But in a world where everything is going online, Googleability can make or break a career. Agents, editors, and potential fans will Google you out of curiosity. Best to be ready for them!

The very existence of your author website shows [...]]]> At Writer’s Relief, we’ve done a pretty thorough job discussing the importance of making a good first impression to editors and agents through formatting, following submission guidelines, and a great cover or query letter.

But in a world where everything is going online, Googleability can make or break a career. Agents, editors, and potential fans will Google you out of curiosity. Best to be ready for them!

The very existence of your author website shows that you take your role as a writer seriously. It’s an invitation for anyone who is interested in your work to get to know you better.

With an author website you can…

1. Be in the right place at the right time…because the Web is open 24/7.
2. Be more visible on your social networks…so friends can become fans.
3. Help establish strong branding.
4. Make it easier for important people to find and connect with you.
5. Give people a reason (and a way) to stay in touch with you.
6. Showcase your unpublished book or novel.
7. Sell your book or novel.
8. Showcase your short works.
9. Link into literary journals and magazines that you like (and engage with them).
10. Be linked into from online literary journals and other sites.

Here are just a few of the elements of a good author website that get readers excited!

Your Following (or the potential to develop one!)
Enthusiasm is contagious and your website is patient zero! When you build your page and visitors like what they see, they’ll be more likely to come back. As people become more interested in what you have to offer, they’ll comment and participate in discussions. Then, if an editor or agent happens to see a lot of feedback on your site, they will be more likely to pick up on the emotional connection that people have with your writing.

TIP: If you’ve expanded onto social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, you can link them to your site to further connect with your audience. (Just make sure you’re following social media etiquette if you’re going to be doing this!)

Your Writing Portfolio
Showcasing your works online is a fantastic way to hook industry players and fans (just be sure you know the rules about previously published writing before you post your words online). By putting up synopses, excerpts, or links to magazines and online literary journals that published your work, you demonstrate that you’re on top of your game. Your site is also the place where you can introduce other projects you’re working on too!

Hint: Many a time literary agents have approached our clients because of a short story or poem published in a lit mag. Having a Web site makes it easy for agents—and other key industry players—to find you.

If you’re promoting your author website, it’s very likely that someone important could read and become intrigued by your work. But if you don’t have an author website, it’s a bit more difficult for people to connect with you and your work.

Your Web Savviness
By expanding your presence online, you look like you have a sense of the way today’s world works. Some writers are okay with being a little dated, unenthusiastic about being accessible to readers, and standoffish. But that’s not you! How do agents and editors know? Because you have an author website.

If you’re writing in one of the commercial genres, your site shows agents and editors that you’re capable of promoting yourself and developing a strong “brand.”

A Look At The Real You
What inspired you to write? Who are your favorite authors? What made you decide to pursue trying to be a published writer?

A cover letter bio can only go so far. But a website has no limits! People come to your website hoping to get to know the real you. When you give the people what they want, you make fans and friends!

Your author website can show important people that you’re likable, friendly, professional, warm…all the things one hopes for in a partner. So relax, have fun, and be yourself! If your site gives people a good vibe, that energy will carry through into your other endeavors.

Let’s recap.

If you’re thinking that an author website is the next step you want to make in your career, take a look at the Web Design Relief website, consider which package best suits your needs, and contact us today!

One of the best ways to bring out your personality is to write a [...]]]> Writers: You’ve got many options for the homepage of your author website, as we described in a previous article. Your homepage text can be a particularly challenging element of your Web site, in part because it’s your reader’s first impression. As a writer, you want the text of your website to lure in cyber passersby with some serious curb appeal.

One of the best ways to bring out your personality is to write a Dear Reader letter. Although it sounds like a Dear Reader letter might be a kind of Dear Abby for writers, you don’t have to talk about publishing industry etiquette or which spoon to use when you’re at a writing conference.

You just have to talk about yourself or your writing—which, let’s face it, is something we writers like to do anyway. Put yourself in your potential readers’ shoes. The things that you want to know when you visit your favorite writer’s website are the same things your potential readers want to know about you. Your Dear Reader letter is a welcome letter. It can tackle any or all of the topics below.

TIP: Print this page and number these questions in order of importance based on the goals you have for your website. Then, see the template below, answer the questions, and POOF! You’ve got your Dear Reader welcome letter.

• What are you writing now?
• In general, how would you describe your writing, your themes and concerns?
• How can readers stay in contact with you (should they sign up for your email list or follow you on social media?)
• What incentives do you offer readers who follow/friend/fan you on social networks?
• What’s going on in your life right now (writing accolades? a new baby? learning to fiddle?)?
• What is your most recent publication (give some backstory and offer a link)?
• What are your goals at the moment?
• What do you do when you’re not writing?

The Anatomy Of The Dear Reader Letter

Salutation: “Dear Reader” is customary. Duh!

Welcome: You might want to take a “pull up a chair” approach, in your own unique way, to invite the reader to kick back and look around.

Body: Include answers to the questions above.

Call to action: In your last paragraphs, give your reader a specific direction. What should he/she do next? Click your bio page? Read samples of your works? Sign up for your mailing list? Buy a copy of your book? You can offer many options to readers, but it’s best to suggest only the one action that you most want readers to take next.

Signature: You can either type your name or use a graphic of your signature of your first name (you can include your full signature if you want to, but keep in mind that these are the days of identity theft).

Tip: If you use a graphic, be sure that the image is saved with your name as the file name (my_name.jpg), with the title of the image as your name, and with alternate text and description also including your name. That way, Google will associate the image with—you guessed it—your name!

Before You Post Your Dear Reader Letter On Your Homepage

You may want to have a friend or professional proofreader take a look at your Dear Reader letter before posting in on your site. Since it’s the first thing people see, typos on this page can be especially embarrassing.

 QUESTION: What do you like to see in a Dear Reader letter when you visit an author’s website?

So you got yourself a fabulous website–but now what? To be sure that your website visitors turn into fans, you need to give them a reason to stay connected.

Creating an interactive website that fans want to return to again and again is key. An awesome author website needs interactive elements with features that have functionality for you—and a payoff [...]]]> You’ve heard it before: Author websites are the new business cards in the publishing industry.

So you got yourself a fabulous website–but now what? To be sure that your website visitors turn into fans, you need to give them a reason to stay connected.

Creating an interactive website that fans want to return to again and again is key. An awesome author website needs interactive elements with features that have functionality for you—and a payoff for your fans!

Start a blog
Blogging is a great way to write on a regular basis about whatever you’re passionate about. Just read a great new book? Blog about it! There are no rules, especially for creative writers. Get a conversation going by asking your readers to respond to a specific question. Remember that you’re the host of this blog party—so make your visitors feel comfortable, and make them want to participate. (Not sure how to start? Read Blogging 101!)

Join your mailing list
Offer an easy way for your new fans to sign up for your email list. There are free email list hosting services (as well as paid services) all over the Web. Forget about choosing a service that requires users to click a link sent to their email in order to sign up. Make the process easy and assure your fans that you won’t send them spam or advertisements—just news and helpful information.

Contact you!
Make it easy for visitors to contact you: Use a contact form just like the one on our website. Visitors don’t have to leave your website to go to their mailbox AND you protect your own personal email address at the same time. Don’t forget to ask your new fans if they want to be added to your mailing list.

Integrate social media feeds into your site
Even if you can’t update your website each and every day, you CAN integrate your Facebook and Twitter feeds into your site so that your latest posts and tweets show up. This way, there is always something new on your site—giving visitors a reason to keep returning to your website.

