I read with interest the recent Wall Street Journal article on book trailers, and their effects on sales and visibility for authors and their books. The good news is that book trailers have come a long way since I first wrote about them on M.J. Rose's wonderful blog salon, Buzz, Balls and Hype, both in quantity and quality. More authors are doing them, for sure. And many authors—and for that matter, many publishers—are doing them better, too.

That's a good thing. Because the novelty has worn off to some extent, style and substance has to pay off the investment in this marketing tool's production costs.

But as the WSJ points out in the article's numerous examples, very few book trailers have jump-started the sales of the books they touted.

If this is to change, the one thing that could—make that must—get better is your book trailer's media placement.

Marshall McLuhan's statement, "The medium is the message," has never seemed more prescient than today. Twenty years ago, the medium for any video ad was (of course) television. There were only three TV networks with shows with messages that catered to broad audiences, both demographically and psychographically. Today the Internet is the new TV. And as in the early days of the dotcom era, content is once again becoming king, particularly video content. Thanks to enhanced broadband and wireless capabilities, the Internet has an information void (make that black hole) that needs to be filled 24/7/365.

The media costs for TV spots make that medium too expensive for book trailers. And while YouTube, MySpace, Google Video have created vast communities which garner a decent enough number of eyeballs—millions on any given day—the audiences for these online networks are even more splintered, psychographically, than those you'll find today for TV.

So, how does a author rise above the clutter?

Here's one tip:

Seek out online networks whose content and members match up to the audience for your book.
By considering niche venues—both online and off—in which to submit your book trailers, the quantity of the audience may go down, but the quality goes up.

And this may translate into actual sales for your book.

It may also allow you to drive traffic to your own site, where you're touting the events and promotions that you're running around the book. Better yet, contact the site to see if they'd be willing to do a co-promotion with you. All sites look for member "stickiness" —reasons for their members to come back time and time again, or hang there longer. Author interviews and chats, giveaways, and contests give them that opportunity...

And bump your book's sales and visibility.

For example, one site I write for, SingleMindedWomen.com, is now actively seeking video submissions for movie and book trailers, as well as short films that speak to single women. These will be uplinked weekly, and live in an archive. (If you're interested, you can send info on your book and your book trailer to SMWHerTube@gmail.com.)

The name of the game is getting your book trailer out there to be seen. And hopefully, if it seen by readers with whom it reasonates, you and your publisher will consider it money well spent.

Because you just can't write the book. You have to promote it as well. Sadlyl, "Dennis Cass's Book Launch 2.0" says it best (or at least, the most ironically.)

Here's to your 15 KBs of fame,

Josie

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