Are writers suited to running a YouTube channel?Utsudo thinks the barrier seems very low, but doing it seriously means handling everything yourself — from planning, scripting, filming and editing to data analysis — plus updating at least once a week to please the algorithm. A three-minute video took her dozens of hours, but she also found she likes making videos.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

My editor recommended I check out a YouTuber

　　One afternoon while I was revising a manuscript, an editor at one of the publishers I work with messaged me.

　　He recommended I check out a YouTuber who crossed over to publish a novel and even made promotional videos for it. It seems he recommended the same to his other authors too.

　　I think it’s probably because YouTubers are the trend of the times.

The eighteen skills needed for running a YouTube channel

　　The barrier looks very low at first glance — it seems all you need is a phone and a Google account to start uploading and begin your YouTuber career. But if you really want to do it well, there’s a ton to do,whether it’s behind-the-scenes prep (market research, video direction, script planning, filming gear and so on), filming itself (image, on-camera persona, delivery, sets and backgrounds), post-production (editing, subtitles, video formats and so on), or social media management (data analysis, adjusting direction and so on). Each is a craft of its own, and none is easy.

　　Not to mention it’s a long-term battle — to please YouTube’s recommendation algorithm(with so many creators now, getting pushed into recommendations by the algorithm is key), you can’t update too rarely — at least once a week. In the long run that’s considerable pressure, and many people fail right here.

　　I’ve researched YouTube before and plan to give it a try, but I don’t expect to become a huge star — I just want readers to have more ways to get to know me and my work. I’m sure I’ll gain insights and experience along the way, and I’ll share them over time.

　　My YouTube channel is still being set up, so stay tuned >w<!

　　Simply put,YouTube is usually a one-person operation. Running it seriously is really not much different from being your own boss; the main advantage is probably that you don’t need much startup capital (?

Thoughts on filming my first video

　　But after making some videos myself, I found that a YouTuber without a team really needs eighteen kinds of skills — actor, scriptwriter, set designer, hair and makeup, video editor, analyst and more. It’s really not easy.

　　Especially facing the camera: I said the same line dozens of times before I could speak somewhat smoothly and naturally — and that was while reading a script. Even now, looking into the camera, my mind goes blank QQ

　　For a short video of just over three minutes, as a video newbie — not counting script revisions — filming and editing took me dozens of hours. It was really not easy, but luckily the response seemed good this time, so it felt worth it, and I gained a ton of experience points.

　　And I also discoveredI actually quite like making videos and want to give it a serious try. But exactly what to make still needs careful planning — after all, it’s a long-term project.

　　But what I’m talking about here is making“high-quality work”. If you’re not after high quality and just want to film casually, the barrier really is low — though I suspect the view and subscriber counts won’t be very pretty XD

Switching careers to YouTuber isn’t easy

　　Now, on average, 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Getting seen amid such fierce competition is really hard. Most people give up quickly; those who make it now truly deserve admiration.

　　What I want to say is that switching careers to YouTube is pretty tough. There’s a lot of invisible work, and casually chatting won’t win viewers over. I’m sure many people don’t want to show their faces, or have other reasons — it’s not for everyone.

　　Everyone who gets seen has put in effort that can’t be overlooked. Crossing fields successfully isn’t simple. Finding an environment for exposure that suits you and continuously producing good work is what matters most.

　　What do you all think?

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #58 (in Chinese)
• Next: #60 (in Chinese)
• Start from the beginning: #01 — Utsudo’s debut
• Column introduction
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.

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