Your Book and a Great Website

Build a great Website. I can't state this often enough or strongly enough: you must have an attractive, easy to use Website that lets your visitors do four things: a.Buy your book. b.Register and download sample chapters or get your e-newsletter. c.E-mail friends about your book. d.Find out more about you. Your Website should be ground zero for your book business, the place where everyone comes to buy copies, give you their contact information, communicate with you about media interviews or bulk orders, and just learn about your book and why they should buy it. It's the single most important aspect of your marketing plan. Notice that I said, "great" Website. There are thousands of new books coming out every month, and many of them are amateurish at best. Having a sloppy, clunky, poorly written Website only makes your book look like one of those amateur-hour productions. Invest the money in a professional Web developer, someone who can design a classy, beautiful site, build your e-commerce system and give you the means to easily update your site's content at any time. Good sites all make the books and their authors appear professional, legitimate, and smart. They're inviting information centers for people to come to and spend time getting to know both book and writer. You should have your Website up and running before you begin any PR or sales activities, probably at least two months before your book hits the streets. Talk to several Web designers or get a referral from someone you trust. In any case, make sure your site has at least these features: