The Art of the Bookish Video
Do as I say, not as I do!
Sometimes, my publisher asks me to make a video. Or I decide I need to make one because there’s something I want to share about my books or my journey. And so it goes on my to-do list and it sits there for a LONG time. But when you let people in on an authentic peek at yourself and your books, it can be a great way to connect!
Why is it so daunting to record a video? Some tips that I try to tell myself.
Don’t worry about what you look like. This is probably my main procrastination. Most days I don’t wear makeup or anything other than workout clothes, but I feel like I need to look more presentable to make a video. So I put it off. But… everybody knows what I look like. They probably know better than I do! So, I’m trying to stop stalling out on videos because I’m self-conscious about what I look like. (Though I should probably brush my hair more. As a general life note.)
Do a max of three takes. I really struggle with this one too. Sometimes I re-record over and over to get a better take, and honestly, they just start to feel stale. The more rehearsed a video is, the less authentic it feels. So I’m trying to let them be a little sloppier/improvised and spend less time on them.
Find a spot that works for you—or just record wherever you are. I feel like every time I need to record a video, I am re-inventing the wheel. Where is the lighting good? What background is nice? But if I watch people that post regularly, they just have a consistent setup! Or they just record on the go! A “day in the life” can be a fun way to just record a little bit wherever you happen to be.
Don’t over-edit. I think because the tools are so readily available and easy-to-use, I sometimes edit things together. (Like the above video! I used an app called InShot, which I think was thanks to a recommendation from Sandhya Acharya and is super easy to use.) But sometimes, I over-edit a post and it feels heavy-handed. It loses that freshness and authenticity.
Check your specs! When publishers request a video from me, I sometimes focus on the content and forget to check if they wanted vertical or horizontal format, or if there’s a requested duration. Sometimes I even forget exactly what talking points they asked for. Then I go to upload the video and realize I’m not quite to spec and I have to re-do it. This is terrible and probably a me problem, but in case you’re like me, double check the specs!
Tell a story. This is probably the most important part. You are a storyteller and your audience wants a story. You’ll want to pull people in and give them a sense of you and your book. A video is a little moment to share a piece of your story.
Some regular video posters that I admire for their prolificness:
Nadia Solomon I’ve been with Nadia when she records videos, and she is always spontaneously recording and taking pictures, unrehearsed, off-the-cuff! She’s also a wiz at editing, which means she posts a lot of mashups of photos and videos to her reels as well as casual clips to her stories.
Kaz Windness Kaz is probably the most prolific video poster I can think of! She posts a mix of hot takes and bookish back story, pulling people in with tons of information and food for thought.
Joanna Ho Joanna posts the most adorable posts of herself, her books, and her family. They always feel so sweet and authentic!
Faith Kazmi Faith posts less frequently than the others I’ve mentioned, but when she does, her videos are heartwarming mashups of book journey moments. Her posts are great examples of mixing photos and videos to create compelling stories.
Remember—you don’t HAVE to post videos.
If you’re more comfortable with static photos, you can always skip the videos! Or skip social entirely! I do think video can be a good way to get your face and your book cover out there (people like faces) and an opportunity to highlight you as a storyteller. But there are many ways to tell a story, and video is just one of them! Sometimes, one great photo tells the whole story. Or you can just edit static photos together to create a video story. Do what feels right for you. And it can be fun to pull in other writing friends as well!
Okay, now that I’ve written this, I’m going to go record that video that’s been sitting on my list for three weeks. Happy video-ing!
(Post-video recording update: I succeeded in sticking to three of my six tips. Try to guess which ones! 😉)