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Archived Marketing No New Posts > Does Your Book Have a Website?

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message 51: by Armando (new)

Armando Almase (theroadtoburnout) | 12 comments I'd like advice on how to setup a blog on Wordpress, and add a "donation" link for readers who wish to donate to support my short stories.


message 52: by Robert (new)

Robert Arrington | 14 comments I created a website to serialize my novel before I edited it and put it out as an ebook, with paperback edition coming soon. www.dispatchesfromwonderland.com. It's being distributed on Amazon, and to most other outlets through smashwords.


message 53: by P.L. (new)

P.L. Crompton (Pam-C) | 7 comments I set up my own website but I'm still working on it. (Just not technically inclined.)

You can find it here: http://plcrompton.wix.com/cromptonfic...

Pam


message 54: by William (new)

William Morgenstein (httpswwwthecrazylifeofbillcom) I've gotten good comments on my website but I sure would like some more reviews on "Goodreads".

www.thecrazylifeofakidfrombrooklyn.com


message 55: by L.F. (new)

L.F. Falconer | 63 comments I have an author website, but a thinking it is in need of a makeover. I also need to work on making it more mobile-friendly. It looks good on a computer, but a little wonky in spots on a phone. http://www.lffalconer.com


message 56: by Diana (new)

Diana Day-Admire (dianadauadmirecom) I went to your site and it looks great I am not a smart phone user so cant comment on that- Just remember everything is tiny- so the small certificates and logos are a waste IMHO- just put the accrediations in text and you should be good to go-
Interesting books- may have to check them out!
Di


message 58: by Nancy (new)

Nancy Glynn (nancyglynn) | 40 comments Jessica wrote: "Hi all!

Curious indie publisher here. Does your book have a website? Or did you just make one for yourself as an author/your publishing company? I'm really curious to see how other authors have go..."


Love your site, Jessica, and everyone else's here! Love the Frankie and the Goat peeking out at you, so cute!

I'm newly self-published since May and have made a website through Wordpress for my novel and short story, learning my way through it all. If anyone has a chance, can you go check it out and give me some pointers on what I can make better or change or if seems fine as is? Again, I have no idea and just winging it, trying to figure out all the widgets and plugins, etc. Along with my website, I use Pinterest as an author for my books, Instagram, Google+ which I'm really liking, and Twitter.

http://www.nancyglynn.com/

I would greatly appreciate it! :)


message 59: by Justin (new)

Justin (justinbienvenue) | 790 comments http://jbienvenue.webs.com/

A website is a must if your going to be an author and write books. That being said you also need to put other interesting content on it if you want viewers because after all just putting your books on their simply doesn't cut it. The thing to do is look at web domains of where you can create your site. I use Webs.com but I don't recommend them. I'm not saying they're bad but the quality of what the offer seems to diminish every year. I still keep my site up and make the most of it which is the other important thing to do.


message 60: by M.F. (new)

M.F. Sullivan (mfsullivan) | 5 comments There we are, www.delilahmywoman.com has been massively improved, and mfsullivan.com now redirects to it! Ahhh, it's just a load off my mind.


message 61: by Greg (new)

Greg Scott | 87 comments Some tweaks - I'm looking at the video with Chrome and it looks like the left sidebar blocks the left side of the video content. The video loops - might be better to run it once and then maybe redirect to a page with menus to find out more.


message 62: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Emme (Lisa_Emme) | 212 comments Okay, I'm new to all this. I have an author website and a Facebook page. Looking into other social media, but I'm wondering why people use pinterest? Isn't that a crafting site or something?


message 63: by Amanda (new)

Amanda Siegrist (amandasiegrist) | 190 comments I use Pinterest before I started writing. I like to pin my blogs and whatnot. It's not just for crafts. I figured it's another way for people to find me and see who I am and say...oh she likes what I like and she wrote a book let me check it out. Probably haven't gotten any sales that way but you never know. It doesn't hurt and Pinterest is addicting!


message 64: by V.W. (new)

V.W. Singer I have an author website www.vwsinger.com. I have too many books out to bother with a site for each of them.

