Algorithm's hard. I've listened to those video too, and the way is more of the same: trends, clickbait, plastic thumbnails. Nothing I appreciate, but I'm quite sure that it's not what you will ever do with your channel; you've found the way to live writing books, I'm sure you will figure out what's best here on RUclips. I'm one of those who are very interested in your experiences, projects, but also recommendations. I'm here to chill with you while I'm doing stuff, and your calm voice and attitude really help me a lot. You are building an amazing community, you're doing great. Thank you and may the stars light your path, always. Happy Thanksgiving guys, eat your veggies! 🥦
I probably should clarify that I don't mean juicing the algorithm to be like...I don't know, Mr. Beast or something, LOL, just not confusing the RUclips algorithm. As in, if my channel does best with "creative life" videos, RUclips will get confused if I then do "writing how-to" videos and penalize the channel accordingly. Which means if I talk about writing how-to on the channel, I just need to think about how to couch it in like, a creative life vlog or something...and videos on the most granular writing topics just move to Patreon.
At the risk of throwing a wrench in your feedback, I loved your ‘audiobook’ reading of your own book. It was such a special experience to hear throughout the story about the world and your process and how the story came to be. I do also enjoy your creative life videos, and I’m looking forward to where you take things next!
You speak honestly from your experience of years of professional writing, that's why I love your channel! I'm a somewhat-experienced writer and it's hard to find people like you, I think content is flooded with people who speak from little to no experience. So even in the case when you might give similar advice as someone else, like your great "you should write trash" advice, it hits harder coming from you. I like both your writing-specific and general creative-life videos
Hey Lidiya! Like you i watch a lot of artists who talk about what it means to live as a full-time creative and I really love that when I watch your channel I get to have that but for writing! I found you through your 40 books in 4 years video but have stayed because of the "lifestyle" content. The actual "here is how you do it" craft videos bore me because people really don't seem to say much that's new. I know the goddamn basics. When it comes to craft, what I *would* watch is someone talking about specific struggles THEY had, eg "i didn't understand these 4 things about structure and here is what it took for me to learn it, here are the mistakes I made". Or "i wrote 40 books in 4 years, here is how my approach to structure changed over that time". Like, author vloggers, don't give me a dry lecture, tell me a story about how YOU got better or what you find all YOUR work has in common, and my butt will be ON that seat. In particular because you are so prolific and in your 40s you really have all of that experience to draw on as well as a longevity in the field, and that's something a lot of author vloggers just don't have. Imo it is definitely your strength to play to in thumbnails titles and how you frame your video concepts. Anyway. I love that stuff. Love your channel. Am enjoying the LM Montgomery readalong. Thanks for always reading and responding to my comments :) i just joined your patreon at the free tier and once i get a better job in the new year I am looking forward to moving to the discord tier! I'm looking at it as investing in myself :)
I think I found your channel because of how-to craft videos when I was writing more... Now I'm more into sewing but I just like the sound of your voice tbh. Not in a creepy way, but you've got a soothing presence. I've got ADHD and I put on your videos when I need to focus on a task. One of my fav parasocial relationships (Midwest Magic Cleaning is another one). Definitely appreciate your broadly focused creative life full time artist videos.
Adding this in a comment so you can delete it if it's too personal... but in addition to ADHD I'm autistic... and you strike me as a fellow person-with-spectrum. Also maybe Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? (Just a guess based on some of your hand gestures.) If so, I would love a video on how, if at all, your creative life or decision to be a full time artist was influenced or impacted by these things.
I've never heard of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. But I think I'm just Italian...? I suspect I'm probably ADHD, not sure about autistic. I mean, if you're a woman in your 40s, you have no diagnosis unless you seek answers later in life, but if you're not looking to take medication or some treatment for it, I'm of the opinion that the fewer doctor visits I have to make in life, the better... 😵💫
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Definitely understand the desire to see the doctor as little as possible 😅 The last thing any of us needs is a bunch of extraneous unsolicited internet advice, but I will say both might be subreddits worth looking into if you've got any unexplained stuff like joint pain, gut issues, or a social-misfit nature. There's tons of information and community out there that have helped me understand myself and live better in general. Buuut I tend to think every person I vibe with or think is cool simply *must* be autistic, so I could just be very biased. In any case, cheers and thanks for the videos.
Well, I watched almost all of your videos, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely say I prefer creative life videos. Lately I found I enjoy listening to other writers talk about their process, motivational mind tricks they use to get themselves to write even when it feels hard. How you overcome perfectionism. Really enjoyed Montgomery diaries too! I would've never read them myself but it was great hearing you read and relate to her experiences. And I'm still waiting for your writers "manifesting" success video lol
I just want to say I’ve loved every video and I’ve enjoyed the very practical and realistic behind the scenes of being an author/creator and just seeing your unique creative thinking. Everything has been interesting and relatable.
