Writer Webs

Articles and Update Coming Soon!

2006-05-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month for Writer Webs - with plenty more projects lining up. If you're looking for a site to launch by July or August, please be sure to contact me quickly because my schedule is quickly filling up.

Ask The Web Design Articles
Thanks to my friends at the Long Island Romance Writers (LIRW), I will soon begin a series of articles for authors with questions relating to their web sites. While I do run Writer Webs, I plan on providing quality, non-biased information, to help writers make good choices on how they should pursue their self-promotion with their web site. If you have a question you'd like to ask, you can contact me with it for inclusion in a future issue.

I will be developing a companion site for the articles on the Writer Webs web site that will provide more in-depth information on each topic (if necessary), as well as an archive of questions and answers, and a more formal way of submitting a question. I plan on running some contests and other fun elements as well, so be sure to check back for more information!

Writer Webs Support
I'm also in the process of developing a more detailed support center for current clients. With the new hosting packages, I provide a variety of features to authors and I'm working on providing more information on how to take full advantage of them. Such as detailed statistics packages, how to update your site with edit points, how to add photos with edit points, and much much more!

It looks like there will be another four sites launched over the next four weeks, so keep your eyes opened for some promising new author web sites coming to an Internet near you. ;)

-Brandon

Time To Get Serious About Your Site

2006-04-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to thank all those that have supported the Writer Webs philosophy and business model. My goal is to help launch and promote your career, whatever type of author you may be. Published or not.

Being involved with so many different types of writers, I recognized that there was a serious lack of quality and options for author web sites. That proved to be the case as Writer Webs is becoming very successful.

With that initial success, I'm about to redefine Writer Webs a bit to offer an even more attractive benefit to authors.

A New Server
Working in web design for over a decade, I have come to understand that you often get what you pay for. I see a lot of author sites hosted on cheap servers that lead to slow response, downtime, and security problems.

When you hire Writer Webs to develop your site, I don't want you to have to worry about any of those problems. I want your server to be the best possible. There's no point in having a Ferrari if it doesn't run.

So I'm in the final stages of securing a new server in one of the most stable and fast data centers in America. I plan to maintain the hosting fees at $14.95 per month for your site, but on this new server you will notice the quick response, large amount of options (real-time site statistics, webmail, etc.) as well as the security of your site. You can rest assured that Writer Webs will make sure your site is taken care of, so you can focus on your writing.

A New Pricing Structure
As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm working on revising the Writer Webs pricing structure. This does not mean an increase in price, it means flexibility in paying for what you want.

The intial plan was to create packages of different levels. However, I quickly became aware that since I'm developing these sites custom tailored to you - and not just using cheap templates or other gimmicks, that it's not easy to fit Authors into packages.

I will soon be switching to a quotation price module so we find a price for exactly what you need. So far, the sites I've designed have ranged from $200 to $1800. If you would like more options, they are available! If you don't need those extra options, then you shouldn't have to pay for them.

I will also be lowering my hourly rate for updates and assistance. Which brings us to...

A Better Relationship
When I work with an author, my goal is to design a site that you can count on. A site that will help promote your career and show the world your voice and style. Writer Webs is not looking to just pocket the payment and move on to the next.

Working with Writer Webs, I'm here to help you. If you have a question or concern, just send me a note. You will never be charged for advice or assistance without knowing that up front. If your issue requires billable time, I will inform you in advance and all details will be explained before I begin that work.

My goal with Writer Webs is not just to have the best quality design and servers, but also to have the best customer satisfaction and experience. I'm a firm believer that the better your career does, the better Writer Webs will do, and I stand behind that.

I know that the testimonials and continued support of authors who have worked with Writer Webs will always remain the strongest marketing that Writer Webs will ever have.

Brandon

Spring is here and the writing season is in full force!

2006-04-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I know it's been quite awhile since I've updated the Writer Webs blog, so I thought I'd discuss some of what's going on with the business.

Writer Webs is starting to generate a lot of interest! I've been busy working on launching a variety of sites for authors of all genres, so expect a large portfolio update soon.

