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Making animated book trailers - a quick how-to

I've been experimenting with making book ads and trailers. In this blog post, I'll explain how I did it with links to the resources.

What you need:
  • A PC and internet connection
  • A Google or Gmail account
  • Basic PowerPoint skills
  • Your book covers
  • A collection of images to use - royalty free from Deposit Photos or Pixabay
The first book ad I made was a collection of still teasers that I made into animated gifs for the October KU romance author share team. If you want to join us for the November KU romance reads share team, sign up here. It's just $5 .


If you have Windows 10 and a complete Office package, then just go to Photos and click on "make a slideshow". If you don't have that, you can use free online services.

To get started, you need a Google account. If you have one it's a matter of clicking through and if you don't, it's an extra step.

Start by going to Derek Murphy's premade book promo slides. Make a copy of Derek's slides, saving them into your Google Slides.

Then create your own teasers by changing the book covers, background images (right click with your mouse and select Change Image) and replace his text with your own.

When you have something you like, you can select Save As and download the image. I took a screen capture instead which gives a crisper appearance. I use HyperSnap, a programme from wayyyyyy back.

When you have all your teasers, go to EasyGif.com.  Upload all the teasers and then fiddle about with how fast you want them to flash to the next frame.

Tip: start by making the programme adjust them all to be the same size. This stops any hassle from tiny frame differences. After that, move everything around into an order you like, adjust all the transitions (easy menu clicks) and then run the programme to see results.

When you like what you see, download the file onto your PC and you're done!

I hope this helps. Sometime in the next week or so, I'll explain how I made this teaser with music.



The Bonus is a self-standing novel, and the first in the Zeta Cartel series. Chloe is a seasoned drug courier who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zeta cartel, Mexico’s most brutal organised crime syndicate, she persuades their enforcer to claim her.

Ex marine and dark ops expert Kyle Suarez is chief enforcer for the Zeta cartel. Ruthlessly efficient, he is feared by his enemies. When he claims Chloe, he simply expects to enjoy a well-deserved and disposable bonus. Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?

Read THE BONUS for FREE

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