I was thinking that for an unpublished/may
never be published writer I look up some interesting material but it is always
random. To those that know me this would
not come as a surprise as my mind as never functioned in any way normal and to
top it off I am Italian. We always seem
to go off on a tangent. I like to look
at the whole picture and sometimes that makes me difficult to follow or keep up
with as I appear to be doing so many things at once. You need patience and
trust and a genuine acceptance of the person and not everyone is willing to do
that. I found this out just recently
when an incident caused an upset because I wasn’t sharing every detail of my thoughts,
and in some cases even leaving things out.
The people involved simply did not understand that I can’t explain
details on demand. I really can’t. I
don’t always know them myself as I am always thinking ahead, looking at the
bigger picture.
There has to be a certain amount of trust that
even if I don’t give all the details immediately that I will eventually. They know that if they know me. It is the way
I work. Strangely enough, the more I get into writing, the more I realise that
a writer functions in that way automatically. They begin with an overview and
the readers have to trust that things will be revealed if they stay with the
author. They also have to work it out as
well because it is a joint venture, writer and reader. The writer may have the
big picture but the vision is meaningless if the reader doesn’t trust that they are an invaluable part of the journey.
This
also explains our fragile egos. Writers
try to be brave but when they are misunderstood they lose it, at least for a
little while until they remember each of us is individual and not everyone will
get what you mean straight away. When the people concerned didn’t trust in me
because I didn’t reveal every iota it took away something from me, and hurt me,
let me down really I suppose. What do
you expect? I am Italian. We are emotionally oversensitive. That’s my story (excuse) and you will have a
hard time to convince me of anything otherwise. It upset me but I understood I
have to bend a little and they have to step up a little if, and only if, they
want the end to be a joint effort. When
I walk away from certain writers, Lindsay J Pryor is one of them and just so
you know I do read other things, Emily Bronte is another I feel we have been in
it together. There are other writers
perhaps less talented but they too make me feel that way. Despite missing certain elements they make
you feel part of, dare I say it, the bigger picture.
You may now be frustratingly wondering what
in heaven’s name has this got to do with author websites. Remember what I said about trust. I do see the big picture. I can’t change that. It is the way my brain operates but cunningly
if you bother to look closely I surround myself with people that can put the
very necessary bits and pieces in place while I am still up there in the clouds
looking at the big picture and making it even bigger. I trust in others to make
things work. I need others to make
things work. I need readers! Don’t you love how I snuck that in? A shared
workload is incredibly reassuringly when your mind, like many writers, travels
faster than the speed of light and nobody has given you the red cape and tights
to wear to explain your somewhat bizarre behaviour. It is the main reason I
work with two other very talented ladies.
Anyway enough about this and onto the topic of the day which is about
author websites.
A fellow Aussie and now published author (L.J.
Kendall of Wild Things) and I were having a small discussion on what is
necessary when marketing. He has a blog
but we differ on entries and frequency and he is still debating the author
website “thing”. He made a very good
point when he said that he guarded his time, it was precious and needed for his
writing. Mind you in saying that I have to add his blog is excellent and full
of great information and is quite frequent. The conversation was more of a
tossing around of views.
This new way of doing things these days on
social media has changed the world and despite the technology that makes things
faster there is another more insidious thread that slows things down. It takes time to social media or should that be socially
mediate. I was trying to be clever
with words but don’t think it worked so I will say it in plain English. Marketing through social media is wonderful
and effective but it is time consuming and yes Luke is right – it takes away
from actually writing. I try to do a blog every four or five days and hope to
continue once published (I live in hope) but on a website. Lucky for me I have two partners in crime. Maybe
it is too much and maybe there are better ways to reach readers. I don’t know and in this moment I talk for
myself, I don’t know if there are better ways but I love my blog as much as I
love the characters I create in novels.
In my blog I can talk to so many people and of course it means I widen
my audience and of course that would benefit sales. A writer wants that so imagine then the bonus
of having the blog attached to a website and keeping the connection to the
readers even when they close the last page of the book. I love that idea.
Now to connect to the idea of the bigger
picture but first I have to give thanks for your patience if you have lasted
this long. I think an author website is part of the bigger picture. Readers spend their money and now with eBooks
they get to keep their book indefinitely but even if you prefer the traditional
in your hands approach (I love stroking the cover) readers won’t buy the same
book twice. They may keep reading you if
you are that good but there is so much competition out there that the reader
needs more. They need to know where to
find you and an author website is the obvious answer. I personally keep track of my favourite
authors in this way. To me it is like
the brand name of something that I know I can trust. The quality of the book is
important but the website is like a marketing home base. It is the entrance for
readers to visit and for you to visit with them.
A very helpful website I found https://www.chatebooks.com/blog-Author-Websites-How-They-Can-Help-Market-and-Build-Your-Brand gives
the following reasons for having an author website: Information, Promotion, Interaction, Writing Tips, Credibility, and Personality. I am not sure what you may think but to me
all of these make really good sense. Information that the author controls means the reader gets accuracy and from someone
who cares about them and wants the readers to care and be part of their lives
and their work. Promotion speaks for itself by providing access to past and current, and future
publications. Interaction is everything. I get so excited
every single time someone comments on the posts even if it’s Kay or Alison (and
me). I wake up every day hoping for it
and in turn I interact on social media with favourite authors and get updates
on a regular basis. It’s so much fun to be a part of someone’s creative process
even in the smallest way, and often there are bonuses like the tips.
If you aren’t a writer then
perhaps the writing
tips
may not interest you but honestly sometimes you get tips on things you hadn’t
thought about in life. The tips are not restricted just to helping other
writers write. In any case you can
choose to read these or not. Just as a
reader I am finding benefits for me in the author website and as that reader gaining
things it ups the stakes on the credibility of the author. Not only are they
serious about their work but they are serious about their readers knowing about
them, their work and the hopes and dreams.
Straight away it involves the last reason to have an author website - personality. For this last one I will quote
directly from the website I have linked for your easy access: “a
website paints the picture of a human being who readers can connect with and
relate to. This humanizing element of websites tends to endear readers to
writers and their works.” I
see the author website as the means to share the bigger picture and what can I
say, I am a bigger picture girl. Alla
prossima