My Top Ten Favorite Romance Book Trailers from YouTube

Being an author myself and someone who has created book trailers both for myself and others, I'm very particular about which ones I like. You have to catch my attention in the very first frame, or I will most likely close the video down. Another thing is you have to have enough information in the video to make me want to buy the book. If you only put a few text frames and 2 or 3 pictures with some music in the background, you are not going to make my favorites list.

Quality book trailers have to have five things in order to make my favorites list. First, they have to catch my attention in the first frame. Second, they have to have wording that makes me want to continue to watch to find out how much more information is going to be given. Third, they have to leave me hanging at the end so I will want to go and buy the book to find out what happens to the characters. Fourth, they have to have quality pictures that match the text frames. Fifth, they must have a music score, and it must match the theme of the book and book trailer. If these five qualities are not there then I will not watch a book trailer a second time and sometimes I will discontinue watching past the first and second frames.

So, that being said, here are my top ten favorite romance book trailers from Youtube.

1. The Quest by Susan Kearney. I chose this book trailer for my number one spot because it met all of my five criteria and then some! Also, I loved it because it was a mini-movie with real actors and special effects. Obviously, only the authors doing very well can afford such a book trailer. The characters match the descriptions in the book, and the scifi theme engendered throughout the trailer makes it fun to watch over and over. I watched it like three times in a row. It's so good I wish that they'd use the same actors and make it into a movie! The special effects were fantastic and very realistic which made it that much more enjoyable to view. Also, the characters actually speak in places, and then there is text to fill out where they don't. A great book trailer! You can view it here.

2. Conspiracy Game by Christine Feehan. I have been a fan of Ms. Feehan's ever since her very first book in the Dark Series came out, Dark Prince back in the late 90's, and she remains a strong favorite for me. However, that being set aside, if this video had not captured my attention and met my five criteria I would not have chosen it for this list. It was created by the same production company that created the book video The Quest, Circle of Seven Productions. Like in The Quest it uses real actors that actually look like the characters from the book. The music is tense and edgy giving the overall feel of danger that accompanies most of Ms. Feehan's books. And the psychic gifts are portrayed well using special effects. I already have this book as I tend to buy anything by Ms. Feehan as soon as it appears on the bookshelves, but if I had never read her before I'd go out and buy the book just from watching this video. You can watch this video here.

Competitors by Susanne Marie Knight comes in the third spot for my favorites. If it had been in the form of a mini-movie I think it could easily have taken the first or second slot! I'm assuming the author created this trailer herself, and she did a fantastic job, I will be purchasing this book at the earliest opportunity. The pictures absolutely match the story, and the text frames that have been inserted before them. This doesn't always happen with book trailers that use static pictures and text frames. The creator also put outlines around characters, and objects in colors that really brought out what the pictures and text were trying to convey. A great book trailer and one I would love to see put into a mini-movie. You can view this book trailer here.

4. Zytarri: Virgini Blood by Adriana Dane makes it to fourth in my list of favorite book trailers because it is unique. While the video does use static pictures and text frames, it flashes the book cover a few times throughout the video which is a great marketing technique because as you know they say you need to see something several times before it actually sticks. This trailer is professional and obviously well thought out. The pictures and text are very clear which doesn't always happen no matter how hard you try, as I know from personal experience. The color scheme using red around the frames and in the pictures over and over is a great way to get the watcher's attention and keep it there. Eye stopping footage and great coloring made me want to keep watching this video until the very end, and wonder of wonders it even look like it will be a fantastic book. This one is going on my to be read list. You can view this book trailer here.

5. Variance: The Countdown by Cassidy McKay easily comes in at fifth place. Like the book trailer before it, this one uses color to help capture your attention. Even more interesting, in some of the text frames the words look as though they are dripping blood, alerting the watcher right away that there are going to be some battles in the book. The creator catches your attention by starting out with text frames instead of pictures and then text frames which I think personally is always a mistake because if you don't catch the watcher's attention right away, you may lose it before the end of the video. The theme music is perfect and captures the sense of urgency that is apparently woven throughout the book. While I can't say for certain if the pictures of the characters match what they really look like since this book is on my to be read list, I thought the creator did a great job with matching pictures that at least complimented the text frames appropriately. Check out this book trailer here.

