Support for Indie Authors discussion
Marketing Tactics
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Is having an author website still necessary or advisable?
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Rita, edit the link out. You can always say something like 'the link is in my profile' - which is okay and the other person can reach it that way.
I know you're trying to help but if we make one exception, everyone else will want to be an exception as well.
Now, on the topic: If I want to know more about an author or their books, a website is the first thing I look for - and I tend to get disappointed if it's out-of-date.
You don't need anything major - just have the books listed there with their blurbs and covers, links to where they can be bought (amazon author page and individual books, for example) and possibly information about stuff in works.
Contact form is also useful if you want people to be able to reach you with questions (and decent websites have a spam filter included).
You can also use a website to post side stuff, such as maps, deleted scenes, etc. But, as Rita said, most of it is 'set up and forget'.
It depends on how serious an author you want to be. I would say that most readers, if they really enjoyed the book they read, will seek out an author's page be it on Facebook or elsewhere. It may be that they want to see what else the author wrote (or is working on) or they just want to learn more about the author to connect to him/her.You don't need to keep a daily log for your site to be considered 'active.' I think I only put up a new post every couple of months or so. It really depends on whether I have something worth mentioning about the status of a new book or something else I feel is important. The majority of my site has remained unchanged for years so it's pretty low maintenance.
But in the end I think it is mostly personal preference.
Tomas wrote: "..."Thank you Tomas. That's a good point. I guess it was kind of a chicken and egg analysis. How do I get people to look at my site and my books if they don't know about it, but then how can they know about it if it isn't there. Hopefully that makes some sense.
G.R. wrote: "It depends on how serious an author you want to be. I would say that most readers, if they really enjoyed the book they read, will seek out an author's page be it on Facebook or elsewhere. It may b..."Thanks GR. I kind felt like it was more or less necessary to be taken seriously, but I appreciate the confirmation. I just need to get it done.
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It definitely makes sense. For start, if you're active on Goodreads, you can have a link to your website there.
You might try looking for book bloggers or other writers in your genre and have a 'blog swap' or something - I'm not far enough in the know-how of some things but it might be worth a try.
My wife just set up an author website for me for our 14th anniversary. I'm planning on putting possible cover art and short stories on it. If for no other reason than to show new updates.
Thanks Phillip. That's cool. And congrats on your 14th.
Yes, have blog or website (I recommend WordPress Premium or a free blog, but I prefer Premium)...and link it to your Goodreads page (just don't post the link on this group forum, links not allowed). But you can post links to sites and blogs and books on the Author/Reader group. I don't know what I'd so without my site...Facebook only takes you so far, IMHO. (And I can't do Instagram--no Android device. Don't have a cell phone, no cell service where I live in rural remote.)
Jeffrey wrote: "Thank you for this input Deborah."You are most welcome! And sorry about the typo ("what I'd do" not "what I'd so").
Another thing, Jeffrey with the site: I've had a lot of success posting "snippets" of my trilogy (all three novels published previously so I put them all together in one novel) based on genres, real events, characters, etc. as well as writing hints/ideas and promotional stuff, and have a bookstore link and sale page. A bookstore link-page is likely important if you want to sell your books yourself (using PayPal for instance), Another good idea IMHO is (if you have several books) a free PDF download for as long as you want it to be free--having a free novel or book out of a trilogy or several will likely get you notice. Have a page for each book/novel, post a part of a chapter "look-see" type thing. And don't forget to tell some things about yourself. Glad to help you out!
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I don't see the connection. If you want to be a serious author, learn the craft and keep learning the craft. Keep improving. Do better today than yesterday. Having a web site may be a nicety toward your fans and readers, but it doesn't make you a serious author.
Deborah wrote: "Another thing, Jeffrey with the site: I've had a lot of success posting "snippets" of my trilogy (all three novels published previously so I put them all together in one novel) based on genres, rea..."Thanks again Deborah.
The author website is your home. That is where you have all your books listed and showcases, where you can direct you fans to see what you are up to and you can interact with them. It's also a site where you own it and unless your host goes out of business, you control what happens to that site. It these days where things are uncertain with all the social media sites, that website becomes your base, a place to direct your fans to find your books. It is the hub you work from. I direct my readers to my website which has all my books on it so you can go to where you buy books, it has copies of past newsletters and I'm working on getting my two years of travel on there with pictures.
