Earlier this week, I wrote a column for Writer Unboxed, where I discussed the primary function and value of an author website, which is marketing related.
Yet many authors ask me questions that indicate they plan to focus on their website as a publishing tool—and they wonder if that’s OK. My response:
Sure, posting content you own at your website is OK. But why do it?
What do you gain by posting your book, in part or in its entirety, on your website?
How will anyone know it’s there?
Why will anyone want to read it on your website?
What are you trying to accomplish by putting it on your site and not publishing it through the biggest retailer of ebooks (Amazon)?
Read the full column over at Writer Unboxed, where there’s already an active discussion in the comments.
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
[…] The primary function and value of an author website is marketing related. […]