A lot of authors are also looking at having titles published through the end of 2006 and into 2007, so I've been in discussions with a handful of new clients. It's an exciting time for a lot of authors apparently, and that makes it an exciting time for Writer Webs.

To coordinate the deluge of new clients and prospects, I'm going to be making a few changes to the way Writer Webs currently works. This will be immensely helpful to everyone and accomodate for increase quality and business relationships with all authors that choose my services.

Coming soon:

1. Dedicated Scheduled Project Time: To focus full attention on each author at a time, all future Writer Webs projects will be scheduled solely for that author. Depending on the involvement of the site, I will allocate two to four weeks where I will focus only on the author's site I'm designing. This means that once you start a project with Writer Webs you will be the only client during that development period. This ensures no missed deadlines, no lack of attention or answers to your questions or comments, and a strong committment that I will be doing my best work for you and you alone.

2. Price Restructuring: When I began Writer Webs I wanted to focus on a niche market where I could hone my talents to best solve the needs of authors. At the same time, I developed straight-forward package prices. However, since all sites designed are custom created to fit the personality and style of the respective author, the package prices had a tendency to pigeon-hole clients. Writer Webs will always create custom, high-quality sites exclusively for authors at affordable prices. However, I am going to begin doing custom-quotes based on individual needs. This will provide the additional benefit of creating a site ala cart to allow you to pay for only the things you desire. If you don't want a blog, you don't need to pay for a blog. However, if you prefer more custom development, that additional development can be accomodated easily as part of the package - this will do away with the $52/hour price for custom work and present a variety of options on how you want your site developed.

3. Additional Options: With the custom quoted prices, I've been able to develop some additional expertise available to meet your needs. You'll have to watch the site for a full list of new features and products, however, some of the additional custom work I will be providing will include Search Engine Optimization (for better traffic generation from search engines), custom promotion assistance and consulting (to drive traffic to your site from other sites and channels and increase your book sales), and additional programming functions - message boards, advanced site statistics, and many more exciting things.

4. Reader Webs: I've been discussing Reader Webs for awhile, and it's nearly ready to launch. I wanted to make sure we were ready to provide a unique and successful portal for readers and authors to connect. There will be some promotions and exciting opportunities for writers as our launch date approaches, so be sure to check back often! More details will follow soon. :)

In addition, I'm working on developing relationships with publishers, booksellers, agents, and industry sites to provide more expertise and help with making your site a self promotion tool. Writer Webs sites are exclusively for authors, and I will do everything I can to continue to provide services and expertise specifically for writers that you won't be able to get anywhere else.

I'll be posting updates more frequently in the near future as some of these exciting changes come through, in the meantime, I wish you all continued success with your writing career and book sales! I'm pulling for you and doing all I can to help make you a success - we all benefit when your career takes off!

Brandon

Limited Time - The RESOLUTION Package

2006-01-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the earlier post, I'm making the best package deal Writer Webs will ever offer.

This is because I believe 2006 is going to be a great year for writers everywhere and I would like to get those authors that are considering a professional web site, but may not be able to make the financial investment.

So, from January 1, 2006 until January 31, 2006, you can sign up for a RESOLUTION package from Writer Webs. I will even offer payment arrangements to accomodate you.

LIMITED TIME - SPECIAL OFFER!
The RESOLUTION Package
Valid 01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006

This is the best package I will ever make available, in an effort to make Writer Web's services available to writers looking to spruce up their image and become truly professional.

DESIGN: $150
HOSTING: $10/month (optional with 6 or 12 month contract)
*Hosting fee will lock in, you'll never pay more than $10 a month as long as you stay with Writer Webs.

Basically, this includes almost all features of my top-of-the-line package at an incredibly (60%+) discount.

Custom, Professional Design based on what you want.

Up to 12 pages for excerpts, books, reviews, contact page, etc.

Guestbook and Blog setup included FREE (if wanted)

Search Engine Submission and Keyword Optimization

Real-time site statistics (if hosted with Writer Webs)

Edit Points to make your own changes (if hosted with Writer Webs)

No HIDDEN Fees

Payment Arrangements Available (Contact for details)

Please use the special contact form on WriterWebs.com to request information or order this package. No payment will be required until I begin working on your site.

Happy New Year!
-Brandon

New Year Resolutions

2005-12-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

Things are going great for Writer Webs!

The new ad has launched in Romance Writers Report.

To celebrate this, along with the start of 2006, and hopefully many successful writing ventures for all authors - I'm going to be launching a fantastic special for the month of January.

I'm still working on the details, but as I mentioned earlier, one of the primary goals of Writer Webs is to offer authors the opportunity to have a clean, sticky site to drive their careers at an affordable price. And to accomodate that, with the New Years Resolutions ad, I'm going to offer an exceptional deal this one time, for the month of January.

It will include a full, custom site, much cheaper than the current Novel package.
It will offer an exceptional discount on hosting!
I will also offer a payment plan for those of you that can't afford to pay for a new site all at once.

Stay tuned! The new package will launch this coming weekend and be valid until the end of January.

Brandon

Writer Webs Redesign

2005-11-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

In January, I have an ad running in Romance Writer's Report.

Based on the simple and elegant design of the ad, I decided to redesign the Writer Webs website at http://www.writerwebs.com/

While I loved the old design, it wasn't geared at being a straightforward web design studio like the new design is.

I also launched the new pricing structure to make it easy for any author - published or yet-to-be - to get a quality, custom website.

There's been a lot of discussion in the literary agency channels about the importance of a website to a writer's presentation.

The most important investment you can make to promote your work (to readers, publishers, and agents!) is to have a clean, professional, and stylish website that puts the focus on your writing!

I invite you to take a look at the new site, my portfolio, and the new pricing structure. If you've been thinking about getting a website to promote your writing career, this is a great time to do it! I expect to get very busy in January, so feel free to contact me - even if you're just in the decision making process - and I will try to save a spot for you in my queue!

The new Writer Webs Pricing Structure (full service, customized solutions, exclusively for authors!)

PROLOGUE PACKAGE - $9.95 per month + $85 initial design fee (save $75)
SHORT STORY PACKAGE - $19.95 per month + $200 initial design fee (save $175)
NOVEL PACKAGE - $29.95 per month + $350 initial design fee (save $275)

The Novel Package is by far my most popular - it includes everything you need to market your writing and much more, for less than the cost of most design companies.

As always, I encourage you to check my portfolio and even contact my clients if you want a first-hand non-biased account of the quality of work and communication I offer. There's a handful of author-specific site designers, and not all of them are a good investment! My hope with this new pricing plan is to offer exceptional quality for a highly affordable price.

If you want to contact me, just visit http://www.writerwebs.com/

-Brandon

ReaderWebs Logo!

2005-11-20T23:08:00.000-08:00

Things are moving forward with bringing ReaderWebs - a readers community online. I've been trying to take a look at other communities that focus entirely on readers, and there doesn't appear to be many at all. That surprises me!

So, now, I see it as even more of an opportunity to bring like-minded individuals together for intelligent discussion and activities that revolve around the readers, not the authors! ;)

With great thanks to my wife for most of the concept, I'm happy to show the new Reader Webs logo:

In addition to launching Reader Webs very soon, I plan on adjusting the prices on Writer Webs to accomodate a much more broad ranged audience as well as move to a more monthly-centric pricing structure.

I have developed a variety of custom scripts and ways to allow authors to easily update their own content, however, I can only do that if it's hosted on my servers, so look for the new pricing plan soon!

In addition to these exciting developments, I also launched two new sites this week. Both authors gave me surprisingly kind testimonials and seem really happy with their sites!:

Gregory Benford - Nebula Award Winning Science Fiction Author
http://www.gregorybenford.com/
Testimonial: "If you want quick, smart, efficient website building, no one in my experience remotely approached Brandon. He has a sense of style with zest (quite rare) and intelligent appreciation of how audiences differ. You can't go wrong with him."

