I was browsing through Chris Brogan‘s website the other day and I noticed that his “About” page had some good stuff on it. I think writers especially can learn from what he’s done.

Show Readers Who You Are With a Video

First, he has a video that describes himself. The video works so much better than words alone because you get a sense of his personality, his voice, and even his experience level. There is something about seeing and hearing someone talk that provides a better sense of who they are.

I couldn’t help thinking of how this would work for all authors. Think about the sometimes boring author bios we all have out there (and yes, I’m including myself in this). When a potential client or even fan of our work comes to our website, wouldn’t it be great to show them a little bit of what we’re like instead of just giving them some words to read?

Keep Your Video in Line With Your Brand

Notice that Chris’ video falls right in line with his brand: professional, knowledgeable, and also laid back. He’s not sitting behind a desk, but he’s in his home. Still, there aren’t toys in the background or dogs barking. This is a professional video. He’s not in a suit and tie and yet he is speaking seriously about his business. This gives you an idea of what he’s about.

Explain Your Business, Book, Characters, or Yourself

We all have areas of expertise that we can provide a client. For example, while you might advertise yourself as a “blogger,” you probably also have certain things that set you apart from other bloggers. Describe some of those in your video. Talk about the reasons you can help someone, but don’t make it sound like a boring resume. Remember, you’re on camera here, so take Chris’ example and go from there. He is talking in a conversational manner about his business, and you should too.

This concept works for fiction and freelance writers as well. If you’re a novelist, talk about your characters, the concept for your book, a funny story related to writing the book, etc. If you’re a freelancer, you could mention some of the writing projects you’ve worked on or a compliment you’ve received in relation to your work. Make it conversational and interesting. Get comfortable in front of the camera so you can truly just sit and have a chat with the folks who will view your video.

Refer Back to Your Website

See how Chris’ points out information on how to get updates from his newsletter? It’s a good idea to round things out by encouraging viewers to do something without sounding “sales-y”. Asking them to sign up for a newsletter, which can be done at the very website you are visiting, is a good place to start.

You could also take a moment to offer something free to your viewers. A free chapter, tip sheet, ebook… you name it. Notice at the end of the video, Chris talks about his NY bestselling book, but he does it in such a casual manner that you don’t feel like you’re being “sold” to. The book is a valuable part of his credentials, so including it is important, but he doesn’t end the video by begging you to buy it.

Include a Written Description as Well

Pair your “about” video with some “about” words. Make sure that in the video you are talking in a conversational manner and not just reading what is on the “about” section. Make the video something extra. But you know it’s always a good idea to include a written description as well, right? Not only does it help with SEO, sometimes people don’t have the ability to click on a video.

Keep Your Video Short

Chris’ video is under one minute. This is smart because, let’s face it, we have short attention spans. We’re much more likely to watch three minute videos than one three-minute video. Keep it short so your viewers will be encouraged to find out more by clicking through your site.

Additional Writing Resources:

• Freelance Writers Needed
• How to Write Your Own Ebook in 7 Days
• Freelance Writing Jobs

Books from Chris Brogan:

• Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust
• Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to Develop Your Business Online
  

Guest post by Logan Lindabury

Transcript of the video:
I am Logan Lindabury and I am the one that helps you find happiness in your life when you’re having trouble doing so on your own. I do this through my online happiness coaching website at HappinessCanHelp.com.

Now, last month I talked to you about not writing and being happy; finding happiness before you begin writing which would lead to better writing. This month I want to talk about actually thinking about what you’re writing, thinking about what you’re doing, thinking about what you’re saying, and thinking about how you want your message to be perceived.

You need to think about a lot of things before you begin writing. You also need to think about a lot of things once you begin writing, and after you’re done writing as well. There are so many things that need to be thought about during the process of writing.

You also need to think about your target audience. You’ve heard this before but you actually need to dig deeper. You need to figure out a way that you can portray yourself to your target audience without giving up a concept of who you are.

If you give up who you are then you’re giving up your uniqueness and your personality.

Don’t worry about people that criticize you because there will be people that do so. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, there will always be at least one person that criticizes you. The reason for that is because those people are insecure about themselves.

If you want to exceed, want to excel, you’re going to have to step up and you’re going to have to overcome those people. It’s really quite easy; you just have to realize who you are focusing on and move on from there.

Now, something else you need to think about is the ending.

Have you thought about how other people are perceiving the end of your story; not just how you are perceiving the end of your story. Sometimes it get hard, sometimes it gets annoying, sometimes it gets tough, but you just need to sit back and think.

Think about what you really want to do, what you really want to say, and you’ll probably come up with something that’s amazing.

So, think about it. Think about what you want to write about. Think about how you want it to be perceived, and then write. And if you can’t write then at least keep thinking. Don’t stop thinking. Don’t stop thinking about what you want to write about. Keep a pad and pencil near you at all times. Keep something ready so you can jot down your ideas.

But think, think all the time.

So if you want to start living a happier life, a more positive life, and a forward thinking life, then talk to me at HappinessCanHelp.com. Because I am here. I am the person that helps people find happiness in their lives when they are having trouble doing so on their own. Simply go to HappinessCanHelp.com to get started today. I’ll see you there.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
This article was written by Logan Lindabury. He helps people find happiness in their lives when they are having trouble doing so on their own. Do you want to enjoy your life? Do you want to find happiness no matter what happens? Then go to HappinessCanHelp.com and get started today.

Follow Logan Lindabury on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TalkToLogan
Stalk Logan Lindabury on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LoganLindabury

Additional Writing Resources:

• Make Money From Home – Real Jobs You Can Do by Telecommuting
• Create Multiple Articles from Just One
• How to Write Your Own Ebook in 7 Days
• Freelance Writing Jobs

I love when an author reads from his or her work, and since Mockingjay is being released, I couldn’t help but notice this video of Suzanne Collins. Collins is reading the first chapter of the book. Enjoy!

Don’t you love when an author does a video that talks about the book he or she has written? This is getting to be a very common thing, and I really enjoy it. Part of the thrill of being a reader (to me) is finding out more about the author. That’s the reason I go to so many book signings and why I enjoy interviewing authors at my site Working Writers.

Robin Maxwell, who has written the wonderful O, Juliet, has done a couple videos talking about her life and her inspiration for writing the book. Robin has been one of my favorite authors for quite a while, and I had the pleasure of interviewing her a while back.

In this video she talks about her personal love story, her first novel, and how her husband helped her move from the city to the wonderful desert property where she lives now. I also liked how Robin talked about how her husband got her moving – literally! He is a physically fit person and got her moving more. Isn’t that the case with so many of us writers? We sit and write (and read) and often it takes someone or something to motivate us to get out of our head and into our bodies a little more.

Enjoy this video:

Robin is also having a giveaway contest at her blog. This one involves poetry, so you all know I’m very excited about it! (The world needs more poetry! Have I said that ten or twenty times here before?)

Back to the contest, and details from Robin:

There’ll be two separate contests (and winners), one for adults, and one for young poets age 13-18. If you fall into the latter category, you’ll need to let me know that in your entry. The winner in each category will receive a signed copy of O, JULIET, a Renaissance style leather-bound journal in which you can continue writing your award-winning poetry and prose, and a leisurely phone conversation with me.

To Enter, simply send in your poem (of any length) here to this blog by February 2nd. Please clearly include your name, email address and whether your poem should be judged in the adult or 13-19 year old category. The two winners will be announced on Valentines Day, 2010.

That’s all you have to do! Comment on her blog post and you’re entered. What a great prize.

One of the most fascinating books I have read lately is The White Queen: A Novel (Cousins’ War) by Philippa Gregory.

Gregory has been a favorite of mine for awhile now, when I first picked up The Other Boleyn Girl and started an obsession that consisted of reading and viewing everything I could about the Tudor dynasty. In The White Queen: A Novel (Cousins’ War), Gregory explores the generation before the Tudors with the “cousins war” or as its more widely known, The War of the Roses.

She explains the story behind The White Queen below:

Rarely have a I seen a writer like Gregory – she is truly the best and grabs you with the very first word. I could not put this book down, as the story of Elizabeth Woodville is so captivating you’d think the whole of it was made up. But Gregory, as we know, does her research. While so very little is known about Elizabeth Woodville and her sons, Edward and Richard who are rumored to have been killed in their beds (but no one knows for sure, because the bodies were never found and no one came forward to say that they have killed them), Gregory does a wonderful job of piecing this together. Elizabeth Woodville is one of the most interesting characters in history, and Gregory not only brought her to life but also did a brilliant job of promoting The White Queen with her Elizabeth Woodville tweets on Twitter. She has the whole of them here on her website if you missed them the first time around.

I was happy to see that this is the first in a new series focusing on the Plantagenet family, and look forward to more books by this brilliant author!

Image: Philippa Gregory

More resources on publishing and novel writing:

• Write a novel in 60 days
• Take your book from manuscript to the masses with self-publishing and print-on-demand from CreateSpace.
• Write an ebook in 7 days
• Real Writing Jobs

I love to hear authors talk about their books and how they came to write them. In this video, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the wildly popular Eat, Pray, Love.

When I tell someone I’m a writer, I always expect them to say, “What have you written?” or “Have you written anything I might have read?” That would be my first question if someone I didn’t recognize told me he or she was a writer. Instead, I usually hear about the person’s writing aspirations. It always amazes me when someone tells me they have a desire to write. So many of us want to write, that I can’t believe there isn’t more writing out there in the world.

When blogging first hit, I knew it would become instantly popular. Because everyone, it seems, has a story they’d like to tell. The variety of people and writing styles in this world is truly amazing.

If you’re a “closet writer,” you might wonder how to get the job of writing done. Whether writing for a blog, working on a novel, or just trying to make a living as a freelancer, the best advice often comes from the ones who did it before you and are successful. Here are a few great words from some inspiring writers.

The brilliant Frank McCourt talks about poverty and writing at length about his upbringing. If you’ve never heard the beautiful Irish voice of Mr. McCourt, you are in for a treat. Imagine this same voice telling you a story of his childhood, and that is Angela’s Ashes.

Enjoy this short video.

When you think of a comedy group like Monty Python, you think of funny laughs and easy humor. You don’t often think of the writing that went behind it, which is a tribute naturally to the very people that wrote their stuff! In this video, Eric Idle talks about writing with the rest of the group, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, and then John Du Prez, who became his best writing partner.

It’s interesting to see how writing with a partner can be. It can make writing a creative and beautiful thing or it can become a chore.

Bloggers of all levels can learn a great deal from the “Become a Blogger” series of videos by Gideon Shalwick and Yaro Starak. (We interviewed Yaro here on Working Writers recently, so if you didn’t catch the post, please take a moment and read through it. I think you’ll be surprised by some of the things he’s said, especially the part about a possible upcoming novel from him. Plus, check out Yaro’s Blog Mastermind Plan. He’s got some really great tips on how to make a realistic income from blogging. )

Back to the Become a Blogger site… I just recommended this site yesterday to someone who had been blogging a while but wanted to take her blog to “the next level.” She liked what I did here and had some questions about setting up a WordPress blog and getting a theme like this one. I immediately sent her there because Gideon and Yaro have done such a great job of explaining step by step how to do it. Their free video series is extremely helpful.

Recently, I also caught this fabulous interview with Darren Rowse on the Become a Blogger site. It’s a video interview, which makes you feel like you’re sitting there in a room with two brilliant bloggers while they discuss the ins and outs of writing a successful blog. Darren talks about getting traffic, finding a topic to write about, the types of social media bloggers should be involved in, and how to make money blogging.

Enjoy this interview.

Also, be sure to check out Darren’s book, ProBlogger: