Every time one of my novels come out, I create a book trailer that releases about a week or so before the book comes out. The book trailer helps create a ton of hype for the novels and also tells people where to go to buy the book. I have a YouTube video that I’ve made in the past that goes into detail about how I create my book trailers, but today I want to talk about how anyone can create a book trailer. No experience in video editing or filming necessary.

How I Made my Book Trailers

The book trailers for Essence and I am Mercy were edited with Sony Vegas Pro 10, which is a professional software that is used to edit video. I also filmed the trailers myself. So while the trailers came out amazing, this isn’t an option for everyone if you don’t have the equipment or budget to hire someone else to do a trailer for you.

How to Make a Book Trailer Without Filming

The easiest and cheapest way to make a book trailer without filming anything is to do a video slideshow. This way you’re using text, photos/graphics and a voiceover to create a mood for your novel. And if you have the right tools, it can be really easy to put together, but it will look like a professional made your book trailer. Some tools I recommend is Animoto and Kizoa.

Photos and Graphics

You can do your slideshow based purely on text, but it’s best to throw some graphics or photos in there. If you’re good at drawing, try your hand at drawing some of your characters or hire an illustrator if it’s in your budget. If you have some photos that give the same mood of your book, use those! In the end, you want to make sure that whatever you use in your video, that you own the rights to them. This means no grabbing photos or graphics off the internet!

Voiceover and Music

Book trailers almost always have a voiceover and it’s usually the “main character speaking.” This really helps throw your audience into the book, which is great because you only have a minute or so to convince them to buy your book. You can easily film the voiceover yourself, but if you don’t like the sound of your voice, you can always have a friend do it.

In terms of music make sure you use either royalty-free music or that you’ve bought the rights to. Make sure the music helps complete the mood of the book trailer.

How to End Your Book Trailer

The last thing you’ll need is an end screen for your book trailer. This is the graphic/image that plays at the end of the book trailer that tells people where to go to buy your book. It should include the book’s cover, the day it comes out, your website link and where it will be available for purchase.

And that’s it! That’s all there is to making a book trailer! If you have a book trailer, feel free to drop the link to it in the comments below! I would love to watch it! Also feel free to add any additional tips you may have for creating a book trailer!