Susannah Begbie grew up on a farm in New South Wales. She studied medicine and has worked as a General Practitioner (GP) in cities and towns across Australia from Boggabri to Broome. These days, Susannah works part time as a GP and writes fiction part-time.
In 2022, Susannah won the Richell Prize for emerging writers for her first novel, Where Trees Fall Without Warning. She hopes to see that novel published soon and in the meantime is working on her second novel.
Building a credible digital presence
As an aspiring novelist, Susannah understands having a professional online presence is a key component of building her profile as a writer. She says, “My website makes me identifiable. It is a window to a potential audience for me and my writing."
Susannah also likens users stopping by her website to visitors calling on her at home. “We live online and if someone visits my website, it’s akin to knocking on my front door. They can find out a little about me, as well as information about what I’m up to with my writing. Hopefully, the people who visit my website can have confidence that I’m credible and approachable.”
Choosing .au direct
Susannah is not only a GP and a writer – she’s also proven herself an early adopter by choosing Australia’s newest namespace, .au direct, for her website.
A friend and business owner was the first to recommend a .au direct domain name to Susannah. On carrying out her own research, Susannah decided .au direct was the right choice for her, including:
- It says, “I'm from Australia” in just two letters
- It is instantly recognisable to people using the website
- It’s new, fresh and short.
As she told auDA, her final decision came down to one overarching feeling – “I like it!”
“Aside from the Australian aspect, I recognise the other benefits it brings, including accountability, business reputation and security. Knowing the .au brand is reputable is a big benefit.”
Susannah is a .au member. You can learn about becoming a .au member at www.auda.org.au/join and to learn more about Susannah visit susannahbegbiewrites.au.
