You Want Answers? The Poptimist Q&A Part One

TL;DR

The Poptimist answers viewer questions about starting his BookTube channel, discovering creators, editing videos, choosing books, and engaging with the community. He joined BookTube after closing a blog maintained for well over a decade and learning video editing at work; each finished video takes roughly 2 to 4 hours. Read on for his complete workflow, favorite former BookTuber, and most surprising experiences.

Transcript

Thanks to everyone who posted questions! I got way more than I expected so this may have to get split across several different videos. In the meantime I thought I’d group the questions into major themes that include booktubing, books, and personal. So let’s start with booktubing. Weibke at 1Book1review, Robin Wagganer and Geraldine at Geraldine Tal... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥰 Booktubing provides a creative outlet for individuals with a love for reading and video editing skills obtained through work.
• 👻 Booktubing allows for engagement with a supportive and kind community, contrary to the negative reputation of YouTube comments.
• 👂 Booktubers rely on recommendations and the YouTube algorithm to discover new channels and expand their subscription lists.
• 🎮 The video editing process for booktube videos involves scripting, separate audio and video recording, syncing, audio processing, adding images and gifs, and transcribing before publishing.
• 🫕 Booktubers are fond of the enthusiasm and passion for books displayed by their favorite booktubers.
• 🫠 Booktubers aim to read and talk about books more critically, and explore works in translation and by authors of color.
• 🫠 Booktubers often focus on frontlist titles to be part of the conversation, but some aspire to read more backlist titles.

Questions & Answers

Q: How and why did The Poptimist get into BookTube?

He needed a creative outlet after closing a blog he had maintained for well over a decade. Because he was learning video editing through work and was already a voracious reader, he decided to combine those interests by joining BookTube.

Q: How does The Poptimist discover other BookTubers?

He subscribes to almost 200 BookTubers, and the list continues to grow. He finds channels through recommendations from other BookTubers and, to a lesser extent, YouTube’s algorithm.

Q: What surprised The Poptimist most about the BookTube community?

He was most surprised by how kind people in the community were. Despite hearing about hostile YouTube comments, he found BookTube viewers and creators consistently supportive and pleasant.

Q: What is The Poptimist’s video-editing process?

For a book review, he develops a loose script over a couple of days and spends about half an hour filming. He records video and audio separately, syncs and processes them, creates a clean cut, adds images and GIFs, uploads the result, and transcribes it before publication.

Q: How long does The Poptimist take to produce a video, and where does he find GIFs?

The complete process usually takes between 2 and 4 hours, including thumbnails and titles. He finds GIFs on Giphy and collects them throughout his day.

Q: Who is The Poptimist’s favorite BookTuber who no longer makes videos?

His choice is RonLit, a fellow Canadian BookTuber who did not focus on YA. He describes her as smart and funny and says her videos were incredibly good.

Q: How did The Poptimist react when Katie from ChapterStackss mentioned him?

Because he already subscribed to Katie, he saw her shout-out video almost immediately and was over the moon. He could not believe the mention, and his subscriber count went through the roof afterward.

Q: How does The Poptimist decide which books to feature?

He generally features books he feels enthusiastic about, which reflects the meaning behind ThePoptimist name. His approach was inspired by Anne and Michael’s enthusiastic recommendations in the “two books we can’t wait for you to read” segment of the now-defunct Books on the Nightstand podcast.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The BookTuber discusses how he got into booktube as a creative outlet after maintaining a blog for many years and learning video editing through work.

• He subscribes to almost 200 booktubers, relying on their recommendations and the YouTube algorithm to discover new channels.

• The BookTuber is surprised by the kindness and positivity of the BookTube community and enjoys the support and interactions with his viewers.