Great New BookTuber Discovered - Thoughts and Reflections on RAI 2017

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! What a crazy few months it's been. My fingers are crossed this will be a regular thing once again. I miss my blog!

Anyway, today, I'm going to introduce you all to a new booktuber I met while at RAI, and throw a few of my thoughts out there on the event in general.

As you all know, I'm always on the lookout for folks willing to give their genuine opinions on books they read. Not only does this booktuber speak well, she's incredibly effervescent. Love watching her channel so far. While she and I were talking, she told me that if you send her an ARC, it's guaranteed to get a video review. Not a bad deal, in my opinion.

Be sure and check out her channel here "Steph's Rom Book Talk." Catch her RAI video here! Follow her Facebook page here!

Screenshot!

Now, on to thoughts about RAI.

I've loved this event since last year (my first), and I can't say enough about the amazingness that's Liz C. Long. Roanoke Author Invasion is a true signing. There are no panels, no activities outside of the signing except the after party, and there are only authors in the signing hall. Fans get in FREE.

Yep, that's right, I said FREE.

Because of that, people come from far and wide to get their books signed, take photos with their favorite authors, and BUY BOOKS. They have more money in their pockets to purchase the books because they didn't have to pay to get in the door. Makes a ton of sense to me.

Plus, Liz does a fantastic job of marketing the event locally. She's on the news, in the papers, and on the radio constantly. Her event draws a huge crowd. I believe there were over 300 free tickets claimed this year.

Yeah, my jaw dropped, too.

In addition to the single day being a behemoth sales day, I also got to meet some fantastic bloggers and book reviewers (see Stephanie above). It was a constant stream of people coming by my table, engaging me in conversation, and admiring/buying my books. I must've handed out hundreds of prints of my book covers, and people snagged a gazillion Frayed Fairy Tale buttons.

You also get to take a ton of pictures. Fun and funny, or laid back and casual, you won't be sorry. I'm Batman in the first pic :D

All in all, I'd say, if you can attend this event as a reader, or be a signing author, don't think twice. Click the button. You get time with the authors you love, and that's one of the things that's most precious.

What events do you love?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

YouTube for Bloggers and Authors

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk a little bit about You Tube and how bloggers and authors can use it to their advantage. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

You Tube. I bet most of you have watched a video or two hundreds of videos from this little channel, either via your Facebook feed or by browsing for something you were interested in, right?

Well, I invite you today to expand your horizons and look beyond browsing and watching; let's go into making.

If you've never made a video, you're not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of people just like you in the world who either don't have time or have no idea how to get started. So, first, I'm gonna walk you through a quick lesson on creating and uploading that video, then we'll get to how you can use the platform to your advantage (what you might consider recording to share).

You'll (possibly) need the following equipment:

• Something to record yourself with (this can be an iPhone, iPad, computer camera, or other camera that captures video)
• A video editing tool (on Windows, you have Movie Maker - FREE, and I'm not sure about Mac, but I believe they come with something similar)
• An image editing tool (Paint will do fine)
• A noise cancelling microphone or headset (if you plan to only speak)
• This link for music (if you want to add some beats - these are FREE for YouTube use)

Now that you have those things, we're ready to create an awesome video. Here are the steps:

1. Create a script (this is what you want to say once you're on camera) so you aren't stumbling all over the place
2. Set up your recording device on a stable surface so there isn't a ton of camera shake (if you're only doing audio, this is where you strap on your headset or affix your freestanding mic to something)
3. Get your screen grabs (if you're doing a walk-through to show someone how to do something, you'll want to go step-by-step through the screens - Use Ctrl+PrtScr then open Paint and use Ctrl+V to paste the shot in - be sure to save them with labels like Screenshot1_tutorial1, Screenshot2_tutorial1, etc...) You can skip this step if you plan to record yourself talking.
4. Get to recording. Lay down all audio and video tracks now
5. Open Movie Maker and create an intro section (it's pretty self-explanatory), then drop in the other images you plan to use and set their run times.
6. Add your audio where you want it and tweak the video where necessary. Be sure and save your project often in case of a crash.
7. Render it (again, it kinda walks you through it), and save to your hard drive.
8. Go create a YouTube Channel.
9. Upload your video, add tags, and click publish.

You're done!

I bet you're thinking: That's awesome, Jo, but what the hell do I have to record that people will give two craps about?

Everyone has a skill, and most people know something they can share with or teach others. If all else fails, read a portion of your novel so people can have a taste of it, or do a book review. You can also create a cool book trailer. Once you graduate from Movie Maker, you can get into more technical editors that might cost a little money, but produce studio grade results. But cut your teeth on something easy to use first.

Here are a couple of little videos I did with Movie Maker:




So, you can see the possibilities are there. Crafts, books, technology, marketing, allathat and more!

What are you waiting for? Get going!

Do you have a YouTube channel? Share the link!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo