And the reason you don’t have a website? by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
Written by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant · November 6, 2009 · 615 views
I got the inspiration to write this article in regards to a conversation that a few people, including myself had on a Facebook post. Someone responded to a RAWSISTAZ post regarding websites. And a respondent asked, in my words not hers, “what if your domain name is taken?” I, along with Tee C. Royal, gave this person several answers to her question. And in response I just wanted to reiterate.
Authors and/or writers, there is NO reason that you should not have a website.
And no I don’t mean a website that has an URL of www.yournamehere.bravehost.com or www.geocities.yournamehere.com (used as an example; not actual links). You really want to look as serious and professional as possible. It has been my experience people who have their own domains are taken more seriously than those don’t. The others give off the notion that you are faking it.
If your exact name is taken, i.e. www.yolandamjohnson.com (which is one of my domains), try something creative like www.authoryolandajohnson.com or www.yolandamjohnsononline.com or even www.authoryolandaontheweb.net and so on.
Now blogs are the in thing and by all means if you have the time and effort to host a blog do so, but this should NEVER take the place of an official website.
Some may argue that blogs are free and this is true, but there are so many hosting and domain companies out there that cost so little there is no excuse. I have had a site that I maintained since 1995 and I used a hosting and domain firm by the name of Netfirms.com. I started off paying them about $75 – $120 a year up until 2007, when I finally gave GoDaddy.com a try. I now have three domains through them (www.literarywonders.com, www.yolandamjohnson.com, www.bryantconsultingonline.com) for what it cost me for the one. And since I don’t want to do my own hosting I allow them to. If you are more technically savvy, you can purchase a domain name for as little as $1.99 a year and host it yourself.
So you see, there is absolutely no excuse for not having your own web address. And some tools today make it easy to create and maintain your site. The web is all about networking and marketing. Use it to your ultimate advantage.
Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant is an editor, author and freelance writer. She promotes literacy and sponsors various programs. She is the author of Circumstances and the publisher and co-author of Crimes of Passion: The Anthology. She has written for Hope For Women Magazine and Awareness Magazine. Visit her at http://www.literarywonders.com.
Yolanda, you KNOW I feel you on this!
While I understand some people may try to limit their expenses by going with the free website services, I would never recommend anyone to use them, unless they’re forwarding a http://www.firstnamelastname.com site to the freebie site and it’s not apparent (they’ve masked the address). It just looks unprofessional to me having geocities and the like on business cards and what you give out to people. Or worse, a MySpace page. Whew…that’s a no-no!
Like you said, there are low-cost options. I refer a lot of my website clients to DotEasy because they’re user-friendly, not as hard to get around the backend of the user panel, and they’re only $25 per year for the domain name and they have $0 hosting for basic sites.
As for the blogs, I think they are great platforms and encourage people to use blog-like setups for their actual site (i.e., buy your domain name and build it using one of the tools like Wordpress), but don’t host it on blogspot or the like.
And also, if your website doesn’t look professional, it affects you, your branding and your book, so keep that in mind. There are low-cost alternatives out there for beautiful web designs, some based on templates that can be tweaked for individuals. So, do your research. I’m available for website design and if I can’t meet your needs, I have several folks I can refer you to who do awesome work.
-Tee
Tee,
I totally agree with you. I am guilty of currently using Blogger for my blog. But I am learning Word Press and my intention to have it integrated with my website by the first of the year. I’m so glad you mentioned this! Thanks.
Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
Excellent article Yolanda. As a e-magazine owner there have been several times that I wanted to interview an author, and give them some free publicity but they did not have a website and I could not find them in a google search. Others referred me to their myspace or facebook page for information.
I think if you are serious about being a successful author, a website is a must.
I agree Zaria.. I profile a lot of authors and I especially enjoy profiling new and upcoming authors, but I find it somewhat irritating that they have no site, no excerpt, no anything.
Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
Great article and I agree about the use of the free sites. As a reader, when I see that an author won’t even bother to pay for a site I wonder about their intent and purpose. Are you just writing to make a quick buck or jump on the bandwagon, if so then why am I going to invest in your if you won’t even invest in a site that has your name. I think the same thing about authors who don’t have a site.
I also want to comment about the appearance of the site. I went to a site a couple of weeks ago and wondered why did they even bother having one it was so jumbled and messy and (well I’ll stop right there). Please authors remember that your site is a reflection of you, it’s often your chance to give a first impression.
Wow… Thanks for your comments. I have to agree with you.
Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
I agree. I’m not an author…yet. But as a devout reader, if I like your book and want to read more, the first thing I do is go to google and type in your name. I do this because I want to know if you have any other books and if it’s your first book, I want to know if you have any others in the works. I usually bookmark your site or at you to my TBR pile. If you don’t have a website, sometimes I don’t make any notes and sadly….I forget about you.
If you only have a blog page or free page or my space page, I’m usually not very impressed. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for a site. Perhaps you have a niece or cousin that works in website designs, computers and can help you. If you don’t have the money to have a “professional” website, invest time in your “free” website until you can afford a “professional” one.
I also have a problem with authors who have “professional” websites, but you go back weekly, monthly, and they don’t even update. If you’re a new author promoting a new book and it’s November and your last post/update on the website was first quarter 2009…I have problem with that. If it’s not updated, why should I waste my time coming back and forth to your website.
So, if you must have a free website, make it look professional, invest the time in it, just like you investing time in getting your book published.
Gabby a.k.a TygerLily
Tyger thank you for your comments. They were very well said.
-Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
You are welcome. Thanks for the article. Honestly I thought having a website for promotion purposes was a given. Readers will seek out authors if they are serious. Having a website makes it easy for readers to find them and buy their books. Good article.
Keep saying it Yolonda as an avid reader, reviewer, and founder of a few book clubs websites are crucial. Facebook, Myspace, blogs and all the other social sites are cool but when I want basic info I want to see a website. When I do a search I don’t want to have to join a social networking site to connect with you. My book clubs and review groups can all be accessed via a regular website and there are ways to cut the cost. I hope people listen.
Thanks for your comment. I am in agreeance with you.
- Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
I am an inspiring author and as of yet I have no works published. However, I have already investigated the costs and choices available in setting up a website. I understand the importance of presenting myself professionally from day one.
Thanks for the great advice.
There is ZERO reason why you should not have a website. I think it creates a following along with your book. if a reader wants to follow you they will check your website often. I tell my authors often that you want to have a site and not one of the free ones either. The blogs are good in addition to that. But a website is vastly important.