Every author however they have produced their book should have a web presence. Without a web page you are at a disadvantage. Many potential customers will search the Internet to find out about an author or book before they decide to make a purchase. You are in competition with thousands of other authors for that customer. At least make sure you are on a level playing field with those authors!
Despite what you may have been told producing a website need not be too difficult or very expensive. If you were happy using a computer to write your book then read on. With the right tools it can be reasonably straightforward.
This section is for owners of a PC. If you have a Mac then please go here to the Mac section
Unfortunately for the PC owner most website authoring packages available require a modicum of technical knowledge
First you need what is called a Host. A Host is a company which has computers connected to the Internet that are online 24/7. They ‘rent out’ space on their computer for you to put your website on. You have probably heard the term ‘Upload’ with regard to these Internet Hosts. There is nothing mysterious about it. What you are doing is copying the web pages you have produced on your computer up to the ‘Host’ computer so people can see your webpage. There is nothing to stop you in principle ‘Hosting’ your website on your own computer if you wanted to except that you need the technical know how and software to set it up for people to see it. You would also have to keep your computer on 24/7.
I digress. You are reading this because you don’t have any technical know how and no clue where to start. I suggest that you start by using the simplest method available to you. Once you have gained experience then you can move on the more technical and flexible solutions (if you want to that is!)
First as I have said you need a Host. There are many out there all vying for your business. They can cost as little as £3 ($5) a month. Most however need some technical knowledge for setting up and ‘uploading’ your website.
Most hosting companies will also supply you with a domain name of your choice if it is available (the www.mywebsite.com part) some will supply one as part of the package for instance Just host or Godaddy. By obtaining the name from your chosen host you will not normally have to get involved with redirection. If you purchase a domain name from a different company to the one you are using as a host you have to set things up so the domain name points to your website. Some companies will do this for you for a small fee.
There are some web authoring packages that are to a certain extent ‘drag and drop’ as far as the page layout is concerned however you will need to know how to upload your website to the host servers using File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The simplest method would be to use a package such as Web Easy Professional 7
Which automates most of the layout and design for you.
If even the thought of FTP fills you full of dread then use a package similar to Site build it. The company looks a little pushy from their website but underneath it all it looks like a solid and easy package to use to get on line and sell your book. The down side is you will have a re-occurring cost of around $300 a year because you are locked into using their hosting as part of the package.
Another option you have is to set up a site using a blogging package such as Wordpress. It is simple to set up and use. It is on line based and you edit it via your web browser. One big advantage is many hosting companies support it. Please be aware however if you start a blog then you have to be prepared to continue with it. Most visitors to your site will be turned off if they see the last entry is months old. If you are not prepared to continue and add entries regularly then it may well be best for you to avoid the blog solution altogether.
Finally you can of course search the net for a professional website builder to undertake the task for you. (I am happy to do the work for you please go to www.corweb.co.uk for details)
If you have any questions or concerns regarding producing your own website please feel free to contact me. I am happy to answer any questions you may have or at least point you in the right direction.
Despite what you may have been told producing a website need not be too difficult or very expensive. If you were happy using a computer to write your book then read on. With the right tools it can be reasonably straightforward.
This section is for owners of a PC. If you have a Mac then please go here to the Mac section
Unfortunately for the PC owner most website authoring packages available require a modicum of technical knowledge
First you need what is called a Host. A Host is a company which has computers connected to the Internet that are online 24/7. They ‘rent out’ space on their computer for you to put your website on. You have probably heard the term ‘Upload’ with regard to these Internet Hosts. There is nothing mysterious about it. What you are doing is copying the web pages you have produced on your computer up to the ‘Host’ computer so people can see your webpage. There is nothing to stop you in principle ‘Hosting’ your website on your own computer if you wanted to except that you need the technical know how and software to set it up for people to see it. You would also have to keep your computer on 24/7.
I digress. You are reading this because you don’t have any technical know how and no clue where to start. I suggest that you start by using the simplest method available to you. Once you have gained experience then you can move on the more technical and flexible solutions (if you want to that is!)
First as I have said you need a Host. There are many out there all vying for your business. They can cost as little as £3 ($5) a month. Most however need some technical knowledge for setting up and ‘uploading’ your website.
Most hosting companies will also supply you with a domain name of your choice if it is available (the www.mywebsite.com part) some will supply one as part of the package for instance Just host or Godaddy. By obtaining the name from your chosen host you will not normally have to get involved with redirection. If you purchase a domain name from a different company to the one you are using as a host you have to set things up so the domain name points to your website. Some companies will do this for you for a small fee.
There are some web authoring packages that are to a certain extent ‘drag and drop’ as far as the page layout is concerned however you will need to know how to upload your website to the host servers using File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The simplest method would be to use a package such as Web Easy Professional 7
Which automates most of the layout and design for you.
If even the thought of FTP fills you full of dread then use a package similar to Site build it. The company looks a little pushy from their website but underneath it all it looks like a solid and easy package to use to get on line and sell your book. The down side is you will have a re-occurring cost of around $300 a year because you are locked into using their hosting as part of the package.
Another option you have is to set up a site using a blogging package such as Wordpress. It is simple to set up and use. It is on line based and you edit it via your web browser. One big advantage is many hosting companies support it. Please be aware however if you start a blog then you have to be prepared to continue with it. Most visitors to your site will be turned off if they see the last entry is months old. If you are not prepared to continue and add entries regularly then it may well be best for you to avoid the blog solution altogether.
Finally you can of course search the net for a professional website builder to undertake the task for you. (I am happy to do the work for you please go to www.corweb.co.uk for details)
If you have any questions or concerns regarding producing your own website please feel free to contact me. I am happy to answer any questions you may have or at least point you in the right direction.