Include prominent social share buttons
Notice how easy we make it for you to “like” us on Facebook? That’s no accident! Facebook and other social media outlets like Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest help you to stay in touch with your visitors. Placing social share buttons on your website and blog make it easy to for visitors to connect via social media. Even if they don’t get back to your website soon, you’ll see them on your social media networks.

Tell your visitors what you want them to do
Tell your visitors what to do in a clear and concise way (such as, “Like this page” or “subscribe to the mailing list”). Sometimes, readers need the little extra nudge. Shameless plug: Don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!

The bottom line
The more interactive your website is, the more likely your visitors will have a reason to visit again. Ideally you want to be able to stay connected to them, and that means creating opportunities for connection. Have fun!

Okay—maybe he wouldn’t have said that (because—hello—he wrote in French). But the point is, if a writer wants to make a name for himself or herself, being search-engine accessible is important. If you Google your name and the first page of search results mentions little more than your Facebook page and your WhitePages listings, [...]]]> If the philosopher Descartes was around today, he might have said: “I’m Googleable, therefore I am.”

Okay—maybe he wouldn’t have said that (because—hello—he wrote in French). But the point is, if a writer wants to make a name for himself or herself, being search-engine accessible is important. If you Google your name and the first page of search results mentions little more than your Facebook page and your WhitePages listings, then it’s time to start building your online author platform.

Here’s how:

1. Develop an author website. If possible, make sure your author website is search-engine optimized. At the very least, be sure your website mentions your name a bunch of times (otherwise, it’s like showing up at the party with a “Hello My Name Is” badge that you forgot to fill out). TIP: Update regularly. Search engines like that.

2. Join social networks. We know there are only so many social networks that a person can maintain at any given time. But if you can pick two you love, and then at least create profiles for the others (updating them occasionally), all your social networks should begin to show up in Web searches. Click here for social networking for writers.

3. Focus on online literary journals and magazines. With each online publication that gives you a byline, search engines return that result. In a perfect world, a literary agent or editor will Google your name and find examples of your writings on reputable and impressive websites.

4. Enter writing contests. Often, coordinators and judges of writing contests will post their finalists and winners on the Web.

5. Submit to anthologies. Having a short essay, poem, or story published in an anthology can cause your name to pop up in search engines.

6. Be picture-perfect. When posting your picture on your website, tag your picture with your name so that Google will associate your picture with your name. Use your name in the file name, the title of the picture, the alternative text, and the description (you can access these things by clicking “editing -> advanced” if you’re in WordPress). When people Google you, your headshot will show in search results.

7. Ask friends to review your work. Ask fellow bloggers or social network friends to review your writing (which means they’ll use your name). Just be sure not to offend them by committing one of the Eleven Deadly Sins of Social Networking.

8.  Blog. Whether you blog on your own website or on a third-party site like blogger, your recent blog posts should show up in search results. (Hint: Try using your own name in your blog posts if they’re not showing up. You can always sign your posts with your name, if you like.)

9. Post a video of yourself on YouTube. Google owns YouTube. Which means Google likes YouTube. Which means YouTube videos frequently show up in search results. So post a little video and tag it using your name in the keywords and description. And if you happen to get whacked between the legs with a baseball or hit in the face with a pie, even better (because your vid might go viral)!

Why Is It Important To Be Googleable?

If you do want to engage, participate, and be a part of what’s going on as a writer, then you’ll want to develop your Web presence. Being Googleable is being relevant—not because the medium matters. But because the message does.

Some authors won’t have to lift a finger to be Googleable. Publicity will flock to them like tweens to a vampire movie. But the rest of us have to work at it. And that takes some time and effort. The key is, enjoy the process.

QUESTION: When did you first Google your own name? What did you find?

