#HNS2023 Conference Preview by Tema Frank –
Let’s face it: designing, writing and maintaining a website is not how most authors want to spend our time. Even as someone with a 40-year history in marketing communications, I hate the administrative side of web marketing, and when I write blog posts, I confess that I don’t always take the time to optimize them for search engines (SEO).
That was fine when my blog (https://temafrank.com/) was just for fun–a way to keep friends and family informed about my travels. But now that I’m working seriously on my first work of historical fiction, I know how important it is that the author side of my website be improved. Like you, I need a good site to grow my fan base beyond family and friends, and to help sell the book once it’s out there.
As we learned during the Covid lockdowns, marketing opportunities can vanish in an instant. Even social media sites can implode or hide your content. Now, more than ever, having a great website is crucial for all authors, even those who haven’t published yet. I set up one of the world’s first user experience testing companies, Web Mystery Shoppers International, in 2000. With that background, at least I know what needs to be done. On the other hand, I don’t want to spend much time doing it. Since there’s no end to the list of things that could improve any website, how does one set priorities?
My session at the #HNS2023 conference will help you figure out the essentials.
Too many writers still make basic mistakes that turn off potential readers and lose sales. They do silly things, like forgetting to include links to buy their books. Or they ignore or bury key information that most fans would be looking for. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to put together an effective website. Come join me to discover the most important elements of a good author website, and common mistakes to avoid.
In this session we’ll talk about:
- Why, now more than ever, having a great website is crucial for all authors.
- What are the minimum essentials that every author website must have?
- How much does it cost to put together a decent author website?
- How to find a good, yet affordable, website designer (or should you do it all yourself)? How to use your website to build fans and make sales.
About Tema Frank
My first name rhymes with Emma. It was my grandmother’s name. The novel I’m writing, Red Rules, was inspired by the early life of her husband, who was fending for himself as a 13-year-old on the streets of Minsk, Russia, starting at the time of the first attempted Russian Revolution in 1905. The book examines the clash between idealism and harsh reality, as he opts to fight for the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War, which started in 1917.
I’ve always wanted to write fiction, but earned a living as a marketing communicator and website usability expert for most of my career.
I’m the author of two bestselling business books, including PeopleShock: The Path to Profits When Customers Rule, which focuses on how to leverage the best of digital technology and human psychology to improve sales. A digital marketing pioneer, I developed a database of 75,000 website usability testers worldwide using social media and web marketing techniques before social media existed. I’ve spoken about website usability in the US, Canada, France, South Africa, Kuwait, Mexico and Peru. I currently spend half the year travelling, most recently with a three-month stay in Ecuador. I look forward to meeting you!