# [[Taking better notes from books - Shortform]] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfL9iAEfSCg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## Pre-production ### Thumbnail ![[2022-012 Taking better notes from books - Shortform.png]] - "Shortform vs Blinkist" - "Four books a day?" - The problem with book summaries - Like Netflix but for books ### Title 1. ==Taking better notes from books// Shortform== (100) > [!NOTE] Note to Eve > Main A-roll: `Videos/A-roll/A6600/C0013.MP4` > Main audio: `Audio/RodecasterPro/POD00013.WAV` and `POD00014.WAV` > Mobile phone screen recording: `Videos/B-roll/GalaxyZFold3/Screen_Recording_20221010_142053_Shortform.mp4` > Laptop screen recording (Shortform/Readwise in Obsidian): `Videos/B-roll/OBS/2022-10-10 14-30-40.mp4` > ### Hook According to Gallup, the average American read a total of 12.6 books a year in 2021 (https://news.gallup.com/poll/388541/americans-reading-fewer-books-past.aspx). While they may not be representative of the rest of the world, I'm willing to bet many of us aren't too far off from that figure. And you know what? Maybe that's ok. As a speed-reading young bookworm, I remember reading the summaries at the back of books to try and figure out what I should read next. Fast forward a few decades, and I'm still reading book summaries, but now I'm reading them to figure out what I *shouldn't* read. In this video, I'm going to share the very start of my reading process with a service called Shortform, and how it's helped me read less and learn more. ### Structure - I've been using Shortform for over a year, and I've written some code and a blog post about Shortform. So while I do have an affiliate link (`shortform.com/nicole`), it's because I love it and use it a lot. They don't even know what I'm going to say in this video. Check out my Ethics Statement for how I choose what products or services to talk about because I'm pretty picky. - What is Shortform? - I mentioned book summaries in the beginning, but to say Shortform does book summaries is a huge disservice. It's more appropriate to say Shortform is a platform like Netflix, but for books. - Summary - *Nuanced* commentary: comparing and contrasting ideas in the book to those in other books, saying flat out when something is wrong - Shortform vs Blinkist side-by-side (`Use footage from mobile phone screen recording`) - 1-page summary, chapter-by-chapter summary - Audio - Integration - How does it work with Obsidian? - I wrote a Python script (`https://github.com/nicolevanderhoeven/shortform-to-readwise`) and a blog post that connected it to Readwise (`https://nicolevanderhoeven.com/blog/20210815-shortform-to-readwise/)`. Afaik it still works, but there's a better way. I actually suggested to the Readwise team that they talk to Shortform, and they got connected, and there is now a Shortform to Readwise integration. - Which means: Shortform > Readwise > Obsidian (*Please show icons of each*) - Shortform > Readwise (how to integrate the two) - Sign up to both (https://shortform.com/nicole and https://readwise.io/nicole) - https://readwise.io/welcome/sync#shortform - Readwise > Obsidian using the *Readwise Official plugin* - How I use Shortform - Reading the short summary helps me decide what books *not* to read (or buy) - If I decide to read a book, I'll often read the 1-page summary on Shortform, read the book, and then read the chapter-by-chapter summaries on Shortform. - Sometimes if I don't like the writing style of the book, I read the Shortform chapter instead. - When I take notes, I take notes on both the actual book *and* the Shortform commentary. ### Outro Shortform definitely saves me money-- it costs less than a book per month and stops me from reading more than one book a month, so from that perspective it's already worth it. But the thoughtfulness of the summaries, plus the well-researched commentaries save me more than just money-- they save me time. And that's what really keeps me coming back. If you want to try out Shortform and support effortful and valuable content, you can use my link to get a free trial and then 20% off a subscription. But regardless, thanks for watching! *Tot volgende keer!* ### Related videos and resources [Shortform affiliate partnership kit](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oHutQDitz5ryrRL00SKEWvGUqIGzPhDJY6E6z_L10BM/edit#) Gallup: Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past: https://news.gallup.com/poll/388541/americans-reading-fewer-books-past.aspx Shortform: https://shortform.com/nicole ### Pinned comment ``` This video was NOT sponsored by Shortform, but here's an affiliate link: https://shortform.com/nicole and get a free trial + 20% off a subscription. In this video, I use the theme Minimal and mentioned the plugin Readwise Official Plugin. ``` ### Timestamps 0:00 Intro 01:05 What is Shortform? 03:02 Shortform vs. Blinkist 06:01 Integrating Shortform with Obsidian ## Post-production - [x] Create captions using Rev, then edit them. - [x] Take a thumbnail photo and create one for YouTube (1280 x 720). - [x] Add description. - [x] Include the title and any keywords in the first few sentences, but in a natural way. - [x] Add related videos and resources as links. - [x] Add end screen. - [x] Add cards if necessary. - [x] Add chapters/timestamps for YouTube if longer than 5 minutes. - [x] Add mid-roll ads/check monetization settings. - [ ] Post video preview on Patreon. - [ ] Post video preview for YouTube channel members. - [ ] Schedule on YouTube. - [ ] Add video to relevant playlist(s), or create a playlist if necessary. - [ ] Promote on Twitter/LinkedIn as appropriate. - [ ] Create a blog post on [site](https://nicolevanderhoeven.com). - [ ] Add to weekly newsletter. - [ ] Add to video-database. - [ ] Add to other notes in my vault as appropriate.