Can a website sell a book?

Good question. I've long been of the opinion that a good cover can help sell a book. I think websites work the same way.

One of the toughest challenges facing authors today, especially new ones, is trying to get a little name recognition, trying somehow to get attention for their book, to make it stand out in the sea of tens of thousands of titles.

An eye-catching cover can do that. And in this age of the internet, a good website can do the same.

One of the things I always urge writers is that they must have a decent web presence. Without that, they are cutting themselves off from a huge potential audience that might otherwise never hear of their book.

Thanks to my friend Andi Shechter, I just found a brand new author website and it's a winner. The site is for Louise Ure, a new writer whose first book, Forcing Amaryllis, is coming out in June.

When I realized that the site was done by Heidi Mack -- who recently redesigned Lee Child's site and works with John Connolly, among others -- I wasn't surprised, since she always does good work. (Kudos to Mysterious Press, too, for doing such a cool job on the book's design.)

So what effect does a site like this have? I think it does a few things. It announces the author's presence to the community; helps make people aware of the book; demonstrates that this person is a pro and someone to be taken seriously; generates search engine results...all of which can help convince readers to give the book a chance.

(I just noticed that there's a link to Mystery Ink on there. Shows they have good taste, too!)

Does this mean I'll review the book? Nope. Does it even mean I'll read it? Not necessarily. But I am, at least, aware of it, and I'll definitely try to give it a look when it comes out. That gives an author a leg-up that might make all the difference.

Comments

[Louise Ure]

David,

Thank you for the kind words about my website. I agree that Heidi Mack did an extraordinary job on the design. And I thank the folks at Mysterious Press for that stunning cover.

I spent twenty-five years in advertising and marketing, working on everything from the Dancing California Raisins to Shake 'n Bake. You're right on all counts--you may have a terrific product, but if the packaging and advertising aren't done well, nobody is ever going to hear about it. In fact, it might be even more important in the publishing world where there are so many new authors and titles fighting for a share of shelf space, share of mind and share of a reader's budget.

[Cornelia Read]

David, I got to read an ARC and can recommend FORCING to your attention with extreme gusto. Louise is a fine writer and this is a kickass debut.

[Andi Shechter]

I have somewhat clear memories of explaining to Jerry Healy about WHY he needed a website and to be on line and all that jazz way back in the dark ages (oh, like the '94 Bouchercon) because it struck me always as one of the cheapest ways to provide publicity and allow readers to reach writers, especially readers who, unlike me, aren't convention types. It's still an awfully easy way to find an author, a book, a tour schedule and i some cases to find out about the writing process or the author's cats. Ok, or get a tarot reading (that was David Skibbins site). One of the things I do during my day is scout for mystery author websites; I maintain the "Mysterious Home Page" datebase for Kate Derie and cluelass.com and it's astounding how many we've added in just the last year. Nowadays I'm stunned when an author _doesn't_ have a website. (but then, I don't have a cell phone...)
Andi

[Lee Goldberg]

I think a professional-looking website makes a big difference...which is why I asked Heidi a few weeks ago to redesign mine. She won't get to it for a month or so, but I can't wait to see what she does! She does incredible work.