Why writers need an author website

Invite your readers into your online home

If you love to write, you should write. Just enjoy it.

If you want to publish what you write, however, you need to think of your writing as a business. Even if you are able to secure an agent and a contract with a royalty publisher, you are still conducting business. You’re an author-preneur: An author, and entrepreneur.

Over the next few weeks, I want to give you some helpful tools for your authorpreneur tool box. These are essentials that authors need to promote, market, and sell their books.

Today, let’s look at author websites. If you aspire to publish your work, you’ll eventually need an author website. Not just a Facebook page or Instagram account (though you will need those as well). You don’t necessarily have to wait until you publish your book to set up your website.

A lot of writers tell me about spending hours promoting their books on social media. Or they send out an email newsletter like this one, trying to connect with their readers. That’s one tool in your toolbox. But not the only one.

Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/

Publishers do want to work with authors who have a large following. But those followers can disappear quite easily if they only connect with you on a platform owned by someone else.

If you self-publish, you’ll need to connect with an audience in order to sell your books. Having a large platform or list of followers is not a barrier to self-publication, but it can be a barrier to selling your self-published book.

The best place to round up those followers is on your own website—a piece of Internet real estate that you own and control, unfettered by algorithms.

For example, I used to connect with readers (and clients) through Twitter. Not so much anymore. That space (where I once had 3000 contacts) has changed so drastically, I decided to delete my account. Most of those contacts weren’t seeing my posts anyway.

Whether you publish with a traditional publisher or self-publish, an author website offers your readers a place to connect with you, to purchase your books and other ancillary products. It is the centerpiece of your platform.

On my website, readers can contact me, find a ton of free content, see what I’ve written and find links to purchase those books.

What should your author website include?

When people first go to your website, the front page welcomes them. There should be a photo of you or your book (ideally both). The “hero” or first part of the page that they see when they open your site, should be tell folks who you are and what you write about. It should also tell them what they can gain from connecting with you. What you’ve got for them. It’s not just about you; it’s about your reader and the connection you want to share with them.

That first page should also have a call to action: to subscribe, to schedule a free consult, to download a lead magnet, to purchase your book.

Here’s an example from one of my clients, who recently published her book with me:

Your site should also include several pages:

• one that lists your books or published articles

• a blog where you regularly post new content

• a subscribe form where readers can get a free download or lead magnet

• an about page that has a more detailed bio and information on your qualifications

• a testimonials/reviews page, that has what people have said about your work

• a way to contact you

• Even if your portfolio so far includes only freelance articles or maybe contributions to an anthology, include those.

Now, since you’re a writer, creating all this content will take time, but probably feels doable. But when it comes to the technology side of things, you may feel a bit intimidated. I know I did and sometimes still do.

If you have a friend or kid who is between about 12 and 30 years old, you could enlist their help in setting up a simple free site through a service like Wix.com.

Or, you could invest in working with a professional. I have done this a couple of times over the last 20 years, and each time I asked them to teach me how to update the site (I use Wordpress) so I can upload new content myself.

What tech tools do I need for my author website?

In order to have a website, you need a few things:

• A domain name, which you can purchase from a number of different sources.

• A hosting service

• A platform like WordPress where you can build your site.

Many authors use Wix, an all-in-one platform where you can use templates to build your own site. (The hosting and site building are all in one.)

SquareSpace is also popular.

I’ve spent the last several weeks working with a wonderful web designer to craft a brand-new website.

I have an author site at www.keriwyattkent.com that tells visitors about my books and my writing, which focuses mostly on spiritual formation. I write about pace of life, hospitality, Sabbath, and other spiritual topics.

I also have a writing, editing, and publishing company, A Powerful Story. I provide all sorts of services including coaching and collaborative writing through that little business. For a long time, info about A Powerful Story lived on a few pages at www.keriwyattkent.com

But as my coaching practice has grown, and as I’ve helped more and more authors self-publish, I realized that I needed two separate sites. I have two separate brands: spiritual formation author, and editor/coach.

So I’m delighted to announce that my new site, www.APowerfulStory.com, is live! There’s a ton of content to answer your self-publishing and writing questions.

I hope you’ll visit the site and let me know what you think.