Writers, if you are thinking that an author website is an expense and a bother, you are right. Especially if you have to keep turning out blog posts. Yikes! Wouldn’t you rather spend the time writing your next book?
It’s true that one of the best marketing tools for your work is having plenty of novels out there. But it’s also true that an author website is an effective way to get readers to discover your books.
Speaking last September at the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference spotlight session on HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Publisher Daisy Hutton went over some interesting statistics her company has gathered. Never heard of her company? It’s the one running Thomas Nelson and Zondervan these days. In the wake of corporate sales, both of those have become “imprints” of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
Her folks asked readers where they discover new books. In the survey taken in January, 2013, 6.6 percent of readers named Amazon as the source of discovery; 5 percent named Goodreads; 4 percent named author websites, and only 0.8 percent named Google.
What that hard data should tell you is that it’s worth it to stake out your spot in cyberspace. And be sure to polish your profiles and be active on Amazon and Goodreads (linking them to your website where possible).
While you’re at it, said Hutton, you should be sure to connect with other authors in your space, so that you can speak on each others’ behalf for your books.