The author Web site debate will probably never end. Do you need one? What’s the purpose? What elements should it include? The questions go on and on.
I recently came across this excellent blog post entitled The 14 Things I Have Learned about Author Websites. Be sure to check out the whole list. Here are a few things that went through my mind as I read through it:
#2. Author Web sites are different than book Web sites. Blogs, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook are different tools, use them in different ways.
Excellent point! How many times have you come across an author’s Web site that has no personality and lacks the critical attributes of a social network-like page?
#4. Frequency is important…
#5: Frequency isn’t as important as you may think…
Ah, the thorny subject of frequency. This has been one of the most criticized and probably misunderstood issues on this subject. How frequently do you need to update your site? That depends. It depends on what kind of product you’ve published and what sort of expectations your readers have. Two-way communication is the key here. Don’t say you’ll be updating every day and then fall back to once every week or so. Also, check in with your readers and see what they want from your site and how often they’d like to see new content from you.
#6: Free is your friend. Make your work available in its entirety. If someone is willing to read your 400 page novel on screen, you have found a fan for life.
I don’t think I could have said it any better myself. This is an important concept that we publishers seem to be sloooowly embracing. Just don’t forget that if you signed a traditional publishing agreement you probably need your publisher’s permission to post all that great, free content…
