Writers in the Storm

by Lisa Norman

I'm expecting my first grandchild in a few days. When I hold her in my arms for the first time, I'm not going to be judging her ability to run a marathon or write novels. I'm going to be happy if she looks up at me. If I keep our first encounter simple, connected, and welcoming, it will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

When authors build their first website, sometimes they want their website to be as fancy as big-name authors' sites - and I'm not saying they can't be - but this is a distraction.

The important thing is this: Be there. Now.

On occasion I do consulting for Search Engine Optimization specialists. I was called in to consult for a big firm that had an absolutely stunning website. Problem: they weren't getting new customers.

Meanwhile, their tiny upstart competitor with a plain website was getting more work than they could handle. Why?

Because the simple website was first on the search results. The fancy website didn't even show up. Why? The fancy website was full of gorgeous video. Moving pictures. Immersive.

But search engines can't see pictures. Search engines see words.

What does your website really need?

For this post, I want to talk to you about the absolute minimum you need for a functioning website. I'm going to tell you my favorite plugins where appropriate but understand: these are not the only options. They're just my favorites.

I'm not going into detail about hosting and domain name here, because those are choices you want to make based on your budget. Generally, you want to get your name or your pen name as your domain name, and before you pick a hosting company, read a lot of recent reviews.

A website needs a place to live on the internet (hosting) and a domain name that people can type in to get to it.

If you don't want to spend any money, WordPress.COM is essentially a hosting company that only runs WordPress software. They will give you a free domain (yourname.wordpress.com) and set you up with the basics. This is the internet equivalent of living in your parents' basement. You live by their rules, but you are safe and you won't starve.

Once you get your own domain name (yourname.com - for example) you'll need to start paying them rent, and then it is cheaper to move out and live in your own space. The good news is that you can take all your furniture with you.

I'm a huge fan of WordPress because I've never seen an author outgrow the platform. I've seen a lot of folks outgrow other platforms and struggle to move their content. But if you are using something other than WordPress, most of the points that follow still apply. Just ignore the names of specific plugins.

(Note: on WordPress.com, you can not add plugins. Just use what they provide, it is sufficient.)

Your Necessary Seven Items

1. A Security Plugin

When my daughter moves out, she wants to get a German Shepherd. Wordfence — even the free version — acts like a big, protective barking dog. You can turn off the notifications if the barking bothers you, but it is handy for reminding you when to do your updates! This is the first plugin I install on any WordPress website. It will keep you safe from hackers.

2. A Contact Page 

This page needs a form and some type of anti-spam so that people who you do want to talk to can reach you easily while spammers get stopped.

On WordPress, this may look like Contact Form 7 with the CleanTalk plugin to block spammers. (CleanTalk is one of the very few paid plugins that I recommend strongly. If you get just the basic package, you can get it for under $7/year. That's a bargain for keeping spammers away from your website!) Contact Form 7 generally sets itself up correctly when you install it. Pop the form onto a page and be done.

3. An "About me" Page

Include a simple bio with a headshot — this is what will be used to introduce you at speaking engagements or harvested by media personnel when your book hits the NYT bestseller list. Have fun with it. Headshot is optional, but great to add when you can.

4. A newsletter signup form on EVERY page

There are many options here, depending on what you want. I love the Newsletter plugin for a free version that keeps the emails on your website, but MailChimp and other well-known brands work, too. Newsletter will walk you through the basic setup when you install it.

5. A Privacy Policy

This one scares a lot of authors, but it shouldn't. Treat it like a writing exercise. By current law, a plainly written one is much better than a bunch of legalese.

Write something that sounds like you, something that sounds like your books. And if you are completely terrified of this, WordPress includes a sample and information to help you. I actually know someone who got a contract because an agent loved their privacy policy.

6. A Home Page

This can be a simple "welcome to my website, I'll put something cool on this page eventually" or it can show your blog posts if you are up to writing one every month or so. (Hint: hide the dates!)

