Support for Indie Authors discussion
Archived Marketing No New Posts
>
Does Your Book Have a Website?
Hello Jessica,A nice website. I would only suggest that you make it more clear where you can buy the book. At first glance,the Amazon logo looks like it might be an ad for Amazon - not really a LINK to your book.
Stanton Swafford (Sandy)
By the way, I have created a blog asianaffairsblog.comI will publish my novel next month. At that time I will make a website for the new book. So far the blog has generated interest around the world. Getting this started with a blog seems to pay off.
Sandy
I went with an authors website (www.troykechely.com) to start with as well as a facebook page just for my writing efforts. If Stranger's Dance takes off then I will consider creating a website just for it. Like you I'm new to this so it is all an experiment. Best of luck to you.
I have a ton that I have done out there:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Wilsey/e...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinWilsey...
Blog: http://wilseymc.blogspot.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Wilsey/e...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martin_wilsey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Website: http://www.baytirus.com/
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
So far my website is where I gather all my written works for readers to have easier access. http://melissaajensen.weebly.com/
It's nothing fancy since I'm not all that website savvy (i.e. it's still a work in progress), but I like that there's a place readers can go to find everything I've written, whether it's published or just online.
I have considered giving my book and future book each their own website, but since right now I only have one book published I'm going to keep things simple.
Thanks for the suggestion, Sandy! I like how you're handling the content on your blog, as well, feels very connected. Ditto with Morris and Melissa, I like how you're giving readers a peek into yourself as a brand/author. The author sites look like a great idea if you're establishing yourself as a force beyond your books.Martin, I gotta say that site is VERY impressive! I instantly get a feel for what your work is about. The page turn for reviews is a nice touch too--did someone build that out for you?
Keep 'em coming guys! I love seeing your work! :)
Hi Jessica,I blog and use social media as myself, the author. I've seen some folks set up pages for individual books, but to me, that is a little too limiting as my books are all different. If you're beginning a series and you know it's going to be occupying a lot of your time, there's a good chance, depending on things like genre, that a blog or Facebook page for the series might be productive, but I would still set up something for yourself as well. After all, social media isn't just about our work but about showing the world a little about us and our personalities.
Hi Jessica, I really like your website, its very clean and easy to navigate, I like the artwork as well. I have a website for myself and for my book series and a couple of Fb pages, too. When I publish other stories that aren't part of this series I will probably just promote them on my author website.
http://claudinecarmel.com
http://www.lucylickmenot.com
Claudine :)
I haven't considered creating a website specific to the book, partly because I hope to have many books over my writing endeavor, so it makes more sense to me to have a website for myself as an author. I used a wordpress site, so it certainly has limitations, but it seems to work sufficiently for now:iffixysantaph.com
Myself though I too consider a separate one for my book. Like Iffix I feel this will lead to too many sites.
Mod
Curious indie publisher here. Does your book have a website?"
Someday I will have a web site. I am learning things slowly... slowly... I recently got onto Twitter. I hope to get around to using it by the end of the decade.
I would like to have a web site, though, but not just for one book. I would like to have one for all my writing.
Mike, love all the excerpts and how clean your site is! The text can be a little hard to read though. But the minimalism does a great job conveying the intrigue!Sounds like you aren't alone, Dwayne. Looks like there are more author sites than book sites. Maybe the book site feels more worth the effort if it's a series?
Mod
Could be. I do have a few series going, but not what most people call a series these days.
Hi Jessica - nice website - an excellent ad for the book, I would imagine. I put together a fairly minimalist website for my first book last year, but now that I'm about to publish book number two, I've gone back and played with it some more.
Although I have had visitors, so far, very little interaction. Maybe I should jazz it up a bit, but really, I'd much rather put the time into researching book number three, and I see the website as a way of interacting with readers, rather than moving books.
Feel free to take a look - www.chrisdews.com. You can blast some of my blog entries if you like... :)
Jessica wrote: "Mike, love all the excerpts and how clean your site is! The text can be a little hard to read though. But the minimalism does a great job conveying the intrigue!Sounds like you aren't alone, Dway..."
Thanks Jessica, I was thinking of changing the font too, first web site. went a bit crazy I guess ...
Love yours, and your book looks great, love the 'mostly dead' dial.
We do have a website specifically for our sci-fi series. It keeps us in contact with some readers, and may be of some use in supporting sales, although we rarely post. If you aren't writing a series that is expected to go on for years, I'm not sure what the benefit of a book-specific site would be. We do not have sites for us as authors. We do have author's pages on Amazon and GR profiles, although my co-author is not active on GR. (Her profile here was automatically created by GR.)
We avoid all other social media, and that has worked out well for us.
Jess wrote: Curious indie publisher here. Does your book have a website?
