by Stacy Verdick Case

Created on: May 13, 2008   Last Updated: May 10, 2011

I've heard the debate rage in many different writing workshops, does an unpublished writer need a website or not? Welcome to the twenty-first century; yes, you need a website!

Consider your website as part of your manuscript marketing arsenal. Having a professional website shows potential agents and editors that you are serious about a career as a writer. Websites are the twenty-first century, high-tech version of a business card. Be honest, don't you search the web to validate a company your doing business with? What is your opinion of that business if they have a less than professional website or worse no website at all?

Setting up a website is an inexpensive way to give your work credibility. So what should an unpublished author include in their website?

• Index - commonly called your home page. This can be a quick welcome telling people what your site is all about. Update your home page with all your latest and greatest writing news.

• Bio - a short page about your background and writing history. Interject your passion for your craft on this page.

• My Books Page - give a short synopsis of the projects you are currently marketing. If you'd like you can include a short excerpt for each manuscript. Include an awards or accolades for each manuscript this is where unpublished contests can really pull their weight.

• Blog Link - your own blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website.

• Contact Me - give an agent or editor a way to get in touch with you. Believe it or not, I've sent out a query by mail and thanks to my site's tracking ability I was able to determine that their request for more information came from my website.

• Last but not least, offer something on your website that will keep people coming back - articles, humor, giveaways, book reviews.

The above suggestions is obviously a simple website. You can add or subtract pages as you would like. If your books have a lead character whose a chef, a quilter, or some other profession you can add a tie in on your website and offer recipes, a quilt pattern, etc. Just make sure what you add is relevant to your work. Every page on your site should reflect who you are as a writer.

Use the web to put your best foot forward. That way by the time you receive "the call" your website will already be established in search engines and you will have traffic going to your site.

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