Ladies,

I apologize for all the shameless self-promotion of late, but there are just some things I have to toot my own horn over and here it is today:

The Book Trailer.

This is like a movie trailer, but for a book. It’s all the rage in the publishing world (or so my online publicist tells me). Because I am an old TV promo producer (think movie trailer, but for news stories… In a world before there was swine flu…) I decided to give it a shot.

I assembled a dream team including designer and animator Pat Cilia and the White Ghost Shivers. WATCH ALL THREE TRAILERS HERE. And please, do yourself a favor and give them a few seconds to load.

To give you a better understanding of what a promo producer does, read the following excerpt from The Package Deal: My (not-so) Glamorous Transition from Single Gal to Instant Mom (Random House, May 09)

Hank and I are TV producers. We’ve both spent the majority of our careers working in news promotion, writing and editing those captivating on-air spots that tease and yes, sometimes exaggerate the top stories of the evening news. Instilling fear is a popular tactic. (Tonight, a shocking discovery: We’ll reveal how your loved ones could die suddenly from a seemingly harmless household product.) It’s very sexy and important work.

I admit. Condensing a top story into one neat little package (fifteen skimpy seconds) infuriates many, but it titillates me. From a creative standpoint, what’s not to love? Dramatic music (think driving violins), emotional pictures (slowed down for heart-breaking effect) and a dynamic voice track (think Darth Vader on steroids) make for good television and an entertaining day’s work. In my opinion, the best promo producers are most passionate and energized by the art (good journalism is just part of the job). A successful promo will connect with viewers on a base emotional level in the first five seconds of a spot. We call this “the hook.” And once we’ve got you; it’s hard to look away.

Which leads me to how Hank “hooked” me in the first place.  When I first met Hank, I immediately noticed three things: 1) The man had the sense  to completely shave his head once he started to go bald, 2)He was confidant enough —or lacking vanity enough–  to wear Cliff Huxtable inspired sweaters that his mother (I pray) must have sent him; and 3) He said exactly what was on his mind—the good and the bad.

I was intrigued.

Excerpted from The Package Deal, to be published by Three Rivers Press,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.