Self-Publishing Author website

[Sarit]

So I decided to create my own space, something beyond an author website---almost like my own online publishing company for my stuff, and maybe in the future for my cool writer friends ;-)

I want this page to start publishing all my serialised work: diff screenplays, short stories, and of course my huge syfy epic The Correction. I envision publishing things in chapters or different chunks, with comments and maybe also hook up a discord channel and build an audience. It just occurred to me that with my tourism blog which I made no effort marketing, it blew up into a whole career. And today with AI it really helps with how people find you.

I really believe that you just need to put it out there and stuff happens.

At this point I don't really care if AI scrapes me, as none of my scripts in this crazy world of Hollywood will ever be produced, and they are great stories. And I'm just really tired wasting time querying and waiting. And even if --- woo hoo! I was to be published I'd still have to do all this marketing and get peanuts for it.

I also tried Royal Road and while it was a good experience I found it better to just start my own RR so I can control things better. I deleted my story from there.

Anyway, I could not get thecorrection.com domain as it was taken and super expensive, but I bought thecorrection.xyz which was dirt cheap and I actually think it is cooler and very syfy. I also bought saritzadok.com because why not? Which domain would you put this new endeavour of mine on? thecorrection.xyz or saritzadok.com ? I am leaning toward the prior.

And also do you guys all have author websites?

 

[Ed Simnett]

one vote for xyz (see for example jeanma.xyz)

 

[Sedayne]

Hi @Sarit
This sounds exciting.
As for the domain name, I think it depends what the focus is.
If it's you as an author and all your body of work that's gone before and yet to come with your name as your brand, then I would go for saritzadok.com (it's a cool and distinctive name btw)
If it's focused on The Correction then go for the xyz.
I don't recall ever seeing a .xyz URL before. I like it. And I just checked out the one Ed mentions. Smart.
They are both really good URLs - distinctive and memorable

 

[JohnBertel]

A vote for saritzadok.com

It will be the natural place to go for people who want to see your other writing and the next syfy epics.

.xyz is fun, but if people don't use a bookmark or link, they have to remember both the site name and an unusual domain.

 

[JohnBertel]

I forgot: if you own both, you can direct them both to the same page. So both URLS would be usable.

 

[Sarit]

I forgot: if you own both, you can direct them both to the same page. So both URLS would be usable.

Ah that's a good idea! Thanks

 

[Mel L]

Ah that's a good idea! Thanks

Was about to suggest the same thing. If you can afford it, go for both!

 

[Nikky Lee]

In my experience, it is significantly harder to get traction with a blog these days (speaking as someone who wrote blogs for businesses for several years). It's a trade off of whether you want to build your audience over time (a LOT of time) or use a platform that already has an audience (e.g. Royal Road, as you mentioned). You will definitely need to hustle/market/promote in some shape or form, even if it is just free organic social media. The days of throwing stuff up on a blog and hoping people will find it are long gone, especially if it's creative writing (I wish it wasn't!).

Personally, I'd kept the blog for news, behind the scenes, and extra content for your fans and self publish the rest – you can even make it free if you don't want to charge for it. (I don't know what the deal is with scripts and where the markets are for them, so I can't really speak to that).

 

[David Newrick]

Yes, I have my own author website. I have been involved wuth websites for many years and always lean towards the traditional .com, .co.uk, .org, .org.uk etc etc. There are now hundreds of domain name extensions, such as .shoes, .tv and the .xyz you are using, which has become a nightmare for those who try to protect their on-line brand by buying up all the related domain names. Having said all of the above, you will have to drive traffic to your website(s) as you said through social media, good old-fashioned email lists, publicity and promotions. Whatever you do you have to make it AS EASY AS IT IS POSSIBLE for the user to click on something to get to your website and hype it to death across numerous platforms, outlets and even your own books/short stories or they will just move on.

My website URL is - D.C. Newrick author website (see how I made an effort to provide a clickable link - but I can't make anyone click on it)

What I am trying to say is that readers are drowning in publicity for thousands of books of every description, from toddler's colouring books that make your eyes smile to obscure literary fiction that makes your brain hurt. No one, and I mean no one has the secret of success, other than to write something that people really want to read and then hype the thing for countless years or else use contacts within the entertainment industries to promote it or commission it.

My inclination is to go for the .com - the reason is that there is a serious amount of bad, amateurish stuff out there and you need to look reasonably legit. However, if you want to learn a trick or two just watch what @AgentPete does with Litopia. He doesn't just have a .com website, he reaches out to everyone by sending out email updates, he organises events, he advertises, he writes elsewhere and mentions Litopia, he has special offers on and string of other things: so he seduces us (the tease). Don't waste your time too much on a domain name other than make it relevant, keep it reasonably short (users will not type hundreds of letters into a browser bar) and as solid/legit as you can make it - you can always can always use domain redirects later if you decide on other domain names, so you are not trapped for ever in digital hell where you have to shout!, shout!, shout! (oh wait!).

 

[Sarit]

@David Newrick Thank you very much for your thoughts. For the moment I've decided to go with neither the .com or .xyz and expand my current website by one tab to post stuff about my novel. Then start a NL and see what happens. this is a small investment and a test and if I see it's working then I'll transfer those pages to .com or .xyz (still undecided!) in a new website. I already have an audience I just need to organise them better!