My First Video Teaser is Up!

I did it. I finally posted the book trailer for my YA novel Crossovers on YouTube. Haven't heard of a book trailer? It's kind of like a movie trailer--a short video designed to make you want to read the book. Some of them are major productions from big-budget publishing houses that dramatize short scenes. Others are low key, made with stock photos and public domain music. 

---

The trouble is that my stories never seem to fit stock photos or public domain music. I usually take my own pics for this blog to avoid copyright issues. Where was I going to find a red-headed male figure skater about thirteen years old to represent my character Ben Bradley?

"Author communication seems to be having more of an impact that merely info on the book," said someone on one of my writers' lists.

The author? That's me. That I can manage. 

When I do a teaser for the sequel to Glastonbury Tor, I will probably film it sitting in my office with my book collection in the background. But that sounds boring for the young readers targeted by Crossovers. Crossovers is a skating book, so I took my camera to the ice rink. 

I had practiced what I wanted to say for weeks. On days when I was the only one on the ice, I would skate a short sequence (which in the end we cut to a single spin) and then address my speech to  the dink in the door to the hockey box. When I handed the camera to one of the teens I train with, we got what you see in only about four takes. 

Then I set up my tripod in the locker room. The cleaning lady freaked when she came in. What kind of pervert films in the locker room? She's a good friend, and I convinced her to clean something else and come back in ten minutes, but when I heard the toilets flushing in the men's room next door, I decided to be content with what I had.

My great film debut is perhaps a bit amateur. Okay. Definitely amateur. Hopefully that won’t communicate that the writing is amateur. I’m not expecting to go viral or appear on Good Morning America. After all,  this is YouTube where amateur video reigns. I AM hoping that viewers will see the fun and be excited to read the book. 

Next step in my marketing plan: a blog tour in November when the e-book comes out.