A book trailer is not a film of your novel. It is closer to the first page: a minute or less that tells a stranger what kind of story this is and leaves them with a question they want answered. Most good trailers are made by the author, on a small budget, with a few images, one piece of music and a handful of lines of text. This guide walks through planning, sourcing and assembling one for a fantasy novel, and where to share it when it is done.
What a trailer is for
A trailer has one job: to make the right reader curious. It is not the place to explain the magic system, introduce the cast or summarise the plot. Readers decide in the first three seconds whether a fantasy book is for them, and they decide on mood. Is it cosy or grim? Epic or intimate? Funny, romantic, strange? If the trailer gets that right, it has done its work.
Before you open any software, write one sentence that describes the feeling of your book, not its plot. “A slow, salt-stained story about a lighthouse that keeps the drowned at bay” is more useful than a paragraph about who betrays whom. Every choice that follows should serve that sentence.
A simple 45-second structure
Most author trailers that work follow a shape like this. Treat the timings as a starting point.
- The hook (0–5 seconds). One striking image and one short line of text. This is the only part many people will see, so put your strongest moment here.
- The world (5–20 seconds). Three or four images that show the setting: a coastline, a city gate, a candle in a tower window. No text, or very little.
- The problem (20–35 seconds). Two or three lines that set up the want and what stands in its way, drawn from the same sentence you used to start the novel. One line per screen.
- The question (35–40 seconds). End the story section on something unresolved. “The light has never gone out. Tonight it will.”
- The title card (40–45 seconds). Cover, title, your name and one place to find the book. Hold it long enough to read.
Shorter is almost always better. Thirty seconds is plenty for social video, and very few trailers earn more than a minute.
Write the words first
The text on screen carries the story, so draft it before you look for pictures. Keep each line under about ten words, and give each one its own screen for three or four seconds. Lines taken from the book itself often work best: a first line, a piece of dialogue, a rule of the world. Read them aloud in order. If the sequence makes sense without any images at all, you have a trailer.
Many people watch with the sound off, so never put essential information only in a voiceover. If you do record narration, add the words as captions too.
Building the shots
Each image should match the mood sentence and say something about the world. You have more options than you might think:
- Your own photographs. A misty field, a stone wall, a candle, a hand turning a page. Shot close and slightly out of focus, ordinary things look surprisingly otherworldly.
- Stock and public-domain footage. Free and paid libraries have plenty of forests, seas, skies and fires. Check that each clip’s licence allows promotional use.
- Your cover and any commissioned art. Ask before you use it. An illustrator’s licence for a cover does not always include video or advertising, and a short note to the artist or publisher saves trouble later. Credit them on the final card.
- Slow movement on still images. A gentle zoom or pan across a map or illustration makes a still frame feel alive, and most free editors can do it.
- Generated footage. If you can’t film anything, an AI video generator can turn a written description of your opening scene into a few seconds of moving footage to cut between your title cards. Describe light, weather and one small movement, such as fog rolling in over a harbour wall, rather than characters or faces, and use it for atmosphere, not as a stand-in for your cover art or illustrator.
Whichever you use, keep the look consistent. Pick two or three colours that match your cover and stick to them. A trailer that mixes bright cartoon clips with grainy grey stock footage feels like three different books.
Be honest about how it was made
Fantasy readers care a great deal about the artists behind the books they love, and many feel strongly about AI-generated images. If any of your footage is generated, say so in the post or the description. Never let generated pictures stand in for an illustrator you did not hire, and never present them as your book’s official art. Openness costs nothing, and it keeps the conversation about your story.
Music and sound
Music does more for mood than any image. Choose one track and cut the trailer to it, changing images on the beat or at the end of a musical phrase. Use music you have the right to use: a royalty-free library track, a piece licensed for promotional video, or something written for you. Popular songs will get your video muted or removed on most platforms. A little sound design, such as waves, wind or a door closing, can add atmosphere under the music.
Assemble and trim
Any free video editor is enough. Lay out the text screens first, then add images underneath them, then the music. Watch it at full speed, then cut anything that feels slow. Show it to two people who have not read the book and ask one question: what kind of story do you think this is? If their answer matches your mood sentence, it is finished.
Formats and where to post
Make a vertical 9:16 version for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, where much of the fantasy reading community now shares recommendations. Make a wide 16:9 version for YouTube, your website and launch events. Plan your shots with both in mind, keeping important details near the centre of the frame so they survive the crop.
Post it close to a cover reveal, a preorder date or launch week, when people already have a reason to look. Pin it to your profile, add it to your website and newsletter, and send it to anyone hosting you for an interview or a reading.
Before you share it
- Every image, clip and piece of music is yours, licensed or credited.
- Every line of text is on screen for at least three seconds.
- The title, your name and where to find the book are on the final card.
- Any generated footage is labelled as generated.
- It still makes sense with the sound off.
A trailer won’t sell a book on its own, but a good one gives readers a feeling to remember when they see your cover again. If you are still at the drafting stage, our submission checklist and guide to building a world one consequence at a time are good places to spend the time instead.