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Plug Your Book!
53
Building your author Web site
Few people can benefit more from a Web site than authors. A simple
do-it-yourself site can provide a huge visibility boost at very low cost.
Before you begin planning your site, consider your target audience
and what type of information you want to give them. Will your site be a
topic-driven site, or a personality-driven site? Topic-driven sites usually
work best for nonfiction, and if you continue writing related books, you’ll
have a built-in audience for those new books. Personality-driven sites
can work well for fiction writers and those with famous names.
Whatever your approach, the goal is to provide content your target
audience finds worthwhile.
Getting involved
Some authors outsource their Web project, paying a designer $500
or more to build what amounts to an online brochure. That’s a big
mistake, because static Web sites with little content don’t draw the
repeat traffic that will sell your book.
Although it may seem like a daunting technical challenge, building
your own site is easier than ever, thanks to improved software tools.
Every major Internet hosting company now offers a variety of design
templates you can use to start quickly, without having to learn computer
coding. You’ll gain much more from your Web site if you’re the one
maintaining it.
Three basic options exist for those establishing their first author
site:
Do it yourself by registering a domain name and building your
own site. This option requires you to learn a few software tools, but
provides more flexibility and control. GoDaddy.com offers fast,
reliable service, and a wide variety of Web domain registration and
hosting plans at competitive prices. There’s no setup fee and no annual
commitment is required. GoDaddy’s economy plan includes 5 gigabytes
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