OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
- Video search is increasing and you want to be found. People go online to find information and entertainment so if your videos are there, people will find them. If you have a lot of videos on a particular topic, you will become a place people subscribe to and come back to. Videos are also highly ranked in Google (which owns YouTube). You will often find videos at the top of a topic search.
- Future technologies will soon be reality. Google is developing voice recognition and automatic captioning, so that soon videos will be easily searchable through text. This means your ranking for a particular topic could be fantastic if your videos are on a theme. This would be great for non-fiction authors with a particular niche, as well as fiction authors talking about writing and their book ideas.
- Book sales are all about a human connection. If people know you and trust you, they are more likely to buy your book. Video is fantastic for creating an instant connection. When people see your face and your expression, when they hear your voice, they will make a decision as to whether they like you. The greatest proportion of communication is in non-verbal cues, which can't be communicated in plain text.
- Video can be the basis of your platform. Video may suit your style and personality. If it does, you will certainly stand out as an author as most are shy, retiring types! Gary Vaynerchuk got his 10 book deal with Harper Collins on the basis of his video blog and online platform. Or you can use it in addition to your text/audio blogging which adds a new dimension and another way people can find you. I personally don't like watching video all the time, but I definitely check out videos of authors if I can find them.
- Video drives traffic to your main author site. You can pique someone's interest in your book with a book trailer or an interview, then direct them to your site in the notes next to the video or with a website embedded in the video itself. This increases your traffic and hopefully your subscriber list, and potentially your sales.
- The demographics for video may surprise you. YouTube (and other video sites) are not just teenagers loading funny videos. Check out the demographics here. YouTube has analysis for channel videos and mine shows that 60% of people watching my YouTube channel are 45-64 and around 50:50 split between men and women.
- Video is not ubiquitous yet and you still have a chance to be at the forefront. Authors are not very techy people and are often slow on the uptake with technology. (I get so many comments about hating computers when I speak!) Therefore, in the writing/book niche there are not many videos compared to say the internet marketing, technology, health or wealth niches. Certainly, very few authors are producing much video. So you can stand out and be seen as well as get known through video.
So how do you make a video and get it online?
Here are some quick tips, with a full post to come:
- Basic quick start for talking head video. Buy an iPod Nano or a Flipcam, they are cheap (under $200) and just talk into it. Plug in and upload to YouTube. You may also have video capability on your cellphone, or you can use the webcam on your laptop or PC as YouTube has a recording facility.
- Book Trailers. Book trailers: 11 steps to make your own. This post will help you create a basic book trailer with static images and sound. It includes my own first book trailer attempt! Here is another self-made example from author Grant de Graf that includes stock movie footage from iStockphoto.com. For a professional book trailer, check out Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (which will be made into a movie!)
- How to get your video online. Lots of free info from video guru Gideon Shalwick at GetYourVideoOnline.com (warning, pop up video on start so mute first if in public). We will be having Gideon on the podcast in the coming weeks to explain this in more detail.
- Screen Capture. If you want to make teaching videos, you need screen capture video. I have used Camtasia on the PC but it costs to buy the program. You can also use Screenr which is free but only for short videos. You could also try JingProject.
Personal note: I need to practice what I preach, and fully intend to post more video in 2010. Here's a video I did last year on How print on demand has changed my life. Do you feel you know me better after watching even 30 seconds of it?
How will you use video in your promotion activities?
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1 2 3 Next »I'm using YouTube as a platform - I've already got a few vlogs up and I'm filming a live action book trailer at the end of the month. This is a great post - more people should use video to get out there!
Thanks Alysha, I'm glad you are finding success with video!
Hi Joanna,
Most people are afraid of making a video. They think others will laugh at them or that they'll sound funny…like the first time you heard yourself on the answering machine.
And maybe they're right. But, so what? The rewards are always greater than the losses.
Here is a short video I made that takes the mystery out it this.
