First things first. Before you can have a website you need a domain name. The optimum domain name for an author is yourname.com. If it's already taken, as is the case with me, try yourname.net and put yourname.com on back order. Hey, sometimes patience pays off. If .net isn't available you may have to tweak it a little bit. Try adding your middle initial, or words such as, "author," or "books." I registered both "gaylemartin.net" and "gaylemartinbooks.com." They work. You may also want to consider registering a domain name for your book title, or, if it's part of a series, a domain name for the series. I have both LukeandJennyBooks.com and LukeandJennyBooks.net. And just in case someone spells it wrong, I have also have LukeandJennyBook.com, along with LukeandJenny.com. (Remember what I just said about patience paying off? I had the latter one on back order for four years, but I eventually got it.)
Now, where to point it...
I firmly believe that you can never have too much Internet presence. You never know how or where a potential reader will find you. If your funds are limited, you can start with a blog. Here on Blogger you can set up a blog for free, and the platform is very easy to use. However, I suggest that rather than rely on the default sub domain name, (yourname.blogspot.com), register a .com or .net through Blogger. (I've learned, through trial and error, that it's much easier to do this through Blogger. They'll automatically assign it to your blog instead of you having to point it from someplace else.)
In addition to a blog site, I also recommend having a formal web site. You'll look more professional, and you can do all kinds of cool and wonderful things, such as add animation, slide shows, forums--all kinds of neat stuff, depending on how much time and money you're willing to invest. There are many people out there who design websites for a living, and if your vision for your website is something that does everything but wash the dishes and do your laundry, I suggest letting the pros handle it for you. However, if you prefer something more simple, or if your funds are limited, there are hosting companies out there that have site building tools which will allow you to do it yourself. I've been creating my own websites for years. I'm quite happy with the results, and I've had many nice complements on them too. Hey, if a technophobe like me can build a website then you can too. The two that I use are Network Solutions and Go Daddy. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
I started with Network Solutions. Their web building tool is extremely easy to use, and you can easily modify the templates to make your site unique. I still think their tool is the easiest to use, however, bear in mind that Network Solutions is more expensive.
Overtime, I outgrew my website. Along with my books I had information about my speaking topics and my book design services. It was simply too much information for one website to handle, so I had to divide it into two. I've had many friends and colleagues recommend Go Daddy, so I decided to give them a try. Go Daddy definitely gives you a better bang for the buck, however I found that their site building tool, while relatively easy to use, isn't quite as intuitive and user friendly as the Network Solutions tool. That said, I was still able to create a very nice website for my books and speaking programs. My best recommendation would be to do a side by side comparison and see which one would be the best fit for you.
Both Network Solutions and Go Daddy have exceptional, live 24/7 tech support. That to me is more important than anything else. Many authors are busy doing other things between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm Monday through Friday, Central Standard Time. It's nice that both Network Solutions and Go Daddy have live people there for me at 5 pm on Sunday, or 10 pm on Tuesday, when I really need the help.
GM
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