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Do You Have Your Own Website?
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Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger)
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Jun 01, 2016 12:39AM
I found here that many authors have their own website to blog and send out newsletters. I've looked into it and some state they are free, but are they really? And are they easy to set up? I'm certainly not technically inclined. May I please have opinions, suggestions, or anything on this topic? Thank you.
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I set up my website on wix.com. While there are paid memberships and paid services but you can set up a good website for free. There's no real technical knowledge required; it's basically like cutting and pasting. If you want to check out my site, here's the address - http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords
Mine's not free, but by using the tools on 1and1 it was remarkably easy to set up.http://arcturian-spacefleet.com/
With 1and1 you can either have a standard site, or just buy hosting and set up wordpress yourself. Since there is a free tool on 1and1's dashboard that installs a basic wordpress the hosting only option is the one to go for. After that it takes about a day to learn to drive wordpress and you are up and running.
Hi Miss Sue,*waves happily* I'm probably not the best person to answer this since I'm a bit (read: a heck of a lot) computer illiterate, and totally don't know what I'm doing most of the time. However, I originally started with Blogger for free...
http://hartmannwrites.blogspot.ca
Please excuse the nauseating amount of pink *smirks* Anyhoo, I only used this little gremlin for a couple of weeks before switching to a self-hosted WordPress site. Although Blogger is straightforward and user friendly, the templates are just too "dated" for my tastes. Also, WP gives you a lot more control, if you're willing to spend a bit of time learning. Here are my two sites now...
https://www.anniearcane.com
https://www.devotionhouse.com
Given, I personally pay for hosting, but you can easily create a free WP blog as well. The templates are limited and you won't have the option of plugins, but it's a good start, imho. Plus, you can always upgrade later.
I think I'm a WP lifer, but there's Wix, as Mr Michael already mentioned, and Weebly as well. I'm gonna stop "helping" now because I think I'm starting to ramble hahaha. Hope it helps some!
Hugs,
Ann
EDIT: I forgot to say that free is good and all, but I would ALWAYS spend money on a custom domain. Like www.sue.com or whatever. Don't want someone else to snag your author/pen name, eh? ;-)
It's all about driving traffic to wherever you are on the Internet. I'm content to set up camp at Authors Den, and attempt to lead potential readers there. When my upcoming novel is published, I will be able to offer signed/personalized copies of the print version far below the price set by my publisher and for what it will sell at Amazon. As well, all of my satellite work in the form of Memoirs, Essays, and Blogs are there for me to parlay links elsewhere. http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
I'm happy to say that since I posted this week's blog there on Saturday, that alone has thus far generated 293 reads. One of my essays, a Rhode Read, today, is no. 1 in the top 20 for "Popular Essay Articles."
From a perspective of an unknown author, this is my place to dig in my heels.
Tried but it didn't take. I'm happy with my Facebook Author and Goodreads blog pages.
Mine is through weebly (www.weebly.com if you want to check them out.) It's free, but I do have weebly in the domain name, and there is weebly advertising in the footer (this goes away if you choose a paid option.)I don't see why anyone wouldn't - for me it's somewhere I can collect together all my blurbs and info in one easy place. No one has to search through twitter feeds or what have you to find out when my next book is out or whatever. It's also the one place on the internet where I don't feel yucky about talking about my books (you know, the pushy salesperson feeling.)
Traffic to mine has never been exceptional, but I implemented some SEO techniques from Google's SEO guide and that helped, plus I update it whenever I can.
I'm a WordPress user too. I started with a free blog, and was quite happy with it. It was good for learing the ropes. After 6 or 7 month I switched to a self-hosted WordPress and never regretted. The self-hosted allows you a lot of freedom because of a wider offer of themes and the possibility to use plugins. I still have my blog on there and I'm about to launch my own website, again with WordPress theme.
I did spend a little money on my website (for example, I bought a premioum Theme) but I think it's worth it.
WordPress is really really easy to use, very intuitive. After a while that you use it, you're completely fine with it.
This is my blog, by the way http://theoldshelter.com/
I'll launch my website next week.
