Maybe you’ve been asked this recently and had to turn away a potential reader. Or perhaps someone is surfing the Net looking for you, but instead finding other authors to read.

Now is the perfect time to establish your presence on the Web with an author page. An author page is the cyber-version of a magazine ad. It contains information about books, where to send fan mail, and more. The author page provides high-profile visibility twenty-four hours a day. Unlike print ads, they’re easily updated and can be linked to booksellers.

So how do you design an author page, and how do you decide where to place it?

Designing Your Page

Designing your page doesn’t mean actually coding it; often the site will code the page. It does mean making a plan and determining which information to include. When designing the page, present a mix of book information and public relations material.

Book Information:
- Current release
- Upcoming release
- Backlist
- Bookcovers
- Book blurbs, excerpts
- Bookseller link

Public Relation Information:
- Biography
- E-mail link
- Guest book link
- Message Board link
- Link to your home page

The Host Site

When choosing the site(s) to host your page, be sure to consider your marketing budget and your book’s genre(s). Sites will have either an e-mail address for specific package information or, more commonly, a page describing their author page packages, including prices and a link to a sample author page. Many sites include author promotion opportunities in their packages.

Consider having an author page on more than one site. If your book crosses markets, such as mystery and romance, a page at a romance-reader site and a mystery-reader site promotes the book to both markets. If your book doesn’t cross markets, a page at two or more same-genre sites is effective because each site has its own following, expanding the type and quantity of readers you reach. It also increases the promotion opportunities available. Compare each site’s package and promotion opportunities to your page design needs.

Comparing Host Sites

Four vital areas must be compared when researching host sites: the sites, author page packages, promotion opportunities, and the fine print.

Sites
- Look for a well-designed, easy-to-navigate site. An appealing site attracts more visitors.
- To estimate the site traffic, look at the visitor counter.
- Check the “Site Last Updated” date. Sites which are maintained regularly show the website owner is active. Repeat visitors are attracted because they know the site is active and changing.
- Look for links to web rings. Web rings are a group of related sites that connect through the ring link. Web rings help bring traffic to the site. Some examples are the Author Ring, the Crime Ring, and Ring of Romance.
- Note the other authors with pages or page links at the site. Are there award-winning or best-selling authors? Will readers of the genre/sub-genre recognize some or most of the authors?

Author Page Packages
- Does the package include a design fee? Does it include a monthly maintenance fee?
- Is there an additional charge for updating the page?
- What information is included on the author page? Does it match your page design?
- If it doesn’t include all the information you want, can it be added for an additional charge?
- Are the prices within your marketing budget?
- Can the page be placed at other sites?
- Can the page be linked to other sites?

Promotion Opportunities
- Does the package include putting current-release or book-signing information in their newsletter? If so, what is the distribution number of the newsletter?
- Will you be featured or spotlighted at the site for a period of time?
- Will they interview you and include the interview on the site?
- Will they send an announcement to their mailing list when your page is up?
- Can you write articles for the site or newsletter to keep your name highlighted?

Fine Print
- If the page can be linked to other sites, does the host site expect a reciprocal link?
- Do you have approval of the author page layout?
- Is your name included as part of the URL?

Time spent researching and planning assures getting the most for your marketing dollars. Make sure the author page has the information you want. Then the next time someone asks, “Do you have a web page?” be ready with your URL address.