually informing the reader of what’s in store for them, you’ve lost a reader. If everything looks and sounds the same, you’ve lost a reader. Keep it simple. Give us enough to hook us but wanting more.
DH Hanni 