How do you win a marathon? You run really fast for 26.2 miles without stopping.

Like winning a marathon, writing is easy to describe, but hard to execute.

Writing a good book is a magical art that blends creating interesting characters, placing them in intriguing settings, and weaving an engaging plot with page-turning action and authentic dialogue. Easy, right? Not so much.

And if writing well wasn’t difficult enough, writing picture books puts additional limits on the author. These children’s books are shorter than adult books, so there’s much less time for story arc or character development. The author is further constrained by the audience’s age; most kids won’t understand adult vocabulary, scenarios or themes.

Think you’re ready to try your hand at this creative project?

Here are a few tips for how to write a children’s book:

• What exactly is a children’s picture book?
• Elements to include when you write a picture book
• The Ultimate Test of a well-written picture book

What exactly is a children’s picture book?

Picture books are typically, but not always, 32 pages. They are published in larger trim sizes (e.g. 8.5” x 11”) and can contain anywhere from zero to 1,000 words. Fiction picture book word counts under 500 are most common.

Picture books are anomalous in that they can be written at a reading level higher than the age of the intended audience. That’s because picture books, unlike easy readers through YA, are often read to a child by an adult.

That said, truly timeless picture books, like “Where the Wild Things Are” or “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” can be enjoyed by kids of any age.

As the name suggests, these books have pictures on every page. Illustrations help tell the story, describe the setting, set the mood, and convey information about the characters. They provide visual appeal to young readers, and help the author tell a story in fewer words.

Ironically, in traditional publishing, an artist illustrates a picture book after the manuscript is accepted by a publisher. So it’s common for a picture book author and illustrator to never meet or even speak with each other!

If you self-publish, however, you’ll have the ability to pick an illustrator who will work directly with you and execute your specific vision for the project. This is a great option for anyone, but even more so when it’s kids writing a book for other kids. They know what kind of books they like and what other kids their age will like. See Me And My Afro and BFF’s: Grace and Isabella for examples.

Elements to include when you write a picture book

While there’s no formulaic prescription for writing a picture book, certain crucial elements should be considered: plot type, genre, setting, theme, appealing main character, point of view and tense, word choice, love/friendship, re-readability, and satisfying ending.

Let’s dive into each one.

Plot type

Which picture book plot type is best for your story?

Often called a sausage story, a “series of events” is just that, a string of small episodes, as in “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. “Discovery” plot types begin with the character laboring under a misunderstanding. Eventually, they discover something and reverse their situation or outlook, as in “Green Eggs and Ham”.

“Wish fulfillment” plot types have a deserving main character wish for something and subsequently receive it, as in “Cinderella”. Contrast that with “purpose achieved” plots, where the main character has to struggle to attain a goal, as in Swimmy.

Genre

Choose your story’s type of fiction, such as fairy tale, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, humor, mystery, mythology, poetry or science fiction. In my own writing, I don’t pick the genre first. I devise story concepts, then see what genre fits best, but some writers prefer to plan their genre before outlining their story.

In some cases, the choice of setting (Alpha Centauri = science fiction) or main character (Abraham Lincoln = historical fiction) dictates the genre. And yes, you can write horror, but it should be mild and humorous — more like “There Was an Old Monster” than “The Call of Cthulhu”.

Setting

Picture books generally occur within a single setting. What is the best time and place for the story to occur — on a farm (“Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type”), in a medieval castle, aboard a pirate ship in the Caribbean, or on a spaceship orbiting Mars?

Theme

What positive message will the story convey?

Examples include: beauty is in the eye of the beholder (“Shrek”), do unto others (“How the Rhino Got His Skin”), look before you leap (Curious George), and so on.

Main character

Is the main character interesting or endearing enough that the readers care about what happens to him/her? Can readers easily imagine themselves within the story?

Main characters in picture books are usually the same age as the readers, typically either kids or animals.

Rarely are they adults or inanimate objects, but there are exceptions: “The Day the Crayons Quit” features crayon characters. Here are some suggestions for naming fictional characters.

Point of view and tense

Which point of view and tense are most effective for this story: first-person present tense, second-person future tense, third-person past tense? Once that choice is made, be consistent

Word choice

It’s far more powerful to show than to tell. Anton Chekhov said, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

The low word count of picture books requires the author to be scrupulous in their word selection. Don’t dilute the impact of your writing with weak words, and self-edit wisely.

