I was sitting in bed the other day, talking to hubby. Here’s the gist of our conversation.
Me: I’ll probably spend some money soon on writing.
Him: Like what?
Me: I want to get my blog professionally designed and maybe start thinking about a website.
Him: Will getting your blog designed help you sell books?
Me: Umm……
Let me clarify. My hubby is super supportive. He wasn’t trying to talk me out of spending money. He was simply curious. What’s the point or purpose in having a professionally designed blog and website?
Which feeds into the question I’ve been pondering lately: How can a fiction author build a readership before her book hits the shelves?
I mean…here I am. My novel’s not due to my editor until mid April. I’m over a year out from my first release. Yet, I want to do something. I want to be proactive. So what do I do? If I have money to spend on marketing, what’s the smartest way to spend it?
It’s a question I asked my agent, and she had a lot of practical advice. In fact, she wrote an amazing post a couple months ago, titled Marketing Yourself and Your Book. I devoured and bookmarked it.
And I got to thinking. All of us have our own successes and failures and opinions when it comes to effective marketing and branding. We either have experience with it, have thought about it, or will eventually think about it when we get a contract.
So this Friday, I don’t have a lesson or epiphany as I travel this new leg of the journey. I just have a bunch of questions.
Let’s Talk: If you’ve paid money for your blog or website, why did you do it? Who did you do it through and would you recommend them to me please? Do you think author websites help sell books? If not, why do so many author’s have them? What’s the wisest way to spend money when it comes to marketing? If you’re published, is there any one thing that you did to market yourself or your book that you think really helped?
Persevere! I hope you won’t mind if I check around your site a bit more. “The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.” by Woodrow Wilson..
Last fall, I went to a non-fiction marketing conference in california where I learned a lot about marketing. There, they said it's really important not to put the cart before the horse. IE. There's no reason to pay thousands for a blog design before you have sold thousands of books. So, I took that advice to heart and have done the best I can with my blog for free with the intentions of upgrading it when the time is right (IF the time is ever right).
Ooo, ooo, pick me, pick me!! HA. SO speaking from my vast wealth of experience, NOT, here's my take.
IF you have the money and you are willing to spend it – do EVERYTHING you can to create a professional looking website as a platform on which to advertise your writing.
I redesigned my website last year, before there was even any inkling that a contract was headed my way, but now I'm so glad I did. We use Word Press and I've even figured out how to make changes myself without having to bug my web guy every time I need to put something up there. I recommend posting excerpts too, if your publisher allows it. And although not everyone is gung ho on trailers, I recommend that too, for obvious reasons. :0) You already have a great blog presence so you're a step ahead of the game already, Katie! Just keep it real, keep it Katie, and you're sure to be a hit!!
Katie, great post. I DO think websites are VERY important. Your readers will want, scratch that, they will NEED to know more about you. Your website address will be inside your book. My son did mine. (he majored in that.) He's redoing it as we speak. The link are old and broken now. But yeah, get one, my friend. (((hugs)))
Hi Katie –
I don't have a website, but I do have a blog. Tekeme Studios, which also did Mary DeMuth's blog, designed it. They worked hard to produce something that reflected my personality.
Whenever I tell someone I'm a writer, one of the first questions they ask is, "do you have a website." Now, I can hand them a card with my blog address.
Blessings,
Susan 🙂
I agree with others here that a professional website would be advantageous for authors who have forthcoming books. I don't know that spending tons of money on it is necessary, though. I agree with Jill that I would mainly visit an author's website to see what her books were about and what her books were about that were coming out in the future.
If you get your professional website up and running in time, perhaps your publisher would print your website's address on an inside flap or on the back cover of your book.
I think that guest blogging and commenting on others' blogs also expand your online presence.
Good luck!
I have a website at WordPress but I would love a better one someday. I know a decent site says a lot about the person so I would get a good one but not spend a fortune on it if possible:)) I do check author's websites for information on them but mostly I would buy someone's book because they are approachable.
