How much does a book trailer cost?
A book trailer is a short advertisement, usually thirty to ninety seconds, and its price is driven by whether it is stock footage, animation or original photography. The harder question is value: one trailer gives you one clip, while a performed edition gives you hours of footage to cut from for years.
Work it out yourself, free
The Workshop →Free: the Trailer Cutter, the Audiogram Forge and the Cover Motion Test, all in your own browser.
What you are paying for
Concept and script: the hardest thirty seconds in publishing, because a whole book must become one promise.
Footage: stock licensing is cheapest, motion graphics sit in the middle, original shooting is dearest by a wide margin.
Voice and score: a narrator, a licensed track, and a mix. A licensed, cut and mixed score is a flat $1,500 here.
Versions: vertical, square and wide cuts, each captioned, because one aspect ratio will not serve every platform.
The arithmetic that changes the decision
A film book of 90,000 words is $10,800 and runs about 9h 41m of finished picture.
Every chapter of that edition can be cut into shorter pieces — dozens, then hundreds — so the cost per usable clip falls with each cut you make.
A trailer expires the moment the launch does. A performed edition is an asset that keeps earning attention.
If you only want the trailer
The Workshop's Trailer Cutter is free: shape a cut from your own material and see the pacing before you pay anyone.
Ask any vendor three things: who writes the script, whether the music is licensed for commercial use, and how many aspect ratios you receive.
Asked and answered
- How long should a book trailer be?
- Thirty to sixty seconds for social, ninety at the very most for a retail page. Shorter cuts almost always outperform longer ones.
- Do book trailers sell books?
- They earn attention; no honest house promises sales. This house sells effort and reach, never rankings or results.
- Is a film book cheaper than a trailer?
- No — a film book is a full production at 12% of your word count. It is cheaper per usable clip, because it yields hours of footage rather than one.
- Can I make a trailer myself?
- Yes. The Workshop's Trailer Cutter is free and client-side; nothing you load there is stored.
Also asked
Every answer in the hall
- How much does it cost to make an audiobook?
- What is a film book?
- How long is an audiobook by word count?
- Book trailers: how do you make one, what does it cost, and how is it different from a film book?
- How many voices does an audiobook need?
- How do you turn a book into a video?
- Can I narrate my own audiobook?
- How long does it take to make an audiobook?
- How do you make an audiobook?
- Should I use ACX or a professional audiobook producer?
- How much does a film book cost?
- How do I get my audiobook on Audible and Spotify?
- What does audiobook production for indie authors involve?
- How much does an audiobook narrator cost?
- How do I record an audiobook?
- How do I publish an audiobook?
- What do book marketing services actually do?
- How do I self-publish a book?
- How many words are in a novel?
- How do I copyright a book?
- What is BookTok?
- How much do authors make per book?
- How long does it take to write a book?
- How do I find the best narrator for my audiobook?
- How do I get reviews for my book?
- What should be on my book launch checklist?
- How do I write a book blurb?
- Will AI replace authors?
- Is AI narration good enough for my audiobook?
- Do I have to disclose that I used AI?
- Can I copyright a book written with AI?
- Is AI voice cloning safe for authors?
- How do I market my book?
- What is an author platform and how do I build one?
- How do I grow an email list as an author?
- How do I use video to sell my book?
- How do I promote my book with no money?
- How much does it cost to publish a book?
- How do I get an ISBN?
- How do I write a query letter?
- How many chapters should a book have?
- KDP or IngramSpark — which should I use?
- Do I need an ebook formatting service?
- How much does a book cover cost?
- How should I price my book?
- How many pages is 1,000 words?
- How much does book editing cost?
- Traditional publishing vs self-publishing — which is better?
- How do I find a literary agent?
- How do audiobook royalties work?
- How do Amazon ads work for authors?
- What is a video book?
- How do I make a video book?
- What should an author website include?
- What do audiobook narration services actually include?
- How much does an audiobook cost per finished hour?
- How do I turn my book into a movie?
- How do I choose an audiobook production company?
- Should I make an audiobook or a video book?
- How long does it take to make a video book?
- How do I make a video of my children's book?
- How do I turn my book into social media content?
- Can I turn my novel into a video game?
- How much does a book-to-game adaptation cost?
Strength and Solidarity LLC — 65 answers kept in this hall
