Websites should be fun places to visit. They should be full of stories, tips, ideas, and things that can improve your life. Unfortunately, most author websites don’t do that. Too many authors use their website more as a portfolio — a place to feature their work and themselves, but not really offer anything of value […]
8 Ways to Make Your Author Website Less Boring Read More »
It used to be that an author could just be an author: sitting at home and doing what they love. That’s no longer the case. Whether today’s authors are self-publishing or going through a publishing house, one thing is a given. They have to do their own promotion. Publishers will only put time and money
5 Ways to Market Yourself as An Author (Even If You Don’t Want to) Read More »
It’s one of the first questions I ask every author when we first get on the phone: “Do you plan to blog?” Obviously, every author answers differently. But the answer I get most often is something along the lines of, “Well, I’ve been advised to blog, but I have no idea what to blog about
Author Blogging … It Can Be Easier Than You Think Read More »
One of the things I frequently recommend for an author homepage is a “welcome” message, in which you give first-time visitors a good understanding of who you are, what you write about, and what people will get out of your book and your website. It’s Marketing 101: If a visitor can’t figure out the point
Authors: Where’s Your Message? If It’s Not on Your Homepage, You’re Missing Out Read More »
I came across this post on a message board, complaining that author websites are always boring. That got me thinking: How do you define ‘boring’? To whom are these sites boring? Are author websites supposed to be entertaining? What could authors do to make them more entertaining? Here’s the truth of the matter: author websites
Are Author Websites ‘Boring’? Read More »
I came across this article today on MediaBistro. Just thought I’d share it with my author friends. Apparently, Penguin has created a new website called Book Country — a place where authors can connect with reviewers, publishing professionals, and readers. Here’s a direct quote from the article: “Authors can use the site to share their
A New Way for Authors to Get ‘Discovered’ Read More »
This past Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking at the ASJA conference. The workshop I was a presenter in was, of course, about author websites. One of the questions that came up during one of my colleague’s presentations had to do with the use of mobile phones for searching the net. A poll was
Should You Build Your Author Website for a Mobile Device? Read More »
You guys are writers! You’re creative with words! Maybe it’s time to break out of the mold when it comes to link text on your website. If you browse 50 author websites, you’ll probably find the words “Click here” … “Read more” and “Buy Now” appearing hundreds of times. Because it’s easy. It’s clear. It’s
Authors: Think Beyond ‘Read More’ and ‘Click Here’ Read More »
There are many things that we hear that people want on an author website: a bio, photos, a list of books, etc… But every author is different, and every group of readers is different. Someone who visits the website of an author who writes about campaign finance reform probably is looking for something different than
What Do Your Readers Want on Your Website? Find Out! Read More »
There was an interesting article in the NY Times recently about the increase in book sales in places other than bookstores (which is good … because bookstores are few and far between nowadays). And this gets me to thinking about authors who are promoting their books themselves … which is nearly everyone. Authors really need
Think Beyond Bookstores When Marketing Your Books Read More »