At the moment I don't have a site for my other pen name.


message 65: by John (new)

John | 14 comments I just started a site for my kids book series. I have a regular blog and I wanted to separate if from the books. The book site is http://dragoninmygarage.com/

Let me know what you think.


message 66: by Drea (new)

Drea (dreamoore) | 13 comments @ John, you need short bios for the books and yourself. Two sentences each, plus jpg pics of each title and of yourself (your author pic).

Then, if you do readings for kids you have automatic information for the school/bookstore/library/other institution to put on in-house signage, websites and stuff to promote the fact that you are going to be at their location.

If every author did this, I would not stress about upcoming author events :) Or spend time trying to google images when authors have trouble (busy lives) responding to emails quickly.

Also...If you could, I'd move the site heading up so it isn't covering the little kid's face.

Include a bibliography of all the books you have out there and where to buy them (Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, iBookstore, etc--and possibly directly from you).

Event Calendars are also helpful, and you can always link to other sites (the website of your host/venue) for those purposes, which *can* help drive traffic, though that isn't guaranteed. The Event Calendar can include blog tours and when you make guest appearances on podcasts an the like as well...

Just a thought! Hope it helps!


message 67: by John (last edited Jul 22, 2015 04:38PM) (new)

John | 14 comments Drea wrote: "@ John, you need short bios for the books and yourself. Two sentences each, plus jpg pics of each title and of yourself (your author pic).

Then, if you do readings for kids you have automatic i..."


A lot or really good information for me to take in here. I will work on your suggestions. I haven't yet started any signings or events so that is why none of that info is there but definitely going to in the future. Thanks for all the help


message 68: by Drea (new)

Drea (dreamoore) | 13 comments Oh-- as event coordinator, it's *usually* my job to do signage, it's just easier (and feels like my job and time have been considered) when I can find all of this information on an author's site. That said, when an author does their own sign and flyers they are usually better than what I have time to create on the job and also they maintain better control of their branding. :)


message 69: by John (new)

John | 14 comments Drea wrote: "Oh-- as event coordinator, it's *usually* my job to do signage, it's just easier (and feels like my job and time have been considered) when I can find all of this information on an author's site. ..."

I've worked on updating the page and implementing a couple of your suggestions. If you get a chance let me know what you think.


message 70: by Drea (new)

Drea (dreamoore) | 13 comments @John,

I found the info on events rather quickly! Yay! I think that the home page though, should not be green (at least not where the writing is) The other pages with the black text on white is easier on the eyes. I would keep that for the main page too. If you want the Green theme, you could put a very dark green font color (almost black, but not) and that contrast would work just as well, but possibly be closer to the green theme you're going for.

Let me know if this helps :)


message 71: by Edward (new)

Edward Fahey (edward_fahey) | 71 comments Since I was told I would a website, I have one ( http://bobedwardfahey.com/the-mournin... ) but I pretty much ignore it. Was also told I would need an author's page on Facebook which I haven't looked at for maybe a year. What I find to be a much more active interaction with readers is my Goodreads sight ( https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) . You would already have one of those, I presume, or you wouldn't be participating in these discussions. So why not just get busy loading quotes and intriguing blogposts into that? - Problem for me is that I forget to post my public readings there.


message 72: by Jolie (new)

Jolie Mason | 41 comments My series has a facebook, and my author site is pretty exclusively dedicated to the book and blog posts about writing, the occasional review, and plugs for books I like. I'm very careful about images, memes and links I share on that site because of copyright issues. Been told that the blog is never your best marketing tool, but I'm not sure yet. The growth per effort ratio is pretty good so far, and I think it has generated some word of mouth. It's only been a month and a half. We'll see long term.


message 73: by Jolie (new)

Jolie Mason | 41 comments https://www.facebook.com/homeinthesta...

