Question About Book vs Series Website

copperbeech · Sep 21, 2011

Hi All!
I am sorting out future promotion and have a couple of questions about the best way to use websites to promote books. Specifically, in the case of a (to be published) book that is the first of a series, is it best to set up a website for that specific book (as in secure its domain name and build the site), or is it better to create the website based around the entire series name, and secure a domain name based on the series name? Or both? Anyone have experience with this?

Also, I already have an author website, so I'm also curious about the SEO advantages of a book/series having its own separate site. Is it more advantageous to have a "book" or "series" site, rather than to create pages on either or both from my existing domain? I don't want to convolute things, and I definitely don't want yet another thing to have to keep up with. But if it's better SEO logic I'd rather separate it all out now than have to rewrite websites later.

I appreciate your insight and hope all are well!

KimJo · Sep 21, 2011

I'm far from an expert, and others may disagree with me, but I would say it would be better to stick with your author site and add pages to that for each book/series. I have two YA urban fantasy series, each with its own website, as well as my author website. The two series sites get almost no traffic, partly due to the fact that in order to drive traffic to them, I have to do additional promotion that I don't really have time for. I have pages for each book on my author site, and those get more attention, without my having to steer traffic in too many different directions.

copperbeech · Sep 21, 2011

Thanks for your thoughts!

Old Hack · Sep 22, 2011

Friends of mine have websites in their own names, but set up Facebook pages for each of their books. It must do something, as they keep on doing it--but quite what, exactly, I'm not sure!

cwfgal · Sep 22, 2011

I have a web site in my real author name and I list the books written under my pseudonym there (fortunately my publisher doesn't care if I reveal my Sybilism!) I also have a website for my current mystery series (written under a pseudonym) that is in the name of the main character/series title. I also reserved the domain name for that pseudonym but I haven't used it yet. I just got a contract for a third series that will have a new pseudonym (as yet to be determined) and I'm in a bit of a quandary as to what to do with that one web-wise. I suspect I will simply put it on my real name author web site but I may buy the domain name for the psuedonym and/or character name for future use, just in case. I think it will be too time consuming to try to maintain three separate web sites but you never know....

Beth

bektamun · Sep 22, 2011

Right from the start I decided to have two websites. One for me as an author, the other a home for my characters and books.

Every time you create a new website you have to start from scratch building backlinks to that site. (SEO gold) By having one site dedicated to my books/characters I am constantly gaining momentum for that particular site.

And of course, I cross-promote between my two sites.

This is what works for me.

Anne Lyle · Sep 22, 2011

I have a single website, www.annelyle.com, but I also registered my series name as a domain (www.nightsmasque.com) and I redirect that to a subsite dedicated to the books (www.annelyle.com/nightsmasque). If your book title is short, it might be worth registering - mine is a bit too long, I think!

The reason for having them partially split up is that a lot of people want to follow my blog without a bunch of in-your-face book promotion, so I put all the "where to buy my book" links on the subsite. At the same time they're interlinked, so anyone specifically interested in my books can click on the "Novels" link in the header. I can also use the series domain name on publicity materials to guide prospective buyers straight to info on the books.

At the moment I only have the one series in production, but if/when I get a contract for something else, I can expand the site with new subsites for different series.

Right now I'm thinking of adding a "mega footer" to the site - they're good for SEO and also accessibility

frimble3 · Sep 22, 2011

If you have a separate website for each book, somewhere in your (doubtless) long and prolific career you're going to have more websites than you know what to do with. And, as each new book comes out, the older ones are going to become more and more static. Nothing much new to say about them, so if someone finds them, they're going to look a little tired.
But, if they're just pages on your own site, bingo, people are right there, where the new stuff is, and, all your books are sort of in context, "Ah, this is the 2nd book of a three book series, and the library's only other title by this author is from a different series entirely. Time to do a little shopping!"

copperbeech · Sep 23, 2011

Awesome replies, everyone. Thanks so much for your insight and well wishes!!

TheThrillerist · Sep 24, 2011

Like Anne says above, you can always get a domain for each book which will redirect to a sub-site. That way you can put www.ARandomBook.com on the marketing paraphernalia.

Question About Book vs Series Website

copperbeech

hienama

KimJo

Outside the box, with the werewolves

copperbeech

hienama

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

cwfgal

On the rocks

bektamun

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

copperbeech

hienama

TheThrillerist

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin