How do I use video to sell my book?
Short vertical video sells books when it performs the book rather than advertises it. Fifteen to forty-five seconds of a scene read aloud over motion, ending somewhere you own, outperforms any cover reveal or announcement — and one strong scene can be recut a dozen ways.
Work it out yourself, free
The Trailer Cutter →Free: cut a book trailer from your own scene — timing, captions and end card included.
What works
A scene performed. Tension in the first two seconds, one voice, one image moving slowly, text on screen for the silent scrollers.
A single line of your blurb, held on screen while the line is spoken. Cheap to make, endlessly recuttable.
The book as an object in motion — a cover breathing, pages turning, a sigil catching light. Quiet, but it stops a thumb.
What does not
Talking to camera about how excited you are. Slideshows of quotes on stock backgrounds. Anything that opens with your name and the words “I'm thrilled to announce”.
Length, format, placement
Vertical, 9:16, captioned always — most viewing is silent. Fifteen to forty-five seconds for feeds; sixty to ninety for a pinned trailer on your own page.
Post the same scene as three different cuts across a fortnight rather than three different scenes once each. Repetition is how a line becomes recognisable.
Making it without a crew
The Workshop cuts these free: the Trailer Cutter for the trailer itself, the Audiogram Forge for spoken scenes, the Cover Motion test for the object in motion, and the Pin Hall for vertical plates.
If you would rather not cut anything yourself, this house builds the whole book as film — but every instrument above stays free whether you ever buy anything or not.
Asked and answered
- Do I need to be on camera?
- No. Some of the most effective author video never shows a face — voice over motion is enough, and it scales.
- How often should I post?
- Two or three times a week during a launch window, once or twice weekly otherwise. Consistency matters more than volume.
- Which platform first?
- Wherever your readers already gather. For most fiction that is short vertical video; for non-fiction, more often a professional network.
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 promote my book with no money?
Strength and Solidarity LLC — 37 answers kept in this hall