Caren Johnson Literary Agency

By Kelsey Timmerman

Blog (Kong) vs. Website (Godzilla)

You’re a writer, which monster do you want on your side?

WEBSITES (Godzilla)

Websites are like Godzilla. They’ve been around longer, surviving the ice age of the internet until the U.S. military turned them loose. They took the world by storm and they breathe fire (well…maybe not that last bit). Websites have slightly evolved overtime, but for the most part, they do the scaly, utilitarian job they’ve always done.

Scaly Utilitarian

My accountant has a website. He says about six people visit it a year, but he has to have one for new clients wanting to checkout his firm. And if my accountant has to have one, you as a writer definitely must have one.

As a writer, I haven’t met many of the magazines, newspapers, and now publishing house (thanks Caren!) editors that I’ve worked with, so when I query or pitch them, I’m always sure to send a link to my site. It’s my “Howdy” to the world.

A website tells editors who you are and provides links to relevant writing samples or clips. Your fans – and you are so lucky to have lots of them – visit your site to see a list of what else you have available or even where you might be appearing in the media or at an event.

My first website was used primarily to promote a travel column that I was self-syndicating. I suppose it had a similar purpose as a site promoting a book, but was far less savvy than a site should be. It was loaded down with content and photos. Last week I registered a new site, because as a freelance writer/quasi-journalist/author I needed something that I could hang all my hats on. As the prolific writer that you are, you will likely write many books, so try to avoid the temptation of registering the site as www.(the name of your first book).com because this will look a little funny when your second book comes out. It’s best to use some version of your name.

Unevolved, money pits

I registered both of my sites through Yahoo! and built them using Yahoo!’s free Sitebuilder software. I’m sure there are cheaper ways to register and host your site, and better software with which to build it. But I’m by no means a computer guru and it’s all fairly simple for me to operate, so I’ve stuck with Yahoo!

Which brings us to the drawbacks about websites:

They are somewhat of hassle to maintain and edit. You have to manipulate your file and then upload it to the internet. I update mine every couple of months depending on what I’ve had published recently or what has to change in my bio.

They’re not free. I pay about $12/month for mine.

BLOGS (Kong)

And if websites are like Godzilla, Blogs are like King Kong. They are used to squashing the weak and picking up the ladies. Kong beats Godzilla in popularity any day. Donkey Kong, anyone? We see the human in Kong’s eyes, but not in Godzilla’s cold reptilian retinas. Blogs are constantly evolving and adapting to their surroundings.

Picking up ladies

Your blog is where you display your voice on a regular basis and win over the hearts of your audience. If you build it they will come. If you post on it daily they’ll keep coming back. The more you post the more you’ll show up on google searches for random things like “OneDerWear” disposable underwear (look at #6). And you never know who might stumble on your blog. I was contacted by an agent because of my blog Where Am I Wearing? before I even started looking for one.

Squashing people and things

I’ve campaigned for the return of Mrs. Butterworth’s boobs and taken on ridiculous Spammers. Blogging also gives me a chance to exhaust the heck out of any metaphor I choose with no real professional consequences.

Evolve

A blog helps you evolve your fan base and your writing. I find writing about something completely different than what I’m supposed to be working on a good way to get my writing wheels turning. On numerous occasions, I’ve gone back and recycled posts or pieces of posts for actual work.

The great thing is that blogging is easy and it’s free! You can post to your blog from anywhere, even from your cell phone. I’ve used both Word Press and Blogger and their both relatively user-friendly. You couldn’t go wrong with either one.

Posting to your blog is easy, but you don’t have as much control of the layout and overall appearance. They often look less professional than a well done website.

I can’t stop playing with my monkey

Writing a blog can become real work or, even worse, you could become a blog-o-holic and waste time writing pointless posts instead of working on your book. Some writers believe that you should save your words for your work.

Which monster do you want in your corner? I say, both. After all, who could stop the one-two punch of the Kong-Godzilla dream ticket or – depending on whom the delegates side with – the Godzilla-Kong dream ticket?

Not this author.

Kelsey Timmerman