Writers are supposed to think of innovative ways to promote their writing these days. Short films are the latest thing. Here’s a good example that is advertising a thriller by a writer I like, Stuart Neville. It’s for his second book Collusion.
I got into reading Stuart via his earlier book The Ghosts of Belfast (in the USA) or The Twelve (in Ireland and the UK). It was excellent and based on an inspired idea. The only problem with his promotional film from Collusion is that, exciting as it is, it doesn’t really reflect the book itself.
Though thinking about it… Maybe that’s not a problem after all. As long as people reading the book.
Which means I could have found the perfect film for my own ebook The Obituarist. It features the heroes of a daring air mission to turn the tide of World War Two – now retired and facing a devious threat from an unexpected quarter. But how to convey the devil-may-care courage and insouciance of their younger days?
This film does it.
If you’re unlucky enough not have already encountered the Horrible Histories crew, I strongly commend them to you. Thanks to Barry Turley for giving me the idea. (The cheque is not in the post. Have you seen the price of stamps these days?)
And thanks also to this great blogger on the UK and US media – Bill at Trading as WDR – before whom the titans of telly tremble and the top ranks of radio reel. Thanks for the plug Bill.
By the way, you can download the ebook of The Obituarist most cheaply from here at Smashwords for various devices or PC or Mac – or for a few pence or cents more from Amazon in the UK or from Amazon.com here for kindle etc. Ah go on. The pain will be fleeting and strangely pleasurable. The joy will be long lasting.
Blackwatertown 
Hi,
I think a video is a great way to promote a book, but it should reflect what the book is about. I enjoyed both videos, the 2nd one I could only laugh. 😀
It’s clever.
Videos are a great idea for promoting books. You may like to avoid Green Park next Saturday however. Best wishes for Obituarist sales.
I agree with Magsx2 on both counts: (1) the book trailer should reflect the content of the book, and (2) the second clip made me laugh 🙂
Midway in the Pacific and Stalingrad in Europe get credit for being the turning points and there are valid reasons that other battles were as or more important . Certainly the air war over Britain was one of them. But for me the jolly little routine does not fit for that epic. I’ll allow others to speculate why.
Taking your point Carl and Chris’s point together. There seems to be some disquiet or concern about the appropriateness of the RAF clip from Horrible Histories. Chris may be alluding to the dedication of the Bomber Command memorial coming up. Reasons could be:
1. The clip is insulting to WW2 aircrews – trivialising their effort and loss.
2. It’s insulting to their victims perhaps?
3. It trivialises the horror of war – a bit like those schoolmasters in Wilfred Owen’s poem Dulce et Decorum Est. Here’s an extract from the end:
“If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.”
The poet was an officer in World War One who did not survive the trenches. The Latin at the end translates as “it is a sweet and seemly thing to die for one’s country.” The action in the poem takes place during and after a gas attack. Full poem here http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html
I’ve listed three possible objections/concerns. Just my speculation. None of them may be what Chris or Carl is nodding towards. I wonder what anyone else thinks?
I read All Quiet on the Western Front when I was 12. Red Badge of Courage and Rumor of War (Vietnam) and Herman Hesse’s(I’ve read everything he wrote) anti war pacifism essays and poetry make good texts for anti war literature studies. The little known Maybe I’m Dead (WW II) was good too. I have about two dozen cartoons I will not use(dark or black humor) . My growing audience wants to chuckle not ridicule so I don’t do satire or political. In any event the vid book review is great marketing. Can it be included in eBay and Amazon book sale ads ? I have become a fan of post Roman occupation Britain historical fiction esp Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles. Undergrad studies were history/ religion major and American/English lit minor but that was over 40 years ago and have been “done” with John Donne. et.al., for a long time.
Re the inclusion of the video on Amazon etc. Not sure. Might breach copyright. But might be possible. I’ll have a look.
The first video is kinda confusing; the second gave me a giggle.
Blessings – Maxi
Iwould love to be able to promote my book by video or any other wild and exotic means! But it does help if the inspiration is there to complete the thing…GRRRRRRRrrrrrr!! One day…one day….lol 😉 And I’m working on the kindle thingy… then deep joy will fill my wolfie heart when I finally get to d-load your book!
And mine too.
No surprises there then 😉
Reminds me of Kate Shrewsday’s last post ‘Juliets Balcony or Artistic License’ in so much as the video makes for a good smoke screen.. Actually it makes more sense, in my mind, for the video not to be about the book. A video definitely opens the door to creative promotion.
Here’s a link to Kate Shrewsday http://kateshrewsday.com/ worth a visit.
I hope all is going well on The Obituarist front.P.S. No Flys On Douglas!
Thanks… slowly.