I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: writing for a website is absolutely nothing like writing a book. It’s sort of like asking a cardiologist to perform surgery on your foot. Similar fields? Sure. Same skillsets? Far from it. An author website can be an incredible tool that’s used to promote and sell […]
8 Tips for Writing Sales-Based Author Website Copy Read More »
I spend a little time each week browsing the author groups on LinkedIn and such. Sometimes, I come across a gem of a conversation. Today, I came across a bunch! With that in mind, I am pulling some of the best and most creative ideas that I found in today’s author discussions. The topic? Creative
12 Creative Ideas for Promoting Your Book Online Read More »
I was reading my trusty “Internet and Marketing Report” this past weekend, and came across an article about 9 “can’t-afford-to-forget” elements on any website looking to sell something. An author website is no exception. With that in mind, here’s what they had listed, along with my author-slanted twist on each one. 1. Descriptive headline. I’ve
9 Elements Your Author Website Must Have Read More »
I’m a huge fan of Google Alerts. And, apparently, I’m not the only one. For those of you who are not familiar with Google Alerts, it’s a handy-dandy system that Google offers, through which you can receive email notifications whenever a particular search term is used on a website. So, for example, every time someone
4 Ways to Use Google Alerts to Your Advantage Read More »
I should start this post by pointing out that my job is to build and maintain websites for authors. Which means that I have a personal, vetted interest in making sure that all authors build websites, and they never decide to shut them down. All of that said, there are also some very good reasons
Author Websites: When to Launch Them, When to Fold Them Read More »
If you’re under the age of 30, you probably use Pinterest all the time. If you’re over 30 (like me), you’ve probably heard of it, but haven’t really used it. Well, now I’m going to tell you how you can not only use it, but use it to sell books. First, let’s define what Pinterest
Using Pinterest to Sell Books Read More »
Chances are that your book is not going to be the next Harry Potter series. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t steal some ideas from its billionaire author (and the publishing company). Just this week, it was announced that Scholastic has launched the new online Harry Potter Reading Club. You can check out the
4 Ideas Any Children’s Book Author Can Steal from J.K. Rowling Read More »
One of the first things that I recommend authors do on their website is collect email addresses. After all, there’s nothing more valuable to you than contact information on someone who may want to buy your book, or your next book, or tell their friends about your next book. You get the picture. But I
Blog Feeds and Newsletters and Emails, Oh My! Read More »
Look, I’m a big fan of blogs. They’re a great way to interact with readers, build followers, and drive traffic to your website. But just because you keep your blog updated doesn’t mean that you should neglect the rest of your website! Here are some other areas of author websites that you should be keeping
Forget Your Blog! 6 Other Areas of Your Author Website That Need Updating Read More »
Just about every author thinks that they book they’ve written is a wonderful piece of work. Sometimes they’re right. Sometimes, they’re not. But that’s for another day. Unless the author website reflects the quality of the book, an author is shooting himself in the foot. With that in mind, here are some interesting points from
5 Common Author Website Mistakes Read More »
