Bookwebs

Setting objectives for your website

When considering commissioning a website, your first job is to decide on your objectives as this will determine the type of site you need and the pages you should include.

Who is your targe audience?
You will need to think about the nature of your target audience – perhaps publishers, booksellers, producers, potential readers - or all of them.

Questions to consider
Once you have identified your target audience, here are some questions to ask yourself:

- Is the purpose of your website to encourage readers to buy your book?
- Do you want to sell yourself as an author or writer?
- Do you need to link to the booksellers who will sell your book?
- Do you want to include an extract or sample chapter?
- Do you want to be able to sell your work direct from your website?
- How important is the look and feel of your site - obviously you will want a professional looking site, but if you want a totally unique look and feel, you need to be aware of the implication on budget.

Setting your budget
Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself is 'what is my budget?'. Your budget will determine your website's level of sophistication in terms of the look and feel and graphic design.