Why I'm Killing My Website

Sometime in the next week or so, my website at www.ramonarichards.com will disappear. This wasn't an easy decision to make, but it is one I've contemplated for a long time. 

First, I want to emphasize that this has nothing to do with my website designer and host, Bemis Promotions. Liz and Sienna have been fabulous, and I highly recommend them and their company for websites, etc. Please check out their website for more information.  

I'm closing the website for three main reasons: backlist availability/utility of the site; time; visibility.

1. I do not have a viable print backlist. While I've published nine books, there's only one in print, Memory of Murder. And it will go out of print within a few weeks. The older Love Inspired books are available in e-formats, but the other three aren't. The webiste had become a storage locker of information about me and the books--not a place where readers visit.
2. I have a limited amount of time for marketing. I have a day job. And I write. That means I need to make the best use of that time. We all know that word of mouth is the way most books sell these days. I've looked at ways to make the website more useful (such as frequent updates), but they all take more time than I have to give right now.
3. The best way to reach readers is to go where THEY are. My site is not a gathering place; the extremely low number of visitors over the past few months has underscored its lack of visibility. People simply don't go to the website to find out about me and my work.

While I'm maintaining the registration of the domain name, deleting the site also means that my website-based email (ramona@ramonarichards.com) will go away. For now, I can be reached at ramonarichards@aol.com.

I have no idea what the next few months will bring. No one does. But for now I will be siteless.