Gina Ardito - Romantic Comedy Author
http://www.ginaardito.com/
Testimonial: "Thanks to Writer Webs, I have a website that's uniquely mine. Brandon welcomed all my input, provided expert advice, and gave me a finished product beyond my greatest expectations! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to work with Brandon and Writer Webs."

Thanks to both of them! I should have a couple more sites launching this week. This is a good time to sign up if you're an author looking for a quality site! I will be getting very busy around the first of the year.

-Brandon

A Busy November

2005-11-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy time at Writer Webs. I've been simultaneously developing about seven different sites, sending specs out and getting them fixed up. Now they're starting to launch, so I should have a large portfolio update to show for it.

Just Launched - http://www.benford-rose.com/ (Dr. Gregory Benford & Dr. Michael R. Rose - to promote their scientific non-fiction essays through Amazon Shorts).

In addition, Dr. Rose is sending me an autographed copy of his most recent book - The Long Tomorrow: How Advances in Evolutionary Biology Can Help Us Postpone Aging (I really enjoy having these mementos from authors I work with).

And also, a wonderful testimonial for Writer Webs:

"In a world where so many promise a lot and deliver little, Brandon Dennis delivered more than I hoped, and sometimes more than I had imagined. It has been a delight to work with a web site designer who combines efficiency and responsiveness in such a seamless manner. Highly recommended!"

I'm happy to have such a successful launch! Over the next week or two, I should launch at least Four other sites, hopefully as smoothly as the Benford & Rose site.

I'm also starting to work on the basic details for ReaderWebs.com - I have some staff lined up, and I look forward to making that a great addition to the list of services that WriterWebs can offer authors. I will be adjusting my prices, but not increasing as much as bringing them all together to a monthly fee structure that can include hosting, statistics, ReaderWebs promotion, and much much more! Stay tuned for more information here.

And, of course, if you're an Author looking for a site - I'm in the process of wrapping many projects up so I should have time to develop some more sites by Christmas. Currently, I've been working quickly with approximately 2-3 week turnaround. If you're interested in more information, please visit my official site at http://www.writerwebs.com/

-Brandon

ReaderWebs.com - Coming Soon!

2005-10-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

As an avid reader, in addition to running Writer Webs, I have noticed that there's a few sites geared towards bringing authors and their readers together. However, so far I haven't seen many that are as exciting as I would like.

The benefit of the Web is the ability to bring these communities together and offer some interaction.

Therefore, I've been talking with many authors as well as readers to create a community that can tie all these concepts together. The result will be Reader Webs!

ReaderWebs for Authors
ReaderWebs will be a host of information, reviews, entertainment, stories, biographical information, and links to authors. It will help sell your book and promote your name! In addition, it allows me to build a focused presence for Authors with WriterWebs as well. I plan on introducing an easy-to-understand pricing structure for ReaderWebs and WriterWebs - a monthly fee that will include ReaderWebs promotion, site hosting, design, maintenance, and search engine optimization! Be sure to watch for more information, as this will be announced here before officially on the WriterWebs site.

ReaderWebs for Readers
There are places on the Internet for readers. However, they are either too specific, or too broad. ReaderWebs will offer a direct focus, without an ego, to help readers find more of what they like, spend less time looking for authors, reading shelves, or flipping through pages. In addition, it will have forums, interaction with authors, reviews, and much much more!

Call for Editors, Staff Writers, Marketeers!
I've created large communities before from nothing. I know how to create the site, promote it, and make it successful. However, to make it grow, I need a handful of quality editors/reviewers/marketeers. If you are interested in any of the following, please contact me through the WriterWebs site and I will follow up with more details:

