Business

How You Can Earn Money From YouTube Videos

by zzlivingMay 19, 20150

Who hasn’t seen the video “Charlie Bit My Finger” ? This is actually one of the all-time most popular videos on YouTube. Why? It appeals to a very large audience. It’s not a niche video. And we are seeing that some of the most popular videos are ones that don’t look all that professional … they are down to earth recordings. Some of these videos are bringing in millions in revenue. The Charlie video was actually recorded back in 2007, but it is still garnering an astounding number of views. So, how can YOU get started on this YouTube track? Let’s take a look at the steps you need to take.

1. Set up a YouTube account and your own Channel

If you already have a Google account, you can set up your YouTube account from that. Use your own exisiting account name or choose a name that applies to the type of videos you plan to post.

2. Upload Content

As you start to upload videos, keep in mind that shorter videos seem to do best. A video that is just 1 minute to 3 minutes is a good starting point. Post your videos on a regular basis to start garnering an audience. People are more likely to start following your channel if you have regular and continuous content. Of course, there are always those certain videos that start to go viral, but you may have noticed that many of them have a touch of humor.

3. Build Your Audience

Use social media to increase awareness of your YouTube channel. Share your videos as many places as possible. If you have your own website, be sure to also post your videos on it to gain viewers from your own platform. Repy to viewer comments to engage your audience and build viewer loyalty.

4. Start Earning Revenue

You will need to manually enable monetization from your dashboard channel in order to start making money from your videos. You will do this in the dashboard, using the Video Manager. This means that you are allowing ads to be shown at the beginning of your video. This will be how you start making money.

5. Setup a Google Adsense Account

You will need to set up a Google AdSense account. It is free to set up but you will need either a PayPal account or a bank account and a valid email address to get started.

6. Keep Track of Analytics

You can check your analytics for each video once you get going to find out what your viewers prefer regarding length, topic, etc. Then you can make adjustments for future videos.

10 Tips to Getting Your Children’s Book Published

by zzlivingMay 11, 2015May 11, 20150

If you always wanted to write a Children’s book you are not alone. It seems to be a goal of many an adult. Perhaps the exposure to books at an early age sticks with many of us and we have a soft spot for those books we loved so much. But whatever the reason, writing a book for kids is on many a person’s bucket list.

Writing for children is not an easy feat. In fact, some people think it is more difficult than writing a novel, especially if your passion is picture books. There is a true story about Dr. Seuss that goes like this. Dr. Seuss was at a cocktail party where he met a brain surgeon. “Oh, you’re that man who writes those children’s books,” the Doctor said. “Some Saturday, when I have a little extra time, I am going to write one of those.” Dr. Seuss replied, “Ahh yes. And someday when I have a little free time, I’ll do brain surgery.”

As an author and illustrator of children’s picture books myself, I truly understand that draw. I love conjuring up new stories and creating endearing new characters. My very first published children’s book involves my rabbit character, Bunbun, and his two siblings. He is still one of my very favorite characters and I can’t begin to tell you how many parents have come up to me to say that their kids are in love with Bunbun. So, my experience and advice pertains particularly to picture books.

But … to get back to “your” book … there are a few things you need to keep in mind to get on the path to publishing. And whether you choose to self-publish or go with a mainstream publisher, the beginning steps are the same.

Tips to Publishing Your Children’s Book

Decide what age group you will be writing for. There are very definite age group breakdowns for boardbooks, picture books or young adult (YA). Remember that most picture books are only 32 pages long and less than 1000 words, many much less and some with very few words.
Write the best story you can write.
Edit, edit and edit again.
You don’t need illustrations if you will be submitting to publishers. In fact, they prefer you just present the text of your exceptional story.
Research current trends in children’s book publishing. It does change and what were last year’s hot topics or theme may be passe now.
Keep your resources up to date. Consult new versions of the Children’s Writer & Illustrators Market, a bible of sorts for writers and illustrators of kids content.
Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. (SCBWI) This is an invaluable group of writers and illustrators and a wonderful resource.
Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need an Agent to get published. Yes, it is a difficult task but many writers do their own pitching and do get published. Is it easy? No, but it is possible.
Check out any local writers groups in your area. It is always helpful to get some other like-minded writers to give their input and critiques.
Be persistent. If you truly want to write for children, you will have to accept the fact that it really is hard work but it is also very rewarding.

Sharon Pierce McCullough is the author of the published Bunbun series and also 20 ebooks available from Barnes & Noble Kids books.

Learn How to Make Money Online as an Artist

by zzlivingApril 23, 2015May 11, 20150

Are you an artist trying to understand how to make money doing what you love? You are not alone. And whether you are a self-taught artist or a schooled artist, the challenges are the same.

Although there are many opportunities to sell your work at local and national art shows, there are many, many more opportunities to get your work seen by prospective buyers and art collectors. The internet has opened up so many new venues enabling artists to get their work seen by buyers internationally. In fact, the number of opportunities is almost overwhelming. The challenge is to find the best use of your time and choose wisely.

One of the first steps you need to take, as an artist, is to initiate getting a website or blog. Ideally, the site you create to house your artwork will be one that contains a function of showing your work in a gallery of images. You needn’t spend a lot of money doing this either. There are a ton of wordpress themes to choose from and a wordpress site is very user-friendly as far as adding new images and writings. You will want to make sure that your site showcases linking icons to your Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Ah, yes … social media. In this day and age, using social media is a must to survive. Although there are a number of social media options, such as using twitter, tumblr, facebook, instagram etc. … some lend themselves better to showcasing art than others. And if you have been keeping up with facebook recently, they are constantly changing their algorithims which determines how many people actually will see what you posted on your personal or business page. It is important to have a presence on facebook but the payoff is not as great as the early days. We are getting more and more feedback that the place to be, for an artist, is Instagram. Apparently there are art collectors that cull the Instagram feeds every day. In case you aren’t familiar with instagram, this is an app that you normally use from one of your devices, such as an iphone, ipad, nook etc.

Also, you will want to take advantage of online art galleries that will showcase and feature your artwork. Most of these art sites will take a percentage of any sale and they often pay for the shipping or the buyer does. Check out the details before signing up of course. Some of the best, and most reputable art sites, you will want to check out are: Saatchi Art, Art Finder and Ugallery.