How authors should be more like bands

Even your brother's garage band has a MySpace page with a list of upcoming gigs. It confounds me when authors don't have a website or a blog (or a MySpace page, okay) with at least a little news and a bio, and preferably a list of events they will be appearing at if they have some coming up.

With this morning's search, the author in question has a book coming out in the next 6 weeks and is definitely doing some appearances. I stumbled over one by accident while looking up something else, and thought, "Hey, I wonder if he's doing any other readings in New York." He has written for plenty of sites and has a lot of relevant search engine results, but no blog -- no Facebook page -- no site. His publisher's page doesn't even mention his second book, so that would also be considered an institutional failure, but it would be just as easy for him to buy MySecondBookTitle.com or MyName.com, throw up a list of book tour dates as they are confirmed, and walk away. (By the way, both those mock URLs appear to be available, so have at.)

I'm your audience and I can't show up unless you tell me where you are! Don't count on me to surf over to the bookstore's website in time. Don't assume I'll be walking past a Barnes & Noble with your photo in the window. Best to make it, if at all possible, so that if I Google you, I can click through to some kind of you-maintained Web presence where I can find out that you have a book coming out and that you're reading at the bookstore around the corner from me.

Publicity departments, if you think your author won't do this or isn't willing, you should update your sites too -- or help your author to set one up. If James Ellroy can be on Facebook, what is everyone else's excuse? (Yes, his publisher helps him, but that's my point -- a few hours a week for an intern, a high level of net attention.)

You as an author don't have to put up flyers or play bar mitzvahs or scary gigs in country bars. (And aren't you glad?) Just pick a platform for your online home... anywhere.

Earlier from my apparently ongoing series: Publishing, You're Doing It Wrong