A common question is “Where do I start to write a book trailer?” Answer: “The log line.”
Log Line
So, how do you narrow down the key elements that will make your book trailer a great commercial?
A log line is a sentence or two that summarize the book, including the plot and hook. The term comes from the motion picture/television screenplay. In the old Hollywood film studio days, movie screenplays were stored in script vaults with the spine showing. Written on the spine was a one-line summary. Studio executives, producers, directors and actors could scan the scripts by reading the spines’ summary lines. Long descriptions had to be written in a small font, so they were often skipped over. The art was in coming up with a short, catchy spine line, which became known as the “log line.”
A common problem is that authors lack an elevator pitch for their book. A log line is even shorter. Good log lines are ironic, concise, clear and emotionally intriguing. The log line elements can form the basis of your book trailer.
There are two types of log lines: fiction and non-fiction. If the book is told like a novel, then use a novel log line structure. Out Of The Box by Julie McSorley and Marcus McSorley is the true story of Reg Spiers, but told using creative fiction techniques. As such, the trailer is fiction like.