Now on a Web site near you: Trailers sell books

By Ted Geoghegan | Special to amNewYork

4:47 PM EDT, August 5, 2008

Image based on the book trailer for 'The Yiddish Policeman's Union' by Michael Chabon

The screen lights up, accompanied by a familiar, ominous-sounding voice-over. An explosion rocks the embassy. People flee in every direction, and the fiery action culminates to a breaking point. Cut to the title, and the phrase: "Coming Soon." But the next words are: "...To a Bookstore near You." Welcome to the era of book trailers, the latest craze in the literary world.

Since their first appearance in 2002, these trailers -- similar in every way to their movie counterparts -- have been used to sell all variety of upcoming novels. The term "Book Trailer" is currently trademarked by Sheila Clover English of Circle of Seven Productions, a Kentucky-based company that has been producing "book videos," as they are also called, for the past six years. Their target demographic is online, with hundreds of trailers on video-sharing sites such as YouTube. They state that their production partners are "trained to create video that inspires readers to buy books, yet entertains the public enough to create an atmosphere that says: 'Books are entertainment.'"

New authors are jumping on the trailer bandwagon as a cost-effective way to reach untapped readers, but successful, award-winning writers such as Clive Barker and Michael Chabon have also tried out the medium. The gruesome trailer for Barker's Mister B. Gone, which debuted last year, has since been viewed upward of 20,000 times. Fewer hits were reported for the trailer to Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, yet that novel was a far larger success, both critically and financially, than Barker's.

No formal studies have been undertaken to prove the effectiveness of book trailers, but clip-hosting websites such as watchthebook.com are doing brisk business, and more are appearing online every day. Carol Housel, a Community Administrator at Lulu.com, urges independent authors to make their own trailers for their books, but, she says, they should be careful in their creation. "Sound is important," she notes. "People can tolerate a bad picture more than they can stomach a loud, annoying hum. And remember, keep it short! You don't want to bore your fans to sleep. You want them to get out their credit cards and order your book!"

Some authors are still wary, but bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, referring to the new medium, notes, "I think I speak for all writers when I say that I am delighted by marketing efforts of any sort."

Although the trailers have yet to make a large-scale transition to the big screen, they have been appearing in Canada. If successful, it seems likely that alongside the commercials and previews for new movies and video games, theatrical teasers for the latest novels aren't too far off.

Chalk them up as one more thing you'll have to wait through before you get to see your movie.