I've had a personal blog for years, but I can't afford a web designer for my website (I already have my domain name). My solution is to learn to do it myself. I'm currently taking my first class in web design–$100 for a six week course. I may need to take a couple more courses before I'm able to design the kind of site I want, but it sure is cheaper than paying someone else to do it!
Katie, I'm gobbling up all of this great information. Wow! You all are helping us newbies a lot! And, I do want to say that I love your Blog site, Katie, was just looking it over earlier today, liking the simple but lovely way it's set up. Already I can tell that you're a natural with people, and just so caring and helpful. Whatever it takes to connect with more people, do that. I would like to add that it's not the bells and whistles that draw me back to a site. It's the useful information, which includes great hook-ups to other sites, and the personal communication, which has already blown me away with several of you generous ladies. Have fun with it all, it's the journey you've been waiting to take!!
I'll be honest, a nice blog and website are probably required but it doesn't mean you can't do it yourself if you want to save some cash. I think I'm going to look into marketing companies when it's time. there are a few online that I've bookmarked.
Always love to read your blog, Katie. I'm learning blogs and websites are very important, even for baby writers like me.
I haven't read all the comments so forgive me if this is a duplicate, but: I think a badly designed author website could be worse than just not having one to some people. Especially if it makes the author look like an amateur or if the style of the website doesn't fit the style of the books. People might see that and not look any further. They might not stick around long enough to see how funny that author is on Twitter or how great the blog is. It sounds shallow, but I think it's entirely possible that it could affect you.
I think a website is the most important way you can spend your money. Truly, I do. The first thing I do when I find a new-to-me author is check out her website. I usually e-mail the author from her site to let her know I love her books. I also scour the site to see if she has a backlist and when her next release is coming out.
I think unpublished authors are wise to simply build a website through Blogger or WordPress, but published authors will find a real website more accomodating. Also, join a service to send out a quarterly newsletter. Michelle (Lady Glam) has a gorgeous newsletter.
You already have a great online presence. Offer to speak at local writing groups or libraries. People buy books from people they like. What better way to show your genuine personality? Word of mouth goes a long way in selling books.
The month before your book is released, contact local radio stations about possible interviews. If that is too intimidating, at least put together a media press kit for your website (Ally Blake has a terrific example of this).
Good luck, Katie, I know you're going to be great!!
Katie, I'm wrestling with the same questions and am reading the comments on this post with interest.
I am not sure the answers to your questions but I will say that I think you offer great insights and information in your blog so it would be a shame if there was a way to bring more people to it and you weren't pursuing that. I think people will be drawn to your personality and the info that you share so you might as well go full force and allow that to happen!
I would follow your same line of thinking here. When (oh yeah- claiming it) I get to this leg of the race I want a professionally designed blog and website that co-exist.
I love the work of Thomas Umpstaad Jr. He can to talk to our Centex Chapter of ACFW here in Austin and his work is amazing.
Praying for you as you make these decisions Katie. I know God will make His presence known.
I'm lucky, my husband's a graphic designer so I wouldn't have to pay for these things, but if I did, I would invest in a website, but I don't think you need to have a super fancy one. You just want the information to be there.
Wow, tough questions, Katie! I know some people swear by the professional web design approach, but we're talking big-time money.
For where I'm at in my career, I switched mine over to WordPress and designed mine for free (it helps that I have a techy husband who helped me switch the domain stuff). Maybe some people can tell it's not done by a graphic artist, but I think I'd be inclined to keep it the way it is even after I'm published. I think that 2-grand could be spent on more targeted marketing.
As a reader, when I visit an author's website, I don't necessarily care whether it's super fancy or not (honestly, the extra fancy ones that take forever to load just annoy me). But I do think an author's site should reflect their personality and writing. And for some people, that means paying for a professional to do it.
