I know, I’ve written about this a lot in the last few years. And with good reason! It proves how much an author’s career can be helped by working with a website development firm … preferably, us 🙂
Today, I came across this blog entry by Terry Cordingley, Director of Marketing at Tate Publishing & Enterprises, and I thought it was worthy to cite it here. Here’s an overview of the five reasons he says you need an author web site.
1. Readers want to know about you. An author website shouldn’t just be a portfolio of your work. It should be a site about you. Your likes and dislikes. What made you a writer. What types of books you read. Where you live. This type of information allows a reader to “get to know you” in a way that he or she can’t just by reading your books.
2. The media is looking for you. Terry says it himself. He has reporters contacting him all the time wanting to interview his authors. The first thing they ask? “What’s the author’s web address?” How do you think he feels if he doesn’t have one to give them?
3. People like to do their research. Put yourself in the position of a reader whose friend was raving about your book. She’s thinking about going to the bookstore and purchasing a copy. But first, she wants to do a little digging. Wouldn’t you? Maybe she wants to find the author’s website and learn more about the book. Or find reviews of the book to see if it’s really as good as her friend says. Or comparison shop and see if it’s cheaper to buy online. Your website offers you the chance to “seal the deal.”
4. Online sales are increasing. Bookstores are suffering. Partially because e-books are all the rage. But also because people like to buy their books online now. Your website is your chance to catch those potential readers and get them to buy your book in one click.
5. Remember … you’re a business. As much as writing is an art, being an author really is a business. And all businesses need a good website. You never know who will visit the site and like what they see. Maybe a visitor will buy your book. Maybe a visitor will decide to feature you in an article. Or maybe they’ll decide to make a screenplay out of your story. None of these things would happen unless you had a web presence to grab their attention.
Terry puts it this way: “Get a web site and you potentially have a worldwide audience, and one of your web site visitors could give you the big break you have been working so hard to get.”
I couldn’t agree more!
Ready to talk with us about developing your author website? Contact us today for a free proposal and we’ll get you that web presence you so desperately need. It won’t be too painful … we promise.