In recent years traditional publishers have been turning to video content to help attract new readers, and book publishers are no exception. But before we started producing trailers for Hachette Book Group imprints in 2020, most book trailers were little but afterthoughts to traditional marketing campaigns — capturing little of the magic of titles they represented.
While the typical book trailer has tended to feel like little more than a glorified video version of the book jacket copy and review blurbs, ReelSmart has taken this marketing tool in an exciting new direction with our trailers for Hachette Book group. Drawing on the popular collage animation style of subject matter explainer videos from outlets like Vox and BBC Reel, we’ve set a new standard for the genre and brought the titles we’ve worked on to life with beautiful custom animations. We work hand-in-hand with the Hachette authors and imprint marketing teams to craft original scripts and have developed a process for authors to record high quality footage of themselves from the comfort of their own homes or offices.
The Hachette imprints we’ve worked now rely on our trailers as one of the key drivers of the marketing campaigns for many of their biggest releases. The videos have garnered critical acclaim from publishing industry insiders and even well-known Hollywood directors, and have collectively received hundreds of thousands of views across a variety of platforms.
