Why Your Web Presence Could Cost You Readers by Camryn Rhys

 I spent many years as a reviewer and a reader before I became an author, so I’m going to take a few moments to speak to some future authors out there, or new authors. 

As a reader, after I read your book, whether I like it or not, I’m probably going to check out your website. So make sure it doesn’t suck. There have been several great blog posts written recently about how to make good author websites. My favorite is Roni Loren’s. Check it out.

But think of it from the perspective of your readers. A couple of times, I read some marginally good books and went to author websites looking to connect with them, talk to them, or ask questions, only to be so disappointed with the level of professionalism, which reflects on my desire to read their books again. If you don’t take yourself seriously enough to run a good website, I probably won’t take you seriously enough to read your next book.

When I get connected to your books and your characters, chances are, I’m going to want to see something about them when I go to your website. Assume I will like them. Put something up that entices me to get to know them better. Maybe write a little story that happens after your book and bury it somewhere for me to find. Give me some more information. Reward me.

Also, if your only web presence is going to be your blog (or your main web presence), you’d better make that blog full of content I want to read. I don’t particularly care what kind of coffee you had for breakfast this morning, nor do I want to read a rant about your mother-in-law / boss. I do care about what you think about the writing profession, about your meetings with fellow authors or your agent, and where your inspiration comes from. Think of your audience, and write a compelling blog. Or don’t blog. You don’t need one, so don’t do it unless you’re going to do it well.

Things I care about: your characters, your writing habits, the books you’re reading and what you think of them, the new cover art you just got, what you listen to while you write, what you’re currently working on, and when your next book is coming out. There’s plenty to blog about. Make it count.

Speaking of next books, mine is out now. It’s called Misbegotten Gaines and it’s part of the Decadent Western Escapes series set in Freewill, Wyoming. Kyle is a chef, Jamie a cowgirl. They’re like oil and water at first. If you like Romance So Good You Can Taste It, you’ll love this book.

Also, I have a Cowboys & Corsets & Cocktails release party going on right now. Everyone who comments on or tweets about the books or the release party will be entered to win an e-reader and a grand prize package of my favorite western romances, or my favorite Steampunk romances.

Stop by my blog or my Twitter feed to win.

http://camrynrhys.com


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Thanks for having me!

Kyle Harris lands a job as the new chef at the Misbegotten Gaines Ranch just in time for the launch of their new Singles' Trail Ride. When his new boss, the alluring Jamie Gaines, mistakenly believes him to be married, he goes along with the ruse to keep his job. But things start to heat up between them and Kyle has to choose between losing his job and letting Jamie get away.

Camryn Rhys grew up on the border of Canada and the US, and still hasn’t decided which country to call home. She splits her time between the Alberta and Montana Rocky Mountains, with friends and family in both beautiful locations. After running her own restaurant for several years and acquiring advanced degrees in writing, foodie romance seemed the only logical option. When she’s not watching the Food Network, she’s reading a romance novel, or if absolutely necessary, working as a consultant. Someone has to put really excellent food on the table.

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Excerpt:

When a guy says he’s gonna work on a dude ranch, he kinda expects it to be run by…well, dudes. Instead, the only two people Kyle Harris could see when he pulled up to the Misbegotten Gaines Dude Ranch were women. And they were hot with a capital H-O-T. 

Hot enough that it got a little toastier in his car, and in his formerly roomy boxers under his jeans. Kyle had big plans for spending long days at his new job out on the dusty trail with men he could consider his brothers. Guys always looked tight in those John Wayne movies his mom used to watch. He had a feeling the wild would do that to a guy.

But being in the Wyoming wilderness with two gorgeous women would not lead to any camaraderie among the men. Nor would it lead to silent nights around the campfire eating beans from a can and drinking coffee from a tin cup while the coyotes yowled against the midnight sky. 

Okay, so maybe he paid a little more attention during those movies than he’d like to admit. But still. The kind of backside(s) he could see promised a lot of things, and none of them peaceful. Maybe he wouldn’t have to extend his sex hiatus after all.