Book Trailer Reveal: Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space by Johnathan Ashey

The book trailer. It’s a weird invention. When publishers started to create them, the librarians, booksellers, and educators sat back and tried to figure out their ultimate purpose. It’s been a little more than a decade since their emergence and I don’t think we’re any closer to determining their final purpose. I’m working on a theory right now that the longer a trailer exists, the better its chances of continually guaranteeing a book stays in print. Consider some of the most popular book trailers out there. I think It’s a Book with its 702K views is up there, and since it’s still garnering comments, perhaps the ultimate secret to longevity in publishing (at least in some cases) is clever book trailer creation.

All this is to say that I’m going to premiere a new one today. Yup.

Now today’s trailer has a vibe that’s very interesting. While I know the story is set in 1949, the trailer gives it a kind of 70s Scooby-Doo feel that, as a 40-year-old, I’m really enjoying. Meet Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space. It’s a middle grade novel from author and Brooklynite John Ashley coming out from Simon & Schuster December 4th.

Here’s the plot description:

Brooklyn, Earth. 1949.

Lily Lupino is going to be an astronaut when she grows up. For now, she’ll have to settle for listening to science fiction programs on the radio. But when certified Spacetronaut Kosmo Kidd crash lands his wind-up rocket ship in Lily’s kitchen, it’s a chance Lily can’t pass up!

Mistaking Lily for a boy, Kosmo agrees to take her back to his floating treehouse in the stars, but it doesn’t take long for the other Spacetronauts to figure out that Lily is a girl. Kosmo has accidentally broken Spacetronaut Rule #1: NO WIMMEN ALOWD!

Banished to the far reaches of Outer Outer Space, Lily and Kosmo explore exotic alien worlds, meet a menagerie of colorful creatures, and tangle with the vilest villain in space, The Mean-Man of Morgo. But Lily’s greatest challenge is proving to her new Spacetronaut peers that a girl from Brooklyn can hold her own among the galaxy’s unruliest rascals.

But here’s the trick with today’s reveal. You don’t just get one video. Oh no, my sweet cherie, you get four! Why four? Well, let’s start with the goods. Here is the official trailer:

But as it just so happens, Lily & Kosmo was originally produced as a stage play. So Jonathan created a few live-action videos for kicks. Enjoy!

Many thanks to the folks at S&S for the reveal.

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