So far, I've used a free WordPress for my website, here https://sarahzama.wordpress.com/
As you can see, is a lot more limited compared to the self-hosted blog, but it's still a decent site, in my opinion
Annie wrote: "Hi Miss Sue,*waves happily* I'm probably not the best person to answer this since I'm a bit (read: a heck of a lot) computer illiterate, and totally don't know what I'm doing most of the time. Ho..."
Yeah, I use Blogger, but as the name suggests, it's a blog site more than a proper website. Not the best really.
xx
Personally, I write the occasional blog still, but it was eating into my time too much.So I tend to keep up a presence on gr.
And my fb and Twitter are linked, so if I post on fb it automatically tweets too (saves a bit of time).
My Amazon author pages just exist as that, I don't tend to update anything, but again I think my Twitter is linked.
Wherever you put your name, the key is being interactive with people.
xx
I have a website. www.thespineoftheempire.com
I own the domain/have hosting and I use Wordpress to make it all work. I use it to post blog posts and be a repo for my general writing information. I like it because it is a central 'nexus' for my stuff.
You can get a Wordpress blog for free, and they are pretty easy to set up and configure. Only difference is the domain will have 'wordpress' in it.
I own the domain/have hosting and I use Wordpress to make it all work. I use it to post blog posts and be a repo for my general writing information. I like it because it is a central 'nexus' for my stuff.
You can get a Wordpress blog for free, and they are pretty easy to set up and configure. Only difference is the domain will have 'wordpress' in it.
I use Wordpress.Wordpress is useful because it's a system that you can use either with a Wordpress-hosted site (via www.wordpress.com) or on a self-hosted site. So you only have to learn one system, and if you choose to start off on a Wordpress-hosted site and then move to a self-hosted site, you can do it at the press of a button (or three), provided you choose a host that supports Wordpress.
The "half-way" option is to be hosted on Wordpress.com but buy your own domain name. So you get the nice, tidy web address ("www.sue.com" instead of the "www.sue.wordpress.com" that Wordpress gives you) but still have the worry-free-ness of being hosted by Wordpress.com, which is designed for inexperienced people, or people who just don't want to have to do stuff themselves.
Many people start off with Wordpress.com, then move to self-hosting when/if they find it a bit limiting. I'm self-hosted; my husband is on Wordpress.com.
If you really are inexperienced, my advice would be:
1. Go for a Wordpress.com site. You can set it up for free, and start playing around with it. Plus, there's more tech support on Wordpress.com.
2. When you're ready for a bit more, pay for your own domain name, especially if you're trying to do writing is a business rather than a hobby. A domain name is generally quite cheap (e.g. £10 per year), and makes you look more professional.
3. When you've learned the ropes, then consider moving to a self-hosted site if you want to.
Good luck!
I had my first website/domain in the mid nineties, but have done nothing with it since 2003. Now I have a blog: past times and present tensions:http://pasttimesandpresnttensions.blo...
which has been running for over three years and has the bulk of my writing (700 posts so far). I quit conventional publishing a few years back but I' m now starting to experiment with eBooks.
Blogger fills my needs and I have a couple of number one listings in Google searches and high rankings in many more. I mostly write series, (about 500 - 1500 words each day) five days a week.
I have not put anything new on my website for 6 months. I was spending about 6-10 miserable hours a day on it before that. It was like having a non-paying full-time job with overtime and little appreciation.www.horrorhouseparty.com
With this book, it's clear I can't do the book and the website both. Something will give here soon!
I have a free website on weebly, but I haven't spent a lot of time on it since setting it up and honing it to "perfection." I update constantly, usually every few days, but until I can see that the site is helping to sell books I won't spend any money on it.
I have a website, and I paid for the service. I used GoDaddy, and while it is a fairly easy service to use, I'd still recommend the free ones for a starter page. On blogs. You can use anything nowadays as a blog, including your Goodreads page and Facebook. There are lots of people who use Wordpress for their blogs (as do I), but if you use it prepare for a flood of information about features and things you can potentially do with it.
For mail lists I use Mailchimp, but I haven't sent a mail in a while. They have a free option, so it doesn't hurt to give it a shot.
Making your own website is free. You can make one at Wordpress, blogger, etc. I have a writing blog at WordPress: https://theroadtoselfpublishing.wordp...
