Blogger: Mary Keeley
Once the Labor Day holiday is behind us, life settles back to a normal routine for many of us. Autumn months are conducive to spending time finishing proposals and preparing them for submission. But wait. You have one more sector of your writer package to address: Is your online presence ready for scrutiny? When your proposal interests agents and editors, the first thing they’ll do is investigate your website, blog, and social media activity.
Your online presence reveals more to these professionals than numbers only. It shows them how well you know your author brand and are communicating it, which may validate or cause them to question the number of true book-buying followers you have. Here is a checklist for getting your online presence ready for their scrutiny.
Website
- Your URL includes your author name, making it easy for readers to find you.
- Your brand is clearly stated on your landing page.
- Your landing page is welcoming and appropriately personal, inviting visitors to click through additional pages on your site. The click-through rate (CTR) is a measure of your website’s success.
- Images, colors, tone—every item on your site—reinforces your brand and your genre.
- Your website is easy for your target audience to navigate.
Blog
- You post consistently each week, on the same days each week. If you haven’t been consistent with this in the past, now is the time to get started. The more frequently you blog, the faster you will attract followers because each post provides a new opportunity for people to find your blog through search engines.
- All your posts have some connection to your brand and your books. For example, the topic, theme, setting, or a struggle your current main character faces.
- You use images in your post to enliven your page.
- You know why your followers read your blog. Some follow a blog for the social interaction with a writer and other followers who comment. This interaction is visible to agents and editors at first glance. Others follow blogs mainly for the interesting or informative content, the writer’s strategy being to draw interest in her next book. This type of interaction can best be measured by number of likes and re-tweets and should be duly noted in your proposal because it isn’t as quickly apparent to agents and editors.
Social Media
- Your posts and tweets communicate a theme consistent with your brand.
- You post often. As with your blog the more frequently you post, the more opportunities for people to find you.
- You concentrate your activity on the two or three platforms in which you are most comfortable. Focus on growing strong followings on those few, rather than letting time swallow you up trying to cover all of them.
What do you need to improve or correct before you begin to submit your proposal? What are you doing well? Are you prepared to answer agents’ and editors’ questions about how well you know your followers and what they want and expect from your blog?
TWEETABLES:
Is your online presence ready for scrutiny? Use this checklist to prepare. Click to Tweet.
Use this checklist to prepare your online presence for scrutiny before you submit your proposal. Click to Tweet.
Mary, useful. Not sure about “more frequently”, which sounds a bit oxymoronic … but I know what you mean. Less is more in my view. Finding the sweet spot is something caught not taught. Balancing volume of output with depth and method of delivery is more relevant to me i.e. how content is delivered (style, visuals, density, etc), the richness of content and consistency rather than often, per se. Bill Gates argued for the “lazy man” saying, he would find a smarter way – I work hard to build my social network platforms to serve me not vice versa – as the Apostle Paul said, Social Networking was made for man, not man for social networking. The alternative is to be enslaved by the beast, which kills passion and creativity.
Peter, you capture the downside in three words, “enslaved by the beast.” It is so easy to let social media take control. I struggle to maintain the boundary between serving God via social media and serving social media. Joshua 24:15 still applies: Choose this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my website, we will serve the Lord.
I can share some tips dearest Shirlee.
– I use dynamic quotes widgets that are different for each page load
– I similarly use dynamic pictures
– I have other self-updating widgets/applets
That means my blogs are changing even when I am not doing anything
In addition, I have RSS based news-feeds that update daily and I use RSS based daily postings from other notable sites – if there is an RSS feed, the content is available for reuse and in fact suppliers of content prefer to share as it generates back links to their sites.
As such, the background, literally in a left and right sidebar, frames my posts and helps to amplify my primary deliverable. That said, I will also post content from other sources (a) because it is compelling (b) to reciprocate other sites and/or (c) to showcase Christian sites seeking visibility.
I also dynamically link my blogs to my Facebook page, so I rarely update that. The advantage of the page app is that it only needs to be liked as a site without expecting readers to like every post – it is less impositional.
That leaves me to post a short post quite regularly on my wall, but I am super happy to leave it for a few days and I always let a post run its course before posting again. I strongly advocate warm feedback and interaction. We must love our readers and I do.
Based on feedback I am getting, it seems to be working.
All said and done, I know I still have lots to do (e.g. Twitter), but i am pacing myself – else I will just resent what I currently love.
