Sunday, November 4, 2012

TWO DAYS ... [contest alert!!!]


Two days till
DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT!! 

(preorder here or here or here)



Hi folks! This is something I've been plotting for a while, and I hope it will intrigue some of you and inspire your creativity! As I mentioned a few days ago, one of the best best things about the past year with Daughter of Smoke & Bone has been the way readers have made it their own and put their own spin on it -- through fan art, tattoos, recipes, Halloween costumes, theme parties, photographs, a rap, even an exercise video! 

I want to encourage that, and reward it,
so in honor of the release of Days of Blood & Starlight, I am sponsoring

A BOOK TRAILER CONTEST!




I am really really excited about this!

.

.

.

the basics:


The Deadline is May 1, 2013
so you have some time for maximum awesome.

.

The Grand Prize is $1000.00
so you have some motivation for maximum awesome.

.

A Humor Prize of $250
will be awarded to the funniest entry.



Some preliminary questions and answers:

What's a book trailer?
A book trailer is like a movie trailer, but for a book. Of course, since movie trailers use actual footage from the film, and books do not have footage, you have to create the visual content yourself, using material that you are legally entitled to.** You can see some examples of book trailers (at the end of this post; there are more HERE) that my publishers did for Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Don't use them as models, just examples. Do something different. There are a lot of book trailers to be found on youtube for more examples, but don't be afraid to do something you don't see out there anywhere. Originality is good.

How do I make a book trailer?
I do not know. I am not at all knowledgable about digital media. I'm looking to you for that.

What kind of a book trailer are you looking for?
I don't know this either. A gorgeous one. One that makes people want to read the book. Even better: makes people need to read it. I have no preconceived wants or wishes, no parameters beyond that. Well, one. I don't want it to be cheesy. A lot of book trailers are cheesy. 

Which book? 
The trailer can be specific to Days of Blood & Starlight, or it can encompass both books under the title Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, but I would like it to recognizably include Days of Blood & Starlight. Cover art would ideally be shown somewhere in the trailer, as this is advertising for a product.

What about the humor prize?
Some people's creative strength lies in humor more than visual dynamics and technical skills, so don't feel you can't enter just because you're not a filmmaker or artist. I will say that I'm not going to be looking for silliness in the Grand Prize winner (probably; I may well be surprised), so think about which you're shooting for. (You will not have to specify when you enter.) For the humor prize winner, cheesiness is A-okay.

How many videos can I enter?
Two, in case you want to take a crack at a serious one and a funny one. But no more than two.

How do I enter?
I will figure out the logistics some time before the contest deadline (Feb 15, 2013). Stay tuned. 

Who will judge the entries?
I (Laini) will choose the winners.

I've already done one; it's on youtube. Can I submit that?
Yes.

Who can enter?
Anyone, no restrictions. The contest is open worldwide. Group efforts welcome too.

Any hints?
Consider various styles and techniques. Be creative. And again I caution: Beware of cheesy.

Anything else?
Contest entry implies permission for me to use trailers for book promotion purposes, winners and non-winners alike. Full credit will be given to the creators. More later.



MORE QUESTIONS?
Ask me in comments.


I'm so excited!
I hope you are too!


Here are the publisher trailers; note how totally different they are from each other:

from UK publisher Hodder & Stoughton:





From US publisher Little Brown Books for Young Readers:




I think those are both totally gorgeous. I can't wait to see what you guys will come up with!

**You can't swipe copyright-protected images from artists or photographers off the internet. Or songs either. I will likely have entrants sign a pledge that they haven't infringed on any copyrighted material. Any entries using obviously swiped copyrighted material will be disqualified. 




15 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! Andrew and I are ALL over this idea. Digging out my blue wig from last year this afternoon! ( :

Ana'Molina. said...

Laini,minors can participate?
This is a great idea!

Laini Taylor said...

AnaCryz, YES! Absolutely!

Ana'Molina. said...

That's great! Thank you! I'll get to work to make it beautiful the book trailer! but can be done with the help of more people?
By the way, I love you Laini <3 (:

Laini Taylor said...

AnaCryz, thank you! :-) And yes, group effort is welcome. Can't wait to see what you do!

Ana'Molina. said...

Thank you! too I insist this is great! And I can not wait to get my hands to work, along with my friends! I will put all my effort!
When you read the new book, I'll start with the book trailer!

Emy Shin said...

This is such a fabulous contest. I'd totally enter if I had the faintest idea how to make a book trailer. :)

Lynn K. said...

Hi Laini, is this open internationally?

P.S. My copy of DoB&S was shipped two days ago! Can't wait for it to arrive...in about 2 weeks. Dx

Laini Taylor said...

Lynn, YES, it is worldwide :-)

Disabella said...

Really excited! :D

Cindy said...

Hi Laini!
My talents don't lie in video making, but I do like drawing quite a bit. Any way you can host a drawing contest someday? It doesn't need to be elaborate, but I'd love to make some art for the trilogy. :)

Cindy

Chyna said...

So...where do we submit our videos to you if we want them private? for now :)

Lisa said...

Hi Lani :) When we're talking about footage does fair use apply?
Super Excited!

Anonymous said...

Dear Laini, I was wondering if the contest is still on ? If yes, how do we enter ? Thanks in advance and Happy new Year ! Sylvie

Unknown said...

This is so exciting! I see this contest ended in May, do we get to see the winner and maybe some of the other entries?

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