You should know that designing and maintaining an author’s website takes some work, though. Think about what your brand is as a published writer, while exploring Reedsy’s resources and marketplace full of professionals happy to give you a helping hand.
1. Find Inspiration for Your Website
In addition to branding, there are several other points to consider before creating a website. How will you make it accessible, and what domain name will you be using? Will you also run a blog?
But before we get into all that, try to identify what you’ll need from your website, and browse other authors’ websites for inspiration.
Look at what popular writers do with their platforms. Reedsy lists the best author websites around, each exemplifying a particular quality that any good domain needs, such as:
Making your books the center of attention. Immersing visitors into the nature of your books. Adding social features. Using color and negative space well. Giving your platform a personal touch, like resembling elements from your book’s design as per Reedsy’s tips.
2. Build Your Website
Dig into Reedsy’s website-making guide for more good ideas on how to make your author website lead visitors to your books and turn them into longtime fans.
While browsing the best website builders on the market, choose one that can accommodate your brand’s needs in terms of aesthetics, social elements, user experience, and more.
To settle on a good strategy, make the most of Reedsy’s tips on building a rockin’ author platform and putting yourself on the map.
You can be more active on social media, do some interviews, or win competitions, but one step you can’t skip is setting up your email list and giving people a reason to sign up for it.
An attractive reader magnet and a reliable mailing list provider are key, as well as strategies to keep fans hooked, like giveaways and exciting updates. Put together a plan with the help of Reedsy’s guide on author email lists.
3. Get Help to Build Your Website
If you’re not sure what an author site should look like or where to even start building a website, it’s okay to let someone else take over.
Besides helpful articles, Reedsy offers a marketplace of author website designers. They’re all well-vetted professionals with experience in building efficient websites for authors.
They can create the whole platform or focus on specific parts that give you trouble, like:
Improving your SEO. Setting up social media tools. Organizing your contact forms, newsletters, and blog. Sprucing up your website’s layout and branding.
Let Your Author Website Spread Its Wings
Once your domain is ready, don’t let it wilt in obscurity—instead, let people know they can visit you there.
You can share links to your blog and promos on Instagram and Twitter. Alternatively, collaborate with other authors to send each other traffic.
Get creative from the planning stage to build an author website that lets you hit the ground running as soon as it launches.
