There are many different ways to fulfil your author website’s primary directive—sell books and help your audience connect with you. But what is the best strategy for you? As we mentioned earlier, this depends on who you are, what kind of books you write, and who your audience are.
For instance, a celebrity author needs a different website from someone who isn’t a household name. An author of children’s fiction will have to attract both young readers and their parents, while someone who writes historical non-fiction will be catering to history buffs.
Looking up the websites of your favourite authors is a great way to get ideas. Here are a few examples of authors who do it in style, but also in very different ways.
Showcasing your brand
Award-winning author Angie Thomas rushed into the limelight with her iconic novel The Hate U Give. She is a recognized name in literary circles, and she banks on this to make her author website stand out.
Her homepage showcases Angie Thomas, the brand. Yet everything on her website—her books, events and other projects—are easy to locate. She doesn’t have a blog, but she does have plenty of resources—like discussion guides for her books, and writing guides to help upcoming authors.
Promoting your books
Novelist Brit Bennett’s website is designed around her latest book, The Vanishing Half. A reader arriving at her homepage is immediately struck by the comments from acclaimed sources like Kirkus and O, The Oprah Magazine. Further information and order links are right there when you scroll down. Her other works, bio, events and contact info are all within easy reach.
Similarly, Lesley M.M. Blume also has a book-focused site, but in a very different way. The slideshow of black-and-white photos with minimal commentary previews her latest work, Fallout, about the bombing of Hiroshima. The design is spare, reflecting the subject matter. Unfortunately, the website is not mobile friendly.
Engaging your readers
Author websites for children’s authors are tricky because they speak to multiple audiences—parents, teachers, and young readers themselves. Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds, makers of the Judy Moody series make it look easy with a website that focuses on the titular character rather than about themselves. Yet the fun stuff for readers, resources for teachers and parents, and info about the books and characters are all within easy reach of the homepage.
Self-help author Rachel Hollis has a strong focus on engaging readers with motivational content. Her blog content and podcast feature prominently. In some ways this too might be a brand-focused design, but the brand is not Hollis herself; it’s what she offers to her audience.
Summing it up
The perfect author website looks different for every author. Consider who your readers are. Then, give them the website that makes it easy for them to want to buy your book.
Despite its specific function, an author website is also just a website. Which means, all the general best practices, like fast loading time, consistency of content and design, a good user interface, accessibility and robust SEO, are just as important too.