I've been asked about the process of creating a book
trailer. It's not as difficult as you may think, but it does take time. Time to
find the right pictures. Time to find the right music. And time to add all your
special effects. Here's a link to Mine. I really like it, but I've learned that it's too long. Ideally, they should be around 60 to 90 seconds. The following information will
guide you through your trailer making experience. You do not have to do this in
the order I have listed. Decide what works best for you.
There are several places online that offer free music.
One of my favorites is Incompetech.
On this site you can narrow down your choices to genre and feel. This really
helps. There are other sites that are good too, like Partners in Rhyme
and Open Music Archive This list is by no means all-inclusive. Do a Google
search and see what I mean!
Next, step is to select your pictures. Again, there are
several places to find pictures, my only warning is: Don't steal! Make sure the
pictures you chose are free for the taking. How would you feel if someone stole
the novel you worked so hard on? Check the policies
of each site. Here are a few I have used. Dreamstime , Fotolia Photobucket and my favorite: Grabbaggraphics
And
don't forget to include the cover of your novel for maximum exposure.
You will also need a software to make your trailer. If
you have windows, software should be included on your computer called Windows Movie
Maker. Do a search on your computer to find out. I
don't know much about Mac except for the fact that I would love to have one! I would
do a search on your Mac to find out.
Once you have the pictures uploaded and have selected and
uploaded your music, the real fun begins. Choose different animations to change from picture
to picture. You want to be creative. Keeping the viewer's attention is the goal here. But be
careful. If you go too crazy it will distract from your message, which is READ
MY BOOK!
Once you are happy with the results, upload it to
Youtube, and your author page on Amazon. Don’t forget about Google video and
Yahoo video. Good luck. Drop us an email when you have completed your master
piece. I'd love to see it!
I just went and watched your trailer. I really enjoyed it. I love the advice you gave in this post. My co-author and I want to make a trailer- and the information you provided will be a big help. I can imagine it is hard to keep it to 60-90 minutes, but I guess that goes with people's attention spans. :) Thanks so much for sharing. Every time I see the cover of your book I am intrigued!
ReplyDelete~Jess