I guess most authors appreciate how important it is to have their own author website these days, but not all may realise why. The most important reason is that this will become the hub of your online presence. Whenever, and wherever, you appear on the web there should be a link to your website. (You should also include your web address in all published hardcopy, as well, of course.) For a very small annual fee you can assign a domain name (such as yourname.info, yourname.co.uk, or yourname.com), with the great advantage this will never change: no matter what method you use in the future to create and maintain that website, and no matter who hosts that website. This ensures links to your website never get 'broken' due to changes of address. A personal domain name also means you will be able to have a permanent email address such as
[email protected]). If a personal website is to be your hub, then, it follows it should be your highest priority: so everything else can point to that stable hub.
As a webmaster with my own travel website (http://www.synergise.com) I decided very early on to create my own author website (http://www.iankingsley.com) to be ready for the publication of my debut novel in August 2010. Although I had the ability to create this from scratch, I decided to look into what are called website builders to see if one of these was up to the task. The advantage would be that they would use the very latest standards and techniques (unlike me), and they would get me off to a flying start.
I found that most of the best website builder allowed you to try them out for free, so I tested quite a lot. Unfortunately, none allowed me to do all of the more unusual aspects I had in mind, such as random text selection, password-protected pages (with minimum account intrusion), etc. But they are definitely up to the needs of authors who just wish to create a fairly simple website with the minimum of time-and tears! To help, I have crystallised my thoughts about those website builders I tried out and have written a couple of articles to help fellow-authors in this area. These, and other articles, are listed on my author website at: http://www.iankingsley.com/articles. If you want to more easily keep abreast of future articles aimed at demystifying the subject of websites then I invite you to follow my blog; this will announce new entries. I know technology can be tricky, and even if you have been involved in it all your life, as I have, there are always areas of specialisation you know little about. I hope the starter article on website builders (http://www.iankingsley.com/articles/001-website-builders.php) helps to convince you that you can create your own author website.
I will also be writing other articles of interest to authors because, over many years working in technical publications as author and editor, I have developed some helpful and time-saving techniques I would be happy to share. Perhaps the easiest way to know about these is to follow by shiny new author blog at http://iankingsleyauthor.blogspot.com/ where they will all be announced when they are published. All these distractions take you away from your real love: writing. If my articles can help minimise that task then I am happy to help - although I am not up to the task of answering individual queries since I would then have too little time to do what I love best: writing!
Comments
That's all very well and good if you can afford it. Unlike me, I am poor and I can't afford a domain name.
But he didn't come on here saying it was compulsory anyway so why bother complaining about it if it isn't something you are going to do anyway? A lot of writers as well as other people trying to promote themselves find it necessary to have their own website. Some just use blogs and that is fine for most until they start making money from the thing. That's the point of this thread, being ready to promote your work when it becomes available. Foresight is always welcome before a rush.
Thanks for the links and the advice and links Ian.
In the end a friend, using one of those website building things, built one for me, but it was too complicated and couldn't do what I wanted it to do.
So in the end I bit the bullet and looked at local businesses who build websites for you. Their work is all available for you to see on the web. The difference in quality and attention to detail, clarity and beauty were incredible. So were the differences in price.
I phoned up any I liked and got quotes for what I wanted in particular... the prices ranged from £2,000 down to £300. The £2,000 one would charge extra to supply a magnetic poetry set, which was what I was after. The £300 chap, local in Bristol, whose manner I liked, and his unfussy website design etc. said he could do it in the price.
So I chose him and have been really pleased what he produced. I know even £300 seems like a lot of money, but that included all the things I needed and the hosting etc. and he will upkeep it any time I need anything done, AND teach me (when I get round to dropping in!) how to change things on there myself. And it's there now.
He also did things I hadn't thought of.. for instance in the magnetic poetry, you can drag words and make a magnetic poem. But if you click on a word it takes you to a poem with that word in.
For me, that hassle-free way was the way to go.
http://www.poetlizbrownlee.co.uk
I'm a web designer and manager, but tried a site builder (not sure if I'm allowed to say who with). I found it too restrictive and it never fitted my screen (on four different PC/laptops using different browsers and platforms). The support was poor as they use a third-party site builder, and they never resolved the issue (you don't get access to the templates to alter the dimensions in the html).
I ended up letting the site expire, and do everything on blogger.com now, especially as you can now add additional static pages - it suits my purposes fine and has lots of template options.