How to Speak Naturally When Being Recorded & Avoid Stage Fright at http://www.youtube.com/ivanwalsh#p/a/u/2/IY2_DhYJ3aE
And if I can do it…
Regards,
Ivan
Hi Ivan, yes, I was petrified the first video I made. I hate my voice and the way I looked - I think everyone does. But then you realise that people just like people - it's human nature. So video is a great medium for communication!
Hi Joanna,
A small tip is to shoot the video above your eyeline, i.e. so that the camera is looking down at you.
Most ladies know this anyway (y'know, from putting on makeup in the mirror) but for the guys on this blog, make sure you're looking up at the camera.
I can't wait to try this - soon!
Great Gwyn - come back and post a link to your video when you do!
I'm enjoying watching video more and more so I now have the gear I need to start making more videos and screencasts of my own.
Best way to get over the fear? Just starting making some. Nobody has to see/hear your mistakes, you can just do a re-take or edit bits out afterwards. My first screencast was 6 minutes of raw footage edited down to just over 2 minutes when I removed all the mistakes.
Hi Paul, yes, I also need to practice what I preach! More video to come from both of us (maybe a joint one!)
I've been considering adding video to my blog for a while now. And after reading your post, I'm pretty much convinced I need to get on that. In particular, the idea that writers still have a chance to be at the forefront of the YouTube/video arena -- well that's motivation to get started right there. Thanks for sharing this!
Glad you found it useful Heather - I definitely think authors that get into this will stay ahead of the pack. I'll see you on YouTube!
I would LOVE to see my favorite authors doing videos for their books. Even their older titles. They don't have to be the brand-new releases. Tell us some background of the book, what you were thinking about/listening to/struggling with when the book was written. It would be great!
Thanks Jamie - and it is a good tip for writers too. Keep a video diary while writing the book as later you tend to forget where the ideas came from and how it unfolded.
I found a wonderful website that offers video production of book trails for a reasonable price. Very professional service and a high quality product!
http://www.ivideoproductions.com
Here is a sample of one that was done for the science fiction thriller Exoskeleton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uu6zqx5ufY
This is a great blog! I am a film maker who KNOWS how important video can be and you have seven reasons why it is so important just for books! We specialize in Films and documentaries, the perfect combination for making books into a reality! With video and social networking you can get the hype out about your book! Thanks for posting!!
Excellent post, Joanna, am looking forward to reading your blog (came here via @CynLeitichSmith). I’m a picture book author-illustrator so have used my characters in trailers instead of being onscreen myself. I used my own voice, altered using Audacity. Here's one example.
http://www.loreenleedy.com/books/crazytrailer.html
Here's a tutorial post: http://thedustofeverydaylife.blogspot.com/2008/02/making-video-book-preview-trailer.html
My two trailers have had over 2,000 views apiece without my doing any real marketing. I definitely need to make trailers for more of my books, thanks for the inspiration!
As a professional Cinematographer I certainly agree that video is driving the Internet and you need a video presence more than ever. However, beware the temptation to just buy a cheap Flip camera and sit in front of it and jabber away. Doing it yourself on the cheap will make you look, well, cheap. These echo filled, vibrating, shaky videos are the equivalent of making business cards with crayons. They toss your credibility out the window.
Think about it - is this a professional representation of you? No it is not. Now I am not saying you need to go to a studio and pay thousands of dollars, but you must do everything you can to up your production value. Hire a video pro. Or work with a student or someone who is just getting into the business. If doing it yourself, read and study about lighting. Use cameras with a mic that plugs in to get great sound. Choose a nice location like your study, a fireplace, or nice comfy chair. Pay attention to the background (i.e. don't have a reflective window behind you). It is all the little details that make for a good video. Most important is - do everything you can to get away from the "talking head" videos that most people turn off instantly, or never click on in the first place. Those are reserved for pimple faced teens talking about Lady Gaga and teen fashion. Probably NOT your audience.
If you present yourself as a professional, people will take you more seriously.
Success to you!
Jim Ross
Cinematographer
Also, try to have a prepared script. A well thought out presentation is much more effective, and interesting, than one that rambles or repeats a lot. If possible, use a teleprompter to read the script so that you are looking at the camera (run through it a few times before so you are comfortable with the pace and wording).