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Steve Weber
of disk space, 500 e-mail accounts, forums, blogging, and photo galleries
for $3.99 a month. This hosting company and most competitors such as
www.Register.com offer simple tools and templates for building your
own site.
Using a free account at a network such as MySpace.com, Google
Pages, Blogger.com, or LiveJournal.com. A packaged solution like this
is easy to learn, but provides less flexibility. Some sites feature
advertising you can’t control, which can distract visitors from your
message.
Consulting a Web designer through your local Yellow Pages, or
an online firm that specializes in designing author sites. For example,
www.AuthorsOnTheWeb.com offers professional designs starting
at $2,500. For additional fees the company will set up and maintain
extras like audio, video, or a blog. A cheaper option is
www.AmericanAuthor.com, which charges a $299 setup fee and
$29 monthly for a base plan. Another choice is www.Authors-
Online.com.
One way to get started quickly while preserving your future options
is to pay GoDaddy or another registrar $9 to register your own domain,
such as www.YourBookTitle.com or www.YourName.com, then
forward the traffic to your account at MySpace, Blogger, or others. Later,
if you choose to build a dedicated site, you can forward the traffic there.
This strategy allows you to start building your online audience without
the risk of losing readers if you switch your focus to another site.
In any case, it’s prudent to make backup copies of all content you
post to a free account on sites like Blogger or MySpace, since these free
accounts are sometimes deleted accidentally.
Google Pages is an easy, free tool you can use to create Web pages
quickly without having to learn HTML code. Google will host up to 100
megabytes of Web pages at no charge. To open a free account, see
Your domain
If you’re committed to actively supporting your book, it’s best to
stake out your own territory on the Web. This means registering your
own domain name, which you alone control. GoDaddy.com,
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