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Become a YouTuber: Build Your Own YouTube Channel
GET EYES ON YOUR VIDS If you're the type who goes to YouTube for everything from entertainment to information to a way to communicate with your friends, this is the book you need to build a channel worth subscribing to. Packed with the advice of a video production teacher who's created her own channel, this book offers step-by-step advice for building a YouTube audience.
- GenresSocial Media
160 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 15, 2018
Great ideas for anyone (especially students) who want to build a YouTube channel.
July 7, 2026
Anyone Can Start - Seeking additional guidance on creating a YouTube channel, I came across “Become a You Tuber” and selected it partly because it was one of the few titles on the subject written by a woman and because it was published by Wiley, a long-established educational and professional publisher. Although categorized as a children’s book, I was pleasantly surprised by its clarity, practicality, and usefulness. In many respects, it compares favorably with longer books aimed at adults, such as Kyncl and Peyvan’s “Streampunks” that delve more deeply into strategy and monetization.
The book consists of an introduction and nine chapters: (1) Creating Awesome Content, (2) Setting Up Your Channel, (3) Creating an Intro Trailer, (4) Shooting Your Video, (5) Editing, (6) Uploading Your Video, (7) Sharing Your Video, (8) Tracking Your Video Performance, and (9) Going Further with More Features. Supplementary materials are also included.
What stood out most was the book’s straightforward, action-oriented approach. Calabrese boils the process down to its essentials, making YouTube creation seem approachable rather than intimidating. She emphasizes that “content is the heart of your channel” and that successful creators develop a consistent theme while publishing regularly. Equally important is community. As she notes, YouTube is “more than just a place to share videos”; its success depends on connecting with viewers and learning from their responses.
The book repeatedly stresses experimentation and adaptation. Readers are encouraged to create, publish, observe results, and refine their efforts. Calabrese highlights practical elements often overlooked by beginners, including channel trailers, titles, thumbnails, playlists, and audience engagement. Her discussion of analytics is particularly useful. Metrics such as audience retention, traffic sources, likes, comments, and shares provide clues about why viewers stay, leave, or return. These concepts anticipate the more sophisticated analytical approaches later developed in books such as Ciampi and Go’s “You Tube Channels for Dummies” and Eves’ “The YouTube Formula” (see my reviews)
One of the book’s greatest strengths is also a limitation. Because it focuses on simplicity and action, it provides relatively few detailed examples or extended discussions. Readers seeking advanced guidance on algorithms, branding, or revenue generation will find more depth such as the books mentioned above. Likewise, Calabrese largely avoids broader questions about the social and psychological effects of digital media that appear in works such as Katie Davis’s “Technology’s Child” or Rufi Thorpe’s novel “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (see my reviews)
Still, these omissions contribute to the book’s appeal. Rather than overwhelming readers with theory, it functions as a practical workbook. Read a chapter, complete the task, and move on to the next step. The result is a strong example of action learning—learning by doing rather than merely studying.
My principal takeaway is that if children can learn to become YouTubers through a guide like this, most adults—even those who did not grow up with digital media—can do so as well. The tools may evolve, but the essential lesson remains the same: start creating, pay attention to your audience, learn from the feedback, and keep improving.
The book consists of an introduction and nine chapters: (1) Creating Awesome Content, (2) Setting Up Your Channel, (3) Creating an Intro Trailer, (4) Shooting Your Video, (5) Editing, (6) Uploading Your Video, (7) Sharing Your Video, (8) Tracking Your Video Performance, and (9) Going Further with More Features. Supplementary materials are also included.
What stood out most was the book’s straightforward, action-oriented approach. Calabrese boils the process down to its essentials, making YouTube creation seem approachable rather than intimidating. She emphasizes that “content is the heart of your channel” and that successful creators develop a consistent theme while publishing regularly. Equally important is community. As she notes, YouTube is “more than just a place to share videos”; its success depends on connecting with viewers and learning from their responses.
The book repeatedly stresses experimentation and adaptation. Readers are encouraged to create, publish, observe results, and refine their efforts. Calabrese highlights practical elements often overlooked by beginners, including channel trailers, titles, thumbnails, playlists, and audience engagement. Her discussion of analytics is particularly useful. Metrics such as audience retention, traffic sources, likes, comments, and shares provide clues about why viewers stay, leave, or return. These concepts anticipate the more sophisticated analytical approaches later developed in books such as Ciampi and Go’s “You Tube Channels for Dummies” and Eves’ “The YouTube Formula” (see my reviews)
One of the book’s greatest strengths is also a limitation. Because it focuses on simplicity and action, it provides relatively few detailed examples or extended discussions. Readers seeking advanced guidance on algorithms, branding, or revenue generation will find more depth such as the books mentioned above. Likewise, Calabrese largely avoids broader questions about the social and psychological effects of digital media that appear in works such as Katie Davis’s “Technology’s Child” or Rufi Thorpe’s novel “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (see my reviews)
Still, these omissions contribute to the book’s appeal. Rather than overwhelming readers with theory, it functions as a practical workbook. Read a chapter, complete the task, and move on to the next step. The result is a strong example of action learning—learning by doing rather than merely studying.
My principal takeaway is that if children can learn to become YouTubers through a guide like this, most adults—even those who did not grow up with digital media—can do so as well. The tools may evolve, but the essential lesson remains the same: start creating, pay attention to your audience, learn from the feedback, and keep improving.
August 30, 2020
The author did a great job of laying the information that was easy and efficient to digest. However, the content is just too general and doesn't offer any real insights. If you have zero experience with Youtube, this book might be a great place to start. But, if you've already got your feet wet with YouTube, there's no new information here. There's nothing you couldn't learn from watching one of the thousands of videos created by moderate to hyper-successful YouTubers on their channel.
I wanted to really recommend this book, but it just needs more substance.
I wanted to really recommend this book, but it just needs more substance.
February 1, 2022
Another youtube how to guide for this year. I have feeling that Youtube is a good current game to be immersed right now and this book offer a great package on how to become better at the industry. There is a lot of basic knowledge that most mortals never learn and the art of making thumbnails, revenue and so on, improves your chance to be one of the succesful.
August 25, 2021
Some good tips... but all the step by step screenshots are likely to be dated as the YouTube interface keeps changing and if you're online the YouTube help can show you how to do that... you just need the pointers the tips provide.
April 28, 2026
I read this more out of curiosity, just to see if it would give me any insight that I didn’t already have (I’m already a YouTuber). For me it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. But! For someone just starting out, this might be helpful in some respects.
September 4, 2022
Good book as a start if you wanted to be YouTuber
August 4, 2019
Looking at the cover, title and blurb, one might think this book has the "tips and tricks" to become a YouTuber.
But the book begins with extremely beginner type of step-by-step instructions to start a YouTube channel and get started.
Only from the middle of the book is when we see content that might interest someone who already has stepped into the area of YouTubing.
I would only recommend this book to someone who's trying to become a YouTuber and is not well versed with technology.
But the book begins with extremely beginner type of step-by-step instructions to start a YouTube channel and get started.
Only from the middle of the book is when we see content that might interest someone who already has stepped into the area of YouTubing.
I would only recommend this book to someone who's trying to become a YouTuber and is not well versed with technology.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews