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So, it’s time to think about creating your first author website? Congratulations!

Maybe you’re a debut author… or you’re negotiating a publishing deal… or you’re unpublished but want to start building your writer platform. You’re smart to start thinking about establishing your author page.

Your website is the cornerstone of your online presence and professional credibility. But it doesn’t have to be daunting to assemble what you need.

Does an author still need a website?

Let’s be clear, I’m a little biased here! As a designer specializing in author sites, naturally I believe a website is essential.

However, publishing industry professionals who are not website designers are mostly united in the opinion that yes, you absolutely do need an author website.

Jane Friedman says:

“First things first: an author’s website, whether it gets much traffic or not, is foundational to your career.”

— JaneFriedman.com

Here are some of the reasons I encourage you to create your author website:

You need a central place that you control. Once you buy your author domain name and establish your web pages, you are in complete control of what appears there. Your work, your brand, and the projects you want to focus on will take center stage, and you get to decide what people see.
You won’t be taken seriously if you haven’t invested in a website. These days, any small business needs a website to boost credibility. If you haven’t bothered to set up a professional web presence, you’re sending a message that you’re not serious about your work.
Likewise, making the commitment to publish a website is an important signal to yourself that you identify as a writer or author.
When you create your website and notify friends and family, you’re sending a strong message that you mean business! In the early days, your strongest supporters and best customers are likely to come from the circles you already know. So if your family doubt that you’ll ever find publishing success, start by publishing your website, and show them you’re making headway.
Building your audience on social media is super risky. Algorithms change and you may find, overnight, that you can no longer talk to your fans, or that you need to pay to do so. There have been multiple examples now of Facebook making it harder to reach the people who like your work, and other platforms are just as fickle.
A website isn’t essential in order to gather email list signups, but it’s the natural place to host your email form and encourage visitors to stay in touch. Unlike social media, your author email list gives you permission to contact readers directly, when you have news to share.
If you’re seeking any form of media attention, guest appearances, speaking gigs, or book club invitations, your website will be one of the first places that someone checks your credentials. They want to see if you’re worth introducing to their audience.
When someone searches for you online, ideally, the first Google result should be your own website, underlining your credibility and authority in all the areas above.
Your author website is a great investment. It serves as a business card, networking tool, and a place to offer a taste of your creative talents.

Checklist: what to include on your author website

Unless you have dozens of books published and multiple related income streams, the good news is your author website doesn’t need to be complicated.

However, as the foundation of your writer platform, you must make sure it’s well-designed and thoughtfully structured, with the key information your visitor will be looking for.

Here are the essentials your author website should include:

Home Page
1. A clear statement of your niche and/or the audience you’re writing for. Don’t assume your work is for everyone: it isn’t.
  Examples:
  Andrea Ross: “exploring inner and outer landscapes”
  Pamela McCorduck “has been an eyewitness to the birth and early growth of one of the most profound scientific, intellectual, and social revolutions in human history: artificial intelligence.”
  Colleen Sehy: “Writer, Speaker, Traveler, Anglophile.”
  Hank Ellis: “Award-winning adventure stories for teens and adults who love our planet.”
  Me: “Romantic comedy for Anglophiles.”
2. An attractive image of the latest book you want to promote, or you, if you are the main selling point of your brand. I’m a big fan of using a mock up tool to make a 3D image of the book or digital experience. Take a look at Smart Mockups or DIY Bo ok Cov ers for easy ways to create this.
3. Brief social proof, such as an award or glowing book review.
4. The primary Call To Action, that is, the next ideal step your website visitor should take. Depending where you are in your writing career, you might be hoping they’ll buy a book, join your email list, or take some other action. Don’t offer a dozen different choices: be strategic.
About Page
1. A clear, recent photo of you, taken specifically for your website. Ideally, you’ll pay for a professional photo, but if not, recruit a talented and willing friend to help. Don’t ruin your author page with a dated, badly cropped, grainy, or unprofessional picture.
2. A reasonably succinct bio. Unless you’ve already achieved considerable publishing success, most readers won’t pay attention to thousands of words here. Be brief, and be interesting.
3. Additional credentials, awards, or memberships, including anywhere notable that you’ve been featured. Again, don’t go overboard with these.
Books Page
1. Carefully chosen book cover images. Again, I love mock ups here: you’ll see these on almost every website I design.
2. A succinct blurb or teaser, not the full synopsis.
3. Buy links for anywhere your book is available to purchase. Use buttons, not text links, if at all possible, since research shows visitors are much more likely to click buttons.
4. Information or structure to indicate the series relationship and number, if applicable. This helps your reader with what title to pick next.
5. Leave out: some people will tell you to include page counts, ISBN numbers, sample chapters, and every other tiny detail about your book. I disagree: unless it will help your website visitor, don’t clutter up your site with vanity information. If in doubt, ask a few of your ideal readers what they need on a books page. Your website is not the Wikipedia of your writing career.
Other Writing, if applicable. Be selective here: if you have dozens of published articles, don’t list them all. Choose the ones that represent you best. Be thoughtful in page design, so your work doesn’t simply appear like a laundry list. Here’s my in-depth guide to creating your writing portfolio on Squarespace.
Contact Page
1. Either a contact form (check that it works!), or your email address, or both.
2. Your phone number, if you wish.
3. Repeat your social media links here.
On every page
1. Email list sign up form. I strongly recommend that you title this Receive Updates and Offers or similar, not Join My Newsletter.
2. In your footer:
  1. A copyright notice with © and your name, plus year(s) if you wish.
  2. Your privacy policy, if you are gathering any kind of personal information like email addresses or analytics.
  3. Affiliate income notices, for example if you’re an Amazon affiliate.
3. Your social media links.
4. Repeat links to your most important pages, if you wish.
5. Your most important Call to Action repeated, if appropriate.

