Do Authors Really Need Video? A Practical Q&A

Why should an author consider video in the first place?

Because readers aren’t only deciding whether they’re interested in a book. They’re also deciding whether they’re interested in the person behind it.

A cover can introduce the book. A review can validate it. A synopsis can explain it. Video does something different: it lets a potential reader see and hear the person who created the work.

That matters in an environment where getting noticed has become one of the hardest parts of publishing. Wyzowl’s 2026 research found that 63% of consumers would prefer to learn about a product or service through a short video, compared with 12% who preferred a text article. The same survey found that 85% had been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a video. (Wyzowl)

Books are not software, shoes, or kitchen appliances, so those numbers shouldn’t be used as proof that an author video will sell books. They don’t. What they do tell us is that people are increasingly comfortable using video to decide what deserves their attention and, eventually, their money.

For authors, that creates another doorway into the work.

What if I hate being on camera?

This may be the better question to ask first.

Over the years, our team has interviewed hundreds of people for broadcast television, documentaries, and now author videos. Based on our own experience, fewer than 5% walked in genuinely comfortable speaking to a camera.

That includes people who were accomplished, articulate, experienced, and completely at ease talking to another human being. Put a camera in front of them and suddenly everything changed.

I understand that feeling better than most. When I went to art school, I chose photography in part because I figured it was the safest way to make sure I stayed behind the camera.

So when an author tells us they’re uncomfortable being filmed, that doesn’t surprise me at all.

Writing is largely solitary. You spend months or years creating something privately, often in a room by yourself. Then someone comes along and says, “Great. Now sit under some lights and talk about yourself and this thing you’ve been creating in solitude.”

Of course that can feel unnatural.

The mistake is assuming that being good on camera means becoming a performer. It doesn’t. In fact, trying to perform is often when things become stiff.

A good author interview should feel much more like a conversation. You don’t need to memorize paragraphs or adopt a television voice. You need to know your work and be willing to talk about it with another person.

The camera happens to be there.

But isn’t the book supposed to sell the book?

Ultimately, yes. Video is not a substitute for good writing, editing, cover design, reviews, distribution, or any of the other pieces involved in publishing.

It simply gives readers another way into the work.

There is a considerable difference between seeing an author’s photograph and spending a few minutes hearing that author explain why they spent six years researching a forgotten event, where a character came from, or what happened in their own life that led them to write a memoir.

Suddenly the book has context. So does the person who wrote it.

That human connection is one of video’s real strengths.

Does video work better for some genres than others?

Every genre gives an author something different to talk about.

Historical-fiction writers have research, real events, locations, overlooked pieces of history, and the line between fact and imagination. Mystery and thriller writers can talk about suspense, crime research, setting, character, and how they build tension without spoiling the ending. Romance authors have relationships, chemistry, characters, tropes, and the worlds surrounding a series.

Fantasy and science-fiction writers can talk about world-building, mythology, technology, characters, and the rules they’ve created. The challenge is resisting the urge to explain the entire universe in three minutes.

Memoir offers an especially direct connection between the author and the work because the person telling the story is often inseparable from the story itself. Nonfiction authors have expertise, research, problems, misconceptions, lessons, and real-world applications to draw from.

So the question isn’t really, “Does my genre work on video?”

A better question is: What part of my work becomes more interesting when I talk about it than when I describe it in a sales paragraph?

That’s usually where the useful material begins.

What about backlist books?

This may be one of the most overlooked uses of video.

Books don’t expire when the launch campaign ends. A title can become relevant again because of an anniversary, holiday, current event, new installment in a series, seasonal subject, adaptation, cultural conversation, or renewed interest in a topic.

A historical novelist may have a book that becomes timely every year around a particular date. A nonfiction author may discover that a subject covered five years ago is suddenly in the news. The release of Book Four can send new readers back to Books One through Three.

An author with ten books doesn’t have one current book and nine old ones. They have ten possible entry points.

Video gives authors a way to reintroduce those books by answering a simple question: Why is this worth talking about again today?

Do I have to be on TikTok?

No.

TikTok is one distribution channel. It isn’t a synonym for video.

YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, an author’s own website, publisher pages, newsletters, media kits, and book pages can all play different roles.

The better question is where your readers are likely to encounter you.

A business author may find LinkedIn much more valuable than TikTok. A romance author may find an active audience on Instagram or TikTok. An author with substantial interviews and educational material may find YouTube particularly useful because the content can continue to be found long after the day it was posted.

And don’t overlook your own website. A good author video can live on an About page, press page, book page, or media section for years.

You don’t need to be everywhere. You need the video to exist where someone may already be deciding whether they want to know more about you or your work.

How much does video cost?

Almost nothing at one end of the spectrum and a professional production budget at the other.

If you already own a reasonably current smartphone, you have the most expensive piece of equipment required for a basic DIY setup. A tripod, phone mount, simple light, and inexpensive microphone can get an author started without a large investment.

Editing doesn’t necessarily require expensive software either. Canva and CapCut both provide accessible tools for basic editing, captions, graphics, and social content.

The middle ground is often attractive for authors who are comfortable recording themselves but don’t want to spend hours learning editing software. Record the material yourself and hire someone to polish it, add captions, or create shorter cuts.

Professional production is a different proposition. You may be paying for interview preparation, lighting, sound, production, editing, graphics, music, color, captions, and the experience required to draw a strong conversation out of someone who isn’t accustomed to being interviewed.

If you’re hiring someone, one of the most useful questions is not simply, “How much does the video cost?” Ask what you will have when the project is finished.

One polished five-minute interview is one asset. A longer interview accompanied by several shorter cuts, captions, social versions, and usable excerpts can become an entire collection of assets.

Do I need expensive equipment to look professional?

No. But simple and careless are not the same thing.

Poor sound is usually more distracting than an inexpensive camera. Bad lighting, a cluttered background, a camera positioned at an unflattering angle, or a noisy room can make otherwise useful material difficult to watch.

Wyzowl’s 2026 survey found that 89% of consumers said video quality affects their trust in a brand. (Wyzowl) Again, authors are not conventional consumer brands, but the broader lesson applies: people notice whether something appears intentional.

You do not need a film set.

You do need to look as though you meant to make the video.

What should I actually talk about?

Start with the things readers cannot get from the Amazon description.

Why did you write this particular book? Where did the idea come from? What surprised you during the research? What changed while you were writing it? Which character refused to behave? What did you learn? What nearly didn’t make it into the finished book? What do readers keep asking you?

Those questions reveal something about the work and the person who made it.

That is generally much more interesting than reciting the book blurb into a camera.

How long should an author video be?

There isn’t one correct length because different videos do different jobs.

A 30-second social cut can introduce one idea or create curiosity. A two-minute video can answer a focused question. A longer interview gives readers enough time to become acquainted with an author and their work.

Rather than trying to force every idea into a Reel or a Short, it can be more efficient to start with a good conversation and then identify smaller pieces inside it.

One strong recording session can produce a surprising amount of useful material.

Where should I start?

Start with the equipment and resources you already have.

If you’re recording yourself, find a quiet room, put the camera at eye level, pay attention to the light, and make a short test recording before you do anything elaborate.

YouTube provides its own captioning tools, including automatic captions that creators can review and correct. (YouTube Help)

Captions are worth the effort. They make the video accessible to more people and allow someone to follow it when turning on the sound isn’t practical.

Then make something.

Watch it.

Notice what works and what bothers you.

Fix one thing the next time.

You don’t need to build a studio before you’re allowed to begin.

So, does every author need video?

No author needs every marketing tactic.

What authors do need are ways to be discovered.

A cover provides one way in. A review provides another. A recommendation, event, podcast, newsletter, article, or social post can provide another.

Video adds something those other tools cannot quite duplicate:

the author.

For someone who has spent months or years alone with a manuscript, stepping in front of a camera may feel like the last thing they want to do.

We understand.

Most of the people we’ve interviewed felt exactly the same way when they started.

Then the conversation begins. They stop thinking about the camera. They start talking about the work they know better than anyone else.

And that is usually where the interesting part starts.