If you plan to produce a book via self publishing, you’d be shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t think beyond holding a printed book in your hand. To achieve success in the book publishing industry – you need to think of the best and most effective ways to market your work and sell it to the public. What’s more – you need to be thinking of marketing methods you will use before the first book comes off the press.

Any author worth their salt will tell you, whether they have self published or gone the route of traditional book publishing, that you need a website. Today’s web building programs are simple enough for anyone with basic PC knowledge to use. But what elements should your website contain that will help sell your book? Here are some tips for deciding what to include on your website – and how to make it a website that will keep people coming back again and again.

Tell visitors about your book or books. This is perhaps the most important section of your website, more so than your biography or any links. You want to sell your book so you must describe your book in an appealing way that will make potential readers want to learn more. If you have more than one book produced through self publishing, make sure that each book has its own description. This is a great place to include reviews that you have gotten from other writers, teachers, or other professionals who you have asked to provide written comments about your book.

Provide a way to buy your book. Give readers of your website links to purchase your book. You can easily set up accounts with web-based retailers such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or you can sell books directly from your site. Visit websites of other authors who sell online and take note of which ones are most appealing and user friendly. Design your site accordingly.

In our next post, we’ll talk more about what to include on your website. In the meantime, start thinking of layouts and content that will make your website stand out from the rest.

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