From 300 to 83,000 Monthly TikTok Views: How AuthorScale Helped This Romance Author Win With Faceless Slideshows
Last week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Huleux, a French romantic suspense author who’s been steadily building her career for over a decade.
However, systematically reaching new readers through organic marketing on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and others remained a frustrating mystery. That changed when she discovered AuthorScale. In just three months, Julie skyrocketed from 300-view struggles to over 83,000 monthly views, all while spending less than 10 minutes per post.
You can watch the full interview below or keep reading for a detailed summary of Julie’s journey, her TikTok workflow, and how she’s repurposing her content across platforms—without burning out!
An Interview with Julie, Romance Author & AuthorScale User
Meet Julie—a romantic suspense author from the south of France. She’s been writing for over a decade, but like many indie authors, struggled to keep up with the demands of social media marketing—especially TikTok.
That was before she found AuthorScale.
In just three months, Julie went from sporadic TikTok content with low views to consistently posting viral-ready slideshow videos—racking up 83,000 views in June alone.
We sat down with her to talk about the shift, what finally worked, and how she’s using AuthorScale to create high-quality, emotionally resonant content in just 10 minutes a day.
“I was doing everything right… but TikTok was too much.”
Before discovering AuthorScale, Julie was already a full-time author with a solid handle on marketing. TikTok, though? That was a different beast.
“Even with my background in film, creating TikToks took me 30 minutes per video. Multiply that by two or three posts a day—it just wasn’t sustainable.”
She tried all the formats: talking-head videos, lip-sync trends, green screens, storytelling… but none gave her consistent results.
“The pressure to always show up with makeup, lighting, outfits, and a fresh hook made the process feel unsustainable. I’m an extrovert, so being on camera wasn’t the issue. But the process was just too time-consuming, and the algorithm didn’t reward it. One day I’d get 1,000 views. The next, 70.”
So she quit TikTok—until she stumbled across AuthorScale in a Facebook group…
“I almost gave up on AuthorScale too…”
Julie signed up in December 2024 but admits she didn’t fully get it at first.
“I tried it for two weeks and felt overwhelmed. I didn’t understand what it was creating or how it worked.”
That changed when she watched a case study on the AuthorScale website, featuring fellow author Genesis, who had found success with narrative slideshow content (See Genesis’ Story).
“That video was my turning point. I decided to give it one more shot and commit to it for a month.”
What happened next? Her monthly TikTok views exploded:
March: 5,000 views
April: 17,000 views
May: 34,000 views
June: 83,000 views
First viral post: 32,000+ views on a single slideshow
“I shifted my entire TikTok strategy. I stopped doing videos and went all-in on slideshows. And now I actually look forward to making them.” She posts once a day, and each slideshow takes her 10 minutes or less to create.
Her secret sauce: Keep it real, but consistent
Julie’s approach is refreshingly honest:
She doesn’t obsess over perfection.
She reuses content across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
She tracks what resonates, and doubles down.
She posts slideshows with strong emotional tropes (like “protective” or “danger”).
“It’s not about being perfect. This is marketing, not writing a novel. Some slideshows are 70% ready, and that’s okay. The consistency is what matters.”
She also avoids the common advice to “hide the book cover to bait comments.”
Instead, she adds a slide at the end with her book cover and blurb—because she believes in making it easy for readers to buy.
TikTok account warm up and her audience
Julie didn’t just rely on posting. She made TikTok part of her daily life:
“I use TikTok for fun too. I like and comment on other content, follow other authors, and respond to comments on my own posts.”
She even created a second account in English—and saw traction without a VPN simply by warming it up properly.
From TikTok to Instagram to Ads: Making content work harder
Julie doesn’t let her slideshows live in one place. She repurposes each one:
TikTok: Original slideshow post
Instagram Reels: Converted to video with music
Instagram Carousels: Exactly the same as on TikTok
Facebook: Cross-posted content for an older audience
Ad Creatives: Viral posts repurposed into Facebook ads
“I have one post with almost 200 hours of watch time. That’s insane. And I know that post could make a killer ad.”
What about sales?
Julie primarily writes in French and publishes most of her work through Kindle Unlimited. And yes—she’s seen sales rise alongside her view counts.
“At first, I saw a clear sales spike. But even now, when I’m building a younger audience, I can tell from the engagement that I’m creating future buyers.”
Julie’s 8-Step AuthorScale TikTok Workflow (French Edition)
Select the book you want AuthorScale to create slideshows from.
Generate a 10–15 slide narrative slideshow (longer slideshows perform better for Julie’s audience).
Translate to French by clicking “Refine” on a generated slideshow and typing: Translate to French in the instructions box.
Generate a consistent visual background using AuthorScale’s AI image tool. Once you’re happy with it, save it to reuse across all slides.
Add a final slide with your book cover and title:
Scroll to the last slide, click the three dots (⋯), and select “Add Slide After”.
On the new slide, click the three dots again and choose “Upload Custom Background”.
Upload your book cover mockup or a graphic that includes your title.
Click “Upload to TikTok” and choose “Send as Draft to TikTok.” *
Open the TikTok app, find the draft, and manually add a fitting sound.
Spend 3–5 minutes engaging on your “For You Page” before posting (watch, like, and comment on similar slideshow-style BookTok content).
*Note: Julie prefers sending her videos to TikTok drafts rather than posting or scheduling directly. This lets her hand-pick the right sound and avoid bot-like behavior. By engaging on the app before posting, she increases the odds that her slideshow performs well with the algorithm.
What she wishes more authors knew:
Start small, but stick with it. “You’ll probably be stuck in the 300-view jail for a while. That’s normal. Keep going.”
Be a real user. “Engage with others. Don’t just post and ghost.”
Repurpose everything. “One slideshow can become three posts across platforms.”
Don’t let perfectionism stop you. “Marketing is about testing. Done is better than perfect.”
It works in French too. “Just ask it to generate in French. It works beautifully.”
“AuthorScale gave me back my time—and my creativity.”
Julie now spends less than two hours a week on content, reaches tens of thousands of readers monthly, and still has the bandwidth to write new books.
“AuthorScale helps me market my books without burning out. It feels like a creative partner. I can’t imagine doing this without it.”
She’s now teaching fellow French and Canadian authors how to use the tool, adapt it to their genres, and stay consistent without sacrificing their writing time.
Final words
“I hope this inspires someone the way another AuthorScale case study inspired me. Give it a month. Commit to it. You’ll be amazed at what happens.”
Merci, Julie—for sharing your journey, your wisdom, and your enthusiasm. We’re so glad to have you as part of the AuthorScale family.