Against Author Websites

A good journalist presents a balanced picture of an issue. Here's the flip side about authors and writers having websites: a few reasons not to do it.

Don't start a website with the intention of making money, especially if you're beginning from scratch on the Internet. That means, just starting out with no existing presence or platform by which you are known in the electronic media. In order to make money with a website, you need to be able to attract visitors in the thousands from Day One. Why? So that you can quickly justify charging advertisers enough to cover your expenses and make a profit. Don't think that you will make such an income with click-for-pay ad services or affiliate links. Only straight out ad sales bring in that kind of dough.

Another common mistake authors and writers make is desiring a website to stroke enlarged (or depleted) self-images. Yep, I'm talkin' EGO, just like John Edwards getting a big head and thinking he could do whatever he wished and people would still adore him. Putting up a site in praise of yourself with loads of personal photos, tons of testimonials, and TMI about yourself eventually gags even the most ardent fans. They want to know facts about your life, not adulations from other admirers.

Finally, the last faulty reasoning for establishing a writer's or author's website is to sell a book or books. You won't make diddly-squat trying to sell your book only from a website. People don't often buy at top dollar from an author's site, unless they can obtain the (very desirable) material nowhere else. This is mostly because anywhere else is probably cheaper. Visitors will love learning all about your production, right down to the ISBN, which they can plug into a major online retailer's database, usually finding remaindered editions or even new copies a cost considerably less than you think you can charge. Don't forget the time, effort and expenses of fulfillment, too. You either have to pay someone else to ship the orders or do it yourself.

In case you've forgotten, here are some good reasons for authors and writers to establish websites.