I love hearing behind the scenes and chats about how the RUclips journey is going, especially from new creators! I just started taking my channel seriously a few weeks ago, and really appreciate hearing all the tips and thought processes you’re going through! Also just a fan of the channel! You are charming and delightful. Hope you have a lovely half-assed thanksgiving 😂
🤣 I hope you guys have the BEST half-assed Thanksgiving 🙏🏼 That makes sense to continue the craft type videos on Patreon or finding ways to Trojan horse craft topics into more algorithm friendly videos. One of my fav RUclipsrs whose niche was anime analysis had a successful second channel that was a place for them to put anything that wasn't optimal for the main channel. That second channel never got the same amount of views as the main one but it still did well, became monetized, and had its own cool vibe because all of us watching that channel were...I guess you could say "true fans??" But I don't mean that in an elitist way, I just mean that we were an audience tuning in for that person specifically, instead of an audience tuning in for anime content. But I can't remember how many years into their RUclips career it took for them to start that second channel. They had initially only started it to have more creative freedom with their video content since the main channel didn't really allow for deviation from well produced, edited, video essays about anime. You've created a great cozy space here with lots of wisdom and experience to share so it'll be fun to see how this channel evolves! 🤗💕 I think the video ideas you mentioned are great, ESPECIALLY the deeps dives, I love that stuff lol
I'm an experienced writer so I don't need as much help with craft. Where I'm at is publishing. You're so inspiring. I want to publish a book so bad. I have short stories that have been published but they've mostly disappeared from the internet. I do like your line by line critique videos tho. I like your life of a writer videos and your flavor of 'you can do it!!!"
I’m in that broader creative audience you identify. I love listening to your creative life type videos, but craft or read-alongs or etc aren’t stuff I’m usually likely to watch. Glad you’re finding your place here on YT, you’ve got such a cozy, gentle vibe that’s in welcome contrast to a lot of the content out there!
I always check my Subscriptions tab first, and I don't have "restricted mode" on so I always see new videos from nearly everyone I follow, including yours! :) I only check my Home tab after I've checked my Subscriptions feed. However, last week I tried putting restricted mode on (because I wanted to stop seeing distracting comments sections on my phone, not because I wanted to avoid topics) ...I lost nearly 50% of my Subscriptions feed! So I turned that off within a day - on other social media as well, I always find the "people I follow" feed and bookmark that instead of the For You or Home pages. I think I've watched all your videos all year!
This is how I use RUclips too. I’ve quit Instagram etc so my dopamine-seeking thing now is popping in to my Subscriptions tab in RUclips over the course of the day to see what’s been uploaded and I mentally bookmark the ones I want to watch once I have downtime in the evening, so I rarely miss anything from channels I follow.
Why I became a subscriber is that you are different from all the other authortubers. For me you are to me more relatable. Iff that makes sense. But I do understand the frustration with the algorithm. I’m sill struggling with that myself after 20 months on BookTube. I’m not doing bad with over 80 people watching two or more videos every month. Which I think is great, but I think the algorithm doesn’t really fancy my niche of the more unknown books. So that’s probably why the algorithm is having a hard time in finding the right people for my videos. Which can be frustrating. But hey over 80 people every month that’s a lot iff you picture them in my living room. They don’t fit in there. lol.
I looked at your channel and I can see why it could be a slow build...it's definitely a niche. When I first started as a manga channel it was a little more like that. I would get a few hundred views at best, the only one that did well was my manga collection shelf tour, but that's pretty typical. If you could come up with an occasional video that has an intriguing human interest hook, that might help find people. I'm thinking of a video I saw on the Elfquest comics, which is not a HUGE franchise, but a video popped up about Richard and Wendy Pini titled "Marvel rejected this couple, so they revolutionized the comic industry" and it has almost a million views, far beyond any other Elfquest content on RUclips. I bet if they had just titled it "The creators of Elfquest comics" or something, it wouldn't have done as well. My totally unsolicited advice! But something I'm thinking about for some of the videos I would love to do on less popular authors...think of a title involving an author/artist's life or work that will intrigue everyone...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Oh, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks. I really appreciate the advice. I will look into it a bit more. I'm planning some time off in January, so I will definitely look into what I can change for my future videos.
I find I grow curiouser and curiouser about the figurines (dolls?) on the shelves behind you. Have you ever talked about them? Enjoy your holiday and thanks for the video. Always a treat to see you. 🤗
Love your plans, they are exactly what I’m here for! I’m an illustrator but here for the creative lifestyle talk. I do delve into the writing stuff a bit as creative advice is transferable but also because you have such a relaxing voice and interesting way of telling things. What you said in an early video about the ick around “content marketing” really resonated with me too - as someone exploring what you’re supposed to do and thinking “really?! This is MADNESS” 😅
I do videos about creativity - though I'm originally a comic artist! I just wanted an outlet to try a bunch of crafts, and talk about what happens in my brain when I do that. No tutorials. Not to plug myself or anything 😅 there can be more of us! So far, the algorithm has been a bit confused by me lol
I don't think specific tutorial videos could be bad. I really liked your latest video about plotting your recent books because you talked specifically about how your books fall into the usual plotting structure. I loved hearing how you found flaws in your own work and how you would fix it. I'm still hoping you'll do something similiar with book cover art. Like sure, describe the process a bit, the nitty gritty, but then talk about how you had to adapt your cover art to your tastes and if maybe it changed the way you saw your own characters, something like that. Just trying to say, a video can start of as a "tutorial" but as long as you put your experiences into it I'm totaly going to watch it.