Sounds like you've got a wise husband on your hands. 🙂
My husband is a web designer. 🙂 He was self-employed for a few years and just got a "real" job this year. He still does sites on the side though.
He used to design websites using a program called Joomla but now he goes with WordPress 100%. I have a website AND a blog w/WordPress, but I never touch my website anymore. You can do EVERYTHING through your blog–even sell books if you want.
And you can get your own domain name (katieganshert.com or whatever) for super cheap.
Let me know if you want more info.
You can see some more sites he designed at http://gabetaviano.com
I've had the hardest time leaving a comment.
Here goes…trying again.
I think anything you can do to come across polished and professional only helps. I also think you need to focus on your area of strength. We are at risk of spreading ourselves too thin if we splash a little around here and there, instead of flooding a certain marketing area with intentionality.
Great questions.
I loved what Melanie at Elegant Blog Designs did for mine (free).
~ Wendy
Just to encourage you: I came across your name because of a comment you left on another blog (I think it was Jody Hedlund's) and started following your blog and your tweets. I will definitely buy your book the minute it comes out, because I'm very curious about it by now. I've followed part of your journey and I love to see the first result! It was the same with Jody Heldund and Sarah Sundin, both of whom I also 'met' online through blogs/websites/Twitter and whose books I bought (and loved!). So yes, a good active online presence does sell books, especially if you make it personal.
Good questions. I suspect you already have your own answers to these. But I'll tell you mine. Yes, I spent money and had the blog properly designed. NOT to sell a book. I don;t have one to sell yet. But because I want to be seen as a serious writer and that means have a good looking blog. It's the same reason I am currently getting a website developed. It's about how I want to be seen. And it will set me up in the future when I do have a book to sell. The web is where people are going to connect with writers and look at books. It's important to have a good presence and one that says, 'hey serious writer at work."
All the best as you navigate these important decisions.
At the bottom of my blog is the Varick Design link if you are interested.
It is important to do all this stuff now. Later on, you will be too busy with book promoting and will need to have everything in order. :O)
I believe writers need websites. They need that online presence to connect with readers and to promote their work.
When it comes to deciding on a website designer, consider your budget. Consider your resources. Consider your own talents.
I simply can't afford to spend several thousand dollars on my site. It's just not in my budget, even with my advance. So I'm looking at less expensive options. I have a Mac, and along with my software programs, I have iWeb, which is a drag and drop type program that allows users to make their own sites. I love the ease I have with this. I've also learned I can make changes to the coding by Googling what I'm trying to learn.
I understand not everyone will have these options. If you're considering a designer, I suggest Jason Walker at Website Ministries http://www.websiteministries.com
His wife is Jenness Walker, so he totally understands the needs of writers. Plus, he gives a discount to writers (I think it's still available.) Check out his site.
I think it's important too. You don't want a potential reader turned away because they couldn't find you. Though, I think most readers would be happy with the free blogger blogs too!
I think the biggest marketing tool is just being nice online!
I have spent money on my website – and finally closed it to transfer it to a blogger – using the multiple pages and buying a domain. I realized I can reach readers by being available and creating an atmosphere on my site without spending money, at least until it starts coming in.
I think we all need to start somewhere, and your site is great.
My friend, Rebecca Zanetti, has her site up on WordPress – using the blog 2010 template and her site is just way too cool – you'd never know it was only $10 to for the domain each year. ( http://www.rebeccazanetti.com)
Another few favorites are authors like J.K. Rowling's site and Julie Garwood (favorite).
I get on my favorite author sites as well, but I don't base my next purchase on what their site looks like or doesn't look like.
Contests and blog tours etc, seem to me to be the better investment. at least at first.
That's not to say, when (I say when) I have a few more sells under my belt and money coming in I won't be hounding the cool sites for their coordinators, 'cause come on! But until I can show profit, I have to prioritize where the mula goes!
Hey Katie! I do think a website is important. After I read a book I always go to the authors website. I think it's a way for readers to find out more about you and your books.