Consider “the sun had nearly set” with “the sun kissed the horizon.” Characters should act, not get ready to act. Use strong, descriptive verbs. Contrast “Josh started to get up” with “Josh vaulted up.”

Love/friendship

Does the story feature love or friendship that resonates at an emotional level? Is there a strong bond between characters (“Frog and Toad”) or an enduring message (“The Little Engine That Could”)? Will readers laugh (“Flap Your Wings“) or have a catch in their throats (“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”)?

Love and friendship help form a bond between the reader and the story.

Satisfying ending

Is there an unexpected twist (“The Monster at the End of This Book”) or satisfying payoff (“I Want My Hat Back”) at the conclusion of the story?

A satisfying ending is the unexpected surprise that completes the child’s reading experience. It is the cherry on top of a good story.

The Ultimate Test of a Well-Written Picture Book

We’re making up a word here, but bear with us. The word is re-readability. Re-readability can’t be added to the recipe like any other ingredient. Rather, it is the result of considering all of the above elements.

Is the tapestry you’ve woven rich enough to warrant multiple readings? The ultimate proof that you’ve written an engaging and entertaining story is that kids read it over and over.

While at first glance it may not seem like it, a great deal of thought goes into the few words that comprise a picture book. Every single word counts. Shakespeare was right when he said, “brevity is the soul of wit.” And as far as we know, he never even wrote a picture book.

For another helpful angle on this topic, check out Self-Publishing School’s article on How to Write a Children’s Book.

Have you written or want to write a picture book? Comment below and let us know.

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Now, take off your reader hat and don your analytical writer hat to think about what makes that story so captivating. Which writing techniques did the author use to bring the story to life? Was it the wrenching appeal to your emotions, the vivid and brutal action scenes, or the high stakes facing a character? Mastering these and other storytelling methods is the key to writing your own engaging tale.

Just as a lion is the product of all the zebras it has eaten, a writer is the product of all the books he or she has read. Reading the works of skilled writers is a fabulous way to hone your craft and learn how to effectively employ the writing tactics that help you create your own captivating story.

Here are five great examples of writing techniques that bring the story to life for readers, as demonstrated by five accomplished writers.

1. Invoke multiple senses

With any experience, you pick up more than just its sights. By describing sounds, scents, tastes and sensations, you’ll immerse readers in your story’s world.

The following scene from Saladin Ahmed’s “Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the story by using senses other than sight.

Her voice is more beautiful than any woman’s. And there is the powerful smell of jasmine and clove. A nightingale sings perfumed words at me while my mind’s eye burns with horrors that would make the Almighty turn away.

If fear did not hold your tongue, you would ask what I am. Men have called my people by many names—ghoul, demon. Does a word matter so very much? What I am, learned one, is Abdel Jameela’s wife.

For long moments I don’t speak. If I don’t speak, this nightmare will end. I will wake in Baghdad, or Beit Zujaaj. But I don’t wake.

She speaks again, and I cover my ears, though the sound is beauty itself.

The words you hear come not from my mouth, and you do not hear them with your ears. I ask you to listen with your mind and your heart. We will die, my husband and I, if you will not lend us your skill. Have you, learned one, never needed to be something other that what you are?

Cinnamon scent and the sound of an oasis wind come to me.

2. Create intriguing, complex characters

Readers want characters with whom they can sympathize (Harry Potter) or revile (Tywin Lannister) — or both. They want to get to know the characters and learn more about their experiences in the story.

In the following excerpt from “The Children of the Shark God,” Peter S. Beagle introduces us to the protagonist quickly, but in a way that makes us care about what happens to her.

Mirali’s parents were already aging when she was born, and had long since given up the hope of ever having a child — indeed, her name meant “the long-desired one.” Her father had been crippled when the mast of his boat snapped during a storm and crushed his leg, falling on him, and if it had not been for their daughter the old couple’s lives would have been hard indeed. Mirali could not go out with the fishing fleet herself, of course — as she greatly wished to do, having loved the sea from her earliest memory — but she did every kind of work for any number of island families, whether cleaning houses, marketing, minding young children, or even assisting the midwife when a birthing was difficult or there were simply too many babies coming at the same time. She was equally known as a seamstress, and also as a cook for special feasts; nor was there anyone who could mend a pandanus-leaf thatching as quickly as she, though this is generally man’s work. No drop of rain ever penetrated any pandanus roof that came under Mirali’s hands.

