Memorial Day has come and gone, and we know what that means … the unofficial start of summer. But while everyone else is thinking about sunscreen, beach towels and barbecues, I’m encouraging you to take this opportunity to set some summer goals for your author website. Here are five ideas…. 1. Set traffic goals. I’m […]
5 Summertime Goals for Your Author Website Read More »
I’ve played a role in building hundreds and hundreds of author websites. Some are as thin as a few pages. Others have 50 pages of content or more on them, including articles by the author, various book excerpts, photo galleries and more. Seeing this vast disparity can be tricky for authors: after all, how much
How Much Is Too Much (or Not Enough) on an Author Website? Read More »
I stumbled across a conversation on LinkedIn this morning about whether or not authors should build separate websites to promote their individual books. There were a slew of responses — some from authors and some from experts — advising people in different ways. Here are some of the highlights: I think it’s a good idea
Should You Create Separate Websites for Separate Books? Read More »
An author writes a book. An author builds a website to promote that book. A year or two passes. The author starts ignoring the website. It becomes like a “portfolio” — somewhere that he may send people if they’re interested, but not something that he things about all that often. Here are five tell-tale signs
5 Signs an Author Is Ignoring His/Her Website Read More »
I’ve helped build websites for hundreds of authors. I’ve seen the best and the worst. And while I could list a whole lot more than 20 “don’ts” here, I’m going to limit the damage to just the most egregious errors. Without further ado … 20 things not to do with your author website: 1. Incorporate
20 Things NOT to Do With an Author Website Read More »
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a crucial piece in website development. A site that is not properly optimized will rarely show up on people’s search results. As a result, that site can lose a large percentage of potential visitors. And in the case of authors, that could mean reduced book sales and a smaller
Why SEO Is (Usually) a Waste for Novelists Read More »
There are thousands — if not millions — of authors out there trying to make a name for themselves. Most of them have very little in terms of publicity agents, marketing experience, etc… So they’re basically fighting an uphill battle. That’s why so many authors are looking for ways to connect with other authors, and
9 Creative Ways for Authors to Help One Another Read More »
All authors (at least the ones that I’ve spoken to) want to sell copies of their book. What many of them are confused about are the various ways to sell their book, and how to decide which one best suits their personal situation and preferences. With that in mind, I will address the three primary
Authors: What Are Your Options for Selling Your Book? Read More »
This is one of the most important questions I ask an author when we are beginning to work together. And, surprisingly, many of the authors that I speak to don’t really know the answer. So let me talk about the benefits of each of the major types of sites that authors build and how to
Do You Want a Book Site, an Author Site … or Something Else? Read More »
One of the most important elements of an author website is an easy way (ideally with one click) for a site visitor to take the plunge and buy the book. But that’s easier said than done: not in a technical sense, of course (setting up a link is easy), but in terms of deciding which
Buy the Book Links: What’s an Author to Do? Read More »