It doesn't cost me a thing. What will cost you is if you want to have your own address, your own domain. Not much but it'll cost you. I bought one for my personal website: https://farwriters.com/
It's not necessary but it does look more professional to have your own site instead of one that ends in blogspot.com or wordpress.com.
That said, it bears noting that I have seen plenty of sites ending on those that have managed to get lots and lots of traffic.
F.A.R. wrote: "I have seen plenty of sites ending on those that have managed to get lots and lots of traffic. "I could link my domain to my blog but I don't know if that would have an adverse reaction on Goggle searches as Blogger is a Google company (perhaps I'm being cynical, though).
I have a wordpress.com site so that I have a web presence, but I'm not ready to invest the time and money in my own site yet. From my research, many new authors start off small so that their fans can at least find them.
T.L. wrote: "Yeah, I use Blogger, but as the name suggests, it's a blog site more than a proper website. Not the best really"Oh, yeah! For anyone considering this option, keep in mind that Blogger only allows a max of 20 static pages. The rest will be time-stamped posts listed by dates. Totally fine for blogging, but not properly organized for a "traditional" website.
Thanks for the reminder, T.L.!! :)
I use Blogger for my blog about books, politics, science etc., with a discreet ad on each page for one of my books. I am not sure how effective it is as a marketing tool, but it is quite fun.I find Blogger easy and quick, but one day I will migrate to Wordpress. As others have said on this thread, you can get a much more professional look. In particular, Blogger doesn't handle photos well - and I also have trouble getting the Send to Kindle button to work (important as I sometimes write long pieces).
http://mikerobbinsnyc.blogspot.com/
Wow! Thank you all for taking the time to respond. Everyone's website looks great. Now I'm even more intimidated. Once I get over that, I will try a free site to get my feet wet before I pay for anything.There is a lot of helpful information here that I believe others will find helpful. Thank you again!!
I hired a professional because it's so important to have a great site. It is still a work in progress, I add and change things as I learn more about what works. Just to get something up and going- is worth it and then you can learn to maintain the site from there...www.thegreywoods.com
I have a Wordpress site for my bio, book, blog and short films, but once my new novel is published (if I find a publisher!), I'm planning to have a new site designed. No hurry, though, as I'm happy with the WP presence and the amount of traffic at the moment.https://stormingtime.wordpress.com/
J. wrote: "I hired a professional because it's so important to have a great site."Ooooh! May I ask how much control you have after it's "done"? Like, will the designer still help you tweak it afterwards?
Hmm. I'm such a DIY person. Like just struggle through everything and deploy my little google gopher as required (which is all the time). I don't even pay for a theme for either of my sites. Just the free ones.
Did anyone else hire a professional?
I hired a professional who blew me away with her design. Once the site was complete, she gave me complete control (I have a Wordpress.org site that's hosted by Bluehost) though she's always available to troubleshoot when necessary. www.arladahl.com
I did a bunch of shopping around and decided on webs.com. I also used a separate site to register my domain so that I could make it private (otherwise technically people can look up you and your address/contact info from the domain registry). http://www.thespectrabooks.com/
It had a blog option, so I use it to release a snippet once a month of something related to my book's world (newspaper article, letter from a character, really short story, etc). http://www.thespectrabooks.com/apps/b...
And I published a few short stories just to my website for people to read for free. They take place within the same world as my books.
Just some ideas.
I use blogger. Someone more computer literate than I helped me set it up, and I can maintain it on my own. I've had the site for almost a year and had almost 1200 views, so I'm happy. I blog there and on Goodreads. http://www.charlesfreedomlong.com/
I've run a blog (Views From the Bald Patch) since 2009 on Blogger. Like others have said, free and easy to use, but not really suited to hosting a proper author website. I keep this one for interacting with other bloggers, for talking about myself and how things are going in general.My website (www.iansbott.com) is purely about my writing and artwork. It costs a small annual fee, including the custom domain name, and is hosted on Webs.com. Very easy to maintain. The features are limited, but that's not a bad thing, it forces me to keep things clean and simple. Too many sites I visit feel cluttered and confusing to me.
I've got a neglected Blogger blog (which, oddly enough, I chose *because* of the dated look Annie mentions above) but no, I don't have a website and for me, I don't see a use. If I wake up tomorrow and discover that I've got millions of fans, I'd perhaps consider getting a domain, but at the moment, a social media presense seems to be enough for me.
