Kernels of Nonsense: Book Trailers

Kernels of Nonsense is a bimonthly discussion feature where I tackle various book-related topics. This week I’m discussing book trailers and how adverse I am to them.

I don’t make it a secret that I tend to dislike movie adaptations. I tend to be disappointed either in the casting or the overall feel of the movie in relation to the book. They usually don’t do a book justice and I think their existence can take away from the validity of a book, at least in the public’s eye.

I have more of a passing relationship with book trailers than movie adaptations. I see publishers promote them on Twitter and every once in a while I’ll come across a blogger who promotes a book by posting the official trailer. And I confess, I don’t feel even a little bit tempted to click on these videos.

They are often poorly cast, awkwardly narrated, and I have never been persuaded to pick up a book after watching one. Before writing this discussion post, I could count on one hand the amount of book trailers I have seen. And after watching a few more in order to get ready for this post, my opinion of them hasn’t changed.

And I really hate to bring such harsh criticism on projects that I’m sure take a lot of effort and time, but I’m going to do it anyways because I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. In fact, I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. One look at the comments section on the above book trailer for Marissa Meyer’s Cinder and it’s pretty clear no one is a fan. As a fan of this series, I find the video pretty cringe-worthy and at the end of the day, I’m not sure these book trailers are necessary.

Now the statistic would disagree with me. The number of views number in the hundred thousands and that in itself is motivation enough for publishers to continue making these trailers. But as a fan of book, I believe these novels deserve better. Perhaps fans should be given an opportunity to share their own projects or maybe it would be best to hire young film makers to put together these trailers. For me, unless something changes, I’ll be avoiding these trailers.

I’ll leave you with a fan-made video by the talented Yulin Kuang of an excerpt from Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. This is the kind of video that I’m looking for when it comes to book trailers. Be sure to check out her entire channel here, she has another video for Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl that I’m sure fans of the book will love.

What are your thoughts on book trailers? Do you watch them or promote them? Has a trailer ever persuaded you to read a book? Are there any book trailers that you find especially cringe-worthy? Share your thoughts in the comments and let’s discuss!