7. A theme you can live with

My current favorite is Kadence. Not too hard to set up, and it covers the basics that people ask me for most often. If you want something easier to set up, try Bard.

Final Thoughts

A website doesn't have to be hard. If I have the author's bio and a few words of welcome, I can build a website with these bits in well under an hour.

I had a client who needed a website urgently. I built her one in 2 hours and she used it successfully for over 10 years. Sure, I have some know-how, but I share it in my classes. I promise you, anyone can build a website these days.

You may be thinking that you want so much more for your website. But like my soon-to-appear granddaughter, give your website time to grow and develop. Meanwhile, NOW is the crucial time for connection. A baby website is better than no website at all. And ask yourself: Is there anything easier to fall in love with than a baby?

Are there items that you think should be added to the must-have list? What are your author website challenges? What questions do you have for Lisa? Please share them down in the comments!

* * * * * *

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of Deleyna's Dynamic Designs, a web development company focused on helping writers, and Heart Ally Books, an indie publishing firm. She teaches for Lawson Writer's Academy.

Upcoming Classes

• August: Social Media for Authors
• September: Maximize your Crazy Easy Author Website (Advanced)
• October: Crazy Easy Awesome Author Websites (Beginner)

By Melinda VanLone

Writing a series is a smart way to build both your brand and your career as an author. If you’ve done that (or are attempting to do that now), the next thing to do is capitalize on that effort. After all, there’s a ton of readers out there who read series almost exclusively.

Your readers have two main questions when they see a book cover they think is part of a series:

Do I like this series? Have I read this particular book?

Your cover needs to walk a tightrope with duplicating elements on one side and diversity on the other if it has any hope of attracting someone looking for a fun new series to read. 

So how do you do that? 

Consistency and Cohesiveness

Spend quality time on the design for the first book in the series and you’ll make designing the rest of the series a whole lot easier. The important thing is that the look across the entire series be familiar, so that readers see a bond holding all the books together. This is a case where repetition is the word of the day. Choose elements that will repeat from cover to cover and you’ll have instant brand recognition. Some of these elements include: 

1. Typography

One way to build a series brand is to focus on two typographical elements that will be on every book: the author’s name, and the title. 

Once you’ve found a place and font for the author’s name, keep it exactly the same on every book in the same series. This will give the reader something to hang their hat on. “Oh, this book is by that author I like!” Brand yourself first and always, rather than one book or even one series. If they remember your name, they can always find your books! If all they remember is a title, they could find some other author’s similar book instead. We don’t want that.

The same idea can be used with the title of the book as well. 

For example, Edwina’s covers feature her name at the bottom of the page, in the same font, arranged the same way. The title is always in the center of the book, with the same font treatments. See how that lends consistency and tells you right away that these books belong together? Even if other elements around the title change, the reader knows they all take place in the same story world.  

While this post deals specifically with design, keep in mind that you can build brand consistency with the words you use for the title as well as the placement itself, as Edwina did by repeating the word “prince.”

If you’re not a fan of keeping the title in one spot across several books, you might also use the same type treatment for the title, but shift the location depending on the background image.

2. Tone/Color

Another way to build cohesiveness in a series is to be consistent with the tone/mood of the artwork and graphic elements. You can even go so far as to use the exact same artwork on every cover, but vary the color of it to show it’s a different book.

3. Graphic Elements

Sometimes a graphic element can lend brand cohesiveness. Use the same cover model, for example, or the same treatment for the subtitle, or some other graphic element that makes sense for the genre. Catie’s covers feature smoke, and the same model, on every cover, though the background and pose changes.

All of these elements combine to form a parade of covers that clearly belong together, yet are different stories. Readers love knowing that the book they’re buying belongs to a set, and they love knowing that they have the whole set. Do them a favor by making it easy to tell that your series is, in fact, a series and they’ll reward you by clicking the “buy” button on every book.

What pushes you to buy a book? Do you prefer reading series vs. stand-alone books? Most important: do you have questions for Melinda? Please share them with us down in the comments!

