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Write Book Trailer Scripts
by Darcy Pattison
Have you ever wondered if you could make a living writing film
scripts? But you don’t want to break into the hectic Hollywood
scene? Book trailers are tailor made for you. It’s likely
you’ve had a conversation in the last year about book trailers,
it’s a hot topic in the publishing world. Because it’s a hot
topic, it’s a perfect time to break into the business of
writing book trailer scripts and/or producing promotional
videos for books.
No doubt, the hardest thing about book trailers is the idea
behind the script, partly because each script must reflect
the unique content of the book it will advertise. It’s the
place where authors, publicists and publishers can use your
help.
I’ve recently spent time studying book trailers and realized
there are many unique ways to approach writing a trailer: a
personal story about the author, a story that demonstrates the
author’s values, a story with glitz & glam, a story about the
author as a unique personality, what led him/her to write this
story, a piece of advice, an inspirational anecdote, a vision
of a hopeful future, or a response to anticipated objections.
To fit in with the YouTube.com aesthetic of
a more informal
approach, you could brainstorm humorous ways to bring the
author, subject matter, or book to the attention of viewers.
Think in terms of short images, sound clips, or video clips
which could be re-mixed in various ways. Thirty-second or
less videos work really well for this aesthetic and remind
me of flash-fiction. Study YouTube’s most popular videos
for ideas. Here’s an idea: charge MORE for a one-minute script
than for a 1:30 script. Why? Because it will perform better
on YouTube.
Will there be enough work to fill your needs? It’s a new
market, so the script is unwritten. However, in May 2010,
Jay Yarow and Kamelia Angelova reported
(
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-the-lifecycle-of-a-youtube-video-2010-5
)
that the shelf life of a video is very short. Half the viewers
of a YouTube.com video come in the first
six days. 75% of the
viewers are within the first 20 days. Of course, there will
be a long tail, in which a video gets a few hits/day for a
long time. You can use this information with clients:
recommend that they use a series of 6-8 videos, distributed
1-3 weeks apart. This has a better chance of creating and
maintaining a high level of sustained interest – and keeping
you working. It’s a win-win idea.
Finally, learn the ins and outs of YouTube.com.
It’s where
most book trailers will get seen and helping your clients
get seen on YouTube will help get contracts. Start with these
tutorials:
YouTube: Getting Started: New Channel FAQ
(
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=152024 )
YouTube: Creating a Branded Channel
(
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=94526 )
This is such a young market that there aren't established
channels for finding work. But you can talk to video production
companies who already do book trailers. Be ready with a sample
script. Also, you can set up a website devoted to writing book
trailer scripts. Finally, you could work with specific writing
organizations and specialize in certain types of scripts. For
example, you may want to focus on scripts for romances or horror,
for sports or politics. Like any other effort, it's easier to
make a name for yourself in a niche market, then spread out from
there. It's a young market: that means it's ready for some
enterprising person to jump in and build a reputation and take
the field to a new level.
--
 Darcy
Pattison ( www.booktrailermanual.com
) is a writer and writing
teacher. See the book trailer for her teen fantasy novel, The Wayfinder
at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yfOP7QipVE . See information on her
writing retreats at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK4pf5yyy1c
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