For those of you who do not want to watch trailers, even hate the things, today's post is not for you.
Several people have asked me about my process and what I think the results have been. The big and most important question is this: Did my sales increase because of a trailer?
Several people have asked me about my process and what I think the results have been. The big and most important question is this: Did my sales increase because of a trailer?
First, here's the trailer:
The pieces:
- Music was chosen from Free Music Archive. This site allows you to search for music by category and keywords: a fast and easy way to find the right music for the mood you're trying to reflect.
- Photos were selected from both iStockphoto and Shutterstock. I used the least expensive versions available for all of the images.
The glue:
- I have a Mac and through trial and error (a lot of both) I figured out iMovie. Of course I'll probably forget everything by the time I make another trailer. (Hint: I will be making another trailer.)
- For PC users, Windows Movie Maker has produced some stunning trailers.
The cost:
- If you have the time the equipment and the talent you can create your own trailer for free.
- A professionally produced trailer can cost $2,000 or more.
- I don't happen to own a way to create video and I didn't want only static photos. I also wanted it done as quickly as possible. I also didn't want to have to sell a gazillion books to pay for the trailer. Mine ended up costing less than $200 and it took me about two days.
I have made my trailer available in all of the obvious places:
- My blog, Suspense Novelist.
- My author page at Amazon.
- My author profile at Goodreads.
- YouTube.
- Facebook.
L.J. Sellers provided me with this link that has a list of other places to consider posting your video:
Now to answer the big and most important question: Did my sales increase because of a trailer? Given that there's not a box readers check to indicate why they've purchased your book, it's a little bit of a guess and comparison of numbers and timing kind of thing. But I believe my sales have increased because of the trailer. I'll make another one for Book #2.
What has been your experience with trailers? What worked for you and what will you do differently next time? Feel free to post a link to your video in your comments.
