Your Own Author Website

I'm afraid I'm a pre-Internet writer, so my answer would be: When I got around to it.

My feeling these days is that writers can only help themselves with a good website and MySpace page -- and that it's worth the money to have the former professionally designed as soon as you can afford it and/or have more than one book to promote. It gives interested readers a place to go and look for information about you and your work, so they feel more connected to you.

It is sort of a double-edged sword, though. Yes, it's nice to hear almost instantaneously from readers.

But some of them will be writing to say they don't like your work, or the fact that you take the Lord's name in vain, or the fact that your protagonist smokes or drinks ...

I set mine up right before my first book came out. I only update it once every few months and I don't have a blog, but many of the more serious, successful authors around here have great websites and very active blogs.

I set mine up about 2 years ago, and use it mainly as a 'clip repository' of published work for prospective editors (the website is in my letterhead).

One thing, if you think you might be wanting one eventually, go ahead and see about getting your domain name now--it can be hard to get one if you wait too long. I bought the domain about a year before establishing the website, just because I knew I wanted it in my name, and it's a fairly common name.

I put mine up about a month before my book came out, and it was fairly complete. I add things like book signing news and some links.

I'm not totally convinced a website is necessary, but it seems to be so common now, esp in my genre, that I was a bit concerned people would think there was something wrong with the book if I didn't have one, and of course I'm hoping to eventually build a fan base.

I do agree that a poor website it worse than no website at all. I was lucky enough to know a web designer and an artist, so I got the site done for a very reasonable (and tax deductible) cost.

I agree that you should go ahead and resesrve your domain name -- to me it's really important to have your domain (and in fact, I'd change my pen name if I didn't already have my domain name because it's that important to me). I've been sitting on my domain name for 7+ years at this point.

As for when to set up a page, I also agree that a bad page is worse than no page. I just sold my book, it won't come out until Spring 2009, and I won't have my website until around April 2008 (at the earliest).

My novel is part of high school reading programs and I used to get a lot of emails from students doing book reports on my novel. Their questions were pretty much the same so I set up a website to give them a place to go for answers. I only add to it if they have additional questions. If you want to know how mine is set up just click on the link in my signature line.
Linnea

Storyteller5 said:

New question: do you have more than one domain registered? For example, I could get .ca and .com. Separate prices, of course, though.

Keep those answers to my original post coming.

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As a writer, your .com domain name is probably most important -- though if .org and .net are available, I'd grab those as well. You don't have to do anything with them, or you can tie them all to your website so that whichever someone tries will take them to your page.

Ok, for those who are technologically impaired... Who do you register the name with? I don't even have the foggiest idea of where to start.

I started my website the minute I started my freelance work. In fact, I had my website put together and business cards in hand before I started contacting people. In my experience, having a professional site *really* made a huge difference and impressed clients. I keep it updated with new clips, etc. I had a blog, but unfortunately I had to take it down, but I definitely think a blog is a good thing for a writer to have also. I'll probably start a new one up someday.

A professional MySpace page and perhaps even a Facebook page, in addition to the website, are good secondary pages. I don't have either, but that is due to personal issues in my life at the moment.

I registered my domain with GoDaddy.com, and I have my name in .net, .com, and .org form, with two automatically redirecting to the third.

In my opinion, a professional website is a definite must in today's business world.

Tasmin21 said:

Ok, for those who are technologically impaired... Who do you register the name with? I don't even have the foggiest idea of where to start.

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Go to Network Solutions.

Or just Google "doman names".

Man, my name is taken.

A .net name would be totally lame, right?

For people whose names are already taken online, what are some other things you could use as your name? Yournamebooks.com?

Provrb1810meggy said:

Man, my name is taken.

A .net name would be totally lame, right?

For people whose names are already taken online, what are some other things you could use as your name? Yournamebooks.com?

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I ended up using my initials, cause mine was taken, too. But, I don't know. It's probably best to use the name that's gonna be on your books, so fans can find it easy. Maybe yournamebooks would be a good idea. I don't think I'd go with a .net. When I wanted to, I was advised it's not as good buisness sense. You can also mix it up a bit, I think, and instead of yourfirstnameyourlastname, do yourfirstname-yourlastname, the dash makes it different, things like that.

I've had my site and my own domain name since the WWW was around (around 93, 94?). It started out as a personal page (sort of like a MySpace page with fewer bells and whistles). Then I made it my actor's page. When I was writing my first novel, I decided to turn it into a writer's page, then later added my blogs to it. I totally overhauled the page before my book came out.

I will do all that if I'm ever published. Otherwise it all seems like a waste of money and an exercise in futility.

About two years before I sold my first book. Bidding editors love the fact that I had a site up and running.

JamieFord said:

About two years before I sold my first book. Bidding editors love the fact that I had a site up and running.

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Not to mention if you Google the name, the website is the first thing on the list.

maestrowork said:

Not to mention if you Google the name, the website is the first thing on the list.

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Strangely, an article I wrote pops up first and then the website. Too bad it's not my favorite article. :-/

Crap...I haven't settled on a pseudonym yet. And honestly I need to. My full name would not trip lightly off anyone's tongue. I can't register a domain name until I figure out what that name should be. Phooey.

maestrowork said:

Not to mention if you Google the name, the website is the first thing on the list.

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Yep. Took a while...but that was the plan.

Put up my cheesy site about a month after the book came out. Have two more books coming out, so I'll squeeze them in there.

tri

I had an agent suggest to me to begin a website. She felt is showed that I was a serious writer.
I was green & still wet behind the ears, so all advice given by agents was gospel.
Hey, I'm no longer green, but I still take their advice.
Mine's been up and running for 2-3 years now.
www.kareybrown-author.com

I lucked out too because a close friend of mine, Todd Lockwood, allowed me to use one of my fave pics that best depicts one of the MC's in my book.

Should you desire fabulous fantasy art:

www.toddlockwood.com

But ask first. Copyright protected...as you can see under the pic I have, I've made sure to give the proper credit.

I went with Tripod so that I could create my webpage my way.
I'm funny like that. Stubborn and impatient.
Oh..pfff...woman traits, eh?