Book Trailers - Good or a waste of time?

[Melissa]

I just read that out of 700 people 28% were inclined to buy a a book after viewing a book trailer about it. I wonder if others like or dislike the concept?

[Sam]

Waste of time!

[Camille]

Hi Melissa,

I enjoyed creating a trailer for my book (3 book series) and plan on doing it again. Since the book was about teens and music (in the 60s) it helped to add to information on the time period plus it was fun to do. I can't really say whether it resulted in any additional sales, but it was another marketing tool.

[Camille]

Hi Melissa,

I enjoyed creating a trailer for my book (a 3 book series) about teens and music in the 1960s. It was another marketing tool. I can't say whether it resulted in any additional sales, but it was fun to do and I'll probably do it again.

[Cassandra]

I just completed my first book trailer and do think it's helped peak interest in my novel. It expands your views by adding you to another popular social media outlet--YouTube. I enjoyed making the trailer and have had many nice comments on it. I plan on making more in the future. I do think it's important to make it short and sweet, not one that is long and drawn out. You can check mine out on my author profile.

[Julie]

I have two trailers for my new YA book. One is up on my blog right now, a spoof where my heroine is a puppet that talks(a friend made it for me and it's hilarious) I think trailers are fun, why not do all you can to promote a book and just have fun with it? Just me.

[Danielle]

Sometimes I will check it out if I am on the fence about the book. A book trailer can often give more information than just a straight summary. However if I'm reading, lets say, a paranormal romance, and the book trailer features an actor who isn't attractive (to me) and I go to read the book, I now have this actor's face in my head and I'm supposed to think he's dreamy and I don't--we've got a problem. It takes away from what you might have imagined if you hadn't watched the trailer.

But I can say this. The book trailer for "Under the Never Sky" prompted me to buy the book. And seeing the movie trailers for Time Traveler's wife and My Sister's Keeper also prompted me to buy the books. SO there is something to be said about getting a quick visual teaser.

[Melissa]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I had looked up book trailers before but usually only after I had finished reading the book. I hadn't thought to do it before ...

[Melissa]

Danielle wrote: "Sometimes I will check it out if I am on the fence about the book. A book trailer can often give more information than just a straight summary. However if I'm reading, lets say, a paranormal roma..."

I agree about getting a visual in your mind before you read the book, it can really take away from the imaginative expereince!

[Kirstin]

Other than providing more information about the book, book trailers for me add more excitement about a book that I am already excited for or can help decide whether a new book will be interesting or not.

[Terab]

I love this concept, although I usually watch the book trailer after I've watched a really good book that I've read because I like to see if the characters described are similar to those on the trailer. I pick books based on the sample and also reader's comments.

[Danielle]

I check out booktrailers after the fact sometimes too. But I can say for some books it has played a part in whether I have bought a book or not. If the trailer was lame and didn't convey to me a reason to buy it--then I didn't. If the trailer was good and it seemed like something I would like--I did.

You have to have some idea of what a book is about before you pick it up and sometimes summaries are just so vague.

[Valencia, Boss Lady]

I don't dislike it, but I'm not one to go searching for them so I would say that they don't have much affect on my purchases. I've watched them for books I've already decided to buy, so yea they don't have much effect on me.