Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You! The World of Book Trailers

In 1991, E! (Entertainment Television) launched a show called Coming Attractions. As described by the host, Todd Newton, this show brought viewers “the best part of going to the movies: the trailers.”1 You could tune in, learn a bit of background behind a film on its way to theaters, and of course watch the trailer.

Now, people head to YouTube to catch the latest movie and T.V. trailers – like Space Force starring Steve Carell or The Great starring Elle Fanning.  

Any gamers out there (you might know where I’m going next). Video games have similarly received the trailer/preview treatment.

Do you remember in 2014 when Blizzard launched their cinematic wonder that served as the trailer/promo for their new multiplayer first-person shooter, Overwatch?

In 2019, gamers everywhere tuned into the live streaming of E3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo, to catch the trailers for soon to be released or in production video games. During this event alone, approximately 132 trailers were released!

keanu-reeves-cyperpunk-2077-trailer

So, why do we watch trailers?

Trailers help us, as consumers, determine whether we plan on watching or playing something. They also build up our excitement, clue us in with sneak peaks, and can just be fun to watch.

What about books?  I mentioned movies, T.V. shows, video games – have you ever watched a book trailer?

While this is mildly controversial – some authors have expressed that “it’s ‘sad’ that books today must appeal to readers through visuals.”2 – in general book trailers can, like their aforementioned entertainment counterparts, help readers determine what their next pick might be.

Most of them tend to be incredibly short – typically running under a minute. There is little to no dialogue. Some may feature the author speaking (James Patterson promoting The Black Book) and some have even pulled in an actor or two  (Bella Thorne in the As Dead As It Gets book trailer). In general, they serve to intrigue and promote.

Here are a few book trailers for titles located in the library’s Popular Reading Collection. Maybe the trailer will help you decide what title you’d like to read next once we return to the library. Enjoy!

Popular Reading Book Trailers

Infinity son by Adam Silvera

Kingdom of souls by Rena Barron

The night fire by Michael Connelly

Opposite of always by Justin A. Reynolds

Pan’s labyrinth: the labyrinth of the faun by Guillermo del Toro

The rest of the story by Sarah Dessen

Serpent & dove by Shelby Mahurin

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

The tiger at midnight by Swati Teerdhala

With the fire on high by Elizabeth Acevedo

Bonus: This is a book trailer I made for one of my classes as I worked on my MLS (Master of Library Science): Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

1 Demi Moore Striptease. (2014, August 13). Striptease E! Entertain coming summer attractions 1996 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_mpWiUd14Qk

2 Arons, R. (2013, December 19). The awkward art of book trailers. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-awkward-art-of-book-trailers