your own website

One idea. Here's a web site I created last week for the author of an educational program that will be released in a few weeks. http://languageinlife.com/ I had suggested it would be good to have the web site start promoting before the program became available. The site is not complete but quite acceptable in its current, very simple state. Only 11 pages: product pages, news release, author page, order pages, contact info, feedback form, and FAQ. More will be added as required.

In the early stages perhaps you could use your web site as a tribute to your departed family members with some photos. More a celebration than focusing on your grief. You can say that a book is in the works and how you intend to write it. You don't want to include book content, but you could include your chapter titles, your "mission statement", and perhaps a chronology of events both in your life and also the book's publication.

Does this help?

Andrea

aussiedee, if it were me, I'd have a website that went by my author name (in fact, I do. ) That way, you can keep adding to it as you continue your writing career. You can feature your memoir for starters, but then other works down the road. And if the site is in your name, then your readers will always be able to find out about your latest writing project.

ETA: I'd advise against setting up a site based on what you think the title will be...titles notoriously change by the time a book is in print (especially if you publish with a traditional publisher--you have no control over the title).

Yes, just go with your own name. It's the one domain name you are not likely to find you don't need and the one you can put anything you do under. My first website was not my name and I eventually let it die, but it was part of my name and still listed in books and such, so...bad decision there!

So, I don't think you could go wrong at all with your name, and besides, better get it in place before your book gets published and you get famous and then someone else tries to buy it.

Good advice about the "your name" domain. I used to advise clients that when you do media interviews people need only remember one thing, not two: your name. This makes sense when you want to receive invitations (paid) to speak.

And eons ago, before search engines, people could find you only through the phone directory by your name. I secured my name domain in 1999 and have had other Andrea Reynolds' (including the more famous one) ask if they could buy it.

What to blog about?

aussiedee said:

my other question was 'what' content should I put on it as I am not a 'writer' as such....just wondering what others do as far as content goes if they have nothing to sell or blog about.
thanks
dee

Click to expand...

I understand your dilemma about what to write, since you could write about anything. It took me 3 or 4 tries before I settled in to a blog topic.

Brainstorm, pick your favorite topic, start blogging, and see how it goes. The key to blogging regularly is to pick something you will enjoy writing about. Is your memoir about Australia? Maybe you could write a blog about an Aussie in US. If you get tired of it, try something else.

Jerry