Book Trailers & Video

Three Seconds to Stop the Scroll.

A book trailer is not a film — it is an advert with a hook, a promise and a reason to tap. We script yours around the single most compelling thing about your book, then cut it for the places readers actually are: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and your Amazon listing.

Scripted around your hook Vertical and landscape cuts Fully licensed music Captions burned in
2–3 wks
Script to Final Cut
4+
Platform Cuts Delivered
4K
Master Resolution
100%
Music Cleared for Commercial Use
Books lit under a film lamp and camera lens for a book trailer shoot Cut to stop the scroll

The Service

Most Book Trailers Fail in the First Second.

They open with a slow fade to a cover image and a title card. By the time anything happens the viewer has already scrolled. A trailer that works starts at the most interesting moment and earns the next three seconds, then the next.

So we begin with the script, not the visuals. What is the hook — the question, the threat, the promise, the confession — that makes someone need to know more? For fiction it is usually the central dilemma stated plainly. For non-fiction it is the problem your reader has right now, named in their own words before your book is even mentioned.

Then we build it: licensed footage and motion graphics or bespoke animation, a professional voiceover where the script calls for one, a score that matches the genre rather than fighting it, and burned-in captions because the overwhelming majority of social video is watched with the sound off. Every cut is graded, paced and tested at the length each platform actually rewards.

  • Hook-first scripting
  • Professional voiceover artists
  • Licensed footage and music
  • Motion graphics and animation
  • Burned-in captions as standard
  • Cut for every platform aspect ratio

What We Produce

Six Kinds of Video That Sell Books.

Most authors need two or three of these, not all six. We will tell you which ones suit your book and your audience.

01

Cinematic Book Trailer

The flagship, 45–90 seconds

A fully scripted trailer with licensed cinematic footage, voiceover, score and titling. The version that lives on your website, your Amazon A+ content and the top of your YouTube channel.

  • Scripted, storyboarded, graded
  • Professional voiceover included
  • 4K master plus web versions
02

Vertical Reels & Shorts

Where books actually sell now

Fifteen to thirty second vertical cuts built for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts — hook in the first second, captions throughout, and a clear reason to tap through at the end.

  • Set of six to ten distinct cuts
  • Hook-first, caption-led editing
  • Trend-aware without being cringeworthy
03

Animated Trailers

Children’s and illustrated books

Your own illustrations brought to life with motion, or bespoke 2D animation built for the book. The natural choice for picture books, middle grade and anything where live footage would feel wrong.

  • Animation of your existing artwork
  • Bespoke character animation
  • Child-appropriate pacing and music
04

Author Introduction Video

Trust building

You on camera, talking about why you wrote the book, edited properly with captions and titling. Works hard on your website, your Amazon author page and in publisher or media submissions.

  • Script and coaching provided
  • Studio or remote self-shoot guided
  • Cut down into social clips too
05

Video Ad Creative

For paid campaigns

Short-form video built specifically for Meta and Amazon ad placements, delivered as multiple variants so a campaign can test hooks against each other rather than betting on one.

  • Three to five hook variants
  • Platform-compliant specs and lengths
  • Built to pair with our marketing service
06

Launch Graphics Pack

The supporting cast

Animated cover reveals, countdown posts, quote cards, review graphics and audiogram clips — the everyday content that keeps a launch visible for weeks rather than a single day.

  • Cover reveal and countdown animations
  • Quote and review card templates
  • Sized for every major platform

What You Receive

Every Aspect Ratio, Every Licence Cleared.

One video is not enough, because a square post, a vertical reel and a YouTube pre-roll are genuinely different edits rather than the same file cropped. You receive the master plus a cut for each destination, and every piece of music and footage is licensed for commercial use in perpetuity — so nothing gets muted, claimed or taken down six months later.

Start My Trailer
  • 4K landscape master, 16:9
  • Vertical 9:16 for Reels and TikTok
  • Square 1:1 for feed posts
  • Captioned and clean versions
  • Thumbnail and cover-art stills
  • Perpetual commercial licences

How It Works

From Manuscript to Final Cut.

Two to three weeks, with the script and storyboard approved before a single frame is edited.

Hook & Script

We read the book, identify the hook that will actually stop a scroll, and write a script. Nothing is filmed or edited until you have approved the words.

Storyboard & Assets

A shot-by-shot storyboard with the proposed footage, music track and voiceover artist, so you know exactly what the finished trailer will feel like.

Edit & Grade

The trailer is cut, scored, graded and captioned. You review a watermarked draft and give one consolidated set of notes.

Platform Cuts

Notes applied, then the master is re-cut for each platform’s aspect ratio and length. Everything is delivered with licences and a posting guide.

Where It Goes

A Trailer Is Only Worth It If It Gets Used.

Every project is delivered with a posting plan, because the most common fate of a book trailer is one upload and then nothing.

Social Platforms

  • TikTok and BookTok
  • Instagram Reels and feed
  • YouTube and YouTube Shorts
  • Facebook page and groups
  • X and Threads
  • LinkedIn for business titles
  • Pinterest idea pins
  • Your mailing list

Retail & Owned

  • Amazon A+ content video module
  • Amazon Author Central page
  • Your author website homepage
  • Landing and pre-order pages
  • Goodreads author profile
  • Email signature and newsletters
  • QR code on print marketing
  • Event and festival screens

Paid & Press

  • Meta video ad campaigns
  • Amazon Sponsored Brands video
  • YouTube pre-roll targeting
  • TikTok Spark Ads
  • Press and media kit inclusion
  • Blogger and reviewer outreach
  • Podcast show notes
  • Retailer and trade submissions

The Kingswell Difference

Why UK Authors Choose Kingswell.

