Book Trailer and Video Blogging Tips from e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

I recently attended a talk by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo at the Central and Southern Ohio SCBWI. Charlton-Trujillo burst into the children's writing scene when her debut novel, Prizefighter en Mi Casa, won the Delacorte Dell Yearling Award in 2004.  Her second book, Feels Like Home, was published in 2007.

Although she's a successful novelist, Charlton Trujillo's background is in film. Her current project is a paranormal TV series called Fallen.  At her talk, in addition to telling us about her publishing journey,  she passed along some tips for  videoblogging and making book trailers.  Here they are.



1.  Network and make friends with photographers, musicians, and videographers. They will be very helpful when you decide to make book trailers. New musicians might be willing to let you use their music, for the exposure.

2.  If you're on a budget, consider hiring a college film student. They will work for a lower rate if they can use the trailer in their demo reel.

3.  Or, get your readers involved and hold a competition for them to make their own trailer.

4.  If you have a picture book, your job is half done. They have pictures!

5.  For easy video blogging, try a Flip camera or Kodak's Zi8. If you want absolute, full proof ease, go with the Flip. For slightly more control but with the same amount of ease in transfer to your computer, the Kodak Zi8 is your best bet in the pocket cam realm. Some models cost less than $200 dollars.