If you think that is a little odd coming from someone that designs web sites and who has just released Free & Easy Web Design, a workshop for writers and publishers then read on!

The trouble with that question is word NEED. Need indicates something you cannot do without, such as a daily meal, air to breath, clothes for warmth etc. You don't NEED a web site to continue your existence on this mortal coil (or, at moment anyway, your writing career).

So, let's re-phrase question:

"Will a web site really do anything for my writing or for me?" Put this way, answer becomes a resounding YES!

But let's not get too carried away just yet! It is as well to ask yourself a few questions before you start looking for a home in ether.

1. Do you regularly send out query letters and submissions, offer writing services such as copy writing, critiquing etc? If so a web site should definitely form part of your marketing arsenal.

You should view it in same way that you view any off-line promotional material such as letterheads, business cards or information sheets. It should contain a brief biography with contact details and samples of type of work you do. It should also list any prizes that you may have won in writing competitions and if applicable, photographs of magazines in which you have been published. You can see some good examples of personal writing sites at www.writelink.co.uk choose Writers from left-hand menu.

Having this kind of site becomes even more important if you are already, or intend writing for web. As editor of WriteLink I spend quite a lot of my time flashing from one site to another and find it quite irritating when someone approaches me with an idea and they don't have a web site containing examples of their work. The off-line world is just too slow for on-line editors!

2. Do you write a little poetry or a few short stories, mainly for your own pleasure? If this is you and you don't intend to take your writing any further, then a web site should figure much lower on your list of priorities. If you like idea of sharing your work with your friends and family, only consider this option if you have cash or time to spare. Otherwise there are plenty of sites on web that will allow you to show case your work on their sites. www.AbcTales.com is a good choice, but there are lots of others.

3. Do you have a book to promote? Selling and promoting on-line is a very cheap and effective method of selling your book, but you need to get things right from start. This means you definitely should set up a site for your book. The site in itself is not enough to generate sales, but it is an essential part of whole marketing package that should include both on and off-line promotion. For more ideas on book promotion see The WriteLink to Promoting & Selling Your Book at www.thebookblurb.co.uk This one's free!

Mark Twain once said: “Find out where people are going and get there first”.

With advent of internet you can certainly find out what folks are wanting. Being first at front of line to bill them might not be quite so easy.

But there are ways to find out if there's an existing hungry crowd for your information product, and more importantly a crowd with pockets bulging with cash to give you.

In this article I'm going to share some tips that will save you much heartache from chasing after wrong market.

Firstly I believe that it is very important that what you sell interests you, otherwise you sign up for a life of struggle and worse... Boredom!

Motivating yourself to sell something you have no interest or belief in is soul-destroying at best of times, so don't do it.

Just because *rubber cat suits* is your thing doesn't mean rest of planet digs them at all. I mean that's a pretty small niche with less than 560 searches performed a month. Yes I did actually go and check out stats for it.

One of things I've found in this marketing-malarkey is that I am able to explore interests that I simply don't have time or inclination to actively get involved in.

Take archery, I can twang a bow as well as next man, and have done for past couple of years. But idea of traipsing off to all those shows every weekend, predominantly talking a load of rubbish just doesn't do it for me.

BUT sell this bunch of Robin Hood wannabees an infoprod, and I'm game. Seriously though, I love archery, it's one of few sports British government hasn't actually tried to ban... yet!