Hope it helps.
Oh yeah, I also love your “as for me and …”
Peter, you make some good points. It’s really both-and…quality content, a true sampling of an author’s writing, which will attract followers interested in your work, and added to that, frequency, because the more often you post, the more opportunities for people to find you through search engines. Use of scheduling tools is helpful in managing consistency of posts so we don’t have to feel like slaves to the beast.
Thanks, Mary, for the reminders! I’m in the process of putting together a new website/blog and appreciate the list.
You’re welcome, Rachael. I look forward to seeing your new website/blog!
Excellent checklist, Mary! This is going to help a lot of people.
* I do wonder, however, how effective a URL with my name is going to be. It weighs in at 22 characters and a space.
* I did consider ‘AndrewBS’; it has the advantage of being short, memorable, and at least in the opinion of some, accurate. (My wife’s middle name is Sue’, which give HER the initials BSBS…bull-something squared, and I never let her forget it.)
* As luck would have it, though…oops, sorry, Divine Providence (there’s that celestial ruler again, caressing my knuckles…) my social media ministry found me. Not necessarily that which I would have chosen, but clearly caregiving for a dying husband or wife was a subject that needed some airing.
* And though I missed trying to trip people up with my name, I got a close second with the site’s URL…’blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart(dot)blogspot(dot)com.It took me three times to get that right.
* While it does lack the slight “the world revolves around ME” feeling that I had when considering using my name, it’s maybe worse…does it make people think that I think I’m Pure Of Heart?
* I do post regularly, four times per week, and I think that’s about the maximum I can do. The posts take a lot out of me, even though one of them is a weekly contribution to a short fiction contest.
* Not quite sure what I will do with an author website, but I’ll set one up. I mean, my musings on The Writing Life will be pretty short. “I write stuff down. Then I change the words around.” There are no deep philosophical underpinnings here.
* They’re stories, and they’re written to give a reader the feeling that’s there’s hope in this abattoir of a world. I’ve seen the killing floors, and I’ve seen the rising of the Son, giving the hope that lies beyond life.
You think you got problems with url name … I have had to agonize over my surname, but defaulted to what my audience recognizes. It was a trust thing. My real name is Vincero Gangera Squadda Jalupeo Bran Corleone … so stopping complaining Drew. No I suppose you have a dilemma … you will have to find what works for your audience. AndrewBS@ …. would work for me.
I have a similar issue. While I don’t have a huge following, the followers I have like and comment so I’m loath to change it. My blog is the name of the business that gave me the realization that my dream was attainable. Though I don’t edit for any but a select few, my blog focuses on writing so the interest of all my followers is still piqued with my posts. i have my name as a search term, but I guess I’ll have to give this some consideration.
Andrew, I understand your reasoning, but the goal of an author’s URL is to make it easy for readers to find you. Using your author name is advantageous to that end, and it’s something agents and editors note when they scrutinize your online presence. The length of your name is less important than the ease of finding you.
That makes sense, Mary, thanks. Do you think “BudekSchmeisser(dot)com” would work in enhancing ‘findability’? I did use that ((at)BudekSchmeisser) for Twitter; I couldn’t register the full name.
Andrew, your URL doesn’t have to be the same as your Twitter handle, and you probably would have them linked together. Granted, there might not be many Schmeissers online, but using your full author name in your URL makes it that much easier for readers to be certain they’re reaching the right one. It makes a difference with editors.
Well, time to start mixing that alphabet soup…
My number-one blogging weakness is consistency. Sometimes I get on a roll with a flurry of posts, and other times I get busy with other things and let too much time pass between posts. I think I need to make better use of scheduling features to balance out my posting rhythm. Would love to hear what works for others.
I write posts ahead of time, and set them for a scheduled deployment. I have to, because I don’t know whether I’ll be well enough to write according to the publication schedule. Or alive enough, for that matter.
If anyone’s interested, my post above was written with the musical accompaniment of Enya’s “Book of Days” playing in the background – here it is, if anyone wants a listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiBwr4U59EI
* This raises a question – most of my blog posts, and more substantive comments on others’ blogs are written in this way, with a musical inspiration.
* Do you think that mentioning this, and giving a link the the music would add value, by offering another way for readers to connect with my heart and soul?