Wow! So many great websites, blogs, and advice. Thank you all for responding. Your comments help me a lot.
Christina wrote: "I've got a neglected Blogger blog (which, oddly enough, I chose *because* of the dated look Annie mentions above) "OMG! You know what's funny?? When I moved to Wordpress after only a couple of weeks, I had a few readers email me to say they missed the old Blogger site. I was like, "But I paid for this and made it pretty for you!!" hahaha.
Maybe that's why I could never bring myself to shut it down completely *pets old site lovingly* I just leave it there with links to the new location :)
I recommend WIX if you are computer-challenged like me. Since I primarily write for the younger crowd, I used primary colors to give that vibe.
My website doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some have but it is one that I can change and edit easily.
www.nancycadlecraddock.com
Sooo...I'm sitting in my office. Eating a boatload of sushi. It's a legit wooden boat *smirks* I'm a foodie. Don't judge me.
Anyhoo, I thought I'd make a list of everyone's sites thus far for anyone who might find it helpful to peruse. If I'm breaking any rules, annoying anyone or just being a complete weirdo, please say something and I'll delete it :) Hugs!
http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords
http://arcturian-spacefleet.com
https://www.anniearcane.com
https://www.devotionhouse.com
http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
http://theoldshelter.com/
https://sarahzama.wordpress.com/
http://www.thespineoftheempire.com
http://pasttimesandpresnttensions.blo...
http://horrorhouseparty.com
https://theroadtoselfpublishing.wordp...
https://farwriters.com/
http://www.danielleesplin.com
http://mikerobbinsnyc.blogspot.com/
http://www.mjsauthor.com
http://www.thegreywoods.com
https://stormingtime.wordpress.com/
http://arladahl.com
http://www.thespectrabooks.com
http://www.charlesfreedomlong.com/
http://thebaldpatch.blogspot.ca
http://www.iansbott.com
http://www.garfeel.com
http://www.nancycadlecraddock.com
I went from Wix to WordPress - I hate WordPress with a passion, but I do love the amount of flexibility you can get (if you're willing to sacrifice some hair and sanity).My Wix site took about 6 months of operation to show up on the first Google results page for a search on me or my books; the WordPress one shot up there within weeks and has stayed there.
jcsteelauthor.com
Now I'm really scared. The idea of a website as a necessity is really beyond my ken.Plus. You really couldn't let a happy bumbler like me have her own website.
I'd only annoy people. Or say something unforgivable. Or get myself sued...
Sound of running feet as middle-aged woman scrambles back under her rock.
However. If you are younger than me, and serious about selling books then a good website has got to help. Equally, though, an inept site has to be a hindrance.
Therefore, it's a very good idea to have someone (or several someones) you trust look carefully at any website before it goes live.
Jane wrote: "Now I'm really scared. The idea of a website as a necessity is really beyond my ken."A new website can sink so low in web searches it would take a bathysphere to find it. Blogs, on the other hand get searched and catalogued fairy quickly and are far easier to build (go vanilla if you are a total novice). Things were not always so. I had my first web site over twenty years ago and at one point my domain was in the world's top 100. My site has been parked since the death of my wife in 2003. I have only changed the first page slightly. I just checked its May stats: 4,954 unique visitors, 7,645 page views. Now, if you want to spend twenty years to get those results for a site where nothing changes, go for it, but even then, you would never be one of the pioneers so it might not work, anyway.
My blog is just over three years old and I get between 100 and 200 page views a day (sometimes up to 300) and it takes Google about two days to record anything. I have several number ones in Google searches and some people have found my blog just by Googling the word "content". Your choice!
I recently dropped Wordpress because it's not user friendly unless you're a computer programmer. I went to Wix and LOVE it! Love the WYSIWYG design and the vast number of ways to customize literally everything. Lots of ways to increase your web traffic, including updating it often with a blog, etc. Anywho here's my website: www.mystiparker.com
Jane wrote: "Now I'm really scared. The idea of a website as a necessity is really beyond my ken.Plus. You really couldn't let a happy bumbler like me have her own website.
I'd only annoy people."
