Books (and all other types of publications) are listed on author profile pages. Therefore, in order to add a book to the site, you must first create a profile for the author.
For the most part, we prefer that people create their own profile pages. We recognize that sometimes you may want to create a profile page on behalf of someone else, for example for someone who is incapacitated, doesn’t have regular access to the internet, or is deceased. However, before doing so, please make certain this is the right course of action, and that your assistance will be welcomed.
Follow these steps to create an author profile and add books to it:
1. You must first register as a site user. For this, you will need a working email address, and you’ll have to answer a few basic questions to determine your eligibility to add listings to the site.
2. Once you have registered, your registration must be approved by the admin. Ideally this will not take more than a few hours.
3. When your registration is approved, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to log into the site.
4. Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the Dashboard.
5. To add a new author, just hover over the Authors button in the dashboard, then click Add New Author.
6. Fill in the fields on the screen to the best of your ability. Then hit the Publish button in the top right-hand corner of the screen. You can always go back and make changes or add more stuff. Just don’t forget to hit the Update button in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
7. If you need help, email williamkowalski [at] gmail dot com.
How to Add an Announcement
Logged-in users can now make a new kind of post called an Announcement. This is for news about upcoming or recent publications, awards, media interviews, workshops, or any other kind of writing-related news you’d like to share with the community.
Note: It is not required to create an author profile page to make Announcements, but you do have to register as a site user first.
To make an Announcement:
1. If you haven’t already done so, register as a site user.
2. Once you have registered and received your email confirmation, log into the site.
3. In the Dashboard, you’ll see a button called Announcements. Hover or click on that and select Add New Announcement.
4. In the editor window that appears, you can add a title (think of the title as a news headline–try to make it descriptive and informative) and the text of your announcement.
5. Click Publish when you’re ready.
That’s it! Once you hit Publish, your announcement will appear on the Announcements page. It will also be automatically tweeted from @booksbyjohnnies using the hashtags #johnnybook and #johnnywriter. You can always go back and edit your announcement if you want (edits will not be tweeted).