In just under three minutes, Jen Lancaster gets to the core message of Such a Pretty Fat, about how, after her doctor’s diagnosis, “I found myself actually having to go about losing weight, and I kinda didn’t want to.” Lancaster’s quick tour through the premise of her third memoir features just the right blend of talking and action, with cameo appearances by her personal trainer, Barbie, and her long-suffering husband, Fletch. If you’re trying to figure out how to boil down your personal narrative to a brief promotional message, this TurnHere video is a pretty solid guideline.
Can the same approach work with a novel? In another TurnHere production, Marc Acito makes a strong case for it, rollerblading through Central Park as he explains the central premise of his new book, Attack of the Theater People, with frequent cutaways to fellow musical theater geeks. You ever see The Rutles, with Eric Idle chasing after the camera to deliver his narration? It’s sorta like that, only less goofy and more sincere… and, of course, with a lot of jazz hands. Again, the key lies in just the right proportion of “talking about the book” to “stuff happening.” (Now, if you don’t love showtunes like I love showtunes, you might think there’s too much stuff happening, but I suppose that’s a matter of taste.)