Now that you’ve decided you need a website, the first question is: what should it have? Of course, in some ways it will be just like any other website. But what are the essentials for an effective author website? More importantly, what will make it uniquely yours, and speak to your audience?
The No.1 function of an author website is to get readers. In other words, sell books.
It is where people come to find out more about you and your work. Which means, everything about your website needs to be geared towards making this as easy as possible.
This might sound intimidating, but building the perfect author website isn’t rocket science.
Essential elements of an author website
If you’re at the planning stage of your author website, you might already have a sense of what you want from it. Ask yourself these key questions to understand why a website is important for you, and how it will work for your target audience.
When you’re ready to get started, there are plenty of good resources. For example, publishing industry expert Jane Friedman has a fairly comprehensive guide on building an author website.
Conventional wisdom says that, an author website should have the following content:
- Books-related information
- Author bio
- Mailing list/newsletter/subscription form
- Contact information
- Media/events information
- Blog (maybe)
- Shopfront (in case you’re selling books and merchandise)
This seems like a lot, but it really boils down to how you organize it. If you’re not planning to have a blog, even a simple, one-page website could incorporate everything. Just look at this one of the Crawford sisters.
Organizing your website
The simplest author website (that is not a single page) will need at least the following pages:
Books
Obviously, this is where all the information about your books will go. For authors with a long list, each book may need to have a separate page. Either way, a cover, blurb, and buy links are essential for each book. If you have reviews, a few well-chosen excerpts wouldn’t go amiss.
About
This one is for your author bio, along with a headshot or a photograph of you at work. Depending on what you write, the about page could be fun and quirky, or serious and business-like. Feel free to tell your readers about the awards you’ve won, what you like to do in your free time, or how many cups of coffee you consume per book.
Contact
The contact page could be combined with the about page, or it could be completely separate. Forms are best for people to get in touch, but you could also include an email address.
Social media handles and links, newsletter (if you have one) can also go with contact information. Even if social media details are present elsewhere, it doesn’t harm to repeat them with your contact info.
In addition to the above three, you could consider the following:
Blog
Regular blog posts are a fantastic way to keep your audience engaged and coming back for me. They are also great to get any extra content you might have to your readers.
Events/appearances
For authors who depend on events and appearances, this page is a must. It lets your readers and fans know where and when they can meet you. It might also help to have information on how to contact you for events (even if that information is already on the contact page).
Anything else
There is no conclusive list of what an author website should or shouldn’t have. If you went on a year-long expedition to Antarctica to research your book, go ahead and have a special Antarctica page. If you have a podcast or a Youtube channel, definitely plug them.
There is always place for anything relevant to your writing, anything that a reader or potential reader would find interesting.
If you’re selling your books directly on your website, or you have merchandise that readers might like to purchase, you will have to have a shope page with an e-commerce setup.
Summing it up
There is no one way to create an author website. Whether one page, three pages, or a dozen, your website can be a changing, dynamic creature that reflects your growth and journey as an author. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. If something doesn’t work, you can always change it.