13 reasons you should add a guestbook page to your Author website

Are you looking for a fast and easy way to connect with your readers?  Don’t have time or the desire to keep up a blog? Here is an easy fix: provide a guestbook.

A guestbook is basically a page on your website on which readers can leave comments. All comments are then found in one place on your site. This is great for first time visitors to get a feel of your writing, your following and, best of all, for them to find out that other people love your book(s).

While it’s great to blog regularly and get comments on your posts, sometimes getting those comments is difficult for new bloggers. A few comments spread out over 15 or 20 posts can seem pretty sparse, but if you put all those comments in one place, you have instant reader appeal.

Here are 13 reasons why a guestbook should be next on your “To Do” list for building your author platform:

1. Easy way to get reader reviews.

2. Encourages readers to leave comments.

3. Can build reader participation by providing a link to your guestbook in an email signature or blog post.

4. Provides input for how to improve your book.

5. Keeps you in touch with what visitors to the site are looking for.

6. Easy to put on a blog site with a plug-in.  Try WordPress-ViperGB or to go to your Plug-ins page on WordPress, click the Add Plugin button and search for “guestbook.”

7. Can monitor comments with Askimet.

8. Easy way for new visitors to read testimonials about your book.

9. Can use the testimonials for other advertising if you ask visitors for email addresses so you can get their permission.

10. Gives you contact information if you want to respond to readers.

11. Lets others see that you appreciate their feedback when you reply to their comments. This also builds a valuable sense of community so make sure to reply to comments.

12. All feedback is in one place rather than spread throughout the site with different posts.

And finally, reason number 13: Reading the entries in your guestbook is a great psychological pick up during slump periods when you wonder if anyone really cares if you write another sentence or publish another book. For the most part, readers provide valuable and positive feedback in a guestbook.