6. Wolf Dance by Lorraine Kennedy is sixth on my favorites list. Let me say right up front, that I am very particular about what books I read that have Native American themes, and characters. Being American Indian myself (Oglala Lakota), I get pretty hot under the collar if someone of non-Indian descent writes something that looks like it is going to be full of stereotypes, incorrect and or incomplete information. And while I cannot vouch for the veracity of Ms. Kenndy's story as like with a few others on this list, it is on my to be read list, the feeling I got from watching the trailer is one where I felt like this author at least tried to base a bit of the information on Native legends. I cannot say for sure of course, but it didn't give me the whole naked savage takes white woman for wife kind of feel. Man I really hate those kinds of books, because so many of them are historically incorrect, and full of misnomers. That being said, it appears the author at least did some research before writing the book. It caught my attention right off with the sounds of wolves in the background, and slowly appearing red text on a beautiful white moon to start out with. I was hooked from that point on. While not a lot of information is given, you get the feeling it is a book about shape-shifters, and I am a big fan of books about shifters. The creator gives you just enough information to whet your whistle and then leaves you hanging. Definitely my kind of book trailer! You can take a look here.

7. Song of the Annunaki by Lorraine Kennedy is my seventh favorite romance book trailer. I'm not sure who creates these book trailers for this author or if she does them herself, but whoever is doing them knows what they are doing. Obviously this author likes to take a snippet of legend and or history however one wants to view it, and then write a story around it. These are one my favorite types of books to read. I'm a sucker for anything science fiction and this trailer caught my attention by quoting the scripture that deals with the fallen angels coming to Earth and having children with the daughters of men. The trailer takes you from that bit of scripture to what appears to be present day or the not too distant future and how the story in this scripture is being played out again. Pictures of Egyptian hieroglyphics start us off with beautiful blue text that catches and keeps the watcher's attention. By the time I had finished watching the trailer for the first time a month ago, this one had made my to be read pile as well. Take a look here.

8. Witch Fire by Anya Bast is my eighth favorite romance book trailer. Like a couple others in this list, it used striking colors to catch the watcher's attention, and red seems to be the color of choice by many creators using this method. I really liked this one because the creator used artwork from the cover of the book in several of the pictures before the creator even went to stock photos to tell the story. It was a great ploy to get the watcher to remember the cover. The text frames do a great job of setting up the story. I've always been enamored of witch stories, so the fact that this is one sure didn't hurt either. Even better the author gets an endorsement from Angela Knight who is a best selling author herself, and since she is another of my favorites that kind of cinched it for me with this one. This is a very well thought out and put together book trailer. Take a look here.

9. Dreamspell: Book 1 of the Witch Chronicles by Chandra Knight coming in at ninth place is, you guessed it, another witch book. With its fancy writing in the text frames and good choice of pictures, this book trailer does a good job of portraying what seems to me to be an old world feel that is probably also in the book. Even better the creator gives you the sense of otherworldly happenings that will occur in the book without actually giving away how they will occur. This doesn't always happen with book trailers and those that create them walk a fine line between either not giving enough information or giving too much. Finding that balance can be difficult, but the creator of this book trailer does it very well indeed. The creator also places the cover of the book at both the beginning and end, ensuring that whoever watches it will not forget the cover art. Cleverly placed text and pictures frames strung together with just the right amount of space between them, and beautifully haunting music that has a yearning feel to it, make this book trailer a winner in my eyes. You can view this one here.

10. New Moon by Rebecca York. This trailer would have received a higher rating if it had been a bit longer and given the watcher a bit more of the storyline. However, it did not and it comes in at number ten on my list. This book trailer was created by Circle of Seven Productions like the first two on the list, and like the first two is an actual mini-movie. However, it simply lacked the punch of the first two on my list. I simply did not feel compelled to go out and buy this book as I had with others on this list after viewing their book trailers. I very much liked what I saw that was there, but I wanted to know more, to be titillated a more. Quite simply I needed more information. Still it did make my favorites list because the acting on the part of the actors was superb, and the special effects were totally awesome. The music score fit what there was of what the book is about, and gave a very eerie effect to the trailer which I really liked. You can watch it here.

I had a difficult time picking only ten of these book trailers on youtube for my favorites. I have watched hundreds of book trailers since I first discovered them on youtube and have even created my own book trailer for my science fiction romance Getting Out Alive. Incidentally I didn't include my own book trailer in my top ten favorites list because I didn't think it was fair. I love my book trailer, and I know I did a good job on it, but I'm biased and that being the case I chose to leave it out. However, the curious can view it here:

I hope that you have as much fun viewing these book trailers on youtube as I did and that you now see them as a great way to be introduced to new authors and new stories.