Book promotion |
Internet Authors Network | How to Create Web Page Content |
|
|
Book promotion |
Internet Authors Network | How to Create Web Page Content |
|
|
|
| Xenite.Org News | How to create Web page content for authors |
|
Site Map 2 SciFi Links Special thanks to: 
for designing Xenite.org's graphics Contact Us! |
Keep your link listings simple and easy to read. 3) Use a simple introduction on the links page, like, "These are the Web sites of other members of such-and-such a group. We meet every Wednesday evening at whatzit's at 8PM." The TITLE tag should be short and to the point: "Romance Writers in Indianapolis". There should be an H1 header tag reiterating what the TITLE tag says. 4) When you have posted that links page, send an email to each author and tell him/her where to find the page. DO NOT MASS EMAIL THEM. Send a polite message to each person, one at a time (even if it's fifty of them). DO NOT ASK THEM TO LINK BACK TO YOUR SITE. Just say, "Hi! I wanted you to know I've posted a link to your Web site on my special local writers page. You can find the link at Now, if there are both published and unpublished authors in your group, you can add an interviews section to your site. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE NO PUBLISHED AUTHORS TO INTERVIEW. This interviews section is separate from anything else you do. It's just a special section where you chat up the other members of your group. DO NOT ASK THEM TO INTERVIEW YOU (don't refuse if they ask you for an interview, but don't expect them to do it). Ideally, you want to interview 1 published author and 1 soon-to-be-published (or working-on-getting-published) writer at each meeting. Ask them only a few questions each about their most recent or upcoming book/article/short story (2-3 questions), about themselves (2-3 questions), and about their writing credits (other books, articles, stories) and experiences (conferences, recent tremendous signings). Get anecdotes, if you can. Get positive statements. Depending on each interviewee's background, you should also try to get them to speak out about a lightly controversial topic close to their life or work. Don't ask them about the war in Afghanistan unless that is what their book is about. Avoid the usual drab about world politics, world hunger, and religion. Focus on something the interviewee is closer to than most people (there may be no opportunity to do this -- if that turns out to be the case, skip this part of the interview). Create a special section on your Web site where you post the interviews with your fellow group members. DO NOT PROMISE TO UPDATE THE SECTION. DO NOT PROMISE ANYTHING. Just post the interviews. If/when you get enough of them, create a special archive index. Make sure each interview is on its own page. Don't bundle them all together on one page. Ideally, the unpublished authors have a finished product they are trying to find a market for. Avoid people who intend to write something or are in the process of writing something. They have not accomplished enough to earn that kind of recognition. Give them incentive to earn your interviews by being picky. Show your visitors you won't interview just anyone. If you can pair an interview with 1 published author and 1 unpublished one, that will be best. DO NOT EVER PUBLISH AN INTERVIEW WITH AN UNPUBLISHED AUTHOR BY ITSELF. If no one in your group has been published, then do not interview them. Wait until 2-3 have been published before you start this section. Be sure they have at least one paid publishing credit. On your Web site, at the end of each interview, provide a link to the author's Web site (if they have one) and a brief list of their publishing credits (or, for unpublished authors, what story/book they are working on). Once you have posted the interviews, be sure to send a message to each interviewee so they can see their interviews. If other authors contact you and ask you to either link to them or to interview them, do so, but create SEPARATE SECTIONS for authors outside your group. If you are a member of more than one group, do a separate links page and separate interviews section for each group (if possible -- use your best judgement). Remember to keep your site design professional. Don't include automatically playing music, dancing/wiggling/blinking/cutesy graphics, flash movies (or any kind of plug-in-related content). Don't force the visitor to wait while your super-cool gizmo loads. Don't waste your index page on a big "WELCOME TO MY WEB SITE!". Just get to the point. Also, be sure that it's easy for people to find their way around your site. Every page should link back to the main page (preferably through a TEXT LINK, not a graphic). Avoid Javascript menus. Avoid flash menus. Create a site map that is linked to by your main page (TEXT LINK ONLY). If your fellow group members ask why you are collecting information, just tell them, "Oh, I'm creating a special section on my Web site where I can tell people about our group." Don't say anything more. If they ask for more details, tell them you'll let them know when you have it ready. You want to create these special link and interview sections on your sites as a means of adding fresh content to them. Search engines like Google and Altavista are looking for fresh content. The more frequently you update your site, the more important they will decide it is. You also want to provide your visitors with an interesting resource that they will bookmark, mention to their friends, and possibly link to themselves. Do not fall into the trap of thinking, "If I do this for my fellow authors, they'll owe me one and should link back to me/interview me". Yes, you ARE doing them a favor. But you're also doing yourself a favor. Accept anything they offer in return, but don't ask for anything in return. You are a writer. You are a professional. More importantly, you are a leader and you will do what you need to do to achieve and maintain high visibility. |
This page is copyright © 1997-2007 by Michael L. Martinez. All rights reserved. |