Reviews - Reviewers will be giving a simple set of guidelines to make sure all reviews are targetted. This will be a checklist of sorts. Reviewers are not paid, but will receive copies (and potentially advance drafts) of novels, short stories, and non-fiction based on their specified preferences. This is a great opportunity for other writers to study the craft and network!
Editors - Editors will be responsible for content creation, editing, and moderation of their selected genre/sections. Currently, there is no official payment opportunities, however, once ReaderWebs becomes profitable, the editors that help it grow will receive a percentage of the income ReaderWebs generates. If you are looking to become a part-time editor for a web community, this is a fantastic opportunity to get started with. Once ReaderWebs is generating profit, only the best will be hired. So get started on the ground floor and secure your position based on your quality, not your credentials.
Writers / Columnists / Humorist - Submissions will be accepted for publishing on ReaderWebs at each "issue" based on themes. However, if you are a writer/columist/humorist and would like to discuss an opportunity to be considered as a "staff writer", please contact me and submit three samples of your work. Articles should be 1-4 pages max and focus on issues that READERS want - while we will publish some industry information, ReaderWebs is a site to help and entertain Readers, so please keep that focus in mind. If selected, staff writers will have the potential to earn a percentage of profits from ReaderWebs once it becomes successful.
Marketeers - This is an interesting position available with the launch of ReaderWebs - a marketer will be responsible for coordinating the ReaderWebs advertising campaign, as well as finding new venues to work with (publishers, writers, etc.) and communities for announcement (forums, mailing lists, etc.) - We will not tolerate spammers, and only seek to follow guidelines at any of the communities with which we work. If you're interested in becoming involved in the industry, making connections, and networking to help ReaderWebs (as well as yourself), please contact me. I have no details as yet to as to how marketers will be paid, it largely depends on your ability to generate traffic, but I'm willing to negotiate depending on your qualifications, interest, and passion in the field.

Why would I want to work for free?

It's important for me to mention that the call for editors and staff writers is not volunteer work. However, ReaderWebs can't pay its staff until it develops income. If you're looking for part-time work (a few hours a week, generally), this could be an exciting opportunity.

Since WriterWebs is already working with a large number of authors, promotion for ReaderWebs is already guaranteed. The sky's the limit as to how far it can reach. Some of the moderate size Internet communities are generating thousands of dollars each month from advertising. There's a wonderful market for ReaderWebs that is unsaturated and filled with opportunities. A small, focus, quality staff taking a percentage of monthly profits could potentially make a very nice side business for little work and a large amount of creative freedom.

If you're interested in becoming on staff for the launch of ReaderWebs - please contact me through the WriterWebs contact form. I will respond and ask for examples of your work. If you are interested, but have not published or written any articles, you can create a mock-up article of your potential work. Once I've selected potential staff writers/editors, I will contact you to discuss details of future payment, target dates, deadlines, and all other details.

-Brandon

Bringing Things Up To Speed

2005-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Since I just created this blog, I thought I'd go ahead and make a large post to update what I've been working on.

Before I even started Writer Webs, I designed my wife's new web site with this business in mind. Hers was a success and you can visit it at http://www.leslieanndennis.com. She wanted something kinda playful to fit her personality, and it worked out well I think!

Then I explained my new business to the group at Romance Writers Unlimited and quite a few of them signed up. I'm still working on some of these projects, but many have been launched already:
Romance Writers Unlimited - http://www.rwunlimited.org
A simple, elegent approach for a community of romance authors. This was designed to look stylish and not intrude with the content, since it's primarily a forum.

Katherine Allred - http://www.katherineallred.com
Kathy's a multi-published romance author. The questionnaire helped greatly because I came to understand how she enjoyed fantasy, so those elements were worked into her site.

Shelby Reed - http://www.shelbyreed.com
Shelby is truly up-and-coming, she has some fantastic reviews across the board, even at Amazon (which has a tendency to be picky sometimes). She wanted something inspiring, and I think the asian-influenced, jewel-styled site fits her to a tea.

Hunter Cole - http://www.writerwebs.com/romance/huntercole
Hunter wanted a photo-realistic typewriter page with mono-spaced font. To enhance the design, I placed a handful of images that fit him on the back to make it look like a work area.

Paisley Scott - http://www.paisleyscott.com
Paisley liked the photo-realistic style of Hunter's site and wanted to take it a step further - one comment on her site was how it seemed very "Chick Lit" and I couldn't agree more. It definitely fits her personality.