And yet…

Many a writer (and hopeful novelist promoting a book) has looked at Twitter and felt, shall we say,  overwhelmed. Tweets fly [...]]]> In theory, Twitter isn’t intimidating. How could a social network that only asks for 140 characters per post be intimidating? It’s like an elephant being afraid of a mouse, which—as everyone knows, thanks to intrepid reporting by ABC and Mythbusters—isn’t true. So in theory, writers shouldn’t be afraid of Twitter…

And yet…

Many a writer (and hopeful novelist promoting a book) has looked at Twitter and felt, shall we say,  overwhelmed. Tweets fly by the millions per minute, but posting that first tweet on a Twitter stream can feel like shouting in the middle of a totally empty auditorium. Is there an echo in here?

Once you find your audience, Twitter is an unmatched free resource for marketing and promoting your writing, whether you’re writing books, poems, or stories.

These ten tips will help you, dear writer, crusade fearlessly into Twitterdom and make some friends along the way.

But first, some basic Twitter terminology:

Followers list: People who follow you….like lemmings, sheep, and stalkers.

Following list: People you follow, though you are clearly not a lemming, sheep, or stalker.

Following/follower ratio: Ideally, you want your friends and followers number to be equal. Or you want to have more people following you than people you are following. Why? It makes you look cool.

Got it? Great! You’ve just graduated from Twitter 101. Now it’s time for Twitter 201.

10 Tips That Will Help You Become A Master Of The Twitterverse

1. Find good Twitter apps. There are powerful programs out there to simplify your Twitter interface. These programs make it easier to keep track of who’s saying what to whom or who is tweeting what hashtag (Don’t worry: We’ll talk about hashtags below). Plus, Twitter apps can even track who is talking about you!

To find a good third-party Twitter client, just look at a list of tweets and check out the names of the applications that are posted in small letters under the tweet (this tells you where the tweet originated). For example, TweetDeck and Hootsuite might make it easier for you to manage your Twitter account without tearing out your hair.

2. Follow people. Twitter isn’t like Facebook, where—in theory—you need to know somebody to follow them. Twitter is an orgy of friend-making. And unless you’re following big tweeters like Alec Baldwin and FakeAPStyleBook, most people will be happy to follow you back. You don’t even have to ask them to. Be prepared to do the same when people start following you!

3. Find friends the easy way. Go to Twitter. Log in. Type a word in the search box that pertains to your interests: Literary, sci-fi, antiques, etc. Scan the results for tweets that interest you, then begin following! You’re already on your way.

4. Raid other people’s favorites lists. If you discover a Tweep you like, (Tweep being the short form of Tweeple), check out their lists of favorite people. Active users make lists of people they like, and those people make lists of people they like, and next thing you know, you’ve added a whole bunch of people to your following list—which means you may end up with people following you.

5. Join the discussions. In order to have a conversation on Twitter, writers use #hashtags. Making a hashtag is a very complicated process, but let’s give it a try.

Let’s say your topic is unusual cuisine.

1. Choose a word or words related to your topic.

Monkey Brains

2. Mush your words together, like so:

MonkeyBrains

3. And then, stick a # in front of it, like so:

#MonkeyBrains

If you can do that, you can use a hashtag. By clicking on a hashtag that someone else used (to search it), or by using a hashtag yourself, you can tap into the conversations that surround that hashtag. Hashtags are like filters, helping writers create order—or at least a little order—out of the chaos of Twitter.

Here is a basic list of Twitter hashtags for creative writers:

• #amwriting (for random writing-related thoughts)
• #keepwriting (for inspiration)
• #writequote (for quotes about writing)
• #literaryagent (for dirt on agents)
• #NaNoWriMo (for National Novel Writing Month tweets)
• #pubtip (for publishing tips)
• #write #writer #writing (random writerly things)
• #WIPlines (for lines from your work in progress)

Go ahead and try one! We promise it won’t hurt…unless you break a fingernail while you’re typing.

Some hashtags are used at very specific times, when people who have organized free-for-all discussions get together to talk books and writing. For example, on certain days, a group of readers gets together and uses the hashtag #litchat so they can talk to one another.

