Attracting Readers and Publishers to Your Writings on the Internet

Models: Different Methods of Publishing

Cory Doctorow: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom -- http://www.boingboing.net/

Marylaine Block http://marylaine.com/

Diana Gabaldon: Drums of Autumn -- see http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/wsjarticle97.html

Stephen King: Riding the Bullet and The Plant -- see Katz, http://slashdot.org/features/00/11/30/1238204.shtml

Nora Roberts http://www.noraroberts.com/

Getting Started

Who's going to host the page? Local ISPs, AOL, free sources like Geocities (see my son's page, 33 Rebellions per Minute, at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Mezzanine/6613/), blog sites (see a compendium at http://www.lights.com/weblogs/hosting.html)

How much code do I have to learn? Not as much as you might think, depending on the software you use (Dreamweaver, HTML-KIT, blog programs, Adobe Acrobat for scanning your manuscripts and turning them into pdf documents, etc.)

Are there publishers who will put your book into downloadable or print on demand electronic form and split the proceeds with you? Yes. Google has a directory of some of those at http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Publishing_and_Printing/Publishers/Electronic/. You can also do a search using the term "print on demand publishers"

Is writing for the web different from writing for print? You better believe it. For tips, see Jakob Neilsen's "Writing for the Web," http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/, Gerry McGovern's e-mail newsletter, New Thinking http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/new_thinking.htm

Build a Site Worth Visiting

Make the site design and navigation simple and intuitive

Exploit what the net does well: connectivity and interactivity.

Offer extensive content to hold surfers at your site.

Organize your material as your users are likely to look for it

Establish your credentials and credibility upfront.

Fill a niche -- provide information or service nobody else provides or do it better, or different, than anybody else, like my Neat New Stuff http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html

Get Known Among Your Peers

Remember, if you're not linked, you might as well not have a web site at all, so

Familiarize yourself with what's already on the net in your area of specialization -- look at master lists, like the Mystery Writers of America's links for writers http://www.mysterywriters.org/library.html, or Google Directories, like this one for science fiction writers, http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Writers_Resources/Fiction/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/

Notice what kinds of services are NOT available on these pages and provide it for your peers on your web page

Join relevant writers' groups, like Romance Writers of America http://www.rwanational.org/ or Mystery Writers of America http://www.mysterywriters.org/

Participate in relevant listservs, discussion groups and bulletin boards

Let the creators of relevant subject directories in your field know your page is there

The net is inherently interactive, so if possible, provide interactivity -- bulletin boards, discussion groups, Aska service

Answer your e-mail!!

Make Sure Search Engines, Readers and Publishers Can Find You

Submit your site to search engines and directories under the headings users are likely to look under. AVOID CUTENESS.

Produce the kind of deep site search engines (and netizens) like: a lot of content, frequently updated. Search engines do discriminate.

Emphasize key content in metatags, page titles, and headers.

Try to get librarians to list your site on their pages, because search engines pay attention to sites librarians think are good.

Build your own 404 page.

Find Out Who Your Customers Are

Offer extra services for those who register (e.g., Salon http://salon.com/, Search Engine Watch http://searchenginewatch.com/

Offer to send them regular updates by e-mail (NeatNew, Search Engine Watch

Have them fill out a form to subscribe (see http://marylaine.com/subscrib.html

Analyze your web site's statistics

Analyze your e-mail

Ways To Make Money Off Your Site

Best case scenario: you attract publishers, re-package the material, and sell it.

You can accept advertisements both for web pages and for e-mail offerings (make sure you're able to document who your users are)

You can accept partnership (clickthrough) arrangements for linking to commercial vendors (e.g., Amazon)

You can offer some content free, promote the rest, and make it available by paid subscription

You can ask for voluntary contributions, using PayPal, or Amazon

You can use the entire site to promote other related services you offer.

You can get all kinds of free material for review.

Take Advantage of Serendipity

The net is built for serendipity. The opposite of serendipity is Columbusity -- having a discovery present itself and not recognizing it when you see it. Be prepared to consider unexpected opportunities.