Think I've mentioned it before, but a lot of publishers and writers' circles' websites are some of the worst I've seen! I specialise in writing for the web techniques, usability and accessibility. I think it's lazy when people don't consider their audience.
BTW, Liz's site is lovely. Worth the extra money.
Apart from that, it's good to have this info. Thanks.
Look at: http://www.cheapdomainnames.co.uk/domains.html? to see examples with co.uk for £5.48 for 2 years, and even the normally expensive .com from £7.99 pa. You can even try out example names and get the prices quoted back for you. Most website builders let you buy and assign a domain name to your created website at a later date and quite cheaply. You can out up a test site FREE! See that Pixie? Free?
Read my article now to see a comparision of the best contenders, and then check out my brief review in Part 2.
I do not recommend you pay someone to do a website for you. Why pay an arm and a leg, and provide them with all the real information to use when you could be pasting it into a website builder? A site with only a few pages can remain free. You can use the generic website name they use (although not good for long-term) and then won't even need to buy a domain name. You can start with a free site this way and upgrade later when you want to expand. There are too many preconceptions coming back on this thread not based on evidence. If you can work Word then you can use a website builder (after a bit of practice). But checkout my article rather than waste time with more difficult ones!
Lily, I am not saying a website builder will be as good as a web designer, but for someone without the time to gain that experience, they are a gift. Yes, there are drawback and limitations. That's why I wrote the article.
Has anyone actually read it?
And finally... you might get a great website from a designer for four figures (or three if you are lucky), but what about making changes to it? You need to keep it up-to-date. Guess what. If you paid someone to do it, you either have to pay them more for this service, or let them teach you how to do it yourself - a way you won't want to know!
Because I don't pay the bill...my dad does.
I also had some strange mails sort of like spam and he sorted all that for me as well. I wouldn't have known where to start.
As I have my website, I haven't read your info, but probably will out of interest...
And yes, I've tried these websites. Useless for my purpose on what I want them for.
Websites (with the exceptions of organisations/charities) are out to generate money. So unless you have a service that you are providing and making a living from, then a website is surplus to requirements.
Websites (with the exceptions of organisations/charities) are out to generate money. So unless you have a service that you are providing and making a living from, then a website is surplus to requirements. [/quote]
Or... if you have a book to promote, Red! It then becomes the core of your onlinemarketing. Otherwise, as Red says, a blog is better. This thread was intended for published authors - or those about to be published.
I also regularly write web pages, do behind the scenes stuff at work and all that boring teching stuff. Unique visitors are a useful key indicator, as are their IP addresses to use for marketing purposes.
I was just wondering, you don't mention who Sandman is being published through and you said, 'Hopefully August'
And there's nothing on Amazon, and they usually have a book listed up to two months ahead of publication.
Have you been picked up by a publishing company, or self-publishing?
Just wondering.
Unless you are Charlie Chaplin.
Couldn't last another day without knowing what "they" think.
Sorry Liz but in MY world, zebras is black and white.
If a barcode got arrested and went to prison would the guards be able to see him in his cell?
Not if they were barred.
I'm off for a break until next week, but feel free to play with this bit of string. I''ll check how many knots there are in it next week.
Bye for now.
Cadbury take them and they cover them in chick lit
give me enough string and I may just ......"throaty gargly noises"
Oh, and the person who destined the site is a TBer who does an excellent job for well within most people's means if you really want a class product. I had a compliment on it just yesterday from someone who criticised the new John Jarrold site, (said it was the equivalent of a note left with a rusty nail through it. I advised her to send her query elsewhere!)
Please don't think I'm after work! Heaven forbid. I freelanced as a designer for several years and gave it up as I couldn't cope with clients who want something for nothing, don't listen to best practice and then expect the site to earn them millions without lifting a finger. I refuse to create sparkly pages with animations all over the place, mulit-coloured/multi-fonted text. It goes completely against the grain, not to mention style and common sense.
I work in the public sector now and use content management systems - I rarely turn to Dreamweaver any more except for some of our really old sites.
TBers, if you do go down the website route rather than/as well as blogging and are not IT-literate but want to be able to edit it yourself, then ask your designer to make sure it is 'content managed', then you won't need to pay them to do you updates for you. If they can't do that - go elsewhere.
If you're interested a recommended site for usability and accessibility is webcredible - http://www.webcredible.co.uk/ - particularly the Resources section. Their newsletter's worth signing up to as well.