* * * * * *

About Melinda

Melinda VanLone writes urban fantasy, freelances as a graphic designer, and dabbles in photography. She currently lives in Florida with her husband and furbabies.

When she's not playing with her imaginary friends, you can find Melinda playing World of Warcraft, wandering aimlessly through the streets taking photos, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.

Her elementary fantasy series, House of Xannon, begins with Stronger Than Magic. For more information on covers, visit BookCoverCorner.com.

by Eldred Bird

I think we can all agree the last year and a half has had a profound effect on everyone. As writers, it’s safe to say we’ve all been changed in some way or another. I can tell you that in the last eighteen months my creativity, as well as my mental health, have taken quite a beating. My normal writing processes have been completely derailed, leaving me wandering through my drought-stricken imagination, searching for any trickle of inspiration.

So, now that things are opening up, how do we pull out of the funk and get the creativity flowing again? Here are a few ideas that seem to work for me.

Get Outside

I know it sounds simple and that’s because it is. I’ve been staring at the same walls for so long I know every cobweb in every corner of my office, so a change of scenery works wonders. I never thought of taking the dog for a walk and breathing some different air for a few minutes could make such a difference, but when I’ve been in isolation for so long, it’s a game changer. Listening to the sounds of outside life and trying to describe the tree, flower, or bug I just came across is a good mental exercise that gets the brain cells chugging along again.

Go for a Drive

When I say go for a drive, I’m not talking about running errands or getting the shopping done for the week. I just fill the gas tank and drive aimlessly. I might take that road I’ve always wondered about but never turned onto before, or slow down and really look at the places I pass every day but haven’t paid much attention to. If I see a house that catches my eye, I might make up a story about the family who lives there, or maybe someone who died and now haunts it.

I’m also lucky enough to have a vehicle that allows me to get off the road and explore the deserts and mountains near my home. Ghost towns, old mines, and long abandoned structures offer loads of inspiration.

Recover Lost Routines

When everything shut down, a lot of things got messed up. Familiar routines were disrupted and the places we escaped to had limited access or shut down completely. We lost our comfort zones. I had certain pubs I would write in because the character of the location (as well as the people) inspired me. Returning to those places has opened doors in my brain that were slammed closed during the lockdown.

I’ve also been able to return to the Musical Instrument Museum where I volunteer, and it’s done a lot to get me inspired again. Every piece in every display has a story, as do most of the patrons I have the opportunity to interact with.

Call an Old Friend

This one is a biggie. Reconnecting face to face with people again has helped my mental state. While I’ve enjoyed the time spent on video conferencing and chatting over social media, there’s nothing that recharges my soul like catching up in person. We’ve all got that one friend we lost touch with (maybe even before Covid) that always brightened our day when we sat down and caught up. It’s time to look them up, invite them out, and spend a few hours laughing, crying, and just reminiscing.

 Do Something Just for You

This one might sound a little selfish when you have family and friends who have suffered as well, but self-care is important. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be doing them any good either. Rediscover that one thing that made you happy before all this pandemic stuff. It doesn’t matter if it’s something no one else in your circle enjoys doing—do it for yourself.

I help take care of my spouse, my in-laws, a few outlaws, and any other strays that might happen by. When it all gets to be too much, I escape and sneak out to the antique mall (thank God it’s open again). It’s my happy place that I don’t have to share with anyone else. I find things that remind me of my childhood and go on treasure hunts for whatever inspires me that day (usually old cast iron skillets).

Some Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt the world has changed and will never completely return to life as we knew it, so we have to adjust. In truth, the world never stops changing from the time we’re born until we draw our last breath, so we’re used to adjusting to whatever comes next. Things just happened a lot faster this time. My best advice is to slow down, take a deep breath, and give your brain a chance to catch up.

What impact has the last year and a half had on your creativity and productivity? What have you found helps you deal with the changes? Let us know in the comments!

* * * * * *

About Eldred

Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.

When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives). His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. He can be found on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.