6. Give shout-outs. On #WriterWednesdays (also #WW), writers tweet the names of friends they like. Make a list of the tweeps you like using their @names (you’ll need to use the @ symbol). Then, list them in a tweet with the #WW tag. Do the same for #FollowFriday (#FF for short). Why? Because you’ll show some love, make some friends (followers), and maybe even get your tweet retweeted by someone else (which is always a good thing).

7. Be clever. If Twitter had been around when Mark Twain was living, he would have been a perfect candidate for Twitter. Funny, insightful, terse, and pithy tweets tend to be retweeted. And when you’re RT’d, you’re popular and you get to sit at the table in the cafeteria with the cool kids.

8. Retweet. RTing other people’s tweets is a great way to make friends and connections. Don’t underestimate the power of RTing. Every time you RT something awesome, your awesome points go up—and you didn’t even have to think up the Tweet yourself.

9. Befriend the bigwigs. Set goals to carefully make friends with important tweeters. You don’t want to befriend people who are so big (they’re called whales) that they won’t notice you among the bazillion other people who follow them. But you might not want to single out people with only twenty followers for your special attention either. Just be sure not to commit our Deadly Sins Of Online Promotion.

10. Integrate Twitter. Sync Twitter with your blog so that every time you publish a new post, it gets auto-tweeted. You can also connect Twitter to your other social media sites via various applications.

11. Tweet often. Twitter happens at the speed of light. A tweet has a lifespan that makes a housefly look like Methuselah. So tweet often. And if you can’t be there, use one of the programs in tip #1 to tweet for you while you’re away.

Got a question about twitter? Tweet it to us! We’re @WebDesignRelief.

Question: Do you think Twitter is a goldmine or an albatross for writers?

But let’s just say for the sake of argument that you don’t want to win friends and influence people. Let’s say you don’t want people to like your [...]]]> You’ve heard about the power of blogging: how starting a blog can lead to big things in a writer’s career. Blogging is a way to keep your author website fresh, to engage your readers, and to update friends and fans about the goings-on of your life.

But let’s just say for the sake of argument that you don’t want to win friends and influence people. Let’s say you don’t want people to like your blog. Let’s say you want to bomb (and good for you, by the way, for being so straightforward about your self-sabotage! Most of us have to go to therapy for years to reach that level).

If you’re tired of following the pattern of successful bloggers, here’s how to break the mold!

Forget about theme.

People like blogs that have unity and coherence on some level. In your blog, write about any old thing: politics, pet care, cooking, celebrity gossip…who cares? Why give people a pattern that induces them to return to your blog in anticipation of your next post?

Trumpet your awesomeness.

Promote, promote, promote. Talk about how awesome you are…all the time. Tell everybody how cool your book is, how brilliant your writing is, and make it a nonstop stream!

Rambling prose.

Longwinded posts filled with thick paragraphs that go on for thousands of words can be especially difficult for readers to absorb via their computers screens, so go for bulky syntax and bulky paragraphs, and you’ll get bulky blog posts that nobody wants to read because people who are reading on the Web generally don’t have the patience for unwieldy sentences (like this one).

Blog is in the details.

Titillate readers with daily minutiae from your own life, like how the sun is shining down on your porch while you’re writing a poem about how you hate your neighbor’s dog. What you ate for breakfast can be especially exciting material to blog about.

Forget about takeaway value.

There are plenty of blogs out there that offer helpful, practical information. Yours doesn’t have to be one of them.

Do NOT read and reread and reread your post.

This is the number one problem bloggers run into. If you continue to proof and double-proof your post, you’ll eat up valuable time that you could use to be doing something else, like brushing up on your ping-pong skills. You have better things to do than proofread.

Read more: 11 Deadly Sins Of Online Promotion For Writers

Do you want an author website? A blog? Web Design Relief can create your blog and site for you! We can even offer advice based on our experiences in the publishing industry since 1994. Check it out!