The debate this week on the blogosphere is Author Websites.
They take too much time.
The authors should spend their time writing not on social
media.
Most author websites are outdated...never updated and
boring.
VS
Engaging websites connect readers with the author.
Connected readers are your marketing team.
In this modern age you need to be searchable as an author
and have an online home.
So many opinions on this one...
Digital Book World was hosting a conference this week where
this was discussed and the pro’s and con’s debated thick and fast... Here is their very detailed breakdown of the discussion.
Jane Friedman then picked up the baton and added her
considerable intellectual weight to the discussion in her blog.
My two cents worth.... Time and again I have seen comments by
editors and agents that if they really like the MS and they don’t know the
author personally they google their name. This means that you should give them
something to find...that you control. If it is your website...showcasing your
style... Great.
Readers wanting to find out more about you and your books
should be able to... and wouldn’t it be great if they could go on and buy your
book! Check out Darcy Pattison’s article on the Codex survey about what readers
want on an Author Website.
Joanna Penn source of amazing writing and marketing information
for authors often interviews leaders in this field. Here she is, talking with Dan Blank on Combating Platform Fatigue...It is an hour long video blog so clear the
decks for this one.
In Craft,
Kidlit.com looks at building your book lexicon
In Marketing,
PublishingGuru -
Twitter for authors
Training Authors – are you losing customers over this common problem
Your Writer Platform – defeat obscurity tips
Gordon Burdett on a handy tip for titles
Website to check out: The Insecure Writers Support Group.They have put together a great site chock full of info.
On Twitter today...The coolest writer in residence programme ever... Go enter!
To Finish,
Susan Kaye Quinn has been blogging her book over the last
couple of months. It is a how to book on self publishing...I have been referencing
Susan for a few years now and she is a great source of knowledge and
inspiration. This chapter looks at Booksellers and Susan details her bookstoreof the future... If they were like this you wouldn’t get me out of them. (hmm it's difficult now....)
This is timely as Booksellers conferences are all over the
place... everybody trying to find the solution to keep them going...which we all
need when so far this week, in our small country, 3 independents have gone out
of business.
If we end up only being able to sell online we will need our
websites more than ever...
maureen
2 comments:
Excellent links as usual Maureen. The author website advice is invaluable.
Ta
Raymond
You are welcome, Raymond. There is some interesting stuff in there. I think that you should focus on only a couple of things and try to do them well...which seems to mirror most of the advice around on this one.
That is why I am so interested in Author collectives...spreading the load looks to me to be a good use of author time...
m
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