I did a video on cover art on the Patreon...I didn't really think to discuss that particular aspect of it though. Usually, no. Either I chose the model or the premade cover because it matched the character (or sent sketches, in case of working with an artist), or I just perpetually think "that cover is wrong but whatever", LOL. In one weird case, Dade had to photoshop a man's forehead to be smaller. We were joking that he had a five-head because it was just so much forehead!
Hi Lidiya! I'm a new subscriber and I'm so glad I came across your channel. I love how cosy and chill your videos are. I'll watch any kind of video you post because I really enjoy your insight into writing and creativity. Your videos are so nice to watch because it feels like I'm hanging out with a friend and cosy cottagecore channels are so relaxing to put on in the background when I'm writing or drawing. You're such an inspiration too. I've always wanted to indie publish my novel but was always too scared and overwhelmed to do so but you've really encouraged me to finally do it so thank you so much 😊🥰
One of my favorite RUclips channels is by an artist couple, Rafi and Klee. They talk about the struggles, the insecurities, the setbacks, and joys of being creative. I love their videos because, as you said, there are a lot of tutorials or how-tos out there and unless I’m specifically looking for info on that technique I probably won’t watch it. I think having a channel that focuses on a creative life is nicer too because it fosters more discussion with the audience and opportunities to explore these topics. Whatever you choose to do, I’m looking forward to seeing more of your journey.
drat! i missed the premire! Ironically because i was baking things for tomorrow LOL But i try to catch as many videos as possible anyway ^_^ for the vibes
I enjoy your content, whatever the topic…more cats would be great 😂. Seriously, though, I like your craft videos as they are helpful to me as a writer who is just starting out. I am a patron but I sometimes forget to go to your Discord. I need to enable notifications if that is a thing.
I’m interested though in whether some craft videos on the public YT might give potential new patrons a good preview of more of what they’d get on patreon? If so, they might be worthwhile on occasion even if they don’t get that many views?
Yes! I will still do some of them. For instance, the critiquing first pages of novels videos, I will keep doing now and then because they're fun and I've picked up extra money offering it as a service. I'm just going to think more strategically about what goes here vs. Patreon.
Maybe look at what Tim Ferris has said about his channel. He divides his audience into 4 types and makes sure each video hits at least one of the types- and one is like universal creative interest, one is writers, and I forget others maybe entrepreneurs and people interested in productivity/body optimization.
That's interesting. Looking at his channel, I can see why it works. It seems like he sticks to topics that have broad enough appeal to hit a large audience even if they're not all the same, but down near the bottom of his page he has some older videos that seem more niche and lower views.
I am new to the channel and sense I discovered it I am addicted. I am working my way towards the technical stuff and I am grateful that it is there because I do like your “vibe” and a lot of technical writing videos can be very discouraging. Please don’t ever make a “10 mistakes new writers make” video I swear those have killed more novels than a library fire. I loved the “trash” video because I still want to write the stories I wanted to write when I was a teenager and whatever might help me do that without listening to the voices that tell me I don’t deserve to be a writer, no one is going to enjoy those stories, you should be working on something “better” etc is a real gift. Any video you made that helps people life the creative life they want without listening to those voices would have universal appeal.
I like your plan. I am not a writer but I am a creative person. Would like to see more about the creative life that we can aspire to . Writing this at 3 am so forgive the rambling.❤
YT showed me your "trash video", so I am new here and a living proof that the algorthm works ;P As to the topic, the mention of the first (negative) review gave me an idea. I am just starting writing and for now it's mostly for fun and for myself but there is this dream of being published one day, but to do that you have to show your work to people, the question is: How you overcome this fear of being judged? Do you have to disconnect from your work? or it comes with time? You learn to don't take it personally? How about when your friends and family read you (trashy) work? Have a great half Thanksgiving
Those are good questions for a video! (Pen names help... I didn't tell any of my family or friends my trashy pen name until I had bought a house with the earnings...)
I'm not a writer but I am a creative introspective person. I just like you as a person and enjoy hearing about your life as a writer. I do love to read. I don't usually watch the more technical craft videos you do. As a possible idea for a video or maybe just a discussion topic; maybe delve into the idea that we all have a book within us. Do we?? I don't seem to have any talent for creating stories. I think there must be an innate skill there. What are your thoughts on that?
I think I am a big fan so I like it all so that's my bias. I think you are right that a big part of it is "the under the hood" creative emotional-lifestyle vive. There is the craft of being creative which is a thing in and of itself. I love artists biographies and letters! These are kind of like your letters to us.
Thank you! And yes I get so much insight from letters, so sad that we probably won't have letters collections anymore! Maybe emails but I don't know if they are as likely to be saved or as in depth...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor vive=vibe sp 🤣 People are more spontaneous about their expressions so yes maybe it is less likely to be formally organized into a collection - though that's why a RUclips channel is a great idea.
It may be tough to determine a video’s performance. The time of year and week may impact the audience’s ability to view it. Some folks make a second channel for different topics that may not seem to align with the main channel.
I’m not a writer but I like some craft video stuff (I find it interesting). But I have subscribed and stayed because I like you 😊. I think you have a lot of interesting things to say and I like hearing about your life. All that to say, it seems that your conclusions seem pretty accurate to all the reasons why I’ve stuck around. Keep it up! Happy thanksgiving
Your half-assed Thanksgiving sounds great - I've definitely been there, lol! (And leaving the cats overnight is hard! 😅)And I loved getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the decisions you're making for your channel and how the algorithm works.
I hope your thanksgiving is going good. I think if you just focus on making this channel pure writing for the masses. Then you could have a second one that is more varied. I think there are people that just want writing content, and there are people that want content because its from you personally. I like both. The titles that seem to do well have mass appeal and click baity titles.
Not a writer but I really enjoy writerly content. I also love hearing about your processes, about your creative journey, especially that you write and published so many books. Most authors on youtube are either self-published or only have a couple of traditionally published books on them, so it's very interesting to hear from someone with far more experience. I'm also enjoying you talking about your life as an artist and what that entails in practical sense as well as behind the scenes of youtube. Kitty cameos are a welcome bonus.
Yes, I guess most really experienced authors are too busy writing! But since I am now turning my attention to passion projects for a while, I had to get creative...and that will also add a different kind of experience. Is it possible to build a slow audience for the deep passion project? I'll find out!
I just found you this week thanks to the algorithm. I think it was the Write Trash video 😅 But I’ve enjoyed watching through your variety of content. I enjoy your way of being and find you inspiring for a calm, cozy, creative vibe. I just today watched a few of your videos and thought how you might be a nice influence for me to watch right before I sit down to write. I don’t know if that helps, but thanks for being here!
I think RUclips stopped showing every single one of your videos on "Home" because I didn't click on several of the read-aloud videos when they were coming out. But they still pop up here and there.
The algorithm changed during COVID lockdowns and lots of people haven’t bounced back. RUclips is trying to be like Tik Tok and they’re really pushing Shorts 😩
Maybe...? But I do feel like I have caught the algorithm before. It's more a matter of having a better strategy, I think. I'll do well and then make a video that throws it all off...and it's fairly clear as to why. Although I stand by the idea that one's first year on RUclips should be pure experimentation!
@ they play with their algorithms all the time, like Amazon, and there was some weirdness happening for a solid year with longer videos not doing very well. I was growing fast and then… splat 🫠 Bummer for a while, but I learned I do BookTube for fun and I don’t like Shorts and the idea of it, so I just did whatever I wanted, and then hit the spot with horror books/reviews. Didn’t know horror fans were that into BookTube, but the more the merrier! 💪🏻
Not sure if it helps or hurts, but all of your top videos are ones u e seen promoted in my feed. I didnt even know you made craft videos (haven't seen them pop up/algorithmically promoted.) It's hard to jnow how much if the promotion is because it's popular or how much it's popular because RUclips is pushing it :(
Well, I think the algorithm works by people clicking on a thing and watching it, and then RUclips goes "oh okay, broad appeal, let's show this to more people". The algorithm is still driven by people's choices. It's not perfect by any means (like why, when I put on The Financial Diet women's finance podcast video to fall asleep to, did I wake up to a bro body optimization podcast video a few hours later?), but it also wouldn't be great to NOT have an algorithm at all...
That's true. But I'm not sure I can handle two writing channels! The successful writing how-to channels have SO many videos, I don't think it's the type of channel where you can get away with 1-2 videos a month or something...
I know... it's too much. Especially since I think every day about starting a channel for totally unrelated retro culture video essays. I have a huge collection of old teen magazines and I'm always seeing things in them where I'm like omg I want to make a hour-long video about this. I can't do all the things I enjoy in one lifetime!
Algorithm's hard. I've listened to those video too, and the way is more of the same: trends, clickbait, plastic thumbnails. Nothing I appreciate, but I'm quite sure that it's not what you will ever do with your channel; you've found the way to live writing books, I'm sure you will figure out what's best here on RUclips. I'm one of those who are very interested in your experiences, projects, but also recommendations. I'm here to chill with you while I'm doing stuff, and your calm voice and attitude really help me a lot.
You are building an amazing community, you're doing great. Thank you and may the stars light your path, always.
Happy Thanksgiving guys, eat your veggies! 🥦
I probably should clarify that I don't mean juicing the algorithm to be like...I don't know, Mr. Beast or something, LOL, just not confusing the RUclips algorithm. As in, if my channel does best with "creative life" videos, RUclips will get confused if I then do "writing how-to" videos and penalize the channel accordingly. Which means if I talk about writing how-to on the channel, I just need to think about how to couch it in like, a creative life vlog or something...and videos on the most granular writing topics just move to Patreon.
At the risk of throwing a wrench in your feedback, I loved your ‘audiobook’ reading of your own book. It was such a special experience to hear throughout the story about the world and your process and how the story came to be. I do also enjoy your creative life videos, and I’m looking forward to where you take things next!
I would LOVE videos about writers' letters and diaries!
You speak honestly from your experience of years of professional writing, that's why I love your channel! I'm a somewhat-experienced writer and it's hard to find people like you, I think content is flooded with people who speak from little to no experience. So even in the case when you might give similar advice as someone else, like your great "you should write trash" advice, it hits harder coming from you. I like both your writing-specific and general creative-life videos
Hey Lidiya! Like you i watch a lot of artists who talk about what it means to live as a full-time creative and I really love that when I watch your channel I get to have that but for writing! I found you through your 40 books in 4 years video but have stayed because of the "lifestyle" content.
The actual "here is how you do it" craft videos bore me because people really don't seem to say much that's new. I know the goddamn basics. When it comes to craft, what I *would* watch is someone talking about specific struggles THEY had, eg "i didn't understand these 4 things about structure and here is what it took for me to learn it, here are the mistakes I made". Or "i wrote 40 books in 4 years, here is how my approach to structure changed over that time".
Like, author vloggers, don't give me a dry lecture, tell me a story about how YOU got better or what you find all YOUR work has in common, and my butt will be ON that seat.
In particular because you are so prolific and in your 40s you really have all of that experience to draw on as well as a longevity in the field, and that's something a lot of author vloggers just don't have. Imo it is definitely your strength to play to in thumbnails titles and how you frame your video concepts.
Anyway. I love that stuff. Love your channel. Am enjoying the LM Montgomery readalong. Thanks for always reading and responding to my comments :) i just joined your patreon at the free tier and once i get a better job in the new year I am looking forward to moving to the discord tier! I'm looking at it as investing in myself :)
Ahead of this video, I just have to say that your thumbnail is the best! 😂❤
Oh thank you! Fun thumbnail ideas are sooo hard for a writing channel sometimes 😅
@@Broodybeans Yes, she excels at those. 👍
I think I found your channel because of how-to craft videos when I was writing more... Now I'm more into sewing but I just like the sound of your voice tbh. Not in a creepy way, but you've got a soothing presence. I've got ADHD and I put on your videos when I need to focus on a task. One of my fav parasocial relationships (Midwest Magic Cleaning is another one). Definitely appreciate your broadly focused creative life full time artist videos.
Adding this in a comment so you can delete it if it's too personal... but in addition to ADHD I'm autistic... and you strike me as a fellow person-with-spectrum. Also maybe Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? (Just a guess based on some of your hand gestures.) If so, I would love a video on how, if at all, your creative life or decision to be a full time artist was influenced or impacted by these things.
I've never heard of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. But I think I'm just Italian...? I suspect I'm probably ADHD, not sure about autistic. I mean, if you're a woman in your 40s, you have no diagnosis unless you seek answers later in life, but if you're not looking to take medication or some treatment for it, I'm of the opinion that the fewer doctor visits I have to make in life, the better... 😵💫
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Definitely understand the desire to see the doctor as little as possible 😅 The last thing any of us needs is a bunch of extraneous unsolicited internet advice, but I will say both might be subreddits worth looking into if you've got any unexplained stuff like joint pain, gut issues, or a social-misfit nature. There's tons of information and community out there that have helped me understand myself and live better in general. Buuut I tend to think every person I vibe with or think is cool simply *must* be autistic, so I could just be very biased. In any case, cheers and thanks for the videos.
Well, I watched almost all of your videos, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely say I prefer creative life videos. Lately I found I enjoy listening to other writers talk about their process, motivational mind tricks they use to get themselves to write even when it feels hard. How you overcome perfectionism. Really enjoyed Montgomery diaries too! I would've never read them myself but it was great hearing you read and relate to her experiences.
And I'm still waiting for your writers "manifesting" success video lol
I just want to say I’ve loved every video and I’ve enjoyed the very practical and realistic behind the scenes of being an author/creator and just seeing your unique creative thinking. Everything has been interesting and relatable.
I also have notifications turned on so I never miss one lol
I love hearing behind the scenes and chats about how the RUclips journey is going, especially from new creators! I just started taking my channel seriously a few weeks ago, and really appreciate hearing all the tips and thought processes you’re going through!
Also just a fan of the channel! You are charming and delightful.
Hope you have a lovely half-assed thanksgiving 😂
🤣 I hope you guys have the BEST half-assed Thanksgiving 🙏🏼
That makes sense to continue the craft type videos on Patreon or finding ways to Trojan horse craft topics into more algorithm friendly videos.
One of my fav RUclipsrs whose niche was anime analysis had a successful second channel that was a place for them to put anything that wasn't optimal for the main channel. That second channel never got the same amount of views as the main one but it still did well, became monetized, and had its own cool vibe because all of us watching that channel were...I guess you could say "true fans??" But I don't mean that in an elitist way, I just mean that we were an audience tuning in for that person specifically, instead of an audience tuning in for anime content. But I can't remember how many years into their RUclips career it took for them to start that second channel. They had initially only started it to have more creative freedom with their video content since the main channel didn't really allow for deviation from well produced, edited, video essays about anime.
You've created a great cozy space here with lots of wisdom and experience to share so it'll be fun to see how this channel evolves! 🤗💕 I think the video ideas you mentioned are great, ESPECIALLY the deeps dives, I love that stuff lol
I'm an experienced writer so I don't need as much help with craft. Where I'm at is publishing. You're so inspiring. I want to publish a book so bad. I have short stories that have been published but they've mostly disappeared from the internet. I do like your line by line critique videos tho. I like your life of a writer videos and your flavor of 'you can do it!!!"
I’m in that broader creative audience you identify. I love listening to your creative life type videos, but craft or read-alongs or etc aren’t stuff I’m usually likely to watch. Glad you’re finding your place here on YT, you’ve got such a cozy, gentle vibe that’s in welcome contrast to a lot of the content out there!
I always check my Subscriptions tab first, and I don't have "restricted mode" on so I always see new videos from nearly everyone I follow, including yours! :) I only check my Home tab after I've checked my Subscriptions feed. However, last week I tried putting restricted mode on (because I wanted to stop seeing distracting comments sections on my phone, not because I wanted to avoid topics) ...I lost nearly 50% of my Subscriptions feed! So I turned that off within a day - on other social media as well, I always find the "people I follow" feed and bookmark that instead of the For You or Home pages. I think I've watched all your videos all year!
This is how I use RUclips too. I’ve quit Instagram etc so my dopamine-seeking thing now is popping in to my Subscriptions tab in RUclips over the course of the day to see what’s been uploaded and I mentally bookmark the ones I want to watch once I have downtime in the evening, so I rarely miss anything from channels I follow.
Why I became a subscriber is that you are different from all the other authortubers. For me you are to me more relatable. Iff that makes sense.
But I do understand the frustration with the algorithm. I’m sill struggling with that myself after 20 months on BookTube. I’m not doing bad with over 80 people watching two or more videos every month. Which I think is great, but I think the algorithm doesn’t really fancy my niche of the more unknown books. So that’s probably why the algorithm is having a hard time in finding the right people for my videos. Which can be frustrating. But hey over 80 people every month that’s a lot iff you picture them in my living room. They don’t fit in there. lol.
I looked at your channel and I can see why it could be a slow build...it's definitely a niche. When I first started as a manga channel it was a little more like that. I would get a few hundred views at best, the only one that did well was my manga collection shelf tour, but that's pretty typical.
If you could come up with an occasional video that has an intriguing human interest hook, that might help find people. I'm thinking of a video I saw on the Elfquest comics, which is not a HUGE franchise, but a video popped up about Richard and Wendy Pini titled "Marvel rejected this couple, so they revolutionized the comic industry" and it has almost a million views, far beyond any other Elfquest content on RUclips. I bet if they had just titled it "The creators of Elfquest comics" or something, it wouldn't have done as well. My totally unsolicited advice! But something I'm thinking about for some of the videos I would love to do on less popular authors...think of a title involving an author/artist's life or work that will intrigue everyone...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Oh, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks. I really appreciate the advice. I will look into it a bit more. I'm planning some time off in January, so I will definitely look into what I can change for my future videos.
I find I grow curiouser and curiouser about the figurines (dolls?) on the shelves behind you. Have you ever talked about them? Enjoy your holiday and thanks for the video. Always a treat to see you. 🤗
Love your plans, they are exactly what I’m here for! I’m an illustrator but here for the creative lifestyle talk. I do delve into the writing stuff a bit as creative advice is transferable but also because you have such a relaxing voice and interesting way of telling things. What you said in an early video about the ick around “content marketing” really resonated with me too - as someone exploring what you’re supposed to do and thinking “really?! This is MADNESS” 😅
I do videos about creativity - though I'm originally a comic artist! I just wanted an outlet to try a bunch of crafts, and talk about what happens in my brain when I do that. No tutorials. Not to plug myself or anything 😅 there can be more of us! So far, the algorithm has been a bit confused by me lol
Had to pause for a sec to laugh and leave a comment, cause guess what I have a Pie in the oven! Happy Thanksgiving!
I don't think specific tutorial videos could be bad. I really liked your latest video about plotting your recent books because you talked specifically about how your books fall into the usual plotting structure. I loved hearing how you found flaws in your own work and how you would fix it.
I'm still hoping you'll do something similiar with book cover art. Like sure, describe the process a bit, the nitty gritty, but then talk about how you had to adapt your cover art to your tastes and if maybe it changed the way you saw your own characters, something like that. Just trying to say, a video can start of as a "tutorial" but as long as you put your experiences into it I'm totaly going to watch it.
I did a video on cover art on the Patreon...I didn't really think to discuss that particular aspect of it though. Usually, no. Either I chose the model or the premade cover because it matched the character (or sent sketches, in case of working with an artist), or I just perpetually think "that cover is wrong but whatever", LOL. In one weird case, Dade had to photoshop a man's forehead to be smaller. We were joking that he had a five-head because it was just so much forehead!
