Writers and the Web

In the age of epublishing and vanity presses, the markets are saturated with manuscripts. What does this mean for the aspiring author? It means, ultimately, authors don’t simply write. The act of preparing a piece of work isn’t enough. Even if you make it through agents, editors, and publishers, getting a book sold often takes a lot more legwork. This is especially true the smaller the press if where you publish.

Publishing is a business, so like any  business, smaller presses have budgets which guide their marketing practices. While a press might take on your book, you shouldn’t rely on them aiding its sales anymore than the contract indicates.

So, what do you do?

You create your own opportunities. Whether traditionally published or independent, a presence of the internet has become rather essential. As I’ve previously discussed, social media outlets provide numerous chances to interact and grow your audience. However, knowing how to use these tools isn’t always enough.

As you can see, this site is on WordPress. It’s organized within the particular limits of the host source and the host’s source codes. There is one particular item of special interest. For those of you who do not know even basic coding, WordPress offers the ability to switch between ‘visual’ (Word Doc. like writing) and HTML.

Now, HTML isn’t actually full-fledged coding, but for those who have never done coding in their lives, it’s a good first step. A good understanding of coding allows you to do a lot of personalized marketing. From designing a website to ensuring site campaigns, coding is terribly useful.

Check out this learning site, and good luck.