Nor did she complain of her labors, for she was very proud of being able to care for her mother and father as a son would have done. Because of this, she was much admired and respected in the village, and young men came courting just as though she were a great beauty. Which she was not, being small and somewhat square-made, with straight brows — considered unlucky by most — and hips that gave no promise of a large family. But she had kind eyes, deep-set under those regrettable brows, and hair as black and thick as that of any woman on the island. Many, indeed, envied her; but of that Mirali knew nothing. She had no time for envy herself, nor for young men, either.

As authors, we must give readers insight into what makes our protagonists tick. What motivates them? What are their aspirations? In this passage, we learn that Mirali, while not conventionally beautiful, is a kind soul who works hard for her parents and is appreciated by her community. And the key? We quickly start to become invested in what happens to her.

3. Evoke strong emotions

In this scene from Frost Child by Gillian Philip, it takes the reader a moment to realize what the child witch is feeding her newly-tamed water horse — and that moment allows the strong emotion of horror to set in.

“He’s very beautiful,” I smiled. “Make sure he’s fully tame before you bring him near the dun.”

“Of course I will. Thank you, Griogair!” She bent her head to the kelpie again, crooning, and reached for her pouch, drawing out a small chunk of meat. The creature shifted its head to take it delicately from her hand, gulping it down before taking her second offering. She stroked it as she fed it, caressing its cheekbone, its neck, its gills.

I don’t know why the first shiver of cold certainty rippled across my skin; perhaps it was her contentment, the utter obliteration of her grief; perhaps it was the realisation that she and her little bow had graduated to bigger game. The chunks of flesh she fed it were torn from something far larger than a pigeon, and as the kelpie nickered, peeling back its upper lip to sniff for more treats, I saw tiny threads of woven fabric caught on its canine teeth.

By revealing a previously undetected detail that helps readers understand the implications, the author causes them to wince and recoil — and wonder what happens next. Of course, we have many emotion-evoking arrows in our writing quivers — humor, love, determination, anger, and so on. These strong emotions keep the reader engrossed in the story and curious about the characters’ futures.

4. Use rich character voice

The voice chosen by the author has a profound impact in how readers interpret the story and view the characters. In the following excerpt from “The Adventures of Lightning Merriemouse-Jones” by Nancy and Belle Holder, the voice and sentence length quickly convey the time period and lighter tone of this comic horror story.

To begin at the beginning:

That would be instructive, but rather dull; and so we will tell you, Gentle Reader, that the intrepid Miss Merriemouse-Jones was born in 1880, a wee pup to parents who had no idea that she was destined for greatness. Protective and loving, they encouraged her to find her happiness in the environs of home — running the squeaky wheel in the nursery cage, gnawing upon whatever might sharpen her pearlescent teeth, and wrinkling her tiny pink nose most adorably when vexed.

During her girlhood, Lightning was seldom vexed. She lived agreeably in her parents’ well-appointed and fashionable abode, a hole in the wall located in the chamber of the human daughter of the house, one Maria Louisa Summerfield, whose mother was a tempestuous Spanish painter of some repute, and whose father owned a bank.

The longer sentences, combined with the choice of words like “environs,” “pearlescent,” “vexed,” “abode,” and “repute,” place the reader in a Victorian setting even without the reference to 1880. The narrator’s voice also clearly sets a tone of felicity and humor.

Just as the narrator has a distinct voice, characters should have their own unique voices to help readers distinguish one from another and to convey aspects of their personalities.V oice is a terrific tool to help readers get to know and appreciate your characters.

5. Pull the reader into the action

Of course, interesting characters and engaging dialog are important, but writing gripping action scenes is a skill all its own. Jim Butcher has mastered this skill, as shown in this excerpt from “Even Hand”:

The fomor’s creatures exploded into the hallway on a storm of frenzied roars. I couldn’t make out many details. They seemed to have been put together on the chassis of a gorilla. Their heads were squashed, ugly-looking things, with wide-gaping mouths full of shark-like teeth. The sounds they made were deep, with a frenzied edge of madness, and they piled into the corridor in a wave of massive muscle.

“Steady,” I murmured.

The creatures lurched as they moved, like cheap toys that had not been assembled properly, but they were fast, for all of that. More and more of them flooded into the hallway, and their charge was gaining mass and momentum.

“Steady,” I murmured.

Hendricks grunted. There were no words in it, but he meant, I know.

The wave of fomorian beings got close enough that I could see the patches of mold clumping their fur, and tendrils of mildew growing upon their exposed skin.

