Why Indie Writers Need a Website

Hi Everybody,
Breezing thru this morning to give you my thoughts on those wonderful indie writers out there who are trying to make their mark in the publishing world.

As most of you know, I review books on my own site, Picture Book Depot, and also for the New York Journal of Books.

Very recently, I have begun to accept a few (a very, very few) self-published picture books for review, and several are just astounding. I intend to address this at another time, but right now, I want to discuss something that shocks me.

Many of these indies don’t have a website or web presence of any sort. When I ask for the link to their url, they invariably send a link to their Amazon order page.

That’s not what I asked for, my friend, and it just won’t do.

A web presence is like a calling card, and every indie writer needs one. It solidifies your presence; it verifies you. It screams, “I’m not a bot or a spammer, I’m a real writer and I do exist.”

Your site doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it could simply be a blog that you post to once or twice a week. Check out WordPress.com and Blogger for free hosting.

Whatever you decide, your site should contain the following basic information: Your biography, a nice headshot, your publications, if any, what you’re working on now, contact information, and sample chapters or pages, if you like.

Hope this helps you in your writing quest, and here’s wishing you a successful new year of indie writing,

Rita Lorraine