For the first time in my life, I bought a book because I saw a book trailer. Yes I did! Here’s the story…

A few weeks ago I saw a tweet about a book trailer and I clicked on the link because I’m interested in how people make book trailers for my professional-type work. And besides, it sounded like it might be funny. Who doesn’t like funny? And it was that kind of a moment. You know the kind of moment: you should be untangling the 15-person POV in your manuscript and working out why three of your characters have names that rhyme, but you just need a quick time out.

It turned out to be this post from Irish author Catherine Ryan Howard about the new book trailer from Max Barry. It was my first visit to Catherine’s blog and I liked it so much I ended up subscribing. She confessed to being a big fan of Max Barry. I discovered that Max Barry is an Australian compatriot of mine and quite a successful author internationally.

Anyway, I watched the trailer and laughed like a drain. I liked the dry unexpected humour of it, and what it showed me about the author’s eccentric take on the modern publishing process in particular and life on Earth in general. The whole way through, you’re wondering why this guy is wearing plastic gear and his bookshelves are draped in plastic, and then the punchline hits you with a slap.

Music up, snippets of the kind of reviews we all dream about punch into a black screen, and there you have it. Small production budget, great editing, BIG impact.

I went to the author’s website and found out a bit about him. I liked his humour, I liked the way he seemed proud of his children and attached to his wife, and I liked his Boys-Own-Adventure-style wonder of being on the film set for his own book to play a cameo role.

A couple of days ago during the Brisbane Writers’ Festival, I attended a 5-hour publishing masterclass addressed by all sorts of publishers, agents and authors. Guess who one of the speakers was? Max Barry. With his publicist Anna Lensky he presented a session on connecting with your readers, and kept us laughing pretty much all the way through. And then he dimmed the lights and showed his trailer and the whole room fell about in hysterics.

I scurried off between sessions and bought a copy of MACHINE MAN (I really wanted Jennifer Government but they didn’t have it – next time) and at the end of the day I had an opportunity to queue with a bunch of other people as we tried hard not to look like stalkers. (It was unseasonably rainy with an icy wind, so that didn’t help.)

Guess what I said to the author as I held out the book for him to sign, that made him grin in delight? “Book trailers work!”

Watch the trailer by clicking here if it doesn’t play above.

Have you ever bought a book because of a book trailer? What are some of your favourite book trailers? Please include links, as I’d love to see some great book trailers.