In My Opinion: Book Trailer 101 by Margaret Hefferman
- Sell your book: Like a movie trailer, a book trailer creates buzz for your book.
- Reach more readers: A well-produced book trailer drives traffic to your social media.
- Better than an elevator pitch: In one minute, you can get readers excited about your book.
- A professional touch: A book trailer brands you as an author.
- Create excitement: A trailer sets the scene for the book, creates tension and pace, and engages the imagination, all things readers and editors look for.
When I first signed up for this course, I was apprehensive. There was no way I could whittle the vast complicity (she says, tongue firmly planted in cheek) of my narrative down to a one-minute trailer. How on earth was I supposed to get my bestseller, my very own child that I had birthed through sweat and tears, down to one or two sentences? Preposterous. As Rich says, “If Ken Follett, author of Pillars of the Earth, can get his 992-page epic down to two sentences, anyone can.”
As for book genre, what is my masterpiece? I couldn’t possibly classify it into one slot. It’s a little of this and a little of that, with a dash of something else thrown in. The task appeared daunting. No way could I figure it all out, let alone create and produce, a coherent trailer in just five weeks. With the patience of Job, Rich not only made the impossible possible, but fun and exciting at the same time. Who knew?
I actually did produce loglines, taglines and a credible trailer. The upbeat feedback and discussion from other members of the class was priceless. Everyone produced a distinct piece of work that conveyed their story in a rich and exciting fashion. Even for those who felt technically challenged, Rich made the process entertaining and easy to understand. Sharing my trailer with others has been a lot of fun and it has been well received. It definitely created a buzz with readers asking, “When is it coming out?” “Where can I get it?”
For anyone who is serious about promoting their work, do yourself a favour. Sign up to attend Book Trailer 101 taught by Rich Helms. It’s worth the investment. As for me, I can sum it up in a few words: Waaah, it’s over!

Margaret Hefferman is an author and visual artist from Durham Region. She is a member of the Writer’s Community of Durham Region (WCDR), and the PRAC (Pine Ridge Arts Council). Her publishing credits include three books for children: Bedtime Treasures, The Mysterious Door and The Crystal Grove. Her current project is an adult novel: Stone Cottage, a ghost story with a twist that she hopes to publish in 2015.
Article appeared in the WCDR Word Weaver March/April 2015 issue.
Book Trailer 101 would be a bargain at ten times the price. It was hands on, easy to understand, applicable to any genre, fun, informative… By the end of the five week course I had a book trailer ready to go, a head full of ideas and an arsenal of tools to bring them to life. Thanks Rich!
Heather Tucker (Jan/Feb 2015 course at Trent Univ Oshawa)
Good morning Rich,
To teach a technology challenged individual like myself, make it entertaining, and actually produce a tangible result, is something to be admired. In other words, you did a great job. Thanks for all your patient support. Everyone who writes a novel needs to take this class.
Kindest regards, Tom Taylor (Jan/Feb 2015 course at Trent Univ Oshawa)
Hi, Rich, thanks for a very informative class. I found the information you gave us to be easy to follow, and actually gave me the confidence to build videos for more than my book trailer application – I will be trying some for other marketing activities as well. One of the most important things for me was the process of thinking through my log lines and then my script – which forced me to distill the essence of my book into very few words. If I wasn’t clear on the book before, this process certainly helped!
Excellent class, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone!
Melanie MacDonald – Freelance Writer (Jan/Feb 2015 course at Trent Univ Oshawa)
This is an awesome site, Rich, and what a wonderful workshop today! I learned so much and had tons of fun. I feel ready to jump into creating a trailer now, and can’t wait to see what I can come up with, now that I know where to start. Thanks so much.
Sally Moore – WCDR President
“It was truly a meaty, engaging workshop. Now, I just have to finish my book so I can get a book trailer up.”
Sharon Overend
“Thank you, Rich, for the workshop on book trailers. I had already begun mine in anticipation of my new release … You gave me a few insights into the avenues available for completing the project within budget. You also shared a variety of resources from your extensive data base for enhancing the experience for the reader/watcher …”
Donna Thompson
“I feel ready to jump into creating a trailer now, and can’t wait to see what I can come up with, now that I know where to start..”
Sally Moore
“It was fabulous … got me thinking in all sorts of directions.”
Barbara Hunt
I have released my book trailer on my site and across social media. This is in tandem with my new publication, “The Glitch Factory: Perfectly Human in an Imperfect World” Thank you for the lessons, details and inspiration, as part of the trailer team. Feel free to use the work as an example and for critique purposes in your classes. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and instructive atmosphere of the course and thought I would like to contribute in a small way. I felt more willing to innovate and experiment, for success, through your example.
Donna Thompson
“It was a fun day of book promotions discussion and learning, covering everything from writing good copy to pre-set video templates ready for customizing to your project! Participants left with a solid understanding of what makes a good trailer, how to use it and where to get started.”
The Writers’ Community of Durham Region
Creating Your Own Book Trailer WCDR Workshop with Rich Helms
Nov 17, 2013
Rich Helms, tech whiz and video guru, demystified the video production process on Sunday, November 17th, at Trent University’s Oshawa Campus. Passing on a wealth of sources, tips, short cuts and marketing advice for creating interesting online promos, Rich explained how to make your book trailer what he calls ‘experiential’.
The top do’s and don’ts, crucial goals, directives and uses for the promo were all covered, plus discussions on where to post the promo and how to leverage it to provide optimum exposure for your book. Rich answered complex questions on making the video, and made a fashion statement with his ‘helmet cam’ while demonstrating the best equipment and where to buy it. As the helpful hints continued to flow, Rich showed participants where to find the best stock photos, videos, music and sound effects, along with the most interesting trailers.
It was a fun day of book promotions discussion and learning, covering everything from writing good copy to pre-set video templates ready for customizing to your project! Participants left with a solid understanding of what makes a good trailer, how to use it and where to get started. Rich also invited participants to register for his website, where he posts more information and ongoing sources for video production.
Dawn Riddoch – WCDR
The most surprising element to me in this wonderful course was how much fun it was to create a trailer for my book. So much so, I’m working on a second trailer, for a book of poetry a friend has written. The whole experience from in class critiques, to lessons, to learning how to locate bits of music and images made this five week course one to remember. Much gratitude Rich for your expert lead in helping us all.!
Charlene Jones September 11, 2014
This is an awesome site, Rich, and what a wonderful workshop today! I learned so much and had tons of fun. I feel ready to jump into creating a trailer now, and can’t wait to see what I can come up with, now that I know where to start. Thanks so much.
Sally Moore November 18, 2013