That's been my most useful marketing tool so far.


message 74: by [deleted user] (new)

Yea, I have my own blog/site. http://www.thespineoftheempire.com/
It has a mix of things, but mostly it is just for book stuff. I am starting my own newsletter, though.


message 75: by Denae (last edited Jul 23, 2015 07:05PM) (new)

Denae Christine (denaechristine) | 167 comments I have a website as an author (denaechristine.com), and facebook for that, too, nothing specific for the series.
In answer to an earlier question, I just use my website as my blog, and I don't do pintrest or twitter (they're just not me).
I've done most of my sales in person, actually. Has anyone else noticed that?


message 76: by William (new)

William Morgenstein (httpswwwthecrazylifeofbillcom) www.thecrazylifeofakidfrombrooklyn.com

thank you

bill morgenstein


message 77: by Shari (new)

Shari Sakurai (shari_sakurai) | 64 comments I made one for my series recently: http://perfectworldseries.com


message 78: by Christie (new)

Christie Powell | 35 comments I made one for my series. It's going to be six books long, so I figure I've got awhile before I have to worry about a website for anything else I decide to write! It's TheSpectraBooks.com, and I would love any feedback!


message 79: by May (new)

May Sage (maysage) | 15 comments I didn't bother, although my books are part of a series; it seems a bit - I don't know, almost arrogant - to me to assume people would want a whole website actually dedicated to it yet...
But now I see yours it really makes sense; my website (maysage.com) is cool but because it's got all of my work it's a bit messy - people who read and then might not be into fairytales or dystopia!
I might just look into it; or maybe just do one Facebook page for it at least


message 80: by May (new)

May Sage (maysage) | 15 comments Loving your website EJ. Your covers are definitely eye catching!!


message 81: by Kathe (new)

Kathe Todd | 3 comments kathetodd.com covers my bio, contact info, news, and a page for each of my four series, with a blurb and Amazon link for each individual title. When you're writing fun fantasy intended to be read the way people eat popcorn, I see no need to have a whole domain name devoted to one book. It's not exactly literature for the ages.


message 82: by Penelope (new)

Penelope Yorke | 2 comments Hi,

Putting a book trailer on your website may help to attract readers: www.penelopeyorke.com/


message 83: by Ty (new)

Ty (tyunglebo) | 50 comments I kick a similar idea around off and on. Right now, TyUnglebower.com is my personal/author website, and though I have thought about launching a Facebook page for my currently published novel, I've never thought about a whole blog or website just for the book. In both cases, I can't think of what to say with enough frequency to make a whole separate web presence worth it at this time.


message 84: by Susan (new)

Susan Budd (susanbudd) I have an author website. http://www.susanbudd.net I set it up myself and I don't know the first thing about marketing. Any advice would be appreciated.


message 85: by Glenn (new)

Glenn Mitchell (glennhmitchell) | 5 comments Ty wrote: "I can't think of what to say with enough frequency to make a whole separate web presence worth it at this time."

As someone who recently escaped a career in web development, this is the key point. I'd advise people to use their author site and make each new book a section of the site. It might be the difference between creating a bunch of disparate, rarely updated sites or having a single richly populated site with frequent updates. Google loves volume, originality and frequency. I know there are many people who advise authors to create book sites, but from a web perspective it goes against a lot of basic rules. Here's an obvious one: your book sites will be competing with your author site on search engines.


message 86: by Toi (new)

Toi Thomas (toithomas) | 11 comments It was too much for me trying to maintain two sites and two blogs. I do much better with creating traffic by having everything in one place. Each of my works are represented separately and it's so much easier and effective.


message 87: by K.P. (new)

K.P. Merriweather (kp_merriweather) | 266 comments i do more than write books so i have a publishing page. the blog is sparse because its mainly about computers breaking and pushing back release dates for new game releases but my books are stable.
i also have an fb and twitter and tsu pages but dont post as often as i should (again pc gremlins)

www.majestikmultimedia.com
facebook.com/MajestikMultimedia
twitter.com/MajestikMM
tsu.co/majestikmultimedia


message 88: by Toi (new)

Toi Thomas (toithomas) | 11 comments I don't think other social media outlets beyond your sites/blogs are an issue. You can have as many or as few as those as you choose. I don't even think you need to have that many if you find that one works best for you.

I have multiple social media outlets that all link back to my 1 site and blog. Because I have an Author blog, as oppose to say a book blog or writer blog, I have the freedom to diversify my content in any manner I choose, as long as I'm clear in my goal and communicate well with my readers.

