Book trailers: who makes them, $$$, and are they worth it

[kans_007]

I notice that this thread was originally posted on 2009, so not sure if my answer is still relevant. Here is my attempt at a book trailer. For those who are curious, the images used in the trailer are from wonderful people who have shared their work on deviantart.com (I asked for their permissions ofcourse, and also offered free copies of the book in exchange for the pictures to those who were interested). I purchased the rights for the background music at shockwave-sound.com . The software app used for making the trailer was windows movie maker 11.

Here is the trailer: (better viewed full screen)

[Rachel Ventura]

PS: Last thought and then I'll shut up. I love, love, LOVE, movie trailers. Why? Because I know I'm getting a glimpse of what I'm going to WATCH. But book trailers? My attention is lost because I know the images are someone else's and I'm never going to see them again, so I don't care. I'm not buying a picture-book. Does that make sense?

Plus, at least a movie trailer is more polished and watchable because it's got $$$$ x infinity worth of equipment and a professional production team behind it. Seems the book-trailer factions probably want their books to be movies (who doesn't?), so they try their hand at making "trailers" themselves, thinking maybe Hollywood will notice. Right, sure. Oh well, back to the drawing board Animated .GIF Factory.

Some author I had never heard of named Gary S. (I can't spell or pronounce his name, so I'm not even going to try -- it's not Gary Sinise, though, and sure not Gary Snail-Squarepants) made a really slick "viral" one, with all these celebrities in it -- James Franco being one of them. But apparently he's already been a bestseller, and Franco is, well, getting his MFA at an Ivy League school (*yawn*...*zzzz*), so this guy Gary is probably very well-connected and wealthy, and Franco probably reads his "literary" stuff. So Gary can afford a Hollywood production team AND manage to have James Franco in a cameo. Everyone else just starting out has to settle for iMovie and clip art.

Oh. My. GOD. I am Salinger's long-lost daughter!