We are a British publishing services company, not a rights-taking publisher. That single distinction shapes everything below.

You Keep Every Right and Every Royalty

Copyright stays registered in your name and retailer accounts are opened in your name. We take no commission and no revenue share — one hundred per cent of what your book earns is paid straight to you.

One Named Project Manager

No ticket queues and no being passed between departments. A single publishing consultant coordinates every specialist on your book and stays your point of contact from first call to launch day.

Genre-Matched Specialists

A thriller needs different instincts to a memoir, and a business book different rigour to a children’s picture book. Your project is staffed by people with a track record in your specific genre.

Honest Scoping, Fixed Quotes

We tell you what your book genuinely needs and what it does not. Every quote is agreed in writing before work begins, so there are no mid-project surprises and no upselling.

Confidential by Default

Your manuscript is only ever seen by the specialists working on it. NDAs come as standard and your identity, your story and your ideas are never shared or reused.

British Publishing Standards

Based in Fitzrovia, London. We work in UK English by default, price in pounds sterling, and typeset to the trade standards British readers and booksellers expect.

Author Reviews

Loved by Authors,
Trusted With Their Stories.

Every review below is a real, unedited review left by an author on our public Trustpilot profile — nothing written by us.

Trustpilot See Our Reviews on Trustpilot Read what authors say on our public Trustpilot profile Open Trustpilot

Even though the project had a tight deadline, the designer delivered a creative book cover on time.

H
Harrison Vida Book Cover Design · 17 July 2026

I had many concerns, but the consultation answered all of them and gave me confidence to move forward with publishing.

E
Eliza Caldwell Verified Publishing Consultation · 16 June 2026

Whenever I had questions about the marketing process, the support team responded promptly with the helpful explanations. and their professionalism reassured me because they clearly valued my goals as an author.

D
Dani Lucas Book Marketing · 22 June 2026

Their staff treated me with genuine care and respect.

I
Isabella Lopez Verified Published Author · 2 July 2026

The quality of their work met my expectations and I appreciate the effort they put into helping me bring my book to publication. I would recommend them to anyone lookin' for reliable publisher.

A
Alina Michelle Published Author · 13 July 2026

Common Questions

Book Trailer FAQs.

Length, cost, licensing, appearing on camera and whether a trailer is worth it at all.

Are book trailers actually worth making?
A trailer that sits unwatched on YouTube is not. A set of short vertical cuts, used consistently across social and as paid ad creative, very often is — video is what the platforms currently push hardest, and BookTok has demonstrably moved enormous numbers of copies. Our honest advice for most authors is to prioritise the reels over the cinematic trailer, and we will say so even though the cinematic version is the more expensive product.
How long should a book trailer be?
Shorter than most authors expect. Vertical social cuts work best between fifteen and thirty seconds, and the hook must land inside the first second or two. The flagship cinematic trailer sits between forty-five and ninety seconds — beyond that, completion rates collapse. Anything over two minutes is a film, not an advert, and almost nobody finishes it.
How much does a book trailer cost?
It depends on whether you need licensed footage, bespoke animation or original filming, and how many platform cuts you want. A set of social reels is considerably cheaper than a fully animated cinematic trailer. A book video trailer is also included in our Signature plan at £2,199 and Masterpiece plan at £5,999. We quote a fixed price once we know the scope.
Do I need to appear on camera?
Not at all. Most book trailers use licensed footage, motion graphics or animation with a professional voiceover, and you are never seen or heard. If you do want to appear — and for non-fiction it genuinely helps build trust — we provide a script, coaching and either a studio session or clear guidance for filming yourself well at home.
Can you use a trending song from TikTok?
Not in a video we deliver to you, because commercial rights to chart music are prohibitively expensive and using it without them risks muting, takedowns or copyright strikes. We license high-quality production music cleared for commercial use in perpetuity. Separately, when you post organically from your own account you can often add a trending sound within the app itself, and we deliver a clean, music-free version specifically so you can do that.
How many revisions are included?
Two full rounds on the edit, plus unlimited revision at the script and storyboard stage — which is deliberately where we want your input concentrated. Changing a line in a script costs minutes; changing the concept after the grade costs days. Approving the storyboard carefully is the single best thing you can do to get a trailer you love.
Can you make a trailer for a book published years ago?
Yes, and backlist titles are often the better investment. The book already exists, has reviews and needs no further production work — a set of fresh reels can put a title that has been quiet for years back in front of readers. Pairing it with our book marketing service tends to be where backlist revival actually works.
Who owns the finished video?
You do, outright, on final payment. Every piece of footage, music and voiceover is licensed for your commercial use in perpetuity, with no renewals and no per-platform restrictions. You can run it as paid advertising, put it on your website, screen it at events or hand it to a publisher without asking anyone.

Ready When You Are

A Free 30-Minute Consultation, No Obligation.

Tell us where your book stands and what you want it to do. A senior publishing consultant will give you an honest read on what it needs, how long it will take and what it will cost — even if the answer is that you do not need us yet.

Give Readers a Reason to Stop Scrolling.

Tell us about your book and who it is for. We will pitch you the hook we would build the trailer around, before you commit to anything.

Get My Trailer Quote
Script approved first Licences included Reply within 24h