You get to decide what you want to do with it and there is no one to tell you that you are politically incorrect. So yes, you do want that website and you want to update it monthly when you send out that update to your fans on your email list. They do go together and remember, those are two things no one can take away from you (unless you forget to pay the bill)
As someone who makes websites (though not for authors), my one comment to add would be that you don’t underestimate the work of keeping the website up to date and running. As a reader, a bad website that looks broken or doesn’t have all the author's books on it is worse than no website.
Another thing to keep in mind is ongoing costs – that 120 USD/year for SquareSpace adds up quickly. Something like Wordpress.com can be much cheaper (or even free), but you may run the risk of looking a bit less professional.
Another thing I look for when I buy a book is a link to different stores – if the site only links to Amazon.com, I have to go search manually on Amazon.de, for example.
I know an author with 15 books. She only has a Facebook address, but all of her books I've checked are in the four digits of the Amazon paid store (between 2000 and 8000, the ones I saw). The lady is lining her pockets without a site. I wish I become as successful as her.If you want me to tell you who this is, just send me a PM.
For me, my website is sort of my one-stop; every other link I have -- social media links, Goodreads page, buy links for my books, all of it -- are housed on my website, where I also run a blog, offer editing services, and art commissions. It really helps when I want to give people just one link, as opposed to several links for several different things. It's all on my website, so unless I'm trying to promote one specific book, I just lead people there.
B.A. wrote: "The author website is your home. That is where you have all your books listed and showcases, where you can direct you fans to see what you are up to and you can interact with them. It's also a site..."My apologies for the late thank you BA. I appreciate the input.
Cenk wrote: "As someone who makes websites (though not for authors), my one comment to add would be that you don’t underestimate the work of keeping the website up to date and running. As a reader, a bad websi..."
Thanks Cenk.
Haru wrote: "I know an author with 15 books. She only has a Facebook address, but all of her books I've checked are in the four digits of the Amazon paid store (between 2000 and 8000, the ones I saw). The lady ..."Thanks Haru. I appreciate the insight.
Mod
Well, that's the beauty of today's world, isn't it? You can find your own way.
I'll go the opposite way myself - I have a website but I won't ever touch FB.
As for me, I'm getting a LiveJournal to post my mailing list (following Tomas' idea of leading to a "professional" page after the Eepurl doesn't work anymore; thanks again, Tomas!)I think a website is useful when you already earn enough money to maintain it and you upload a cart where people can buy your books and even other stuff, but when you're just starting and get three visits a month? Well, I wouldn't do it.
For me it is, plus I have a free blog also on WordPress just in case. That is also where one can download one of the trilogy books for free (the site, and the blog when the site is no longer there...one never knows).
I think more important than a website is setting up a newsletter. It’s simply the best way to reach people who want to hear your news. Everyone has email, and unlike Facebook your email newsletter will always reach everyone who subscribed to it. MailChimp is top-notch, but can get very expensive of you have a large number of subscribers. TinyLetter is very nice and completely free. On Substack you can even charge your readers for the newsletter, or just some editions of the newsletter.
Very nice? Completely free? I'll definitely check out TinyLetter! Thanks a lot for sharing, Cenk!
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(*) and because of the limits on the number of users for free plans, people who don't really read the mails will eventually cost you money.
If you want to talk about newsletters specifically, there should be a separate topic for it, so feel free to contribute there as well.
Cenk wrote: "I think more important than a website is setting up a newsletter. It’s simply the best way to reach people who want to hear your news. Everyone has email, and unlike Facebook your email newsletter ..."My site kind of is my newsletter. In fact I had at one time posted new posts there (as well as blog) at least once a week. Lately it has become once every two weeks...I am running out of "snippet" ideas! No worries...I am getting more traffic and more free pdf novel downloads than ever, pandemic or no pandemic.
I am in favor of having an author website. It proves more advantageous for me to be able to direct someone to my website rather than to my FB or GR page. I also suggest having a professional author website if for no other reason than to lend credence as to your commitment as a professional author.