Related:

Don’t call it an author newsletter!
How to choose your author newsletter platform
Why you should only use Canva for your website if all else fails

And here are some extras you might add to your author website when you are ready:

Lead magnet, free book, or free resource, that new email subscribers receive as a thank you for joining your list. When you create this, be sure to update your email sign up form to highlight the freebie.
Freebie page. This is a dedicated website page where you feature your lead magnet. Sometimes, it’s handy to have a link (like yourdomain.com/free) to give out on podcasts and when you chat to interested readers. You can link to it from your main website menu, too. My own freebie page offers a few different goodies, but you can definitely start with one.
News, events, or speaking details, but only if you will commit to keeping this up to date. Always include the year with an event date, to save your website visitor from wondering if your page is current.
Related: How to add a book to your business & speaker website
Shopping cart for readers to buy books from you directly. On Squarespace, the Business and Commerce plans allow you to create a simple but attractive online store. PayPal links are also a viable choice if you’re not (yet) selling lots of books.
Blog section, but only if you’re sure that blogging is right for you, and you know you can keep it up.
Related: Is blogging still worth it? and 8 things to do instead of blogging.
Services page, if you offer related writing or editorial services. If the first step in working with you is a free consultation, embed a calendar scheduling link here.
Media kit (but don’t stress about this: if you are invited to an event or guest interview, most hosts will simply ask for what they need).
Book club prompts. Learn how to upload a PDF to your Squarespace website.
A promotional pop-up to highlight the most important action you’d like the visitor to take. Be sure to check out options for delaying when it appears, and suppressing it once dismissed. Few things are more annoying than instant pop-ups, and/or different pop-ups that compete with each other on every page you load.
Related: Should you put a pop-up on your author website?

What to put on your website if you are an unpublished author

A new author still needs a website! Simply reduce the amount of content, present it beautifully, and don’t feel embarrassed that you have less to display.

Get clear on the main purpose of your website. For example, are you trying to impress agents, grow your social media following, or start to build your email list?

You could start off with:

Home page
About page
Relevant writing, guest pieces or interview appearances (see examples here)
At least one method of contacting you

Author website examples

The author website examples in my portfolio show a good cross-section of the type of information you could place on your own author pages.
If you’re a new or unpublished author, a simple website like this one from D.K. Zier is ideal.
And here are 27 stunning author websites built on Squarespace, by me and other designers.

Other resources for planning your writer website

You might also like these articles for planning your writer website:

And for the subsequent steps in your website project, take a look at my free 50 Step Website Checklist.

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Are you ready to sell more books?

If you want an author website that delights your readers and sets you up for business results, let’s design, build, and launch your online home in just 2-3 weeks. Learn more, and then schedule a complimentary chat with me.

Author Website Strategy