Guest Post with Emma Bennet

Today I'm pleased to welcome romance author, Emma Bennet, to the blog to talk about the role YouTube plays in her writing.

Emma, it's over to you.

Starting My YouTube Channel

I discovered the wonders of YouTube a few years ago, but it was a while before I stumbled upon Authortube, the corner of YouTube with writers producing videos. I was soon absolutely hooked! How I wish this information had been available to be when I was writing my first romance, The Green Hills of Home, more than a decade ago. Not only is Authortube full of writing advice, but there are lots of opportunities to take part in live writing sprints, which definitely makes the writing process less isolating. I also love watching author life vlogs.

I mulled over starting my own channel for more than a year before I took the plunge in March 2022.

I wanted a channel for several reasons. The main one was so that I could offer support and advice to other authors about both writing and marketing your books. I also figured I would learn an awful lot myself while researching for my videos. Becoming a proper part of the Authortube community also really appealed, they all seemed very supportive of one another, sharing one another’s videos, co-hosting live streams, and shouting out about each other’s books. I discovered this to be true very early on, and it’s made such a difference to my writing to have this wonderful group of cheerleaders.

There were many things holding me back from starting a channel, however. Number one being the equipment I had - I didn’t have a fancy camera, microphones, lighting and sound equipment. I didn’t even have a lovely, quiet place to film: I share a house with five boys and two large dogs! I began filming on an iPhone 5s, which I had to prop up on a stack of books because I didn’t have a tripod.

Of course, I was also worried about making a complete fool of myself, but I figured I just wouldn’t tell anyone I was doing it for a while.

So, one afternoon when all my family was out, I recorded my first video. It was a ‘write with me’. The lighting was dreadful, and the video quality wasn’t great. Oh, and I’d made the mistake of filming in portrait instead of landscape. I also didn’t make a thumbnail for it. But, I had officially had a video available and this is the way I would advise anyone interested in doing the same to start. Try it out with what you’ve got so you can see if it’s for you before you commit to buying a load of equipment.

So, almost a year on, I’m on track to be monetised this year, which would be amazing. I upload two videos and at least one short (a video less than a minute long, like a TikTok) a week, as well as hosting at least two live writing sessions a week. I’ve also been able to collaborate on videos and live streams with other authors, and will be taking part in the Authortube Writing Conference later this year.

Running a YouTube channel is definitely hard work and isn’t for the faint-hearted, but I absolutely love it.

Find me on YouTube at: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKJKt8kmDXrWQAGkTV1VHMQ

For everything about Emma, her website, her books and social media links, please click on:

https://linktr.ee/emmabennetromance

BIO:

'Emma grew up and lived in London, before falling in love and moving to Wales to marry her own hero. Emma now lives with her husband, 4 children, and many animals a few miles outside a small Welsh market town, She can often be found in rivers attempting to control two overexcited chocolate labradors.

The author of seven romances, Emma also runs a YouTube channel (see link above) full of tips and tricks for writers, book recommendations, author life vlogs, and live writing sprints.

Emma likes (in no particular order): cake, books, Cary Grant films, prosecco, chocolate, guinea pigs, knitting, quilting and happily ever afters!'

Thank you, Emma. I'm sure I'm not alone in finding out how you came to run your own YouTube channel really interesting.

Thank you for reading. Have you got a YouTube channel like Emma? What are the benefits for your writing? Do you watch writers on YouTube? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.

You may also follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

For more about me and my books, including Her Mother's Secret currently reduced to 99p, please visit my AMAZON PAGE. Thanks.