Who are You?

Hello!  Sorry for the long post delay, but I’ve been working very hard on several deadlines and have not had time to devote to blogging.  I’ll try hard to keep up the weekly posts in the future.

As those of you who have worked with me know, and probably think I’m repeating ad nauseum, I am a huge proponent of author web sites, or at least a blog.  How will the world ever discover the bright shining light that you are if you don’t let them see it?  How do you tell the world who you are? You need a place on the Internet where readers can read more about you, and where folks like me, editors and publishers and such, can find you and get to know you.  You also need to show you are at least attempting to make professional promo efforts.

As I’ve said many times, when I get a new submission, the first thing I do, even before reading the intro/query letter, is Google the author and see if they have a web page, blog, or have made any effort to promo their name and/or their work.  If you intend to make writing your career, this is proof you are making a commitment and putting out the effort, and not just playing around with a hobby.  This can be a huge thing for me as an editor because I need to know that when I send you edits and revisions, you will get them done in a timely professional manner, and not keep putting me off because you aren’t in the mood – a deadline isn’t optional.  It doesn’t have to be a big web site and multiple pages, just a blog page is fine.  But you need to get your name out there so readers can find you and you can begin to build up a following.

In my opinion, this is even more important for digital authors – digital readers, simply because of the medium and its equipment, are much more likely to be out there looking for your web site.  By virtue of the medium, they have to be on the Internet to purchase and download books, they have to learn how to upload that book to a reader, if they use one, and they tend to be more technically savvy because of it.  What they find on that web site can earn you sales, and what they read of your books can earn you fans. Even if you don’t yet have a book out, you can intrigue potential readers by letting your personality and writing style/voice be heard, build up anticipation for that first release.

Some say, and I agree, that the very best promo you can do is to write your next book.  Yes, you can not build a career without working on it.  However, especially in digital publishing you need to build a presence, a brand, and get the word out.  In digital publishing you don’t have a huge publishing company with its advertising department and big budget behind you to build up a promotion plan and do a lot of the work for you, such as graphics and flyers and etc.  That plan falls on your shoulders to build, and the work will also be mostly yours.

If you are considering a new web site, or redesigning your existing one, shop around.  You can register your own domain for $10 a year or less, and some of them come with free hosting.  From experience I highly recommend GoDaddy, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with web sites because many of their features have good instructions and their tech support is excellent.  There are also many other providers out there, so do your homework – the time and effort you put into your site will pay off.  Visit author web sites – make sure you know what other authors of your particular genre and type of book are doing and write down features or designs that appeal to you.  Have a plan in mind before you ever start work.  Also look at some of the web designers who specialize in author web sites because they sometimes offer discounts and specials for new authors and that fit more easily into a starving author’s budget.

If you are going to do your own web site, consider learning how to do HTML on your own.  Visit your local library and check out a few books on building web sites for beginners.  You will save a lot of money by building your own site, and I highly recommend WordPress to get started with.  Hang out at the WordPress site and read the articles and how-tos.  Once you get started you’ll find it’s much easier than you think, and I’ve seen some truly awesome web sites made by authors who just took the information given on the WordPress site, along with the software, and let their imagination soar. Don’t be afraid to try new things, show your personality, and indulge your creativity.  Visit web sites like www.kommando.com and get answers to your questions – technical information is freely available on the web, and you’ll be amazed at how readily those “in the know” are to answer questions and help you do it yourself.

Now – go forth and be geeky!  That is all…

Georgia

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