Quick Hits: Book trailers, scammers and Fifteen Legs.

The Art of the Book Trailer (or lack thereof)

A trend that is gaining headway in book promotion is that of the book trailer. There is certainly an art to the book trailer and some “must-have” characteristics have emerged as they’ve gained popularity. I have seen some that are very effective and others that are pretty awful. Clearly, viral marketers are still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. The good book trailers I’ve seen set the tone for the book and help the reader imagine the plot and characters in a story without giving too much away. Snarky comic Lewis Black has a series of viral videos for his summer release, Me of Little Faith (forthcoming from Penguin) making the rounds online. I’m not sure that these viral videos necessarily qualify as being book trailers, as it’s just him standing in front of a white backdrop spewing his signature brand of comedy. Luckily, Black has a big enough personality (and his well-known brand) to be able to get away with it. The videos offer a great teaser for Me of Little Faith, but unless you’re Lewis Black make yours a little flashier. If you'd like to take a look:

Watch out for scammers!
Breanna at BookPros[e] had a great piece on avoiding literary scams this week that I highly recommend. Helping authors avoid literary scams is something that’s really important to me. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a submission from an unsuspecting author that’s been taken advantage of! As with any industry, you have to be careful when searching for the right fit for your book. Breanna has great advice and provides some excellent websites to check out so you can be armed with information when you’re ready to take your manuscript to the next level.

Underground Railroad…for pets?
One of the most interesting books on our plate right now is Fifteen Legs (Riverbank Press), by Bonnie Silva. Bonnie is a film-producer and author and wrote Fifteen Legs to accompany her documentary on groups that use the internet to link up with each other and transport needy pets to willing owners. Newsday did a great write-up on the book this week.