Hi Lidiya! I'm a new subscriber and I'm so glad I came across your channel. I love how cosy and chill your videos are. I'll watch any kind of video you post because I really enjoy your insight into writing and creativity. Your videos are so nice to watch because it feels like I'm hanging out with a friend and cosy cottagecore channels are so relaxing to put on in the background when I'm writing or drawing. You're such an inspiration too. I've always wanted to indie publish my novel but was always too scared and overwhelmed to do so but you've really encouraged me to finally do it so thank you so much 😊🥰
That's so wonderful to hear! I'm so glad to help encourage people to try indie publishing (and other creative endeavors).
Good luck for 2025! looking forward to see more of you ;).
One of my favorite RUclips channels is by an artist couple, Rafi and Klee. They talk about the struggles, the insecurities, the setbacks, and joys of being creative. I love their videos because, as you said, there are a lot of tutorials or how-tos out there and unless I’m specifically looking for info on that technique I probably won’t watch it. I think having a channel that focuses on a creative life is nicer too because it fosters more discussion with the audience and opportunities to explore these topics. Whatever you choose to do, I’m looking forward to seeing more of your journey.
It was really cool to hear how you might be changing things next year! I really like your videos where you share your experiences with writing
drat! i missed the premire! Ironically because i was baking things for tomorrow LOL
But i try to catch as many videos as possible anyway ^_^ for the vibes
I enjoy your content, whatever the topic…more cats would be great 😂. Seriously, though, I like your craft videos as they are helpful to me as a writer who is just starting out. I am a patron but I sometimes forget to go to your Discord. I need to enable notifications if that is a thing.
Woo! Half-ass Thanksgiving for the win! We're moving and selling 2 houses right now, so that's about where we're at, too 😅
I am having a bit of Thank o' ween - thanks to my Halloween decorations still being up! It's all autumn right?
Your frankness on creative life finances is why I follow you. hope to see more of that in the future
I’m interested though in whether some craft videos on the public YT might give potential new patrons a good preview of more of what they’d get on patreon? If so, they might be worthwhile on occasion even if they don’t get that many views?
Yes! I will still do some of them. For instance, the critiquing first pages of novels videos, I will keep doing now and then because they're fun and I've picked up extra money offering it as a service. I'm just going to think more strategically about what goes here vs. Patreon.
Maybe look at what Tim Ferris has said about his channel. He divides his audience into 4 types and makes sure each video hits at least one of the types- and one is like universal creative interest, one is writers, and I forget others maybe entrepreneurs and people interested in productivity/body optimization.
That's interesting. Looking at his channel, I can see why it works. It seems like he sticks to topics that have broad enough appeal to hit a large audience even if they're not all the same, but down near the bottom of his page he has some older videos that seem more niche and lower views.
I am new to the channel and sense I discovered it I am addicted. I am working my way towards the technical stuff and I am grateful that it is there because I do like your “vibe” and a lot of technical writing videos can be very discouraging. Please don’t ever make a “10 mistakes new writers make” video I swear those have killed more novels than a library fire. I loved the “trash” video because I still want to write the stories I wanted to write when I was a teenager and whatever might help me do that without listening to the voices that tell me I don’t deserve to be a writer, no one is going to enjoy those stories, you should be working on something “better” etc is a real gift. Any video you made that helps people life the creative life they want without listening to those voices would have universal appeal.
I like your plan. I am not a writer but I am a creative person. Would like to see more about the creative life that we can aspire to . Writing this at 3 am so forgive the rambling.❤
YT showed me your "trash video", so I am new here and a living proof that the algorthm works ;P
As to the topic, the mention of the first (negative) review gave me an idea. I am just starting writing and for now it's mostly for fun and for myself but there is this dream of being published one day, but to do that you have to show your work to people, the question is:
How you overcome this fear of being judged? Do you have to disconnect from your work? or it comes with time? You learn to don't take it personally? How about when your friends and family read you (trashy) work?
Have a great half Thanksgiving
Those are good questions for a video! (Pen names help... I didn't tell any of my family or friends my trashy pen name until I had bought a house with the earnings...)
How do you choose an image for your works - following themes in a series ?
How do you write a synopsis for the back of the book.
Lmao you caught me, I am making a pie while listening to you!
More cats in the videos next year, I love when the cats pop in!
I'm not a writer but I am a creative introspective person. I just like you as a person and enjoy hearing about your life as a writer. I do love to read. I don't usually watch the more technical craft videos you do. As a possible idea for a video or maybe just a discussion topic; maybe delve into the idea that we all have a book within us. Do we?? I don't seem to have any talent for creating stories. I think there must be an innate skill there. What are your thoughts on that?
I think I am a big fan so I like it all so that's my bias. I think you are right that a big part of it is "the under the hood" creative emotional-lifestyle vive. There is the craft of being creative which is a thing in and of itself. I love artists biographies and letters! These are kind of like your letters to us.
