Writers, get thee to the web!
I'm one of you. And I know firsthand how very, very difficult it is to make your way in the world as a writer.
It's no longer enough to get published. There are hundreds of thousands of books hitting shelves every year and with all that noise, it's a long climb to the top.
Add into that equation the fact that small publishing houses fold faster than a napkin these days (a moment of silence for them, plz), and bigger publishers are reducing their budgets for promoting new authors (and allocating less for established ones too!). Plus, the very means by which readers discover, access, and buy books is changing dramatically.
And that's assuming that you've even made it into the publishing bread line. If you're a new writer or one changing genres, it can be even more of a challenge.
So what's a writer to do?
Sharpen your pencils, friends. You've got to get out there and start working your place on the web.
We've got a few brief pointers to get you started.
(Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/f7oor/)
It's no longer enough to get published. There are hundreds of thousands of books hitting shelves every year and with all that noise, it's a long climb to the top.
Add into that equation the fact that small publishing houses fold faster than a napkin these days (a moment of silence for them, plz), and bigger publishers are reducing their budgets for promoting new authors (and allocating less for established ones too!). Plus, the very means by which readers discover, access, and buy books is changing dramatically.
And that's assuming that you've even made it into the publishing bread line. If you're a new writer or one changing genres, it can be even more of a challenge.
So what's a writer to do?
Sharpen your pencils, friends. You've got to get out there and start working your place on the web.
We've got a few brief pointers to get you started.
(Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/f7oor/)
Who we are and why we know what we're talking about
So, that's why I started 4Emphasis, a teensy Seattle-based web development/design firm with my husband, Chris. I'm a writer; he's an artist. But, professionally, we've been working on and with the web for almost a decade.
We specialize in building pages for artists, writers, musicians, and other creatives, as well as small business owners. This page contains what I consider to be the absolute-must-know-if-you-know-nothing-else about what a writer should do to help make themselves discoverable to their future fans.
We'd love to help you get onto the web, painlessly and with results. We offer all kinds of services, from affordable template packages to marketing consultations. But if you want to brave the web wilds on your own, I'd like to give you some fighting words to start with.
We specialize in building pages for artists, writers, musicians, and other creatives, as well as small business owners. This page contains what I consider to be the absolute-must-know-if-you-know-nothing-else about what a writer should do to help make themselves discoverable to their future fans.
We'd love to help you get onto the web, painlessly and with results. We offer all kinds of services, from affordable template packages to marketing consultations. But if you want to brave the web wilds on your own, I'd like to give you some fighting words to start with.
The top five things you must do to get noticed
The very least of what you need to know
- Get a blog. It doesn't have to be fancy to begin with-in fact, on this lens, I mention a few good blog platforms that are free and simple-dimple to set up. You can be running in just a few minutes. But you should see this as a start, because you really should...
- Purchase your URL. You name, pen name, something memorable that describes your work. If you aren't ready for a fully-pimped web site, it's a good idea to own your domain name ASAP (I say this from personal experience. I waited on this step myself, and after my first book came out, discovered that someone had registered my name and was displaying affiliate ads for "natural enhancement" supplements on it. They then tried to sell me back my own name for an inordinate amount of money. It all worked out, but it was a lesson you want to avoid).
- When you are ready for a website, pay attention to design. I know you deal and think in words, but the content isn't going to impress anyone if the site is a wreck. Again, it doesn't have to be fancy and filled with bells and whistles, but clean and professional at the very least.
- Register with as many writerly networking sites as you can and put your website URL or blog address in your signature.
- Keep the content on your site fresh, so readers have a reason to return (a blog makes this simple). But you could also post samples of your writing or even consider doing a podcast.
What do you think?
What are the most important pieces on a writer's website?
Original articles and content
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Online tools just for writers
...a far from exhaustive list
- Red Room
- Red Room provides authors and members with free, easy-to-use, elegant online homes
- Book tour
- A 100% free directory of author events
- Good reads
- Social networking where readers and writers connect over books
- Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network
- SPAWN encourages the exchange of ideas, information, and other mutual benefits
- Poets and Writers tools list
- Resources with real value to writers
- 101 best sites for writers
- Whether you're looking for quotes, advice, markets, critiques--or just a place to meet other writers online--Writer's Digest found the best of the best
We're on Etsy!
Web that amkes you w00t!
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Books on getting your book out there, into the cyber wild
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