This study examines how book trailers in the Korean publishing market have evolved since 2010 under the conditions of digital transition, the expansion of video platforms, and changes in reading and viewing practices. Focusing on genre-specific differ...
This study examines how book trailers in the Korean publishing market have evolved since 2010 under the conditions of digital transition, the expansion of video platforms, and changes in reading and viewing practices. Focusing on genre-specific differences, the study analyzes how the formal characteristics and typological structures of book trailers have shifted over time in the literature and non-fiction domains, and offers baseline evidence for planning and operating book-trailer strategies in the publishing and media industries.
The dataset consists of 575 book trailers (213 literature titles and 362 non-fiction titles) identified from books listed in Kyobo Book Centre’s annual Top 200 overall bestseller rankings between 2010 and 2023. To provide a historically grounded interpretation, the study divides the period into three phases: the introductory phase (2010–2014), the settlement-and-expansion phase (2015–2019), and the advanced-and-transition phase (2020–2023). Using a time-series comparative approach, the analysis investigates (1) production characteristics (especially video length/format and compositional mode), (2) expressive/visual types (e.g., still-image use, interview, on-screen text, story development, animation), and (3) narrative/content types (message-, conflict-, and character-oriented structures).
The findings indicate that book trailers have become institutionalized as a distinct form of publishing video content, evolving in response to platform environments and marketing practices. First, video-length strategies were restructured over time, and the trajectories diverged by genre. While shorter formats predominated in the early 2010s, literature trailers increasingly shifted toward mid-length formats that accommodate interpretation, affective engagement, and paratextual experiences such as readings or talks. In contrast, non-fiction trailers expanded toward longer formats aligned with explanation, examples, and visual evidence, often converging with lecture- or commentary-style content. Second, expressive forms tended to converge toward a single dominant mode over time, with interview-based compositions becoming a standardized format across both genres, more strongly so in non-fiction. Third, at the level of narrative/content structure, message-centered framing remained a stable backbone across the entire period, whereas conflict- and character-centered development appeared only limitedly, with modest supplementary use more visible in literature than in non-fiction.
Overall, book trailers emerged as experimental digital promotional formats during the introductory phase, became routine promotional devices amid intensified competition among online bookstores and the normalization of platform viewing in the settlement-and-expansion phase, and further developed into multi-purpose media artifacts spanning marketing, author branding, and platform communication in the advanced-and-transition phase, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study suggests that future book-trailer strategies should be designed with genre-specific objectives and platform logics in mind, integrating differentiated length/format decisions with modular expressive elements while maintaining clear message articulation. These results provide practical implications for publishers, online bookstores, and media companies seeking to develop sustainable, genre-sensitive book-trailer planning and distribution strategies.