Website do’s and don’t’s…
About the time I published my first novel Full Medical (2006—now with a second edition in ebook format), I created this website. It was an expensive process. All of today’s free website options weren’t available back then, so I paid professionals to construct it. Maybe it’s showing its age now, but I still like the look and the content. Moreover, it provides what every author’s website should have.
As a bare minimum, authors should have a welcoming “home page” that says they’re writers in X, Y, and Z genres. Other web pages should describe their books and where to buy them, and how they can be contacted. As usual, the devil’s in the details.
I’m a minimalist. Instead of a separate web pages for upcoming events and new books, I put those things on the home page too. I’m afraid people will land there, scan the home page, and leave, so I want that info visible right up front.
Some website gurus recommend a web page for each book. That would never work in my case! No one is going to peruse 20+ web pages at a website. One option is to have a different web page for each genre, but I mix a lot of genres. I’m not particularly happy that my second page, the one with a list of all my books, looks crowded, but I can’t see a real solution—authors must display their bookcovers and book blurbs and provide click-throughs to buy each book. (I provide the latter for both titles and bookcovers. Some covers aren’t displayed because I only update that web page annually—I never learned HTML, and that’s what it takes with my old website.)
While authors can place a tiny bio on the home page, they really need a separate bio page. Readers like to learn about the authors they read. Sure, we tend to be introverted people who sit at our laptops a lot, but many of us have or had interesting lives (see the “Interviews” category in my blog for a peek at some of those interesting lives!). Offering that info to website visitors provides a nice human touch. “Hey, X is a cool guy (or gal)!” should be the visitor’s response who reads the bio. To the same end, authors should add a pic of themselves, even several.
Contact info must be provided. I have a separate contact page, but that info can be pushed off to the side or at the bottom of the home page or bio page (maybe both). Info should be provided about how to sign up for the author’s newsletter, if the author has one, also maybe in several places. I don’t know how many websites I’ve visited where the contact info is impossible to find.
I left the author’s blog to last. It’s where the author writes about his craft, maybe offers reviews of other authors’ books, and interviews other authors. The goal should be to put new content on that blog frequently. Authors don’t have change the other web pages much, so the blog keeps the website fresh and current. (I include movie reviews and free short stories too.)
How frequently do you need to post new material to your blog? Whatever your schedule permits. Motivate yourself by considering those blog articles part of your writing life. Every article you write hones your writing skills.
(I’ll have more info about blogs next week.)
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Comments are welcome!
The Secret of the Urns. Asako wants to write a thesis about the Fistians. But first she has to save them from Humans. A. B. Carolan’s new YA sci-fi mystery is full of action and intrigue and lessons about tolerance and cooperation. You can find the ebook on Amazon and Smashwords and all its associated retailers; there’s also a print version available on Amazon. The perfect holiday gift for young adults and adults who are young at heart.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
