so I have written a couple of short stories and I have been thinking about recording my self reading them and putting them up on youtube. I'm not trying to become a youtube wiz I just want to share them with a few more people than my circle of friends. Does anyone else do this? Is there any disadvantage to this that I am unaware of.
I don't but I like the idea. It may interfere with publishing options though, so best check to see if this is considered as 'self-publishing' by current or even future standards.
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that if you put them in public like that they'll be difficult if not impossible to sell later on. Paying publishers like to know that everyone who gets to experience (read or listen to) your story has to give them some money for the privilege. I put a lot of my flash fiction up on my blog for free to "build a brand" in case I ever finish my novel though, so you'd potentially be doing the same thing. I know there are a lot of members here who thing that that approach is kind of meaningless, but I've made my choices. Of course, if your voice is as impressive as the beard your avatar has, you might succeed in getting some attention for narration/voice acting work
One disadvantage I see is that it takes away from the "mysterious" writer vibe. What I mean is that when she started, no one knew that "J.K. Rowling" was a female. If she had published as "Joanne K. Rowling" (a female) would her stories about a boy wizard have sold so well? Otherwise it could be a great way to "tease" people about your work, get them interested and invested in you, plus build your brand. Who knows, if you have enough work to post regularly....like weekly or monthly, maybe YouTube will start paying you for putting ads on your channel?
I'd say if it's something you'd really like to do, make sure you have the voice for it. Record yourself and listen to how you sound and look on video. Good recording equipment is a must have, it often makes all the difference. Good luck with whatever you decide!
Reading a short story may be beneficial. You may consider streaming relevant images in the background. Length is a consideration also. Experience has proved to us 5 minutes is a good length to keep your viewer's interest and be sure to have the link to your Author websites at the end of Video credits and also in the Description
If you are going to do this you need to think about video quality, and sound quality... don't rely on your computers built in camera and mike, and also about editing software... a shoddily made video will suggest that your product is also shoddy. Also narration is a skill - its not just a case of reading your work out loud
I haven't started to listened to storytellers on youtube before but will over a podcast because it never crossed my mind until now. Here's a link of Cumberbatch reading Sherlock
You don't need to make a video to post on YouTube There are a lots of audio books, short stories and radio programs .The quality is mostly professional and there is a need to sound just as good . As a promo it is good idea , but you would need something to sell that is linked to a website or some sales platform . If your just doing it for the fun of it , you have nothing to loose . I believe it might make publication of the posted story more difficult. But if you get lots of hits , it might make new work easier?
I would start by recording yourself reading short segments, listen to them, and do it again and again, working on making your voice sound as good as possible. In just a few days or a week you can get way better than you were the 1st time you tried. And always make sure to listen to one carefully before uploading it.
