The Interwebs are a-buzz about promotion this week. I always am amazed at how insync the Universe is when one article/idea is followed closely by two or three other articles/ideas on the same subject. This week - self promotion. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Websites! Even my RWA chapter, Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada, is busy discussing promotion on the e-mail loop!I started this blogventure with the thought that I would look at starting a website soon after. That's been put on a back burner - the Day Job, my writing, and the busy social life has made the decision for me. AND, I often wonder what I would put on a website to keep it fresh, keep readers coming back. The Husband is a webmaster for a car dealership (he'll be my 'go to guy' when I'm ready to start constructing) and his number one goal is to drive customers to the webpage. In order to do that, he needs to change it, refresh it, make it worth the customers' time to check out the website on a, hopefully, daily basis. I surf the web a lot - and most blogs or webpages that don't update often usually get a pass after a while. So, I am much like the customers searching for an automobile.
As of right now, I don't have a lot to drive readers to a website - unless I linked my blog (which I would). But there's more to it than just a blog. My friend Jana Richards posts short stories on her website. That will definitely be one page I would develop (and have a few short stories ready to go - others in the development stage). A bio page is a must, and Roni Griffin has a great idea to make an autobiography a lot more exciting than "I was born...". BTW - Roni's blog is one that is talking self-promotion; so head on over and have a read. And that's as far as I've gotten on my website plans. For really great information on creating a website (and what to include on the darn thing), check out QueryTracker.net (and take some time to look around there, they're a wealth of information).
Whew, I was going to talk about other self-promotion stuff, but this is getting long. Come back Thursday and we'll chat about Facebook, Twitter, and my personal time manager Google Reader (k, it's available to everyone, but I like to refer to it as mine). I'll have some more links to blogposts talking about self-promotion and some to help with time management.
You know the question already - do you have a website? Are you thinking of starting one? What pages do you think are important and do you think it's important to have one prior to getting published? As a reader, what makes you return to a website?
Have a great Tuesday, People of Blogland :)
Thanks for the linkage! Obviously, you know how I'm feeling about websites these days. :) Good luck in deciding what you want to do!
ReplyDeleteHey, Roni - good to 'see' you! Yes, I've been following your discussion over on your blog. Your website design (which is fabulous, BTW) was what got me thinking about my own. It sounds like it wasn't that difficult to create (I know nothing about websites) and it really does showcase who you are as a writer (blog templates can only go so far).
ReplyDeleteFYI - I wanted to mention your query/blurb page, too, but didn't want to seem stalkerish! I like that you give your readers the opportunity to read what would essentially be a backcover blurb. Very professional and sure to get people excited about upcoming books.
I'll be watching further developments over on Fiction Groupie. And weighing the pros and cons of creating my own web space.
It is a quandary. Put up a website to show you're professional and serious, but then feel the need to keep it updated and fresh. And what do you update with if you have no "coming soon" or book covers to squee about?
ReplyDeleteI went round and round, bought my domain names, and continued to go round. But then I bid on a website package at a charity auction, and had the winning bid! And there was a time limit on the offer! Holy shnickies, Batman! I continued to dither, with the expiration date fast approaching, but will soon have a website. Next month I think. Please permit me to say it's gorgeous. Only two pages, but that's about all I can fill at this point. The second page will have blurbs on my completed works, and my wip's. In case anyone is interested...
Personally, I don't think have a website pre-pubbed is necessary. But it can't hurt. AND it will give you a place to squee when the call does come LOL.
Have a fab day!!
I have a website and I'm looking at reworking it to better reflect the change from strictly historical to mainstream and YA fiction. I set it up a few years ago when I started doing conferences, contests and submissions.
ReplyDeleteI think that having a website that a prospective agent or editor can find easily will only work in a writer's favour. Great links, by the way - loved Query Tracker.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question a few posts ago, about whether I once again bought magazines after giving them up for Lent - but of course! I was a serious magazine addict, back in the day. Currently, my magazine need has been fed by the much cheaper and much more easily stored Blogosphere.
lol, it wouldn't seem stalkerish. :) I'm glad you liked the blurbs. I debated whether or not to put excerpts or the blurbs from my query. I ultimately went with the blurb because I'm still entering my manuscript in contest and a lot of the rules specify that it can't be published in anyway (which online can sometimes count).
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the technical skill, I highly recommend the homestead.com site. I found the whole thing really user friendly for my non-techie self. :)
Lu - I thought of you while I was writing this post. I know you said you had won the auction prize, but I wasn't sure how it was coming along. I can't wait to see it - and you better give me the address because I'm linking to it on my homepage here. You must be very excited about it?
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking that if a website is up and running, when The Call comes I'll have one less thing to worry about getting done! I've read about some new authors that are swamped with re-writes, promo and getting a web presence ASAP. Of course, that's forward thinking, but it doesn't hurt (and hopefully it sends good vibes out to the universe)
Looking forward to any squee moments - including your lovely website debut, Lu.
Hey, Kelly - I visited your website when I first joined RWAC, then found the blog link and added it to my Google Reader. Just got back from re-visiting your website, again.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of it - clean, elegant. And I love all the query/blurbs, both in historical and contemporary. You're going to change it? Is this on the front burner or back? Would you add another element about your knitting - a different dimension that could bring other readers into your world?
Interested in knowing your thoughts. And thanks for visiting :)
Julia - I highly recommend Query Tracker. They always have some great posts and tons of links that are so helpful to the unpublished writer. I haven't actually joined the track part of Query Tracker - I mean to, but never find the time. Oh, well. Good point on the agents/editors viewpoint - that will go on the PRO side of the argument.
ReplyDeleteThanks for answering my question - I've found the same wonderful blogosphere and love that it has filled in my magazine needs. Magazines and newspapers - tidbits of reading that amuse and inform, and don't require hours of committment. My personal favorite - anything to do with cooking.
Roni, you're back! Yes, we had a discussion last week here on the blog about whether or not posting constitutes published (Tuesday's Question - Published or Not?. No definitive answers, but lots of discussion (Tamika even suggested we go to your blog because you had posted about this topic a while back). There seems to be a lot of grey area around the issue.
ReplyDeleteJust finishing up the Day Job, so I'll go have a look at Homestead.com and see what's what. Thanks.
Janet,
ReplyDeleteI'm currently designing my own website: www.annemacfarlane.com but I've gotten side-tracked by my writing. LOL. Plan to finish it and move the blog over to it - very soon. Yes. Soon.
Ooh, Anne - very nice start. I love the pic of you with a book, well done!
ReplyDeleteDid you do it yourself? Who did you use to host? Very interested in the details! And I love that you'll have a 'For Writers' page - that's a favorite of mine when I go to an author's website.
Thanks for sharing :)
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteYes, I did it myself. I also did Kelly's. I use BlueHost.
Sorry, Anne - read your comment in my e-mail and forgot to come back here. I'll look at BlueHost, too, when I'm ready.
ReplyDeleteLove Kelly's as well, as mentioned above. Looking forward to seeing yours up and running :)