After some research and observation of where the web is going, I see a huge untapped market for book authors and the next generation of the web. A good designer can help them develop their web presence specifically in the areas of designing websites and blogs for them. Why?
There has been some success stories of how book authors are using the next generation of the internet, specifically web blogs and Content Management Systems, to help them;
- get the word out about their book,
- land more speaking gigs,
- and ultimately sell more books.
There is a huge untapped market for book authors who need not only the typical website presence but want to use blogs as part of an overall marketing strategy to achieve the above stated goals.
I’ve written the first of more articles for this niche market. You can download my first pdf article, “Why Book Authors Should Consider WordPress For Their Web Presence” as a sneak peak into what the future holds for book authors who are looking for to standout from the crowd. In this 5 page article, I talk about how the WordPress platform is flexible enough to meet the needs of most book authors. I explore various angles of WordPress such as it’s ability to serve as a lightweight robust CMS, a powerful blogging platform, and a user friendly design interface that will get any newbie book blogger stoked!
Why The Book Authors Market?
- There is not enough shelf space at the local book store for all the new books being published. Shelf space is precious real estate. You need to find new forms of “land” to stake a claim. The new real estate is online. The internet is untapped real estate.
- People are looking for expert information. They still go to the book store to find books that offer information on the how tos of dating, lose weight, market your business, or become a more confident person. But the new and growing source of expert information is found online. Ever. Heard. Of Google?
- Book tours are no longer as effective.
- Their current websites are horrible. Or they don’t even have one.
- Paper may soon fall to the waste side.
- Online and social media strategies are becoming more common and dynamic among the book authors market. You can’t have a successful online marketing strategy without a robust and dynamic web presence. CMSs and blog platforms are part of that solution.
- Authors don’t know anything about marketing. Someone may as well help them. May as well be me.
- Because if someone can land a $300,000 book deal by blogging about Stuff White People Like, then the skys the limit.
Dean,
Great decision. The idea of writing a book has been the subject of the day. Check out this monumental and phenomenal approach to co-creating a BUZZ machine: http://brandandmarket.com/recipe-for-collaborative-conversations/
Rick
Great idea. I’m a writer and web person who has a site at http://joeflood.com I’ve been blogging on the site as well as updating folks on what’s new in my writing career. I’m a huge fan of WordPress. I had a static site before this (using Dreamweaver) and WP is a lot easier.
I have a couple of other ways that blogs can help authors:
1. Help them shape their ideas. By writing things out, authors have the chance to organize their thoughts and learn how to express them. You often learn by trying to explain things to others.
2. Get feedback on your ideas. Through comments and by web statistics you can measure response to your ideas and modify how you communicate them.