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20.02.08 Joel Rickett

Has the YouTube revolution created- a new way to promote books? The publishing industry's resident marketing guru Damian Horner certainly believes it has. In a Bookseller column last November, Horner considered how the viral success of the Dairy Milk ads (starring a man in an ape suit playing drums to a Phil Collins track) might be emulated by the books industry. "Does the gorilla point to a different type of communication?" he asked. "One that doesn't get bogged down in trying to summarise the plot in 30 seconds, but instead focuses on how a book makes you feel? Imagine the films—emotive, distinctive and powerful. Unlike any other advertising you have seen before. Who will be the first to do it properly?"

Now Horner has his answer, in the form of The Bookseller's Book Video Awards 2008. This project, run in conjunction with Random House Group, Play.com and the National Film and Television School (NFTS), has culminated in the production of 90-second films—essentially trailers—for three new novels: Small World by Matt Beaumont, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff and The Outcast by Sadie Jones.

A DVD will be attached to the front of next week's Bookseller; the videos will be showcased on Play.com, thebookseller.com, and seeded on social networks and viral websites including YouTube.

It is not the first time that publishers and retailers have used online videos. Amazon.co.uk hosts exclusive short films from the likes of Ricky Gervais, while YouTube has recently streamed films for books and authors as diverse as The Saladin Murders (Atlantic), Douglas Coupland and Tribal Business School (Wiley).

But this is the first project pulling together a publishing group, a retailer- and one of the UK's leading film schools (alumni include David Yates, director of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", and Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park). The idea is to grab attention for authors, put publishers on a par with music and film producers, and reach light and non-book buyers online. Hopefully, one, two or all three of the videos will generate a viral life of its own.

Pitching process

The project began last summer with a "masterclass" session at the NFTS in Beaconsfield, when Random House publicists and editors presented the novels to the students and alumni. They were handed manuscripts and proof copies, before being invited to choose the one they preferred and write brief pitches and draft scripts.

The entries went in front of a judging panel that included author Matt Beaumont, Play's books manager Georgina Stoaling and NFTS director Nik Powell. "The standard of the proposals submitted by the students at the NFTS was incredibly high and showed real ingenuity," says Random House Group m.d. Peter Bowron. "We were impressed with the creativity and the energy level."

The panel looked for simplicity, power and originality of approach, as well as each director's track record and the practical viability of the proposals. The films needed to capture the essence and milieu of the novels but not simply digest the stories; elliptical and humorous approaches were favoured above worthy narrative retreads.

Powell recalls that competition was fierce: "It was a tough process choosing the winning proposal for each trailer, as a huge number of our students and recent graduates were excited by the project and keen to do it. It's a really interesting project for film-makers—showcasing a whole book in a mere 90 seconds to tantalise and enthral readers into buying the books."

Eventually the judges settled on three outstanding scripts, diverse enough to reach different audiences. Each director was given a budget of £5,000, plus a personal prize of £1,000, and full use of NFTS resources- including cameras, editing facilities and stage spaces.

Over Christmas and into the New Year, the writer/directors worked with teams of cinematographers, producers, designers, editors and sound engineers (for both The Outcast and The Monsters of Templeton the musical scores were specially composed and perfomed). Despite the modest budget, these were not small undertakings; for example, the clip for The Outcast was shot in a manor house with a 25-strong crew, followed by weeks of editing and post-production. The results are three pacey, glossily crafted trailers that look like slices of big-budget motion pictures.

"Video is such a powerful medium in the world of the web, and as publishers on limited budgets but with big ambitions we are always trying to find new and interesting ways to try and reach consumers," Bowron says. "We're going to learn something interesting about the books, the consumers, and what's possible."

Random has already used the films to build inhouse momentum, and they will form a major plank of the marketing campaigns for each of the books. For Play, the project fits its push into books from its established bases in music and film. "There's little doubt that a short film on site helps raise the profile of new titles, attracts a new audience and aids sales," Stoaling points out. Play is building a microsite to showcase the films.

Bowron believes that the trackability of people viewing the films, and the link-up with Play, are both crucial: "You can create wonderful content, but unless you encourage someone to buy, it can be a little bit fruitless. Of course people have made short films before, have used social networks before, but this combination is going to raise the profile of this in the industry and beyond. These are great films, and they are attached to great books."

Joel Rickett Random House Play.com Sadie Jones Book Video Awards Small World Matt Beaumont The Outcast Monsters of Templeton Lauren Goff

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