Book Review: The Practical Freelance Writer’s Guide to Author Websites

I’m an avid reader with a voracious appetite for books (and sometimes for food too! Have you seen my photos on Facebook?). It’s not uncommon to find up to 10 books falling off my nightstand all competing for my attention. Now that I’ve got a Kindle, my obsession takes on a whole other monster, but at least it’s a neater one.

One of the first books I had the chance to read on my new Kindle is author Angela Atkinson’s The Practical Freelance Writer’s Guide to Author Websites. She kindly offered her new book for free to book reviewers and I grabbed at the chance.

It truly felt serendipitous. Right at the moment I was creating my own website this one here and this one, this jewel of a book fell into my lap (well I guess you could say in my Kindle).

So what did I think?

Here’s my thumbs up and thumbs down perspective:

THUMBS UP

I’ve read hundreds of freelance writing books and resources online. After awhile, articles or books with relevant, fresh information are hard to come by. So you may be surprised to hear me say that this one was a true gem among a sea of similarities.

Why?

It’s not just because Angela is so nice, brilliant and is the co-creator of WM Freelance Connection (a great resource for freelancers by the way). They are all true and an added plus. But the book like the nursery rhyme cheese stands alone, or should I say on its own.

Her short book packs a punch. It’s filled with information on websites that threw me for a curve. Applications I hadn’t heard of and must-have info you need on your website were all sprinkled throughout the book. It was practical, no nonsense and written in an easy digestible way, great for the nontechies like me. And great for experienced freelancers as well as writer newbies. (You can also expect awesome advice on something new writers often ask such as how to get clips when you don’t have any.)

In fact, her tips on creating a landing page, writing copy that speaks to your client, the dreaded author bio had me putting my Kindle down, and running to my computer. What you see here is in effect, the result of what she wrote. Pretty powerful stuff I’d say.

THUMBS DOWN

This was a quick and easy read. The kind of book that I’d buy instead of borrow at the library. That’s because it’s a great resource. The type of book that I could flip to a page, get a few tips, and then close for next time. On the other hand, it’s not very in-depth. If you want a resource book that gives you a detailed look into writing a blog or how to incorporate SEO in your site, look elsewhere.

But I don’t think that’s the purpose of this book. It’s meant to provide tips and advice on how to get started or improve the site you already have. And for that, it does an outstanding job.

My only complaint?

I wish she had written more. I was actually sad when the book came to an end.

That’s how you know it was a good one.