“Fire,” I said.

Hendricks and I opened up.

The new military AA-12 automatic shotguns are not the hunting weapons I first handled in my patriotically delusional youth. They are fully automatic weapons with large circular drums that rather resembled the old Tommy guns made iconic by my business predecessors in Chicago.

One pulls the trigger and shell after shell slams through the weapon. A steel target hit by bursts from an AA-12 very rapidly comes to resemble a screen door.

And we had two of them.

The slaughter was indescribable. It swept like a great broom down that hallway, tearing and shredding flesh, splattering blood on the walls and painting them most of the way to the ceiling. Behind me, Gard stood ready with a heavy-caliber big-game rifle, calmly gunning down any creature that seemed to be reluctant to die before it could reach our defensive point. We piled the bodies so deep that the corpses formed a barrier to our weapons.

A well-written action scene thrusts the reader smack into the middle of the story. It’s another way to evoke emotion and empathy for characters.

Though the protagonist in this story is actually a crime lord — not a character many of us would normally root for — you’re on his side, aren’t you? The writer’s skillful action writing technique has you imagining yourself behind the defensive barrier, wielding a shotgun, and praying the torrent of lead will prevent the demonic onslaught from reaching you.

Readers want to be taken on a journey to another place and time, with characters they care about and whose company they enjoy. Help your readers feel like they have a stake in your story’s outcome by using these writing techniques to bring your characters and settings to life.

As a writer, which books or authors do you read specifically to learn from their techniques and writing skills?

It’s not necessarily an easy choice for authors to make.

To help you decide which path is right for you and your book, I created a “choose-your-own-adventure” questionnaire that breaks down the crucial elements of each option. The Write Life turned it into this infographic:

Looking for a more detailed explanation of each point? Here’s the full questionnaire.

1. Do you hope to become a millionaire from your writing?

If so, consider that for every J. K. Rowling, there are a million Henry Herzs. Who’s Henry Herz? Exactly. Go to 10.

If not, very good. You have realistic expectations. Go to 2.

2. Are you willing to work hard? Very hard?

If not, you’ll need to change your attitude. Honing one’s writing craft and becoming traditionally published take a Sisyphusean work ethic. Go to 10.

If so, very good. You have realistic expectations. Go to 3.

3. Why do you want to be published?

If you’re seeking the sense of accomplishment and bragging rights that accompany traditional publishing, good for you. Go to 4.

If you’re seeking personal growth, career development, speaking opportunities or want to see your writing in a physical book, good for you. Go to 8.

4. Have you built a community of people who want to buy your book?

Before you publish your book, make sure there’s a market for it and start building your author platform. Is selling 10,000 or more copies a realistic prospect? If so, fantastic. Go to 5.

If not, you should recognize that publishing is a business. Publishers won’t accept a project if they can’t reasonably expect to make a profit. Go to 10.

5. Is your skin too thin to withstand a hail of criticism and a deluge of rejections?

Does your critique group consist of your mom and your spouse because you only want to hear that your manuscript is fabulous? If so, go to 10.

If not, you appreciate that it is precisely the tough love offered by critique groups, beta readers, agents and editors that strengthens a manuscript and sharpens yourwriting. Go to 6.

6. Are you in a hurry to see your book traditionally published?

By “hurry”, I mean less than 18 to 24 months — a common timeline for publication. If so, you may not be aware of all the steps performed by traditional publishers in preparing, printing, and promoting a book. Go to 10.

If not, you have enough patience to be traditionally published. Go to 7.

7. Are you willing to follow publishing industry standards and the guidance of a professional editor?

If not, you must recognize editors have standards because they know from experience what works and what doesn’t. Your 3″ by 3″ 200-page dystopian picture book concept may be unique, but it probably won’t sell. Go to 10.

If so, you trust editors’ professionalism. Congratulations — you’re ready to pursue traditional publication! Go to 11.

8. Do you have the time and skills to publish, promote your book, fulfill orders and run a business?

Or do you have the money to pay others to do so? If not, perhaps you didn’t realize that the indie publishing path means you must have both writing and publishing skills. In addition to your role as an author, you must be an illustrator, an editor, an art director, a salesperson and a businessperson. Go to 10.

If so, impressive! Go to 9.

9. Are you well-organized?

Do you use calendars, spreadsheets, to-do lists and other tools to plan and keep track of your tasks, expenditures, sales and revenue?

