Book Trailers

Book trailers are becoming increasingly popular. In short, they're a digital advertisement like a movie trailer but for books.

They're just one more medium used to market books and to complement the other online marketing platforms (e.g. blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). I've seen a number of trailers posted on the Internet but what I'm noticing more and more is the implementation of trailers onto online book purchasing Websites like Amazon. For example, when I was ordering Stieg Larson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, under "Check Out Related Media" was the novel's book trailer. For this particular novel, it will be interesting to compare the book trailer to the movie trailer and which aspects they chose to hone in on. (The second movie adaptation of the book is in the works so this is a future blog post.)

Today I wanted to share a few new favorite book trailers of mine.

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I loved the juxtaposition of fast paced videography against slow motion and the rewind/fast forward effect of this trailer and which is, of course, also very reflective of the novel's premise.



2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I found this trailer intriguing when I first watched it but have come to appreciate it even more since reading the novel. Music and poetry written on scraps, trees, benches, virtually anything are important forms of expression for a confused girl who is both mourning her sister and feeling the exhilaration of being in love--and the guilt because of it.



3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I thought this trailer really portayed the suspense in this dystopia novel.



4. Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala. I have to confess upfront that I have not yet read this book although now, after having just watched this trailer, I want to. This was a late addition but a friend said I had to check it out as the animation coupled with original music and voice-over was truly unique--and they were right!



5. The Switch by Jeffrey Eugenides. This is today's wild card entry as I'm well aware this isn't a book trailer; however, it was adapted from a short story so I'm adding it here. There are also several other reasons why I couldn't resist including it. a) The short story the movie is based on is hilariously entitled "The Baster;" b) it opens in theaters today so it's inclusion seemed fitting; c) it has the adorable Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman; and d) there's a cute little kid (or a mini-me Jason Bateman)!



Interestingly, for the book trailers I didn't go in search of all YA novels to feature in today's post but I found more trailers for books targeting teens and these several really stood out. Perhaps publishers are investing more in their development as teens have a greater online presence. What's interesting in terms of trends, however, is that fan-made trailers are hitting the Web too (many of which can be found on YouTube along with the originals), furthering the reach of this medium and the contagious excitement about upcoming books!

Do any of you have favorite trailers that peaked your interest or accurately captured the essence of a storyline? Books or movies are welcome. I'd also love to hear from anyone who's seen a book trailer and then a movie trailer of the book adaptation although I suspect since book trailers are such a new trend that there may not be many to choose from.