You've probably seen websites galore that promote published authors, whether they're self published or Random House published. Being unpublished yourself, you don't need to worry about such things (yet). Right$%: Wrong. Selling your novel or nonfiction book requires more than talent. It requires what publishers like to call a "platform." And in the twenty-first century, the best platforms exist online. Don't be scared. I'll show you how to get started.
If you don't know a web designer or want to pay one, no problem. Look into free blog hosting and creation sites such as Blogger, Movable Type, Live Journal, or WordPress. My website, BeYourOwnEditor.com, is powered by WordPress, which I chose for its flexibility and user-friendliness--and because my brilliant and technologically inclined boyfriend told me to. It's great, but check out the others and ask around: chances are you have friends who use some of these services and you don't even know it. Okay, you're all set up to write. Now what$%:
Next step: What goes on your blog$%: By the way, a "blog" can be whatever you want: a personal diary or an informational site; updated daily or monthly. If you're writing nonfiction books or book proposals, the topic's easy: same as your book. Duh. If you want to write about Civil War history, create a Civil War blog. If you want to write about the world's best snack foods--you get the idea. A publisher will be ten times more likely to read your book proposal about snacks if you tell them about the growing community of snackers who visit your site every day.
"But I write fiction," you protest. Your temptation may be to write about how great your book's going to be, about the fiction-writing process, etc. But a lot of sites about writing and writers already populate the web, so you may want to wait until you're published to create the "look at my book!" site. Instead, think about the content of your novel. Does it recount a woman's trip to Rome$%: Start a blog about your love for Italy. The point is to get people reading what you write and liking it. Then, when your book is published, tell your loyal readers about it, and they will follow along... straight to Amazon.
Next question: How do you attract those loyal readers$%: Ah, there's the rub. Definitely the hard part. A century's worth of books couldn't cover the subject, but getting other sites to link to yours and getting your site to appear on the search engines are important steps. I've come across a free e-book, "SEO Made Easy," which, for something that's actually truly free, provides a wealth of information without being overwhelming to the newbie, including links to some great tools. You can find a link to it on my website. (Seriously, it's free. No catch.)
That's just the tip of the iceberg, writers. And I know it's tough to find the time to write a blog while trying to write a book, so do only what you have time for. But it's important to do something if you want to sell that book someday, and I'll continue to write on the subject of marketing yourself and your book online. Next stop, podcasting!
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