Someone Like You, The Trailer

I released the trailer about a week after the book launch on July 12th. If you haven’t seen it, it is on the website, Facebook, Amazon Author Central, etc.

Although I’ve received positive comments, some expressed that it is unexpectedly dramatic. That’s a fair assessment. Here’s what happened. The project began several months ago. Being a newbie, but always game to try something new, I was excited to work on a video for the book. But I didn’t understand what my part would be in the production. The first shock was writing a script. I found out very quickly that novel writing and script writing are different. It was difficult condensing the premise of an entire book into a few lines of text. I placed the project on hold until I could do some research and come up with a script. Meanwhile, I scrapped the original book cover and went looking for a cover designer. It was four months until I was ready with a script and a new cover. The person I had hired to create the book trailer wasn’t able to complete the task when I was ready to move forward.

I Almost Gave Up On The Project

I was so attached to the first person I hired; I didn’t think I could find another person with the same artistic vision I had seen in her sample videos. After following through on a recommendation, I contacted Anish, who was patient and listened to the suggestions of someone who didn’t have a clue what they were doing.

Yes, the trailer is dramatic and darker than the book. But the elements I chose to dramatize from the story are actually the basic premise. The novel begins with Emma, three years after her husband’s death, still in pain and using her writing as a way of coping. This is illustrated in the book when Bex voices her concerns that Emma is going back to survival mode. But by the time this conversation occurs in the story, Emma is much stronger and does not need to resort to the old ways of managing pain or difficulty.

If this were a high-budget trailer, we would have hired models or actors to represent the characters Emma, Parker, and Austin. However, since I’m an indie author and not from a big publishing house, the creator of the trailer chose clips to dramatize my script and I think he did an excellent job. What was not considered in the first or original trailer was a voiceover. This was an option when Anish was hired for the project.

Finding My Voice

The first voiceover actor was good, but her voice wasn’t a match for the images. I was fortunate to find Cat Daddario, who was able to carry the mood and tone of the piece. I wanted the voiceover to resonate the pain Emma feels at this time in her life, and we hear this especially in the early portion of the video.

The music is Feather by Alexandra McKay. It is a copyright-free song we found on YouTube. I think this song was perfect for the trailer. I’ve become a fan of her music. You should listen to the entire song. Feather is long and goes into a disco/club vibe.

After seeing many examples of trailers offered for this type of service from other sellers, I was nervous. Although I had seen samples of Anish’s work and liked his videos, I still wondered if he would choose images that would work with the script.

When the trailer was delivered, there was some tweaking with the voiceover actress and some of the clips needed to be changed.  Luckily, this part of the process was completed without any problems. I was more than pleased with the final result. It was a great experience working with Anish and Cat. They both worked with me until I was satisfied with the book trailer.

This is a triangle romance about a woman choosing between two men while she is also trying to find the strength in herself to continue managing her business and her life. It ends with one man and one woman, but the fun of this genre is wondering who will she pick? This is a standalone novel, but it has been set up to spin some of the other characters we meet into their own stories.

Why I Really Made the Video

When I decided to make a book trailer for Someone Like You, I hoped this would give potential readers a visual peek at what to expect from the story. At least, I hoped it would get them excited about reading a new romance. I’m a visual person and I do judge a book by its cover; anything else I can review is helpful, and that’s why I went one step further after completing work on the book and provided a trailer.

I hope you like it. Tell me what you think. Do book trailers help you in your buying decision?

Pax