Once in a while someone contacts us about Web work, only to ask, “But do I REALLY need a book Web site?” Since we’re in the business of designing and developing Web sites for authors, our answer is, of course, biased. That said, here are five good reasons why you do, indeed, need a book or author Web site to if you’re going to have a shot at success.
First, you’re competing against an astonishing number of authors; the number of books published each year is staggering. Given the economy, you’re competing for a shrinking pool of dollars, too. So the pressure is on you to rise above the noise and get noticed; invisibility has a high cost. When people see or see or hear you in a media interview, chances are they’ll want to learn more about you and your book(s) via your site. How do we know this? Because in tracking our more than 200 active author Web sites, there’s inevitably a spike in traffic after a media event. The trick is to move people from the book site to the book store (a topic for another blog entry).
Second, there’s a whole generation of people who are skipping traditional media altogether and turn to the Web for news and entertainment. When the media or people in your online special interest community create buzz about you, they’ll want to post a link to your site were people will presumably find more information and value-added content.
Third, without a book Website you’re invisible to media outlets that may call upon you to offer sage advice or insight. When traditional media venues need experts to offer explanations about current events or breaking news, or put a topic into perspective, they turn to the Web. Google is a first — and, often last — stop for producers and journalists who need to schedule an interview with an expert. (Even if you’re not an expert by training, you might be called upon to comment on a topic that plays a role in your latest novel, under the presumption that you’ve done your research.) Your book web site can be the gateway to that interview opportunity.
Fourth (a corollary to the preceding), without a site you’ll miss opportunities to connect with reading groups (the Holy Grail for fiction writers), and you’ll lose potential speaking engagements — there are far more authors than speaking bureaus, and the days of writing to the publisher to contact an author are long gone.
Finally, it’s almost impossible to be part of the “anytime information flow” without a site.
Like it or not, we live in a 24/7 on-demand world. Prospective buyers and followers of your work expect to learn what they want to learn on their schedule, any time of the day or night. A well-crafted book or author Web site enables you to provide timely information and/or compelling entertainment that your target audience can access as it wishes.
As we stress with prospects and clients, a book or author Web site is no guarantee of success. But it you don’t have at Web presence, your chances of success are greatly diminished. In the pre-Internet days, you had 30, or maybe 60, days to gain traction with your book. If the book didn’t take off, there were no opportunities to easily continue promoting it, and all, the blood, sweat, and tears you put into your work were for naught (at least from a commercial standpoint). The Net gives provides an ongoing opportunity to build your brand and create awareness about your book. Why not take it?
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