By Jennifer Blanchard
If you ever plan to turn your written talent into dollars, you need to market yourself. With the wide-spread availability of the Internet everywhere from computers to cell phones to game systems, writers need to be accessible to their readers (and potential readers) at a moment’s notice.
One way to do this is to have a Web site.
A Web site:
- Makes a writer look professional—If you’re ever going to make any money from your writing, you need to appear as professional as possible to the public.
- Is a simple marketing tool—Anyone can create a basic Website. Especially these days when you can use templates and click-to-publish Web programs.
- Can serve as a writer’s portfolio—Imagine your writing being available to prospective customers/readers 24/7/365.
When it comes to creating your author Web site, you have a couple of options: a blog—where you use a site such as Blogger.com or WordPress.com to create a blog that spotlights your writing—or buying a domain name and building a Web site using pre-made templates.
Also, it’s important to remember, if you are writing under a pen name/writing alias, you should create the Web site for your alias, not for yourself.
At a minimum, your Web site should have the following pages:
- Home page—Use this page to welcome and introduce people to your site.
- Samples of your writing—Include at least 2-3 pieces samples. Create separate pages writing in different categories, such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry.
- About the Author—Include your full bio and a professional photo of yourself.
- Contact the Author—Include your E-mail address. Don’t include your address and phone number. You can exchange additional information with the person who contacts you later if necessary.
