Friday 15 February 2013

Building a Web Site

It had to be done. I was determined I would put everything into publicising the re-issue of a set of my novels by Cloudberry Books, and that meant having an up-to-date web site as well as this blog. I confess - with absolutely no hesitation - that I am not a computer wizard. I use my computer to write books, not to do all those clever things that younger people are able to do. I am a writer, not a modern technocrat.

I put off the task for a few days and then, finally, I plunged in with a great deal of trepidation. First I needed a basic proforma, I discovered. I couldn’t find a suitable banner headline that illustrated books, so I made do with a cup of tea. Well, it was only a starter. It was also appropriate because I went through several cups that morning! Later, when I’d got the hang of it, I photographed a couple of books on the dining table and uploaded them onto the web site. By then things seemed to be moving forward.

What was I going to put into the web? Well, a bit about me seemed obvious. It’s what other writers seem to do. It wasn’t easy because I’m not an extrovert used to talking about myself or advertising myself. But, hey-ho, it has to be done. If I’ve left anything out… it was deliberate.

Next I had to include something about my books: specifically the ones due to be re-issued. In fact, I decided, that should be the main point of the web site. I have other books on the market, but some of them are written for an American publisher under a pseudonym. I left them out of the equation. Let’s start with the five re-issues and let’s give the web reader a free look at the opening chapters.

Next, I included a bit about my early writing because I thought it might encourage new writers to see the process I went through. We all have to start somewhere and I wish I’d had access to web sites many years ago: ones telling me how other writers began. You’ll have guessed that there were no web sites in those days. Even computers were steam-driven! I started with the most modern technology available… an electric typewriter.

Finally, I put up a photo gallery, something to let the readers discover a bit more about me. And that’s about as far as I’ve progressed. You can see the effect of it at: http://www.thenovelsofdavidhough.com/

 

 

 

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