Don't be scared, Miss Jane! Honest to goodness, I may just be the most tech-illiterate person on the face of the planet. Many of the free blogs are soooo simple. Like you couldn't mess em up even if you tried to. And, as Mysti pointed out, options like Wix are WYSIWYG, which adds another layer of simplicity. Is that an oxymoron? haha.
Just FYI, I am also a bumbler. And can be pretty annoying too. Annoying bumblers unite! FTW! Yikes, I'm not getting any work done today *shrugs*
P.S. - Totally not my genre, but I dig the look of your site, J.C. :)
Annie wrote: "P.S. - Totally not my genre, but I dig the look of your site, J.C. :)"Hey, thanks! :) Appreciate the kind words!
As stated, use what is comfortable and free if you want, and drive your traffic to that site. I am using the FB author page to soft sell, and post sparingly to avoid washout. But I link that to the Amazon author page as my website, which is my point-of-purchase. One click to my work, from there.Similarly, I am leading my contacts to my Goodreads blog and entertaining them specifically, with the personal touch. This also links directly to my catalogue with, you guessed it, one click. As a reader I really don't want to wade through your favorite recipes and what you did over the weekend to find information on your titles, and some websites get very cluttered with old posts, old promotions that are out of date, etc. If the author isn't able to stay on top of that sort of thing, best use the KISS principle.
Good Luck
Kevin Kinnen
We have a website and we use WordPress, which we host ourselves. What we've learned is that in our market, a website can be useful (very slightly) for connecting with readers after the fact. We have met some great people that way. But as far as we can tell, our website has never sold a book. The only visitors we appear to get are people who bought a book already, and they are trivial in number. But our readers have little or interest in interaction. Other readers, who favor different genres, feel differently.
So it all depends on your readers. If they enjoy following authors, a website may be of benefit. If they are like our readers, it's a waste of time and effort. I'd recommend investigating websites of authors who write similar work as you and try to assess how active they are and how much interactions they generate (reader comments and such).
Beware of doing anything because "everyone" does it, or because someone says you "must" do it. That only leads to frustration and stress and unwelcome distractions. Do only what you enjoy and what demonstrably benefits you personally.
I use SquareSpace, which isn't free, but has a lot of user-friendly templates, and offers a free domain if you pay for a full year in advance. My site is www.davidallenkimmel.com. I don't keep up with it nearly as well as I should-from what I understand, if done right, a web site can be an author's best marketing tool - I just can't seem to find the time...
I tried to make one on Weebly, but it did not go well, mostly because I am not super tech-savvy. My publisher is slightly more technologically inclined, and made one for me with wordpress: http://llgarcia.com/
I like to think of it as my little shop, where you can come in and have a look around at stuff and maybe buy a book if you like. So I I intend to put more stuff on there (currently working on a PWYF novellette), and I think of it as getting people into my shop.I use wordpress, which is free and fairly easy if you just want something basic. You can pay for more features but I didn't have to, I like the simple, minimalist look.
Also I think you can upgrade to a .com site, essentially dropping the .wordpress bit from the address. You have to pay for this but I think it's fairly cheap. £20-odd a year if I remember right.
Here's my site, if you're interested:
http://josephjwoodblog.wordpress.com
I don't really know how much good my website has done, but I do get the drop-by visitor now and again.inacornerdarkly.blogspot.com
(horror/suspense)
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "I found here that many authors have their own website to blog and send out newsletters. I've looked into it and some state they are free, but are they really? And are they easy to set up? I'm certa..."Hi Sue,
As a professional web hosting provider to fiction authors, I can say that it costs most authors peanuts per month - it all depends on who you go with and what you need. It's the same for email lists. As I own my own servers, I don't pay hosting for my author or business sites, but my clients tend to pay around £5.00 a month or less. Websites themselves are free to host, and you don't need to code thanks to WordPress and other options such as Wix and Drupal.
If you're not sure sure if you want to go ahead with a website, I would highly suggest figuring out the purpose or goal you would have for your site, and to ask a web hosting provider to try a few months free, or head over to wordpress.com and get a free site there to try it out.
On my author website, I get around 310 visitors a day, and a handful of sign ups to my email lists per week. This is it if you'd like to see - http://books.draebox.com
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