Do you REALLY Need that Web site?

Today I found a terrific interview with an editor at Walker Books for Young Readers about marketing.

Mary Kate Castellani talks about the importance of Web sites and how children's and YA authors could (or not) use social media to their advantage.

I really liked this statement from Castellani in the interview by YA author S.R. (Shelli) Johannes:

Just as books differ from each other, no two books have the same
marketing plan. What is most important to us is not how much marketing
we put behind a book, but how specifically we target the areas where we
know a book will have success. This means figuring out how best to
reach the market for a book. Since resources are limited publishers pay
close attention to making the best use out of allotted resources in
very focused ways.

I also appreciated how Castellani emphasized the proper use of social media. Not all social media will work for all authors; authors who use it should know the audience they are trying to reach before you get started. (For those of you who read Market My Novel regularly, this should be preaching to the choir.)

Check out the post Marvelous Marketer: Mary Kate Castellani (Walker Books for Young Readers) at the Market My Words blog.