Authortube: To Give Advice Or Not?

AUTHORTUBE: TO GIVE ADVICE OR NOT?

When I first started on Authotube (channel here) I wasn't all that sure about what I'd post about. While you can't see the first year of videos any more because I removed them all, they were a mix of one subject a month covered in the main video and then the others were progress on paperbacks and books trailers and all of that. I don't know whether it was just my lack of skill of editing and doing thumbnails, or the fact that I didn't engage and promote myself all that well, but I found that pretty soon, they didn't really attract that much attention.

I made the same mistake with my blog in the early days. I didn't know what to write about and used it more as a place for people to see my books and would only update when there was a new release or they were available in a new store. Of course, you're here because you don't want to make those same mistakes that I did early on in my career and so for that reason I'm going to tackle the big question of whether or not you should give advice. I'll give you pros and cons for each and leave that final decision to you, because you know yourself, and your journey better than anyone else.

#1 - GIVING ADVICE PROS
-> This can be a good way to attract fellow writers and authors who have a question that you might be able to answer.
-> It can also be a way to specialise your channel to your own personal process. For example, if you're a major planner with a unique outlining process, people will want to hear about it.
-> It can lead to collaborations with other authors on authortube and allow you to quickly gain an audience.
-> If you're knowledgable on the subject, it can be a good way to spread the word.
-> It can also be a way to change how certain things are done. For example, I'll talk a lot about writing disabled characters because I am disabled and woefully aware of the lack of diversity.
-> It gives you a wide array of topics to choose from.

#2 - GIVE ADVICE CONS
-> If you're new to writing, it's not always going to be something that you can talk about in detail without a lot of research.
-> If you decide to talk about something having done the research, you might end up giving the wrong kind of advice since you have no personal experience with it.
-> A lot of channels on Authortube give advice and it can be hard to separate yourself from the crowd.
-> Even if you are specialised in one particular topic, that doesn't mean that people will listen to what you have to say.
-> Depending on your age and skill with editing and such, it may be amazing advice, but packaged in a way that people deem bad because you don't have all the perfect equipment.
-> Sometimes it feels like a lot of the same advice is just regurgitated out from various channels.

#3 - NOT GIVING ADVICE PROS
-> You're free to choose how to frame your channel.
-> You don't have to worry about people getting upset about the advice you give.
-> You don't have to worry if you're not specialised in a topic because you won't be talking about it in any capacity as a mentor.
-> You can try and stand away from the crowd as someone who just discusses author life and the path to publication.
-> You can still collaborated with people, but do it in your own way and without the worry of having to research a lot of writing tips

#4 - NOT GIVING ADVICE CONS
-> It can be harder to get views when you're coming with different original content.
-> It can be something that stands you out from the crowd, but doesn't help you connect with your audience.
-> Sometimes you'll have thoughts of a way you do things, and will find it harder to frame it on your channel if you don't have a history of advice giving.
-> It can cause you to lose credibility if you don't share certain facts.

Those are the pros and cons of both. I've taken all of them from my own personal experience and from what I've seen of other authortube channels. I am not advocating for one or the other. I personally try and do a mix of both, with the writing videos, but also some advice and topics not always covered by other channels. You have to decide for yourself, and whichever path you choose, good luck!

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