I think it’s a good idea to have a website. In fact, I have my blog on my website. It’s a good “home base” on the Internet where you can link everything: blog, social media links, sites to buy your books, links to your author interviews and features on other blogs and websites, etc.
If your goal is publishing and selling your work, having a website is a great idea. Even if you don't do social, starting with a website where you leave monthly updates on your process and progress is a great way to start reaching readers and building a fanbase. You can also post small snippets of your current WIP to build interest, and once you've got a following, you can invite some of those people to be your beta readers, which is one of the best ways to build and audience.
Thank you everyone for your recent comments. Very helpful stuff. I am pretty much resolved to make a website. I will put it close to the top of the list of things to handle in my new life as an indie author.Thank you everyone!
I've had a website from the get-go. In hindsight, though, if I were starting today, I would utilize the Facebook biz page until I build enough following. I love the button that with one click someone goes directly to my Amazon books' page (or my website if I choose). The insights are great, especially the number of people my post reaches, age and demographics, etc.
My website is very important! It contains links to all of my books, videos, and pictures I find appropriate.
I'm like Wanjiru, I've had a website since the beginning when I didn't really need one. Today, it's part of the hub on my online presence. Unlike with Facebook which can change the rules on you, you control your website. As long as you pay for your hosting, you are good to go. I will advise Wordpress.com , not Wordpress.org for you platform since it's the most flexible. You get you domain from GoDaddy, not your host as you don't want the host's name in your website (ie wix.com, wordpress.org, etc.) That way you 'own' your domain for as long as you keep renewing it. (It is cheap) Hosting is the big expense. Check out the various sites like go-daddy, namehero, hostgator, bluehost, wix, siteground, etc. Compare them and check out the bad reviews also. You want a host that doesn't go down a lot (a complaint of bluehost) and has a back up and a team that you can get hold of when you have a problem. I liked the suggestion of a facebook biz page. If it isn't expensive (I haven't checked it out) then that would be a good starting place, but remember, Facebook isn't a great sales platform and they can and will change the rules which can and will affect your page.
I think a website is a great idea. As Cenk mentioned, it should be updated, which I was doing but fell off the wagon about that part. I'll have to get back to it. My only advice (and this is just me because some people do like to read long posts), keep them short, like under 200 words.
I love my website and my webmaster. I can always direct readers there for my book links, blog, and other relevant info.
Thank you DL, Viola, ML, Wanjiru and BA. I'm more convinced than ever I need to get this part of my indie life in gear.
Interesting thread, especially since I finally buckled down and got serious about making an author page. I've had an ancient Egypt kids blog since forever, and that's where I've always directed readers. On it, I have my books in the sidebar but that's a problem for mobile versions as they don't have sidebars and the books don't show up. Plus, it has no central page with all of my books.That's an excellent tip about TinyLetter, I've surpassed the free subscriber mark on MailChimp and it gets really expensive when you have to pay the monthly fee to maintain the list.
For my website, I ended up going with an author-specific hosting platform called Pub-Site, I quite like it. I got a deal on the first year through IngramSpark as well. I'm not sure if it's more than hosting elsewhere, but I appreciate the fact that it's so author customized.
As other have said, a website is your base. There you can directly sell books or use landing pages to direct customers to the appropriate book sellers. It is also where they can see all your work, your blogs, your profile, etc.. As long as you pay for your hosting it is yours. I do use Wordpress.com and Name Hero for my hosting. (They haven't ever gone down since I've been using them,) As for list mailers, Mail Chimp went to big businesses, not caring about the little guys who got them going and stuck with them. I actually found them difficult to work with. Mailer lite was much easier, but still created a lot of work to get things going and you couldn't really set up funnels for your different readers. I pay the fee for Convertkit where I can do everything I need in no time.
I do understand the need for keeping things cheap. Look at the various email list providers and find one that has nice landing pages where you can direct people to the various sellers for you books and you could probably not need a website for a while. My website is around $130 a year. Convertkit is currently $49 a month. My theme I ended up with a lifetime fee for it, so I don't pay for the updates or changes made to it. It is AuthorCats and was set up specifically for authors.
Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!