Dear Curious,
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: I put up an author page that seems to have attracted all of 47 hits, mostly from Russian and Chinese hackers trying to use a meat-ax to carve an overdone roast chicken.
Lame Excuse: I bought the domain name last year from "GoDaddy," but I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do with it. Of course, I haven't figured out what I'm gonna do when I grow up either.
I created this http://arcturian-spacefleet.com/ by renting some space and spending a weekend learning to drive wordpress. I've got more than 100 signups for the updates now. It seems to be helping sales, which hover at just under one book per day.
I have found the easiest way to create an author website is with Wordpress. So easy to use. My site, www.inabritton.com, was put together with it. I also use it to give a one stop access point to my books. From what I have researched, an author site is a must!
Mike wrote: "Thanks Jessica, I was thinking of changing the font too..."I agree that you should do it. I think it's OK for the quotes at the top of the page (not brilliant, but OK)...But when it comes to the reviews and more informational pages, it's way too much.
Ina wrote: "I have found the easiest way to create an author website is with Wordpress..."While I'm dishing out personal opinion on web pages (even though I haven't done one yet myself because it's just another thing to learn/do that's not writing/editing)...I thought I'd suggest you change the Comic Sans font you're using in part of your site to something else.
Comic Sans is very out of fashion right now. It may not be logical but a lot of people react quit negatively to that font.
Thanks for the suggestion Micah. I'm not up on types, etc. I will change it. What do you suggest to make the reading easy?
I have a website as an author for all my books (only two so far) but I also let people know what I'm working on and what's to come...hoping to get them wondering and eager for me to release it. I also blog. So when I blog a new post it automatically sends it to FB and from FB it automatically tweets it...easy peasy! Just the way I like. I like your website! It looks great:)
Micah wrote: "Mike wrote: "Thanks Jessica, I was thinking of changing the font too..."I agree that you should do it. I think it's OK for the quotes at the top of the page (not brilliant, but OK)...But when it ..."
Yeah, now to find the time ...
Mike wrote: "Yeah, now to find the time..."Exactly.
Ina wrote: "I have found the easiest way to create an author website is with Wordpress. So easy to use. My site, www.inabritton.com, was put together with it. I also use it to give a one stop access point to m..."so which is better, Author website or blog or are they about the same????
I don't know about other people, but my blog is part of my website. It's just one of my tabs someone can click on. I have a home page, blog, upcoming books, and what I call...in the works (what I'm currently working on but not entirely done), and contact tab.
Amanda wrote: "I don't know about other people, but my blog is part of my website. It's just one of my tabs someone can click on. I have a home page, blog, upcoming books, and what I call...in the works (what I..."
Mine is the same. I have the home, blog, where-to-buy, and contact tabs, along with "other work," where I display my very amateur art and photography. I also have a "news" tab which I update with items that I don't feel the need to blog about.
Mine is the same. I have the home, blog, where-to-buy, and contact tabs, along with "other work," where I display my very amateur art and photography. I also have a "news" tab which I update with items that I don't feel the need to blog about.
Susan, my blog and my author website is one in the same. I am not at the place, as an author, to have a separate site for each of my books (all one of the, at the present time!). So I use an author site with a books page and a blog page. You can see it here www.inabritton.com. Hope that helps.
Ina wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion Micah. I'm not up on types, etc. I will change it. What do you suggest to make the reading easy?"Looks like you already changed it (except for the menu items in the header, but I think you're OK there...not sure where those are actually set). What you've got seems very clear. I'd say you're fine.
Thanks Micah. The headlines, etc are set in the template and I would need someone who programs in HTML to change the style. I changed all the type to Open Sans. I think it looks good. Appreciate you input.
Ina wrote: "Thanks Micah. The headlines, etc are set in the template and I would need someone who programs in HTML to change the style. I changed all the type to Open Sans. I think it looks good. Appreciate yo..."Glad to help. My bill is in the mail. ;P
I've tried to cover all bases. Which is why today I'm trialling using a timer to limit my time online! (otherwise I tend to end up down a rabbit hole!).I have a personal website - www.kirstenmckenzie.com
A website purely for my book - www.15postcards.com
And then I am very active on Twitter - www.twitter.com/kiwimrsmac
Both websites have links through to my twitter feed, and links to Amazon to purchase my book.
And just to make my life more fragmented, I have an author page on FB, which was set up by my publisher. But prior to getting a publisher, I had set up a FB page for my book. So now I'm running both pages.
Occasionally I'll pop over to Google+, to load a post or two about my book there, same with LinkedIn.
And...not forgetting Instagram & Pinterest. I'm on both sites there. Instagram is purely a mix of personal and my book. Pinterest is easier because I have a board there just for 'Fifteen Postcards'.
You can see why today I'm trialling setting a timer to limit my time on each of those sites...