I have a handful of projects I'm currently working on:
Cate Rowan, Amber Green, Gina Ardito, Gregory Benford and Benford-Rose. In addition, I have three questionnaire's out, so those projects will be added to my to-do list as soon as I receive them.

The Magic Of The Internet or How things sometimes just work out!

After launching Writer Webs, I started contacting a very select sites and communities to see if they were interested in working together. I had fantastic response across the board - a lot of places that freely added a link to Writer Webs as a resource for authors, and a couple that were interested in me providing articles for their newsletters, etc.

I also decided to contact my favorite author, Gregory Benford, to see if I could have the ability to work on his site with him. Dr. Benford works as a professor of plasma physics and astrophysics at the University of California, but he's also a fantastic author with well over 20 published books, including many Nebula and Hugo award winning novels and stories.

I was thrilled to receive a response where he was thoroughly interested in working with me. He called me this past weekend and we talked about his web site and the focus of it. I sent him a questionnaire (as I do with all my clients) to get a feel for the style of design he would like.

In addition to his fiction work, he is doing a series of essays with Dr. Michael Rose for Amazon Shorts (a lot of people aren't as familiar with the Amazon Shorts section). So we'll be launching a Benford-Rose site as well to promote these essays in conjunction with some promotion that Amazon will be doing.

It's wonderful to be in a business where you can not only truly enjoy what you're doing, but have the ability to get a personal phone call from someone you admire and respect! I hope this will help promote more science fiction writers to take a larger interest in their web presence. The genre sure could use a nice Internet community boost!

-Brandon

Writer Webs Philosophy

2005-10-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Without the trouble of an investor, I plan to make Writer Webs successful by building on quality and mutual respect with my clients. Here I thought I'd share some of my business philosophy to reinforce my dreams of what a quality web design company is, and should always be.

In choosing a niche market (authors), I will involve myself in the industry. I will gain knowledge and partner with publishers, communities, e-zines, e-publishers, and as many authors as there are genres.

I will offer advice and support, as much as possible, freely to any who need it. I will publish articles to communities and journals with little bias to help increase the quality of author web sites across the board.

I would love to see high quality web sites of writers everywhere, even if they don't use Writer Webs.

I will continue to find ways to make quality web sites affordable to writers of all levels. I am as interested in working with the yet-to-be-published authors as I am with the multi-market published ones.

I will respect all authors I work with fully. I won't use high profile authors simply for the purposes of selling my services. My portfolio should speak for the quality of my work, and I encourage people to check with my previous clients if they're interested in how I have worked in the past.

In addition to continuing to gain knowledge in the fields of web design and writer markets, I will continue to provide the little touches to all sites I work on. I despise bad code and short cuts, even if the client wouldn't know the difference. I will not publish a site unless I feel it meets my expectations.

I will not negotiate prices. But I will keep my prices as affordable and reasonable as possible for the amount of effort and quality involved. In addition, I will work with those that are interested, but lack the funds, to find payment plans or solutions so they can have a web site.

I will even support my competition, as long as their quality is worthwhile. There are far more authors than there are quality web design companies. An increase in marketing and knowledge in the field will help me as much as it will help my competition, and authors everywhere will reap the benefits.

-Brandon

Serendipity

2005-10-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've worked in the web design field for over 10 years. I ran my own web design business (Scenic Blue, LLC for you history buffs) and sold $20-$50k projects to well-known large businesses.

However, I lost inspiration in the design aspect. For some reason, the business of business often interferes.

Not that I consider myself an artist unable to work under pressure. It's just that I wanted something more.

I had registered writerwebs.com years previously, hoping to work with it in some fashion. As fate would have it, I became more involved with writers. Primarily through the wonderful group at Romance Writers Unlimited. With their support and interest, I started working on author sites. And shortly thereafter, Writer Webs was born!

Now I've found my niche. I find my design work to be more inspired than earlier, I find it to be enjoyable, and I have found working with authors to be thought-provoking and entirely fun! There could not be a greater group of people than those who put pen to paper.

Here's to the journey and a toast to the success of Writer Webs and its authors, everywhere!

-Brandon