In my never-ending quest to find new ways to promote my books, I’ve now started a YouTube channel. I have had an author’s site and travel site for years. Neither have resulted in even one bestseller. I tired Facebook – three times – and ended up deleting them each and every time. (I can’t abide the voyeuristic aspect of Facebook.) A month or so ago, I delved into Twitter. Although my account is still up, the initial semi-excitement wore off on me after a few weeks. Again, it just feels too creepy. It was then that someone mentioned that I needed to promote my books on YouTube. So I set out to explore this new promotional avenue.
I came up with what I wanted to do fairly quickly; short
videos showcasing each of my seven books. Then came the planning stage. I already
had a good camera, although I had never even shot one video. That would take a
bit of research, but I did know I needed a tripod and a separate microphone.
After deciding that, I popped onto Amazon to see what was
available. I looked at various tripods and mics, read reviews, searched around
for more information. It became inundating. I do not like purchasing anything that
I have no idea about. And I really did not want to buy anything on Amazon. It
was then that I found B&H Photo in New York.
B&H Photo carried the tripods and mic I had been looking at, but I really had no idea which was the best, and most economical, for my needs. So I sent an email to customer service explaining what I would be doing and what I was looking for.
To my surprise, I got a response the same day. Lenny listed
the items that would serve my needs. The tripod he had suggested was a bit more
than I had wanted to spend. I wrote back and asked if the lower priced tripod
would work. Again, a quick response, this time from Yaakov. He suggested that I
stick with what Lenny had recommended. Something about you get what you pay for
in tripods. The mic was cheap and cheerful, so was never a cost problem.
I highly recommend B&H not only for their wealth of products, but for some of the best customer service I have ever experienced.
As soon as I got the equipment, I set about figuring out how
to make a video. I had already watched several videos on the subject and
figured I could only really learn by trying it out.
My first trial run I filmed without the microphone. I was
only seeing if I could actually hit the start button, sit down, film myself,
then turn it off. Surprisingly, I pulled it off. But I could also clearly hear
my voice. All those years of teaching in rowdy classrooms means my voice
carries, so that must have been why the built in mic worked.
Nevertheless, when I got down to filming the real thing, I
sat down to attach the on-camera microphone. I slid it into the bracket on top
of the camera, then attempted to attach the thin cable. Oops… it cannot be
attached to an EOS Rebel T1I. The slot I thought was for a mic was for a remote
start cable. Or something. Since I did not seem to need a mic, I was not
concerned.
It took more than a few attempts to get the video where it
was reasonably acceptable. I added background music – another new skill set –
and after three days, I had finished my first author video.
I figure by the time I get to my seventh book, I’ll be a
pro. Whether or not this will lead to increased sales, only time will tell. But
it can’t hurt.
My purchases: Magnus VT-300 Andycine MI on-camera microphone
