Blog
To video or not to video?
Posted on 1st June, 2025
My publisher, Boldwood, likes their authors to make reels (videos) of themselves opening a box of books, holding their new books up, talking about their new books, publicising their new books – I don’t know how to make canva reels and have no wish to overtax my poor brain with anything new. Therefore, I don’t do anything like this – as far as I’m concerned a writer writes the books and the publisher does the marketing . Of course, this is quite different if you’re an indie publisher as then you have to do everything. I will happily watch reels of animals, parrots, toddlers doing silly things and the new AI baby pod casts, but skip over immediately any author talking about their books in any shape or form.
How do you feel about that sort of self promotion? I don’t do the selfie reels as I don’t like watching them but I would be interested to know how others feel about this. I quite like a video featuring a book cover as long as it doesn’t feature the writer. I think on the whole writers are only interesting to other writers not necessarily to their readers. I don’t do book launches for that reason and I don’t attend them either – although I’m making an exception for a good friend next week.
When I went to the Boldwood party – an excellent occasion as always – I gravitated to the nearest seat and then just talked to the people who were sitting at the same table. Others are rushing about socialising, taking selfies, framing themselves with silly hats and feather boas so someone else can take pictures of them. I hate having my photograph taken – I’m not photogenic in any shape or form – but it doesn’t seem to stop anyone else from wanting to see their face in dozens of photographs.
My grandson loves making reels – does them of my cat, from things he photographs on the television – and can edit them in a professional manner just using his mobile phone. I have enough difficulty answering a call let alone doing something as complex as editing a reel. When I’ve tried to do a video of my garden for some reason the camera reverses and I end up with a minute of my knee, my feet or my hand. I’ve given up on that now.
I know there’s tick-tock, book toc, Instagram but I don’t participate in any of those. I post regularly on Facebook – which I’m told by my grandson is for old people – that suits me as my friends and readers are also considered old by someone of twelve.
Until next time
Fenella J Miller