Thank you! And yes I get so much insight from letters, so sad that we probably won't have letters collections anymore! Maybe emails but I don't know if they are as likely to be saved or as in depth...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor vive=vibe sp 🤣 People are more spontaneous about their expressions so yes maybe it is less likely to be formally organized into a collection - though that's why a RUclips channel is a great idea.
I'm excited about the novelists memoir and letters series, that sounds super interesting!
I love all your videos! I just like you and we share interests and thoughts of life❤
I hope you are nice and cozy for this Thanksgiving, use this time to let your mind open and relax.
Thank you for your insight!
It may be tough to determine a video’s performance. The time of year and week may impact the audience’s ability to view it. Some folks make a second channel for different topics that may not seem to align with the main channel.
I’m not a writer but I like some craft video stuff (I find it interesting). But I have subscribed and stayed because I like you 😊. I think you have a lot of interesting things to say and I like hearing about your life. All that to say, it seems that your conclusions seem pretty accurate to all the reasons why I’ve stuck around. Keep it up! Happy thanksgiving
Your half-assed Thanksgiving sounds great - I've definitely been there, lol! (And leaving the cats overnight is hard! 😅)And I loved getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the decisions you're making for your channel and how the algorithm works.
I hope your thanksgiving is going good. I think if you just focus on making this channel pure writing for the masses. Then you could have a second one that is more varied. I think there are people that just want writing content, and there are people that want content because its from you personally. I like both.
The titles that seem to do well have mass appeal and click baity titles.
I really like your day in the life videos
Not a writer but I really enjoy writerly content. I also love hearing about your processes, about your creative journey, especially that you write and published so many books. Most authors on youtube are either self-published or only have a couple of traditionally published books on them, so it's very interesting to hear from someone with far more experience. I'm also enjoying you talking about your life as an artist and what that entails in practical sense as well as behind the scenes of youtube. Kitty cameos are a welcome bonus.
Yes, I guess most really experienced authors are too busy writing! But since I am now turning my attention to passion projects for a while, I had to get creative...and that will also add a different kind of experience. Is it possible to build a slow audience for the deep passion project? I'll find out!
my favorite videos involve your cats
I just found you this week thanks to the algorithm. I think it was the Write Trash video 😅 But I’ve enjoyed watching through your variety of content. I enjoy your way of being and find you inspiring for a calm, cozy, creative vibe. I just today watched a few of your videos and thought how you might be a nice influence for me to watch right before I sit down to write. I don’t know if that helps, but thanks for being here!
I think RUclips stopped showing every single one of your videos on "Home" because I didn't click on several of the read-aloud videos when they were coming out. But they still pop up here and there.
Me actually baking a strawberry pie.....looks back and forth. Points to chest. Mouths "me?!"
The algorithm changed during COVID lockdowns and lots of people haven’t bounced back. RUclips is trying to be like Tik Tok and they’re really pushing Shorts 😩
Maybe...? But I do feel like I have caught the algorithm before. It's more a matter of having a better strategy, I think. I'll do well and then make a video that throws it all off...and it's fairly clear as to why. Although I stand by the idea that one's first year on RUclips should be pure experimentation!
@ they play with their algorithms all the time, like Amazon, and there was some weirdness happening for a solid year with longer videos not doing very well. I was growing fast and then… splat 🫠 Bummer for a while, but I learned I do BookTube for fun and I don’t like Shorts and the idea of it, so I just did whatever I wanted, and then hit the spot with horror books/reviews. Didn’t know horror fans were that into BookTube, but the more the merrier! 💪🏻
Love your videos, they are so cozy, especially with the cat. (Can we have more of the cat?)
The thumbnail goes so hard XDDD
🫂
Not sure if it helps or hurts, but all of your top videos are ones u e seen promoted in my feed. I didnt even know you made craft videos (haven't seen them pop up/algorithmically promoted.)
It's hard to jnow how much if the promotion is because it's popular or how much it's popular because RUclips is pushing it :(
Well, I think the algorithm works by people clicking on a thing and watching it, and then RUclips goes "oh okay, broad appeal, let's show this to more people". The algorithm is still driven by people's choices. It's not perfect by any means (like why, when I put on The Financial Diet women's finance podcast video to fall asleep to, did I wake up to a bro body optimization podcast video a few hours later?), but it also wouldn't be great to NOT have an algorithm at all...
New to the channel. Enjoying the posts.
Could do a separate channel for writing craft vids and gear this one towards artist/writer's life...
That's true. But I'm not sure I can handle two writing channels! The successful writing how-to channels have SO many videos, I don't think it's the type of channel where you can get away with 1-2 videos a month or something...
Ellen Brock doesn't post often but her writing craft videos get decent traffic because her content is good.
RUclips is a bully.
Second channel for craft? 😅So much work.
I know... it's too much. Especially since I think every day about starting a channel for totally unrelated retro culture video essays. I have a huge collection of old teen magazines and I'm always seeing things in them where I'm like omg I want to make a hour-long video about this. I can't do all the things I enjoy in one lifetime!
Fight the algorithm. Stop being an AI slave.