Main character energy
Introduce your MC with three traits and a flaw.
Example hook: “Meet Maya: brave, sarcastic, terrible at lying.”
School-year hook
Tie the premise to a familiar school moment.
Example hook: “First day of senior year. First body found.”
Friend group roles
Introduce the found family like a group-chat roster.
Example hook: “The group chat that solved a murder.”
Trope tags
YA trope list: rivals, chosen one, road trip.
Example hook: “Rivals to lovers + a road trip + a secret.”
Playlist
Songs that match the book's mood.
Example hook: “My book as a playlist.”
Dear teen me
Share why you wrote it for teen readers.
Example hook: “I wrote this for 15-year-old me.”
Choose your character
Ask which character viewers relate to.
Example hook: “Which one are you?”
Quote card
A relatable line on screen.
Example hook: “'Being brave is mostly being scared and doing it anyway.'”
Teacher/librarian angle
Explain discussion themes for classrooms (no claims about adoption).
Example hook: “Themes that make this a good book-club pick.”
Content notes
Clear content notes for parents and readers.
Example hook: “Content notes, so you can decide.”
Tips that apply to every idea
- Put the hook on screen in the first second — many people watch with the sound off.
- Keep one idea per video; 15–30 seconds is plenty for most of these formats.
- End with one clear action: 'link in bio', 'comment your pick', or 'follow for part 2'.
- Batch-make a week of clips in one sitting, then post on a schedule you can keep.
For a full posting plan, read How to promote your book on BookTok and Reels.
Don't want to film yourself?
xBookvideo turns your manuscript into narrated, illustrated vertical episodes with subtitles — and the Marketing Pack adds 5 hook clips and a 30-day posting calendar. This sample was made from The Great Gatsby.
More for YA authors
Young Adult (YA) book trailer guide · How to make a book trailer · Classic books as videos