Modern Marketing for Authors: Post a Video Reading on YouTube
A few blog entries ago, I suggested an idea for my fellow writers: how about filming an alfresco reading to promote all the wonderful things about your book and your Canadian province at the same time? Then how about posting that reading on YouTube for others to enjoy?
Well, I decided to "practice what I preach" and create a video of me reading the introduction to my third book, titled 11:11, with Canmore's renown Three Sisters Mountain Range behind me. Mother Nature seemed to approve of the idea by gifting us with mild temperatures—it was a balmy +2 degrees Celsius on March 8, 2010, even up in Alberta's mountaintops!—which allowed me to be filmed without a coat, gloves, or even a hat on. (You can imagine how much easier it is to turn the pages of a book without gloves on!) I couldn't have asked for a nicer winter day.
In addition to agreeable winter weather conditions, I had the honour of working with two consummate professionals—David Joseph of David Joseph Photography and Patricia M. Gallagher of PMG Creative—who added their creative ideas to mine to help make this video come together. This is yet another testament to the fact that two or more brains are better than one. A combined mastermind can create wonderful results.
Here is a link to my YouTube video reading:
I sincerely hope you enjoy this alfresco video reading. I hope it stirs your personal inspiration to come up with a great video reading of your own. (Click here for more details on what you will need to post your own video on YouTube.)
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Well, I decided to "practice what I preach" and create a video of me reading the introduction to my third book, titled 11:11, with Canmore's renown Three Sisters Mountain Range behind me. Mother Nature seemed to approve of the idea by gifting us with mild temperatures—it was a balmy +2 degrees Celsius on March 8, 2010, even up in Alberta's mountaintops!—which allowed me to be filmed without a coat, gloves, or even a hat on. (You can imagine how much easier it is to turn the pages of a book without gloves on!) I couldn't have asked for a nicer winter day.
In addition to agreeable winter weather conditions, I had the honour of working with two consummate professionals—David Joseph of David Joseph Photography and Patricia M. Gallagher of PMG Creative—who added their creative ideas to mine to help make this video come together. This is yet another testament to the fact that two or more brains are better than one. A combined mastermind can create wonderful results.
Here is a link to my YouTube video reading:
I sincerely hope you enjoy this alfresco video reading. I hope it stirs your personal inspiration to come up with a great video reading of your own. (Click here for more details on what you will need to post your own video on YouTube.)
PPG is a Canadian book publisher dedicated to serving Canadian authors. Visit our book publishing website to learn how you can publish your book today.
Great idea Kim. I wrote a book about my experience in hiking the West Coast Trail and it might be an interesting idea to follow your lead and put the video on my website. Best of luck in your future writing and video-ing.
Reply to this
Stunning! This is something that had not occurred to me before. You are certainly a powerhouse Kim in matching technology with publishing.
Reply to this
Thank you, Graeme! What a nice comment to read first thing in the morning!
Reply to this
Great idea on video taping a reading!
Reply to this
Hi Kim...Glad I ran into you at your Chinook Chapters signing. Too bad we did not have more time to talk, but I certainly realize book-signings are not the best place to carry on a conversation.
However I am very interested in your idea of doing book readings on You tube and I enjoyed yours very much with the 3 sisters in the background.
The Canmore, Banff area is also one of my favorite places. It one of the most amazing places on Earth, yet many Calgarians are jaded when it comes to the mountains on their doorstep.
Tried to call you but as it's your business # there was no answer, so I will ask the questions here.
First of all.....did you have to start and stop the reading when you tripped over words or did you do all 8 minutes in one shot? In other words, did they edit it for errors?
As I have never done anything like this, I think it might be an error filled adventure from Hell.
If you don't mind, I was wondering what it would cost me to have someone do the camera work for me? Say for instance, I used the same people you did.
I don't think I would be reading for that long. Possibly a four or five minute clip.
I would like to do it with the Calgary skyline in the background as our city is pretty much the Ironman capitol of the world right now. Believe it or not.
It would be great to show triathletes around the world the city where I live and tell them about it.
Let me know what you think. If you ever have time I would like to get together for coffee and talk about writing and in particular how the heck I can get Ironstruck out to the world.
I really believe my first book "Ironstruck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey" could be a best seller if I could reach the triathletes of the world somehow.
This idea of yours with You Tube might be a good start.
Take Care and best of luck with your books.
Ironstruck Ray
Reply to this
Hi Ray,
We did four full takes of the entire eight minutes, and then David (David Joseph Photography) and Patricia (PMG Creative) produced the video by taking different shots from each one. They used the audio from one of those four takes.
I highly recommend you contact David through the above-mentioned website to ask him about his schedule and pricing for your own video reading. It's a great idea. I'm getting lots of great feedback on it, and it's definitely the most cost-effective way to reach a worldwide audience.
Good luck to you. Send me the link to your video reading once you've completed it!
Warm regards,
Kim S.
Reply to this