I spent a couple of hours a few weeks ago dressed in an ankle-length, hooded black cloak walking up and down a dark Brisbane alley. If I ended the blog here, people might call the police, so allow me to elaborate. Dave Silay, a good friend and photographer (check out his awesome Facebook page which you can access through the partners section of my website), joined me to take a series of photos. These gritty urban images will form the backbone of a trailer.

I have written a storyboard for the trailer, but I don’t possess the technical skills needed to produce the finished article. My talented publisher will help.

Here are four ingredients that I believe are required to make a great trailer.

Coherency:

Whether the trailer is filmed, or a series of images, it needs to make sense. Random scenes and images in a short space of time won’t leave a lasting impression. A trailer isn’t an art exhibition – although most exhibitions still possess themes.

The first and last five seconds:

Be sure to grab viewers in the first five seconds – otherwise they will move on. Be equally sure to leave people wanting to read the book.

Market:

If the trailer looks like its advertising a coffee-table book about gardens, then readers who love young adult fantasy will not want to read the book.

Unique:

I think this is the hardest one to achieve. It’s also the most important. The trailer has to stand out from the pile. Dare to be different.

Yours truly

JKB