Once upon a time, a writer's business letterhead listed his or her address, phone number and maybe a fax number. These days, though, writers are finding that they also need to list their Web site addresses. Professional Web sites have become much more than just a trendy calling card; today they have become many writers' primary form of self-promotion.

On a Web site, you can post all the information you would normally put on book jackets, brochures and flyers--but much more of it, and with better quality graphics. Plus, you have the option to change this information at will, ensuring that it is always current without incurring printing costs.

Web sites offer a 24/7 window into the writer's world, and you can create as unique a work in this digital domain as you can on the blank page that faces you at the beginning of each writing project.

There are many do-it-yourself site builders out there. If you're building your own, make sure you have the following:

• Easy administration tools - you should be able to update your own site with ease, preferably from any Internet-accessible computer; don't be dependent on someone else's schedule to get your newest information posted
• Contact page - make it easy for folks to get hold of you, especially if you're doing book talks to promote your work
• Portfolio Manager - have an easy way to add new book cover art and blurbs; include information about all of your published works
• Teaching Aids - cool stuff that ties your published works into the curriculum - make it easy for teachers to use your books in their lessons
• Calendar - let people know when you've got an event coming up; bonus points if your calendar has an RSS feed to broadcast your news
• Guestbook - a great way to let your fans contact you
• Site traffic statistics - know how many site visitors you're getting, which pages are the most frequented

As the saying goes, it's hard to recover from a bad first impression, and if you want to put a most professional face on your Web site, start with the domain name. Think about it: yourname.com, or www.feebiehost.com/~communityatlarge/username/sitehome.html? Assuming you can fit all that on a businesscard, which name makes the better impression?

People will come looking for yourname.com and will expect to see that attached to your book titles in any promotional materials you put out. Plus, yourname.com goes with you if you change hosting companies, or if your hosting company goes out of business. Lots of people new to the Web get started with free template sites like those offered by iVillage and AOL. These sites do not support custom domains like yourname.com, but you can have a domain forwarded to them.

GoDaddy.com offers affordable registration and easy self-management tools. You can register your domain for under $10 per year, and you can bundle that with an easy-to-use site builder. They even offer domain forwarding, for those of you with free Web sites.

HIRING A PUBLICIST

Hiring a publicist is a big step for most authors, particularly in the children's book field where it's hard to make a living on what are often small print runs and low royalties. For that reason, my agency generally recommends that an author consider doing his own publicity first, so that he can gain a realistic view of the market and learn what can be done to supplement his publisher's efforts.

Once you've decided to take the plunge and hire a publicist, there are a number of things to consider. First is whether you want to hire someone locally, or someone who is a specialist in the field. Secondly, you should decide if you'd like to work with the publicist on an on-going basis, or on a campaign for a specific book. You also need to talk with your publisher or publishers about your intent to hire a publicist because it's important to avoid duplication of effort and to make sure that that all parties are kept informed.

When negotiating with the publicist, make sure you find out the number of contacts she'll make on behalf of your book, how the books will be sent (will you do it, or will she?), what method she uses to report results and how often you'll get information. Ask about her experience with books similar to yours, and be sure to convey what you think is most important to achieve for your book.

Susan Salzman Raab is the author of An Author's Guide to Children's Book Promotion ($16.25), a handbook that provides an overview of the process, and her agency website, www.raabassociates.com has a "To Market" section that supplements the guide. She is also marketing advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and founder of Raab Associates, an agency specializing in marketing children's and parenting books. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Recommended by author illustrator Chuck Galey: "You can get a great deal on postcards at Modern Postcard. That's where I've had some printed before; 500 cards for around $100 when you supply all the digital mechanicals. Just go to go to www.modernpostcard.com."

Roxyanne Young
Editorial Director
SmartWriters.com