If not, please recognize that running a business by using a shoebox to file your receipts is a recipe for disaster. Go to 10.

If so, you understand the benefits of being organized. Congratulations — you’re ready to indie publish! Go to 11.

10. You’re not ready — yet

If you’ve landed here, it means you’ve realized that you’re not yet ready for publication.

Don’t despair — while you may not be ready now, you may simply need to make a small tweak. Maybe that means saving up money to pay an illustrator, learning new skills or adopting more realistic expectations.

11. Indie versus traditional publishing

Let’s wrap up with a quick comparison of the benefits of each path.

The benefits of indie publishing include:

• Publication is guaranteed: You know you’ll be published, since you’re the one making it happen.
• Move at your own pace: Publish as quickly or as slowly as you’d like.
• Full transparency and control: You make all decisions about creating, publishing and promoting your book, so you know what’s going on with every aspect of your project.
• Set your own standards: You decide what your book will look like.

The benefits of traditional publishing include:

• The publisher pays expenses: Someone else picks up all the costs.
• Your team brings expertise: Your editor and agent know their jobs well and make your book as strong as possible.
• You’re only responsible for writing: The publisher doesn’t expect you to be a copy editor, art director or marketing guru.
• Wider potential audience: The resources and connections of a traditional publisher often lead to wider exposure.

The lesson? Your publishing decision should not be taken lightly.

While self-publishing gives you all the control and all the profits, it also means you’re responsible for all the expenses and all the work.

If you’ve published a book, how did you decide between self-publishing and traditional publishing? If you haven’t published yet, what are you considering?

While authors have long been able to post illustrated books through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, the books were simply text and images. However, you can now add a little interactivity to your book in the form of pop-up text, thanks to the Kindle Kids’ Book Creator (KKBC), the newest addition to Amazon’s arsenal of publishing tools.

While you can publish an illustrated book on Kindle without using KKBC*, the new program offers two cool opportunities to make your book more fun and accessible for young readers.

Here’s a quick illustrated guide to the new features.

Getting started with KKBC

Once you download KKBC for free from Amazon, your first task is to set up the book. Enter the title, author, destination folder on your computer (which must be empty), page orientation and other details.

Next, import your book cover as a PDF, JPG, TIF or PNG, followed by your page images. This can be done en masse using a multiple-page PDF — which I recommend, as it’s easier — or as individual images.

If you opt to upload individual images, the files must be at least 400 by 400 pixels. To keep them in the correct order, make sure you’ve numbered your image file names, because KKBC adds them alphabetically. In the example below, I have added a single interior page image using the Add Page button.

Using pop-up text to improve legibility

Suppose I feel that the ornate font at the top of this image might be illegible for young readers. I click on the Add Pop-Up button, and a rectangular text box appears on the image. I can type in whatever text I choose, then resize and reposition the box and control its font, size and color.

Add your story’s text

The Add Text feature will, not surprisingly, insert text anywhere you’d like on the page. This might be where you add the text of your story to the correct area of each page.

When a reader double-taps this text on his Kindle, he’ll trigger a pop-up, which is useful — while older readers might be able to decipher text within an illustration, younger ones might need larger text or a white background. Note that any “tappable” zones you create cannot overlap.

Use pop-up text in creative ways

You can use the Add Pop-Up feature anywhere on the page, not just on text. Perhaps you want to make regions of the image clickable to teach vocabulary to young readers, or to hide plot clues. The sky’s the limit!

For example, I can highlight the staff in this image so that when a reader double-taps it, they see a pop-up with the words “This is my staff.”

Test your pop-ups in the Kindle Previewer

When you’re done adding pop-ups, save the file. Click on View Preview to launch the separate Kindle Previewer application, which emulates how your book will appear on different Kindle devices.

Here’s how my book would look on a Kindle Fire HD. Note the “Hi. I’m Nimpentoad” text we added with the Add Text button.

Double-tapping on the ornate text at the top triggers a more legible pop-up.

Double-tapping on the “Hi. I’m Nimpentoad” text triggers a pop-up that’s easier to read. Note the wrapping text, which highlights the importance of testing your book on all devices in the Previewer to ensure it displays properly. In this case, I’d have to go back in and edit the font size for a better fit.

Finally, if the reader double-taps the staff, they would trigger the associated pop-up.

Adding pop-up text helps you improve your reader’s experience of your book, and adds some interesting interactivity. Enjoy playing with Kindle Kids’ Book Creator!

