Building a Basic Author Website

There are so many things that a writer needs to think about as they navigate the publishing industry, and the internet has added a whole other layer of complexity to the equation. There’s social media and the headaches about building a fan base there. There’s the email list and the management of a newsletter.

But if there is only one thing that you do on the internet for your online platform, create a website.

All writers seeking publication, traditionally or self-published, NEED a website. No exception. Your website is your online home. It’s the place where readers will go to get the latest information about your various projects, both old and new. You will likely have a list of all your published books, links to where they can be purchased, and links to interviews and other goodies. Yes, your social media will likely have information about the latest happenings too; however, any older material is quickly buried.

Seriously, folks, the moment you decide that you ultimately want to be published, start thinking about that website. And you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on fancy website designs either. No need to stress yourself about learning HTML or CSS. Just focus on the page content and get it out there.

In today’s post, we’re going to explore the bare-minimum website for writers.

Using stock images doesn’t mean your covers are AI-generated

I'm not going to argue that the introduction of AI-generated material has changed how we view things. From copyright to the quality of images and writing, systems like ChatGPT and Midjourney have been a game-changer. I'm not going to even talk about the ethics that revolve around using such systems. No, that is a discussion for another day.

But the technology, or more appropriately the lack of understanding of the technology, has led to some ludicrous statements.

How would you react if someone tried to tell you that because your covers used images found in a stock photography website catalog that your covers were AI-generated? That because the fonts used on your covers were in a catalog on the internet that your covers were AI-generated? Oh, and because the graphic designer used Adobe Photoshop to create the cover makes that cover AI-generated?

Well, if you were me during that conversation, you would have had a field day.

Let me set the stage.

Obtaining Your Own ISBNs

For those who are self publishing, if you are using portals such as Draft2Digital or Amazon KDP, it is highly attractive to use the free ISBNs available through those publishing portals. For some writers, the cost of the ISBNs is something that is not in the budgets. But those free ISBNs are not registered to you. They're not something that you can take with you when using another publishing portal. And if you were to run an ISBN search, you would not be listed as the publisher.

In today's post, we are going to talk about the importance of sourcing your own ISBN numbers if you are self-publishing your books.

Not everyone uses Google

Over the past few months, I have encountered multiple instances where someone would invite me to a Google Calendar, or send me a Google Doc file, ask that I fill in a restricted-access Google Form, or any other number of things that you can do with Google. And in every instance, those invites have been sent to my work email (a custom domain email for the Black Wolf Editorial domain). And in every instance, there has been some issue that all comes down to the lack of access to Google products.

Because Google has become mainstream and so embedded in our everyday lives, there is this assumption that every email address on the planet can access a Google product. But it's an assumption. And when you assume things, you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me".

In today's post, I want to deviate from talking about writing and editing specifically, and I want to highlight the issues associated with this Google assumption.

So… Google has tagged me as SPAM

Nothing on the internet is private

I hadn't intended on writing a second blog post this month, but the recent storm that has hit editing circles has highlighted what I call a hidden trap of the internet. And this one is one that would seem as obvious as the nose on my face, yet there are fools who just don't understand it.

Nothing on the internet is private. Not emails. Not personal messages. Not even chat room conversations.

If a computer or electronic device is involved somewhere within the process of passing information from one person to another, then there is a very real possibility that the information could be leaked and made public.

On November 12, 2021, Victoria Strauss released a blog post on the Writer Beware blog about an editor and their shady practices. Within the editors' circles, there is concern about this particular editor's practices and how it might reflect on editors as a whole, but most of the conversation I've seen centers around the shocking nature of the editor's emails and communications.

I don't want to get into the disconnect between client expectations and services provided by this editor, because that's not the hidden trap that I want to highlight. I want to focus entirely on the fact that the whole world now knows exactly how this editor communicates. And the reason we now know this is because a screen capture of email communications was shared as part of the Writer Beware blog post.

And that is the hidden trap.

Recommended Facebook Privacy Settings for Profiles (October 2020)

Facebook is one of those sites that is constantly updating their system. This IS a good thing, because they recognize that their system is not perfect.

I will be the first to admit that some changes they have brought in are things that really are odd and make things worse, not better, but with every change comes another instance when Facebook users should take the time to go through the settings to see what has been added and what has disappeared.

Facebook introduced a new interface for the web-based system a few months ago, and as of last month, the option to use the old interface disappeared. And last week, Facebook rolled out a new update to their mobile apps too. So, if you haven't already reviewed your privacy and security settings on the site, NOW is the time to do it.

Gaining followers the right way

So, you've joined up to a new social media site. It's only natural that you want to gain followers. Let's face it, you likely joined that social media site so you can forge meaningful connections that will help you in the future to actual sell stuff.

Or did you?

This is where things get a little muddled, because there are many people who delude themselves about the truth of what they're doing—writers in particular.

Social media, regardless of the platform you are talking about, is all about building connections. It's about building those networks. The larger that network is, the better off you will be when it actually comes time to sell a book or whatever.

I'm not saying that you're going to blast "Buy my book" ads to your networks, because that is the LAST thing you should do. But, with fostered connections, when you do mention that you have a book coming out, those networks will help you to spread the word.

It might take years to build those valuable connections, but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

It’s a typo! They happen.

If there is one constant within the world of publishing, it would be that typos happen. It doesn't matter how many times you go through a piece of written work, there will always be something that's missed. You could have six different sets of eyes on it, and things still slip through. And the longer that piece of writing is, the more likely that errors get missed.

To complicate matters, you might have the cleanest copy on the planet, but errors creep in during typesetting too. At every stage of the writing/editing/publishing process, there is an opportunity for an error to be introduced—and for that error to get missed.

It happens.

I'll be the first to grant you that when a piece of writing is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, it's frustrating to read. However, I have said it time and time again: if a story is gripping, most readers will be willing to overlook the odd typo or grammatical error.

As writers, we need to accept that typos WILL happen.

As editors, we need to accept that we're NOT perfect.

However, there are some people out there who are Grammar Nazis from hell and will publicly shame you for making innocent typographical errors. It's because of these jerks (and that's what they are) that many writers and editors despise the idea of blogging. They're afraid that their writing might be torn to shreds because of those innocent mistakes. But what the Grammar Nazis forget is that mistakes happen.

The production schedules for a blog are tight. Certain steps within the editing process are sometimes missed. The thorough care that we give our novel writing is not given to this short piece that is going to go up on the web within hours. Newspaper articles are much the same in that respect. Mistakes creep in, it's the nature of the beast. But when the public shaming starts…

***Breathe… Just breathe…***

I think it's time to put reality back into the blogging world and remind a few editors that we're only human.