I’ve been looking at the number of authors whose work is now being promoted by using video trailers. A few (very few) appear in ad’ breaks on TV but most are online. Some are very polished with high production values – and probably cost a considerable amount of money. Some are, I can’t say it any other way - cheesy! They might look professional but I’ve found myself even less inclined to read the books than before seeing the trailer! So, the question is: are video trailers really worthwhile?
I’ll admit to throwing together a very short video. It contains no sound or moving images – it’s basically just a slide show. No big deal, and I certainly expected nothing from it when I uploaded it to YouTube. I wasn’t disappointed. So, I started thinking: should I have included snippets from the books? Maybe animating them. The important thing to remember is that I can’t afford to pay for a professional ad’. Another complication is that I don’t like being on camera and I dislike hearing my recorded voice, so making a personal presentation i definitely out. Working on a shoestring, and unable to invest in getting permission to use music tracks, is it even worthwhile thinking about promotional videos?
As things stand, and circumstances are very unlikely to change, I can’t help feeling that there is the risk of making a bad mistake by pursuing the video idea. I feel that it wouldn’t reflect well on either myself or my work. And, at the end of the day, I’m an author, not a video producer!
I can only conclude that promotional videos are fine if you can afford them, but the majority of us really needn’t worry about jumping in and regretting it. Naturally, I’d be happy top hear from anybody who has more experience in this area…
~ Steve
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