I write movie reviews and tie it into my writing inspiration. I write about fashion trends and tie it into my writing inspiration. I write about geek culture and how it inspires me. Yes, I also talk about my own books, write book reviews, and interview authors...I make it all work in one place.

Now if I decided to start writing about how to make movies, I might need to start a new blog for that.


message 89: by Joe (new)

Joe King | 1 comments I have a website for my book, The Contrarian Diet. It's just a basic website with a link to Amazon.com, a description of the book, and a short About the Author page.

http://www.contrariandiet.com


message 90: by Anita (new)

Anita (anitalouiserobertsonyahoocom) | 50 comments I have a wonderful webpage at mineolagirl.com. It was designed for me by someone I hold very dear, I wouldn't even know where to begin to start a webpage. I have some business cards for book events that contain a reference to the web site. I have run contests on the site as well. My webmaster, who I am so fortunate to have in my life has a great contact link and I have been able to put a list together of those who signed up for the site, so I can let people know about book events.


message 91: by Kenneth (last edited Aug 16, 2015 07:18AM) (new)

Kenneth Brown | 17 comments I think I have a wonderful website, where I write blogs, news letter, promote my book, give information on health and empowerment.Jamaican and Caribbean Recipes You can check out my website.

http://www.mindprocess.co.uk


message 92: by P.T. (new)

P.T. Borden | 3 comments I have a webpage for the book, it is ptborden.com and has all sorts of information on it. But I have not figured out how how to get the author-site with photos and links going. Anyone there who can help? Thanks a lot. I can also not find the reviews which have been posted about the book.

pt borden


message 93: by P.T. (last edited Aug 17, 2015 03:24PM) (new)

P.T. Borden | 3 comments Now I figured out how to get the website on this post. I have a blog as well. The blog is at http://www.ptborden.wordpress.com

I have a link to a friend of mine who reviews books
Try http://www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com

http://www.ptborden.com


message 94: by Grace (new)

Grace Ashley | 7 comments I have a website on Wix.com. I only have two books so its kind of small but I hope to turn it into a .com as I write more books


message 95: by P.T. (new)

P.T. Borden | 3 comments Dear Grace,

If you want your own domain e.g. gracexxx.com you can go to directnic.com. It is a company in Louisianna and registering a .com domain only costs $15 a year. You also immediately have your own e-mail. The hosting is also quite cheap, because you will only need the cheapest hosting package. So that you don't get hassled by hackers, you can add a "privacy" option which costs $5 a year. It is really worth it. Just in case your preferred .com domain is already taken make a combination of say gracexxx456.com with any random number until you find one that is not taken.
Good luck

pt borden


message 96: by Ross (last edited Aug 19, 2015 10:48AM) (new)

Ross Ponderson | 61 comments After feeling restricted by FB's formatting limitations and Twitter's 140-character limit, I decided to set up my own author blog.

I also considered how many times I've been asked (on Book Review Request forms, for example) for my website URL. IMHO, an author website (of some kind) seems to have become something of a de facto business card for authors along with FB and Twitter pages. I guess it provides some degree of background information for a blogger considering reviewing a book.

I don't necessarily agree with that premise, but that seems to be the way the water is currently flowing. Who knows? That may all change tomorrow!

The blog/website does have its advantages, however, within the context of being a promotional platform totally under my control. It's free of charge; I'm not forced to seek approval for my posts; I don't need to conform to someone's schedule; and I can post whatever and whenever I want.

Plus, if having a blog can swing a blogger's decision toward reviewing my novel, that's fine by me.

http://rossponderson.blogspot.com


message 97: by Grace (new)

Grace Ashley | 7 comments @P.T thanks for the advice. I will definately look into it.


message 98: by Kennet (new)

Kennet Brown (httpwwwgoodreadskb) | 11 comments I feel a website and blogs are useful and informative way to help promote books. I have a website and two blogs which keep me busy, and help me to publish ideas as well as promote books. Check out my website and blog page. http://www.mindprocess.co.uk/blog/
http://www.mindprocess.co.uk/newsletter/
Mind Process and Formulas: Principles, Techniques, Formulas, and Processes for Success


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