All this, and I'm a quarter of the way through writing my next book. So, the timer has gone off, so I'm jumping over to FB now!
Micah wrote: "Mike wrote: "Yeah, now to find the time..."Exactly."
Got it ...
Easier now I think.
www.rebeccathenovel.com
Hi Jessica:Thank you so much for asking about websites. I do have my own website set up to promote my books:
http://sugarlandbooks.com/
I've got a facebook page too at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sugarl...
I see many others have responded and I'll be going through to have a look at their sites:)
Martin wrote: "I have a ton that I have done out there:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Wilsey/e...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinWilsey...
Blog: http://wilseymc.blogspot.com/
Amazo..."
love the artwork on your facebook page!
Thank you BB :)Kirsten, you're on fire! I've kind of dropped twitter in favor of FB pushes and Instagram, since with a picture book the visual medium works better there. It does take a lot of time, but I think it will be worth it in the end.
Hi Harold! Thank you, and thanks for sharing! It looks like such a sweet series. You may consider adding link on your site to your FB/Amazon and Blog pages...unless they were hidden somewhere :)
I only have a website for myself (my author name), but I am considering having a series website for my fantasy series I'll be publishing soon.
i set up an author page only because i plan on creating several series and didn't want to limit. do others have a site for each of their series? i like things one and done. www.cr-quinn.com
www.facebook.com/authorCRQuinn
To all the Authors out there - a house has been built for Authors to share in-house. It is new, but as an Author myself, and take a view. Very proud of it.www.americanutopians.com
I have a book series and setup a site for the entire series which I'll be updating weekly. http://thefourworldsseries.com however I do want to specifically promote the first book so I create a landing page for it using http://www.booklaunch.io you can see it here: www.thefivewarriors.com
Hey Jessica - your Frank And Goat website is cute. But Stanton Swafford (Sandy) above is right. Change that Amazon logo to something that signals "buy." I built a book website - http://www.bullseyebreach.com and I put a bunch of book info there. I also have my company website, http://www.infrasupport.com and I have a blog on that site, so there's no sense keeping a blog on the book site. Both sites link back and forth to each other where it makes sense.
But every book and every situation is different. I only have one book and "Bullseye Breach" and Infrasupport are supposed to complement each other. One day when I have more than one book, I'll probably do an author site with links to each book site.
- Greg Scott
Hi Jessica,I already had a personal website, so I parked a domain with my series name on the same server, then created a custom Wordpress page so that it looks like it's own website.
I put some "interaction" things at the end of my book and invite readers to participate.
http://matthart.com is my site, the parked domain is http://apocalypsemakers.com -- which redirects and loads matthart.com/apocalypse-makers (permalink page)
Sort of, at least, I'm working on one. It's sort of a viral marketing angle--the main character is an artist who turns to serial murder to get through his creative blocks and stay in control of his life, and so I've produced a website for him, altered slightly as it would be considering the circumstances of his death. If you'd like to take a look at it you can see it here. Constructive criticism welcomed because I've not built a proper website in ages outside of the Wordpress website I've made for the book, which is not strictly about the book itself. Maybe that's a bad move, but it's a placeholder while I figure out how to deal with the domain I've parked for my actual author website. I don't think it's a bad move, though, I think it'll help draw people's interest, especially if they've not read my work. Articles to interest my target market and so forth--I think it'll go well. If only I could get the mailing list going.
I've made a series facebook which allows me to target short run adds at strategic times. It's getting traffic at least. I'm just starting this since June however. My idea of progress is snail's pace. I've only published two so far.
figure out how to deal with the domain I've parked for my actual author website. "As I mentioned above... er... on the previous page... I parked a domain on my personal Wordpress site, then created a new wordpress page for my theme that makes it look like its own website. If nothing else, it's fairly simple to have a parked domain redirect to a specific url in your blog - there are plugins for it.
Support for Indie Authors
Books mentioned in this topic
Mind Process and Formulas: Principles, Techniques, Formulas, and Processes for Success (other topics)Dinosaur Lake (other topics)
Stranger's Dance (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kathryn Meyer Griffith (other topics)Jessica Watts (other topics)
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 gone about this!
I made a site for my recently released book, and I just went through updates to make the tone more reflective of the book itself (humorous, it's an illustrated book for adults) and I'm feeling pretty good where it landed. ( If you're interested, I'd love your feedback, it's www.frankandgoat.com )
Anyone have any tips, suggestions, success or fail stories about their book's site? I know a lot of authors just use a FB page as their books "website," too. Does your site reflect the tone of your book? Did you put up book excerpts? Can fans engage? Did you decide to forgo it altogether for some reason?!
Would love to hear where your book live online (besides Amazon ;) !
-jess
Jessica Watts