It’s a fact that people engage with video almost 3x longer
than a static post or ad. That’s your first indication that video is your way
forward. The other is that video can pack a visual punch a MEME or Gif just
can’t accomplish. Consider an author reading and the anxiety that accompanies
it by standing in front of a group of people and reading passages from your
book. If you’re lucky you’ve filled the seats. If not that anxious feeling
could ruin your night. That’s stressful.
Video readings on the other hand are completely stress-free. Do it from
the comfort of your favourite chair. No more than three minutes though. You
don’t want to give too much away.
What’s also great about video readings is the ability to edit
them. You don’t need to worry if you stutter or trip up on a word. You take
care of that in editing. Also, editing software can offer additional exciting
visuals to your reading like graphics of your book or MEMEs you’ve created. You
can even animate scenes. Another fun option is to alter your voice in editing
to closer resemble a character or the tone of the narrative you’re reading.
I’ve gone so far as to superimpose a graphic mask over my face as I read, to
allow more of the character’s narrative through to the viewer. Like a book
trailer, video readings can offer a potential reader a better idea of what
they’re in store for while getting to know the author intimately. Show your
personality and offer some information about yourself before and after the
reading. Brand yourself.
I’ve gone so far as to read aloud my worst reviews. It’s a
comical take on an otherwise depressing reality that not everyone who reads
your book will love it. It’s a way of taking back your power without arguing
with a reviewer over minutiae. I was actually kind of nervous even to sit in
front of the camera the first time, but with now over 20 videos behind me, the
pace and comfort level at which I’m doing these video readings has increased
ten-fold.
What you’ll need… A decent camera. Honestly. You’ll want a
DSL with a plug-in directional mic that will kill any ambient noise and focus
on your voice. I use a Panasonic Lumix FZ-1000 camera with wide lens, a Video
Micro RODE microphone and then edit everything with PowerDirector
16 software. I’m proficient in photoshop as well and create my own
visuals to assist with the video readings and keep the viewers interest. This
can be done with your smart phone, but it will sound like a smart phone shot
it.
Additionally, in creating these video readings, I discovered
a category on Youtube called Booktube which offers similar video experiences
where readers review books and explain them to their audience -encouraging book
sales. I now tag each video with Booktube or Booktuber in addition to other
relevant tags. Another great thing about placing your videos on youtube is that
it offers a transcript of your video. This assists those searching to find
keywords and phrases within the dialogue on your video.
Lastly, plan your video like a newscast. Set yourself up in
the corner and leave about half the screen blank so you can add your graphics
and animations. Have fun with it. Show your readers and potential readers who
you are. If you write non-fiction, become the expert and offer interesting
facts about your genre. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish with video.
I add my videos to my Facebook
page, Goodreads
page, and Youtube
channel. My Amazon Author Page
seems to want smaller files than I can break them down to. Oh well. Become a video
author. Become a booktuber. Get involved in the movement. Authors are people
too!
Michael Poeltl is the author of ten books with a new science
fiction novel out now. He is a marketing manager by day.
