On blogging and vlogging
So, some of you have noticed that I don’t update my blog as often as I once did. And I haven’t loaded a new video in quite a few months.
I appreciate the emails I’ve gotten- some that are genuinely concerned about me, and some that are very nicely asking for new content. I’m seriously very touched that people miss the videos, the posts, etc. It makes me feel special and warm and fuzzy and other positive things.
However, I haven’t really been absent from the internet! I’m actually super active over on Twitter (@JacksonPearce). But, I know, twitter is not the same thing as blog posts or videos. Here is an explanation:
I started doing videos before AS YOU WISH released. They were a way to promote the book, but moreover, they were fun. I got more and more into them as SISTERS RED, SWEETLY, and PURITY came out. I really enjoyed the YouTube community and the level of reader interaction videos entailed. I also really liked that videos allowed me to be more personable with readers, and talk about a wide range of topics. I know plenty of fans found me via my videos, not from my books, and I absolutely adored going to events and hearing how people enjoyed the YouTube channel. Since most of my energy was going into YouTube, I let my written blog slide entirely, since I just wasn’t able to generate enough content to do both.
But…as time went on, I began to get a little frustrated with YouTube. I was making so, so, so many videos- sometimes even one every day. I had/have over 13k subscribers! And yet…I’ve never sold 13k books on release day. I’ve never even sold 2k on release day- if I did, I would likely make the NYT bestseller list! And yet, if I didn’t upload a video for a month or so, I’d get emails complaining about the lack of content- emails from people who freely admitted they’d never read one of my books. Some of these emails were perfectly nice, but others were very demanding, and that upset me a bit. I felt a tad…betrayed? I was creating all this free content, spending lots and lots and lots of time on it, and then not only were viewers not buying or reading or checking out my books, but they always wanted more of the free stuff.
Making videos was beginning to feel like an obligation rather than something I did just for fun.
I don’t mean to imply that I think anyone owes my books a read just because they like my videos- if they’re not your thing, they’re not your thing, and that’s okay. I also know that most of the people who want new videos/blog entries aren’t trying to be demanding or mean about it- I know you’re just being really awesome, invested, and kind readers/fans! But as I stressed about making videos and writing books and finding the time to do both while still, you know, leaving my house occasionally, I realized something: I am a professional author. I am not a professional YouTuber/blogger.
YouTube and blogging are things I do just for fun- so sometimes, when I am working on a book or going on vacation or even just sitting in my underwear watching Cool Runnings on TBS (DON’T MOCK MY LOVE FOR JAMAICAN BOBSLEDDERS), I won’t be making videos or posting entries. It’s not that I don’t appreciate my readers or video fans, or that I don’t enjoy making videos…it’s just that every now and then, I need to step back and take a break. Sometimes that’ll be for a week. Sometimes that’ll be for longer. I’ll always come back to YouTube- because like I said, making videos is fun!- but I can’t allow videos or blogs to feel like a job. Not only does that make it very not fun, but it messes with my head, and clouds what my real job- which I adore- is: writing books.
So, in short: I promise I will make videos again, eventually, and I really, really, really appreciate the fact that you guys miss them. Until more YouTube happens, please come visit me on twitter? I promise we can hang out there and drink hot chocolate together and such things. You guys are the best.
Mirrored from JacksonPearce.com.