When you start a new YouTube channel, it’s quite easy to feel overwhelmed.
There is so much to do; perfecting your spare-room set, mastering the art of clip editing, and remind-me-again does the red light mean the camera is recording?
Growing a YouTube channel by yourself from zero can be a lonely place. So why not learn from those who have been before you? Many successful YouTubers have distilled their years of experience and wisdom into best-selling books.
It makes sense for you to read a few. Maybe then you can move your channel forward faster than your competitors.
I am much more of an audiobook “reader” as I tend to take it in easier – I even use Amazon’s FREE Audible trials to load up on 2 free books every month.
This post looks four of the best books I recommend for new YouTubers. Here we go.
Book 1: YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer
Authors: Sean Cannell & Benji Travis
Number of pages: 194
Published: 2018
Why should you listen to them?: Sean Cannell and Benji Travis are two friends who got into vlogging and video creation in 2003, before YouTube’s launch. With over a decades’ experience, each author can claim significant success from running YouTube Channels.
Sean Cannell has helped businesses generate $5 million in revenue. Benji Travis’s videos have had over 1 billion views. Between them, they currently run around five channels and collectively have over 2 million subscribers.
Book Synopsis: YouTube Secrets claims that video has changed the world and created a whole new entrepreneurial channel for ambitious self-starters to make an impact on the world.
Thousands of vloggers are making soccer-star levels of income running YouTube channels, and YouTube Secrets aims to give you the roadmap to launch one yourself.
When researching the book, Cannell and Travis interviewed 100 top creators and drew on their own experiences, then compiled the knowledge into an actionable plan.
The authors divided the book into two sections; Strategies and Tactics. The Strategy section covers the best way to plan your YouTube channel’s content and launch. The Tactics section looks at how you can grow your subscriber base and scale-up your channel.
The book is in the top 100 best sellers in the e-business category and is available in paperback, kindle, and audible format, which is narrated by the authors.
Out of 800 global reviews on Amazon, the book is rated 4.6 out of 5 by its readers. Many say that the price of the book is alone worth it just for the section of pro-tips from the top YouTube creators.
Amazon link to book: Buy the book now.
Book 2: Tube Ritual: Jumpstart Your Journey to 5,000 YouTube Subscribers
Author: Brian G. Johnson
Number of pages: 268
Published: 2018
Why should you listen to him?: Brian Johnson started a YouTube channel from scratch and grew it to 10,000 subscribers in under a year.
That was four years ago, now Brian has uploaded nearly 600 videos and has 137,000 subscribers. Brian knows what it takes to launch a channel from zero subscribers and make a success of it.
Book Synopsis: Tube Ritual states the problem facing new YouTubers quite plainly: when you start with your new YouTube channel, you have no videos, no subscribers, and no views.
Furthermore, every minute of every day, 500 minutes of video are uploaded to YouTube. How do you compete with all that? Beginning from zero can seem an overwhelming challenge!
Brain navigated this problem himself through researching, testing, and tweaking his vlogging methods. Until he landed on a set of practices – he calls rituals – that resulted in video content that drew in subscribers and views.
YouTube Rituals is a year-long case study of launching a brand new channel. Brian helps you to steer through all the roadblocks of camera settings, editing, and technical details.
The book is nine chapters which each deal with essential concepts and skills you need to master to become a success as a YouTuber.
Brain covers the importance of planning, playlists, and thumbnails. How to win clicks in the search results and turn viewers into subscribers. He also shares his opinions about the need for creating content of value. The book closes out with a 30-day challenge you can test yourself against and provides a 12-step program for ranking well on YouTube.
The book is rated 4.4 out of 5 on Amazon and is available in Kindle and paperback format. Many reviewers say it is the book to get for YouTube startups.
Amazon link to book: Buy the book now.
Book 3: Crushing YouTube: How to Start a YouTube Channel, Launch Your YouTube Business and Make Money
Author: Joseph Hogue
Number of pages: 164
Published: 2019
Why should you listen to him?: Joseph Hogue runs a channel on YouTube that focuses on personal finance. He started his channel in 2015 and has grown it to nearly 260k subscribers. He claims that as of June 2019, he is earning $3,500 per month from ad revenue alone from the channel – and a similar amount from sponsorships and affiliate sales.
Book Synopsis: The central premise of Crushing YouTube is that it provides you with the keys to growing a YouTube channel from 0 to 75,000 subscribers in 18 months.
Hogue says it’s not too late to start a channel. In fact, Hogue claims that with the rollout of 5G, it’s just the beginning of the ‘age of YouTube’ and now is the perfect time to launch a channel of your own.
Hogue underlines that he knows the zero problem. Zero videos, views or subscribers, and the frustration that it can bring competing against ‘million-subscriber monsters’. So he gives you the tools you need to grow your channel and start seeing results quickly.
The book covers how you can earn additional revenue streams in addition to YouTube’s ad revenue sharing program. Hogue shows you how these revenue streams can be as lucrative, if not more, than earning solely from ads.
The book is divided into 18 easily digestible chapters, covering a diverse range of topics. It covers the essential information for the beginner, like choosing a channel topic and equipment required to get your channel up on the air.
Later chapters deal with more advanced subjects such as using analytics for growth, channel promotion, and subscriber growth strategies. The knowledge contained in the book can save you months of trial and error, and it’s well worth the read.
The book is rated 4.6 out of 5 on Amazon and is available on Kindle and paperback formats.
Amazon link to book: Buy the book now.
Book 4: YouTube Channels For Dummies
Authors: Rob Ciampa, Theresa Go, Matt Ciampa, Rich Murphy
Number of pages: 400
Published: 2020
Why should you listen to them?: The authors are a blend of successful YouTubers and YouTube advertising and marketing consultants. Matt Ciampa is a video producer at Buzzfeed. Rob Ciampa is a global media consultant. Theresa Go and Rich Murphy both work at Pixabililty, a company that advises large brands on video marketing.
Book Synopsis: A recently released updated and expanded version of the 2015 original, YouTube Channels for Dummies promises to help you attract some of the 2 billion sets of eyes that use YouTube each month.
If you are looking for comprehensive guidance on launching a YouTube channel, then you can do far worse than buying a for Dummies book. Yes, sometimes they can appear patronising, but for Dummies books assume that you have absolutely no prior knowledge on a topic.
This is a good thing. While other books may assume that you know how to log into your YouTube account, YouTube Channels For Dummies covers everything, which is excellent, if you want to know how to navigate the home page properly but were too afraid to ask.
The book is divided into five parts. The first deals with getting started – how to set up your channel and planning your aims. The second section shows you how to make a good YouTube video, and has helpful suggestions for different types you can shoot.
The third section helps you with understanding and growing your audience. The fourth sections looks at how businesses can use YouTube to their advantage in the modern world. And the final fifth section covers copyright and improving YouTube search rankings.
Typical for Dummies features are present in the book, with helpful summaries and graphics to help you digest the most important pieces of information.
The book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback format. As it’s only just been released, there aren’t too many user reviews in as yet. However, the early reviews are promising, and it should be an essential addition to your YouTube learning library.
Amazon link to book: Buy the book now.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this curated selection of books for the YouTube beginner. Learning from others who have succeeded before you can help you when you are a bit overwhelmed at the start.
For some people, it’s hard to find the time to sit down a read a book. Well, why don’t you listen to it instead!
You can get an Amazon Audible subscription FOR FREE and claim your 2 FREE DOWNLOADS, plus one new audiobook every month. Enjoy a free one month trial here.
