Author Branding: 15 Creative Book Unboxing Videos

Whether you’re a traditionally or self-published author receiving your print books or advance reader copies (ARCs) for the first time, you have a unique author branding opportunity: a book unboxing video! This type of social media content is one of the most effective ways for authors to build buzz, connect authentically with readers, and tap into the passionate book community. Below, we’ve rounded up 15 creative examples — from heartfelt first reactions to cinematic reveals — to inspire your own unboxing moment.

1. Bridget Morrissey

If you’re camera-shy, take inspiration from Bridget’s unboxing of Everything She Does Is Magic! She stayed off-screen and filmed a pile of copies with her cats popping up behind it — adorable and totally unexpected.

2. June Hur

June’s 10-second book unboxing of Behind Five Willows is short, sweet, and captioned rather than narrated. Using the popular TikTok “POV” format, June shows herself unboxing, reacting with delight, then placing the book on her shelf, while prompting readers to preorder via her link in bio.

3. Hafsah Faizal

Hafsah gives viewers a full “tour” of book two in her duology, A Steeping of Blood, showing off the spine, cover, and interior features like the signed tip-in and map. This approach is perfect for highlighting special edition details that make readers want to grab their own copy!

4. Hank Schyma

Hank brought humor to his book unboxing of Storm by pretending to be the Tasmanian Devil tearing through the packaging, and his personality goes a long way to connect with readers.

5. Natalie Alzate (aka Natalie’s Outlet)

This debut author and content creator’s unboxing of Offline Humans captures her candid reaction enhanced with whimsical graphics that bring extra sparkle to the moment — an engaging video that’s both personal and polished.

6. Jenna Streety

Forgot to post your unboxing video? It’s not too late! Indie author Jenna opens her unboxing of Between the Shadows and the Dawn with an edit explaining she forgot to post the vlog footage when she first filmed it — but it’s such an exciting milestone that she’s sharing it now.

7. Jill Tew

Here’s another great example of using on-screen captions in place of audio. Jill uses text to express her reactions and describe the tropes in An Ocean Apart, with more details in the post description.

8. Gloria Chao

Gloria stays off-screen in this unboxing of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club, showing only her hands lifting the book from the box and flipping through the pages. We love that she also gives a shout-out to the cover artist.

9. Jen Craven

Jen took an unusual approach to her book unboxing of The Skiers — instead of filming her unboxing reaction, she shares a photo, then shows herself and her little “personal assistant” boxing the ARCs back up to send to readers. Creative and cute!

10. Danielle Davis

It’s exciting to show off your book for the first time — so exciting that sometimes, you just have to dance! Although Danielle technically isn’t unboxing the book on camera, we love her fun personality here as she shows off her ARC of Zinnia and the Bees.

11. Amy Schmittauer Landino

Amy shared a vlog-style video for her cover reveal of Good Morning, Good Life. We love how she gave us a behind-the-scenes peek as she got ready the morning of her photoshoot!

12. Ryan La Sala

Ryan’s personality and fun sense of humor shine through in this unboxing of The Honeys, and we love how he shows off each of the goodies that came with the book.

13. Sara Faring

This video of The Tenth Girl was such a unique way to unbox a book without actually filming or providing any narration. The stop-motion animation gives the video a creepy quality that’s on-brand for a thriller author.

14. Liana Ramirez

Liana’s unboxing of The Secrets Within Me is incredibly heartwarming! We loved being able to share in her excitement as she held a copy of her book for the first time.

15. Lauren Blakely

Don’t be afraid to share your fans’ creative unboxing videos, too! Lauren reposted a Bookstagrammer’s TikTok video of their partner opening a PR package for Double Pucked, and her followers loved everything about it.

As you can see, traditionally published authors more commonly post unboxing videos than indie authors. But this is a fantastic branding opportunity for self-published authors to connect with their readers as well! If you’re an indie author with paperbacks available, show them off. You could also hold a tablet or ereader to show off your ebook, or plug in some headphones and show off your audiobook. No matter the format, a book unboxing is a great way to connect with readers and show your excitement and pride in the project you just completed.

And if you’d prefer not to film an unboxing video, there are plenty of other ways to build early buzz for a book!

This post was originally published on January 14, 2020, and has been updated with new examples.

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About AJ Yee

AJ is a content marketer on the BookBub Partners marketing team, where she manages the Partners Blog and enjoys researching and sharing how authors and publishers can level up their marketing.