The buzzing world of video can sometimes seem at odds with an immersive reading experience. But the two don’t have to be enemies. There are a number of ways authors can utilize video to promote their work, engage fans, increase their readership, and have some fun. Over the next month, we’ll talk about a few of those examples. So, for our first installment…
Video Promo Idea #1: Do an on-camera interview
When Stephen King released Full Dark, No Stars he also did a live UStream video interview (that link should work if you have Flash). His readers would join that particular event (for free) and type questions on UStream’s message board. Stephen sat in front of the camera for 25 minutes and answered many of the questions he was seeing on his screen as they popped up in real-time.
Granted, Stephen King has an awful lot of fans, so throwing an event like this was big news for his readership and he was able to get a large group of viewers to interact with him. If you’re not sure enough people will “show up” for your live streaming event to make it worthwhile, you could always put it out there on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and newsletter that you’re going to be recording a video interview and that you’re soliciting questions. Then, you can compile your favorites, take time to craft your answers, and tape yourself responding.
Keep that spontaneous spark
If you try this approach, I would recommend that you not script out your answers too thoroughly beforehand, or else your response will sound stiff and contrived. Read the questions over, think about the answer, and then go off-the-cuff once you press record.
The other good thing about recording a non-streaming interview is you can always DO IT OVER if it doesn’t come out great the first time. Once you like what you see and what you hear (and it’s YOU, so of course you’ll love what you see and hear), upload that video to YouTube, embed it on your blog, and link to your blog from Twitter, Facebook, and email newsletter. Your readers will be excited to get a glimpse into your creative mind.
Also, check out:
Video Promotion for Authors, Pt 2: live-streaming for readings and book clubs
-Chris R. at BookBaby
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