Book Trailers: Advice from a Pro

The genesis of my book trailer started simply enough. My aunt, Sharyn Murray, is a talented filmmaker, and I asked her if she had ever heard of book trailers. She sounded interested, but had a lot going on in her life at the time, so I let it drop. But then she got back to me, asking for more details, and soon we were off.

To create the trailer, I asked my publisher (Bloomsbury) for high resolution copies of Jim Kay’s awesome illustration for the book. I created a script that matched up the pictures with text. I wanted the text to invite the reader in, but not give away too much of the story. I passed this on to my Sharyn. From there, it was almost like an HGTV home makeover show. I had done my part, now I waited for a reveal. And what a reveal it was! Sharyn surprised me with voiceover, sound effects, and cool animations.

When I asked Sharyn if she would answer some questions about her work and the process of creating a book trailer, she obliged with a video, of course.

Be sure to watch the whole video, but here are some highlights:

• If you want to get into filmmaking, find a place to volunteer.
• Digital storytellers work in layers, just like visual artists.
• “There are two ways to show emotion: they eyes or the voice.” Sharyn included the voice over in the trailer in order to add emotional depth.

As she mentions in the video, Sharyn is a graphic designer as well as a video storyteller (she also performs puppetry!), so if you are looking for a book trailer or some new graphics for your promotional materials, be sure to visit her website. She's smart, easy to work with, and a lot of fun.