In an inspiring do-it-yourself promotion, novelist Kelly Corrigan crafted that book trailer out of a simple video from a public reading. The author added music, photos from a support group, and crowd shots, her simple video was viewed 4.5 million times.

In a Washington Post profile, Corrigan explained her long journey to support her memoir, "The Middle Place," during a publishing recession. She confessed to hand-selling 2,000-3,000 copies of her book, going cross-country in a DIY campaign. The article reports that the book has sold an estimated 80,000 paperback copies in hardcover and 260,000 paperback copies.

Here's more from the article: "She cobbled together a trailer for her book on her home computer, using iMovie software, downloading a free tune off the Web for background music, and stuck it on her Web site. Her agent helped get her on one network television morning show. About 20 friends hosted book parties, which she hit on a self-funded three-week blitz, selling books out of the trunk of her car. A guy shot video of her reading an essay at one of these parties, and she posted it on YouTube when the paperback came out."

(GalleyCat readers were first introduced to Corrigan's video back in January, when we raised the possibility that the publishing industry had finally found proof that the right video really can inspire readers to buy a book.)