Don't Judge a Book by its Trailer

"The Flame Alphabet" shows there is a chance to create something that can stand as its own artistic work.

Though the book trailer has been around for nearly a decade, the form has not really gained a lot of traction. But readers are experiencing novels in, well, novel ways. As sales in e-books continue to rise and printed book sales inversely decline, we will likely see a resurgence in the form. The trailer will especially be a key component in hooking younger readers.

Follow us

Cary Murnion, who runs the creative agency Honest, approaches trailers from a cinematic standpoint. "We think trailers work the same way as in the movies: We don't want to spell out the narrative, but give the reader a sense of the narrative and themes of the book."

Murnion's team is responsible for a host of trailers, including a series for Michael Crichton's novel "Next" and Chuck Palahniuk's "Snuff," and recently a video game-inspired clip for "Ready Player One."

"Sometimes we do a series of trailers, where each one is almost a puzzle piece to the book," Murnion said. "We don't give away too much; we just want the viewer to get the feeling of the book."

Jeff Yamaguchi of Knopf Doubleday, which produced "The Flame Alphabet" trailer, worked with Murnion on the "Next" campaign in 2006 when YouTube was just starting to take off.

"The way the Web works, it's very fast-moving. Video is a nice way to work into that fray. I think what will evolve is having a lot of video," Yamaguchi said. "You can't just do one. With Ben Marcus, we have that one awesome video [produced by Erin Cosgrove.] But you can't ask her to make four more of those. So we also have an interview with Ben and we filmed him giving him some writing advice."

Yamaguchi is talking about Knopf's "Writers on Writing" series. Though these videos are not trailers, they're more media that fuels the publisher to push the novel, allowing for a greater connection with readers, a term he calls "feeding the beast."

Professional video editors could soon add publishing editors to their list of clients as they're asked to cut trailers for books much as they are for feature films. Robert Ludlum in the style of Jerry Bruckheimer, a Stephen King book cut like "Hostel." What would a Don Delillo trailer be like? Jeffrey Eugenides? Murakami? Capturing the voices of these authors in a video might seem like a fool's errand, and it doesn't mean publishers won't try, but it is wise to tread carefully.

"With books being turned into movies, a lot of them already have a cinematic feel, so they lend themselves to a trailer," Murnion says. "But one of our jobs is not to force anything. We read the book first always, and we advise the client on the best way to approach the trailer, or just how to launch the book. It has to fit with the content."

The relationship between books and movies has existed as long as film has, and is never more evident than when there is a tie-in, as in last year's Ryan Gosling vehicle "Drive." A book cover tempts the casual browser in a store, but video, a medium built for the Internet, will entice the online shopper.