Check out this fun trailer for Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis.
I’m still waiting for my copy of the book, but given what I know about it, this trailer suits the book perfectly. It is funny, it doesn’t take itself very seriously and its just a little off. All of these things describe what I know about the book as well.
Given that Timmy solves mysteries, Pastis might have been tempted to go for a dark, film noir feel for his trailer. But everything from the graphics, to the font, to the music is goofy. This, of course, is a much better match for a book that combines text and graphics. You may not have read a single word from the book itself but you have a feel for the character and the tone of the book.
A reader who goes into the book expecting certain things from the trailer will not be disappointed in what they discover within the book itself.
I am currently marketing a nonfiction picture book about animals. Yes, I have rhyming lines but humorous cartoons wouldn’t fit the more serious tone. Unfortunately, I have a much better feel for what wouldn’t work than I do for what would. Maybe that ‘s an okay place to start, but at this point I wouldn’t mind a few solid ideas.
Think about your own manuscript. What would you need to include in the trailer for the same effect?
–SueBE
OMGoodness, it lookd like a fun read! Cartoons wouldn’t work for my current ms…it’s too serious.
Comment by Sharon K Mayhew — February 16, 2013 @ 12:49 am |
For my middle grade novel, the right cartoons would be great. For my current picture book, maybe but I doubt it. For my current nonfiction, no way! Three very different manuscripts and three very different tones.
–SueBE
Comment by suebe — February 18, 2013 @ 5:45 am |