* Oh, great….now I have THAT in my head…”Heart and soul…da da duh da da da HEART and soul…”
I understand that, Andrew. Beautiful music, too. I’ve not heard of Enya. I write with music, as well … tender music. Many of my posts are covered in tears. I hear people complain that they don’t like music on websites. But I like Ann Voskamp’s example … she offers music. It’s available if you want to play it as you read. I wonder if she writes with music, too? 🙂 It’s funny though because she has about five songs … the first two, I love … so soothing and beautiful. But the third song I find annoying and blood pressure raising. 🙂 I always skip that one. 🙂 Why am I feeing irritated suddenly? Oh, the song. And I play the volume low when I read or write.
Very compact, helpful summary of what needs to be done. Thank you, Mary. Now, to start doing it!
It took me a while to figure out how to add social media buttons on my website. But that should help me a great deal. I did the happy dance when I figured that out. I’m looking into moving my website … to one that offers more … but the change is scary.
When I have published articles, I always include my website … I believe that and Google+ have helped to increase my page views.
And another thing, in case another is having this issue … we recently added Windows 10 to my computer. Since then, Microsoft Edge wouldn’t allow me to upload pictures to my blog post. So, I’m having to go to my website through Google Chrome in order to upload pictures. Hopefully, that kink will get worked out. 🙂
“Focus on growing strong followings on those few, rather than letting time swallow you up trying to cover all of them.” I appreciate this, Mary … because social media, though so helpful, can rob writing time. It’s important to find that healthy balance.
I love this list. Thanks! I probably need to work the most on a consistent schedule for posting. As a full-time professional, mom of a school-aged child, and involved in many activities, some weeks get busier than expected. But I’ve read the tip to have a bank of posts ready to publish at a moment’s notice for those occasions. That would be a good idea for me!
As always, a practical, helpful post, Mary. Thank you for that. For me, I blog consistently. Twice a week. It’s the amount I can manage as far as balancing the time it takes to create the content I desire to deliver and the demands of my family life right now. I’ve taken one break (last December) from blogging, and I let my readers know I’d be doing that. I didn’t lose followers, as far as I can tell. 🙂
*As for other social media? I’m just working on getting my posting to be more consistent through the day. I haven’t figured out how exactly to incorporate my brand into Facebook and Twitter posts. Especially Twitter. So, I post what I find interesting, and include some pictures from Instagram and life-as-I-know-it. This is an area I definitely need to be more purposeful with.
*I’ve been getting emails from Twitter about knowing more about my followers. I should look at those more closely and see what I can determine from the data they’re offering me.
Great post with such useful information. This would make a nice check list. I wish I were better about blogging more regularly. I always feel like whatever project I am writing has my attention rather than my blog. Will take your advice and try to do that more frequently.
My Twitter following grows by 1-3 people a week. I think that’s because I’ve linked my Facebook posts to my Twitter account. HOW I did that? I have no sweet clue. Seriously. I have ZERO idea how that happened. But it did, so there we go.
Summers are very hard on any kind of schedule, and motivation to say anything meaningful runs dry, especially when I check my blog role and very, very few are blogging at all between June and September. That, and when summer calls.
And new things take HOURS to figure out…BUT, I do have a new website up, and I kinda like it. I let some friends loose on it and they gave great feedback.
But given the time it’s taken create and design this website, I’ve decided to hold off on making the big reveal until after my Epic Trip of 2015.
I plan to shoot a few vlogs on the trip, with the help of my BFF who will be along for the ride. She’s joining me for a week, in New Mexico and Arizona. Since she’s a real life professional photographer, timing the reveal after the trip makes perfect sense. Otherwise there’d be a few “and that’s a picture of my thumb, and a canyon. I think.”
My followers expect discussions of social justice, whether it’s present day, or in history. My biggest numbers come when I stomp my feet and challenge people to become uncomfortable and DO something.
The other topic that brings in the crowds is when I have a writer guest.
So, between books, and saving the world, I sorta know my focus.
And the Big Reveal will be a lot of fun!! And may involve some beautiful Navajo pottery…
Does anyone have a suggestion for an ‘affordable’ web hosting service that would work well for an author site?
* I used GoDaddy awhile back, but didn’t really enjoy the experience. The interface for website building was pretty clunky; it took me a long time to figure out how to make downloads accessible.
* A lot of bloggers use WordPress, and some pay the fee for the ‘pure’ URL that does not include “wordpress(dot)com”. Could anyone share the experience of going that route?
wix(dot)com!! If *I* can figure it out, a rock could too.
Well, you ARE one of the Rock Stars of the Books and Such blog community.
* Checking into wix now – thanks!
I used Wix briefly but their sites don’t open in certain browsers.
Andrew, I did some research before I just selected my host. I decided on eHost and will use WordPress.org as my content management system for a “static” website that will also include my blog. Just bought the WP for Dummies book to learn how to make the most of WordPress as my CMS. I’m waiting until Sept. 9 to try to snag the best version of my name for my xxxx.com. Then I’ll be building either with the URL I already own or the better one if I get it. eHost gives you one domain name “free” when you contract with them as your host. You can add unlimited additional domains for a fee. Creating the necessary content is going to be a swirling time vortex for a while! Time will tell if this turns out to be a good experience. Still, it’s all just zeros and ones, so how hard can it be?
Thanks, Carol, checking it out now.
Great information. I better get to work. I fall short.
One technical point to consider. You always want your site to be “responsive,” i.e., one that resizes itself to accommodate mobile devices. Not everything does it well. You can try yours out by clicking the multiwindow button on your browser and then squeezing the window in from the side to see how it responds.
Far be it from me to shrink back from offering a contrarian view on a point, but, that’s what you all have come to expect from me, right?
Personally, I don’t like blogs that have images in posts. They are bandwidth hogs that slow page loading. Some people can’t afford to update their computers regularly and still have old ones, or upgrade to ever faster Internet service. You use images on your posts and that will slow the loading down for some people.
Then, I find most images to be more distracting than illuminating. They take your eyes away from the words, and most images on most blogs give no information. I go to a blog to read what a person has to say, not to see how good they are at finding royalty-free photos or other graphics that barely relate to the topic. Since I don’t like blogs with photos, why should I load up my blog with the very thing I don’t like? Then again, my blog has few followers, so what do I know (other than what I like and don’t like)?
Sorry for the negative interruption. Carry on.
I hear you, especially when trying to read a blog on my phone before I get out of 4G cell range again or with slooow WIFI when traveling. I can lose 4G just by walking into some rooms in my adobe house. I’m less bothered by images than by dynamic sections that keep reloading something different at some fixed time interval.
Perhaps the solution is “less is more?” Perhaps a single photo reduced to a lower resolution that is still crisp enough on the screen. Those load fairly fast.
Mary, your suggestion of focusing on two or three platforms makes me wonder about Instagram. It seems to be popular with the younger crowd, and I like that it is image-based. I’m not sure I can handle another social media site to manage, but Instagram can be linked to Twitter, thus killing two birds. Does anyone in the community have experience with this? Would it work like that, or simply add more time to social media?
Mary, this is a fabulous article! So true that the frequency and topic of blogs is important. The struggle is having time for writing blogs and having time to write novels. Always about time. Still, blogging is a lot of fun.
I smile because you have nicely stated the goal for every ultimate author blog site. Mary, your information and feedback, from the other side of this equation, is most helpful. It provides a reference tool to show authors, myself included, how to line their ducks in a row. I struggle with an author brand seeming to be too one dimensional. I write about spiritual truth yet I have other things I want to say. This creates some tension, but a nice kind of tension.
Thanks, Mary. Very useful information!
Dear
I have written seven novels, psychological/international thrillers, which I am marketing via my website http://billbitetti.com/. My most recent novel is a drone thriller called Devilish Little Flying Machines.
The government will inevitably use this new drone technology as a “Technological Trojan Horse” for the purpose of surveillance and control. Already, the NSA has the ability to track us through our cell phones, and is monitoring our e-mails, Internet use, and phone conversations in the name of national security. Evidently, the ultimate goal of the NSA is total population control!
Devilish Little Flying Machines is a suspenseful tale written with the expressed purpose of raising awareness to the future dangers of the plague of drones that will fill the skies in the coming years.
I’m sure you’ve heard the hackneyed phrase: knowledge is power. Thus, it’s my hope to disseminate this knowledge to the general public via a movie based on my novel.
We must prevent our liberties from being continuously chipped away. Our nation is on a slippery slope toward tyranny. If we want to keep our freedoms, we must know the truth. The question we need to ask ourselves is: will this new technology become a Pandora’s box full of unforeseen evils that cannot be undone?
Thank you for your interest. I hope you join me in my quest to inform the American public of the dire consequences that will ensue if we close our eyes to this threat to the freedom.
Godspeed,
Bill Bitetti