*Want to publish illustrated books on Kindle without using this program? Simply save your Microsoft Word document as HTML, then run it through the free KindleGen application to create a .mobi format file. Don’t want to deal with conversion? Simply upload your Word or HTML files to Kindle and the platform will take care of the rest — though you’ll want to check the formatting.

Have you used Kindle Kids’ Book Creator yet? What do you think of the idea?

Looking for a quick introduction to publishing picture books on Kindle? Check out this free mini e-course from Children’s Book Insider.

But not many people know how to make a book trailer. While it’s difficult to create animation from scratch, it can actually be quite simple to create a simple book trailer by yourself. And there are a number of free and easy-to-use applications that will help you do just that.

To start, you’ll want some photos for your trailer; typically, these would be of you, your book cover, and your interior art. You don’t need high-res photos; 72 dpi is fine (640 px wide by 480 px high).

If you’re a Windows user, you can download Photo Story or Movie Maker from Microsoft. Mac computers come pre-loaded with iMovie software. If you have PowerPoint, you can add soundtracks, slide animations and slide transitions to presentations, and then export to video. All of these options produce a video file that must be hosted somewhere (eg. your website or YouTube).

Several newer apps combine trailer creation and hosting, including Animoto, Prezi, and PhotoShow. Let’s take a look at how they work.

Animoto

The Lite version of Animoto is free and enables you to create 30-second animated trailers. (Ed. note: Reader Susan let us know the free version of Animoto is no longer available, and pricing starts at $8 per month. However, Animoto does offer a free trial period.)

 Step 1. Select the animation style and soundtrack that best matches your book.

 Step 2. Outline the slides you’ll use in your animation. Each slide can either have text or an image. However, if you know how to use PhotoShop or another image editor, you can get the best of both worlds by adding text to your image files. If you’re technically savvy, you can substitute your own soundtrack too.

Step 3. Animoto assigns a length of time to each slide. When your total runtime reaches 30 seconds, you won’t be able to add any more slides. You can edit the slide contents and rearrange the slide order. Click the “Preview Video” button to see your trailer!

Step 4. Once you’re happy with your video, click the “Produce” button. Voila!

If you want to add to your trailer, you can also pay for additional options like a longer video, more animation choices and more customization of your animation. Here’s the trailer I made with Animoto.

Prezi

The Public version of Prezi is free. It enables you to create trailer-like presentations with richly animated slide transitions that your audience must click through manually.

Step 1. Sign up on Prezi.com. It will encourage you to download the desktop application, but you can also create your trailer completely online.

Step 2. Click on “New Prezi” and choose a template. Prezi is similar to PowerPoint and offers some snazzy animated slide transitions.

Step 3. Build your trailer “slides” one at a time by adding text and other content. Use the Insert button at the top center of the screen to add images, video and background music.

Step 4. To preview the trailer, click the blue “Present” button in the upper left of the screen. Hit “Escape” to leave presentation viewing. Click on the “Edit Path” button in the upper left to reorder or delete individual slides.

Step 5. Once you’re happy with the trailer, click the “Share” button in the upper right corner and select “Share Prezi”.

Prezi will reserve you a web address, and when you go to that address, click the “Embed” button. Click the radio button labelled “Constrain to simple back and forward steps” and you will see HTML. Copy and paste that HTML into your web page wherever you want to embed your trailer.

Here is my modest Twignibble trailer made with Prezi.

PhotoShow

The Free version of PhotoShow is easy to use and the features are pretty nice. Unfortunately, the trailers only persist for 30 days.

Step 1. Click “Make a PhotoShow.”

Step 2. Click “Add Photos” to import images to your trailer.

Step 3. Click “Personalize” to enter the trailer title and author. Then use the different tabs to select a style, insert captions, text bubbles and other features.

Step 4. The “Music & Photos” tab lets you reorder or delete images and control the audio. Click Done when you’re ready to see your video.

Step 5. Click on “Post to your web page or blog”. Copy and paste the HTML into your website to embed your trailer.

Since I don’t have a PhotoShow subscription, my trailer for How the Rhino Got His Skin is no longer publicly visible. However, if you enjoy using PhotoShow, an annual subscription for additional features and ongoing public access to trailers is only $39.

Having a book trailer can be a fun way to share your work with your audience. However, remember that it’s just one small part of your larger campaign to build an online platform for your book. Good luck!

Have you created an animated trailer for any of your work?