sections:
In the first part of a two-month special, web developer Mike Pead (www.michaelpead.co.uk) takes a look at the advantages of having your own website and how you can use the Internet effectively. In the second part, which will be published next month, we will look in-detail at Andrew Lownie's site as a case study for creating a new website.
Why is the Internet so important nowadays?
The Internet undoubtedly plays a very important role in today's society. According to the latest available figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics, over fifty percent of households now have access to the Internet. It's therefore important to consider that many people search in the first instance for information using the Internet.
For authors, the Internet creates a whole new set of possibilities that have never before been possible. For instance authors can now get right in touch with their readers by inviting comments via email, or can open up more information about themselves by publishing an in-depth biography or other life material that is not relevant to include in a book.
Of course the Internet can be used for much more than that. Some authors create their own online shops and make money by partnering up with Amazon and other online retailers, which incidentally now account for a very substantial percentage of book sales both in the UK and America and goes to show how much the Internet has had an impact on today's world.
Some people tend to go for a more CV-style website, which is targeted towards publishers and getting press work, which again is a perfectly acceptable way of using a web presence.
What can I do with a website?
A good example is Christian Wolmar's website (www.christianwolmar.co.uk) where he has added past material from his many columns and articles, which serves as a useful resource for people interested in his subject area, as well as publicising to publishers his expert knowledge in this field. Since its launch just under a year ago, he now receives emails virtually on a daily basis asking him to do TV appearances, speaking engagements, etc.
The key to a successful website, however, is getting a steady flow of new visitors as well as encouraging existing visitors to keep coming back. Again, looking at Christian Wolmar's site, he offers something different by publishing a monthly commentary piece which is only available exclusively to his website, and every month this produces discussion on various message boards around the Internet. In fact Christian actually enjoys writing these pieces because he's not limited in the way he would be by writing for a publication. Every time an article is written he mails out a quick email to everyone who has subscribed via the website's subscription forms, thereby prompting them to visit again.
What's involved in creating a website?
Getting a website of your own is not at all difficult. Domain names can be bought for as little as £3 a year, such as www.yourname.co.uk , although to have any use for this you'll also need some “webspace” to hold your files, which should come to around £30 a year.
You can design and create a website of your own, but beware although this feature is available in packages like Microsoft Word, the actual technical output is very clumsy and you'll more than likely notice a lot of problems crop up on your site. For a professional image, you need to be looking to invest in a good design package specially made for creating websites, such as Macromedia MX Suite 2004 (including Dreamweaver ) that will set you back a few hundred pounds.
You also need to be aware of differences in how your website looks and loads across different computers (including considering download speeds) and the need for “accessible” design for making the site easy-to-use for everyone, but in particular the elderly and disabled. Of course good design taste, including layout and choice of colours, will also have some impact on the success of your site!
What if I don't have the time or money to bother running my own website?
Well any good literary agency should have a section for publicising their clients and you should take full advantage of this. Make sure your profile is kept up-to-date and send in a decent photograph of yourself.
If you have a published book, then your publisher is also likely to have a section listing their authors. Again make sure you keep your profile up-to-date, you never know a very important visitor may just be reading that profile!
Amazon seems to list books up to a year before they are published, and Amazon gives authors the chance to write their own synopsis of the book and submit a short biography. You can also list the table of contents and an extract from the book; see the link at the bottom of your Amazon book page.
There are many sites that allow authors to create their own quick and free online profile. Journalists, for instance, can create an entry at the Freelance Directory from the National Union of Journalists (www.freelancedirectory.org), though again I must emphasis – keep it updated! If you find you are managing a number of online profiles, keep a list handy on your computer so you know which profiles need updating.
What else can the Internet do for me?
Try looking in Google (www.google.co.uk) for websites that mention your name or your books. However, make sure you use quotation marks around search phrases to keep the words together, e.g. typing in:
The Motoring Age 2003
…would find pages that include those four words anywhere in the page, so motoring might be at the top of the page and age may be towards the bottom. On the other hand, typing in the following:
“The Motoring Age” 2003
… finds webpages that include those first three words all together. This makes searching more accurate and you'll more than likely find what you're looking for much quicker.
You can also go into the ‘Preferences' link in Google and change the number of search results it displays per page. Setting this to 50 rather than the default of 20 may speed up your searching.
Another very handy service is offered by a company called GoogleAlert (www.googlealert.com), which monitors your chosen phrase (remember to put it in quotation marks to keep the words together!) and emails you whenever the search results change. Useful if you want to know which websites are mentioning your name or new book!
Remember the Internet contains literary billions upon billions of pages, so it's up to you to get your name and your books noticed by the right people. There is enormous potential to target a vast audience, not only in Britain but across the world, and also to make money and new contacts from the Internet. Of course you can always just pass your time away by simply browsing the Internet, there's always something to do!subscribe to agency's newsletter
Andrew Lownie writes a monthly newsletter, which includes details of the Agency's latest news as well as advice for authors. If you would like to receive this free newsletter, please enter your email address in the box below.
0 Comments: