Top 7 Author Website Myths
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Are you frustrated with your website?
Or a little confused, maybe? You’ve been told a website is important for an author or writer, but you’re not sure you quite understand the why, the when, and certainly not the how, who or what!
One reason might be you’ve encountered some untruths about the role of a website in marketing your book(s). You’ve absorbed information that was targeted at a different type of writer, at a different stage of their career. Or, you’ve only heard part of the message. It’s possible, too, you came across the advice of someone trying to sell you a particular marketing tactic.
With the full disclosure that I make my living from designing and building writer websites, I want to explore some of the unhelpful things you’ve been told about the role of your web pages in your author platform.
The top 7 myths about your author website
1. If you’re active on social media, you can get away without a website
There are two reasons this myth makes me shudder:
Firstly, if you build your audience and reputation on social media, you are 100% exposed to changes on that platform. Your favorite social media tool might shut down, it might ban your account, or it might decide to charge you for every communication you want to send. Social media trends are fickle, so your readers might abandon your main platform with little warning. You’re basically building a house of cards.
On the other hand, make your own website, and you own that little piece of real estate, and everything it conveys about your reputation. You’ll gather email addresses so you have permission to contact readers directly, and no Silicon Valley algorithm can change that.
Secondly, do you really expect to get taken seriously if you don’t have a website? According to Adscale, 97% of consumers research products and services online. Product reviews (that’s book reviews for you!) significantly influence buying decisions. In today’s world, every legitimate business, organization, thought leader and influencer has a website. If you haven’t bothered, or been savvy enough, to claim even a little bit of space on the internet, your readers may infer you’re not serious about your writing, or not skilled enough to do a decent job.
Alternatively, here’s what News for Authors from Penguin Random House says about it:
2. Your website will sell your books while you sleep
A website is an incredibly powerful business tool but it is not a “lone ranger” in your book marketing efforts. It can’t work miracles on its own.
If you think of your website as the online equivalent of your own little shop, let’s imagine you’ve done a nice job with your store and opened it in a pleasant, but quiet part of town. You can’t then hang up your open sign, sit back, and wait for passers by to find you. Instead, for a physical location, you would then undertake enthusiastic promotion to let people know you’re there, and open for business.
Your website is the same. You must have one in order to act as your “mission control” and to appear serious in your work, but it’s up to you to figure out additional methods of encouraging people to come and take a look. Your options here are countless, but you’ll need to pick a few and do them consistently.
Take a look at Why Isn’t Your Website Selling More Books if you’re feeling disappointed in your website’s performance.
3. You can easily build your website yourself
One of my key messages when I talk with aspiring writers is you can build your website yourself, if you keep it pared back and simple. I even have premium Squarespace templates that get you off to a flying start.
However.
It’s not a piece of cake. It will save you time to work with a professional like me, and you’ll almost always get a better result.
The folks who tell you it’s “easy” are usually more technical than you, and I can still spot their DIY websites in seconds. Writing an amazing book is a wonderful skill, and one you should celebrate. Don’t feel bad that you can’t put together a stellar website in your sleep! The best author websites harness a combination of tech comfort, business acumen, and design skills: this mix is pretty rare for an author to have too.
If you’re just starting out on your author journey, and/or you’re on an incredibly tight budget, I do feel a template website is a good choice. This could be a wonderful option for you, until you’re more established.
But when you’re ready to grow your writing business, and/or you want to be seen as professional, credible and serious about your work, then working with a website designer is your best choice.
My free Author Website Starter Kit has more information, and self-reflection questions, to help you decide whether you should build your site yourself.
4. You published your website and hooray, it’s done!
The good news is, you don’t need to be tinkering with your website every day. (Unless you’re like me, and you get a kick out of it, hah!)
However, your author website is a living, breathing tool that represents your work, your author brand, and what’s going on. So, please don’t make the mistake of thinking your website is “done”, once you hit publish.
For starters, you need to make sure you know who is backing it up, and installing security patches. Depending on your choice of platform, your site could need more of this than you realize. If you’re on WordPress, please understand that if you’re not doing this yourself, or paying someone to do it for you, it isn’t happening. You are vulnerable to attack, or to losing your whole site. (Read more: Stop, WordPress Is Not Your Only Option)
Then, you need to keep your website up to date:
If you show events on it, keep up with your listings of what is “coming soon” versus “past”. And please, include the year, so your readers aren’t left wondering if next week’s book signing actually took place in 2016!
Whenever you have a book coming, or just released, your website invariably needs edits.
Don’t forget to check your author bio. Try to avoid saying things like “I live with my four-year-old son,” since that goes out of date fast.
And of course, if you blog on your website, make sure the article dates don’t give you away as guilty of neglect. The simple remedies here: either blog more often, or hide the dates.
5. You need to have a blog on your author website
Talking of blogging, I think it’s incredibly sad that you’ve been told you must blog on your website. That’s rubbish.
Orna Ross, of the Alliance for Independent Authors, says,
If you’re a fiction or memoir author, you should only blog if:
a) You absolutely love it, and/or
b) You’ve found an angle and you know for certain your blog is helping you reach new readers.
For example, if your novels are cozy mysteries set in present day Italy, your blog could focus on Italian lifestyle, customs, and quirks.
However, research, like this from Penguin Random House, shows that readers are not typically searching Google to find their next novel. So please don’t pour your heart and soul into efforts to be found that way!
If you’re a non-fiction author:
It’s likely blogging could be much more helpful, as long as you’re consistent and your posts are useful in addressing topics that readers are searching for. And it’s still vital to keep in mind that you’ll need to treat this as a long game, not a quick fix in growing your book sales.
Read more: 8 Things to Do Instead of Blogging
6. Your website should include everything a reader could possibly need
Oh, puh-lease. Unless you’re as prolific as Danielle Steel and as wise as Brené Brown, then I’m sorry to say, your average website visitor has no wish to spend hours on your website, devouring every possible detail about your life, your work, and your philosophy.
They’re coming to your website for a quick visit, to see what books you’ve published (and where to buy them), possibly to invite you to a speaking event, and maybe, if you’re lucky, to join your email list. And then they’re getting on with their life.
Related: How to choose your author newsletter platform
Anyone who tells you your website needs to include your resume, sample book chapters, ISBN numbers, trim sizes, page counts, international agent contact information, book club downloads, a media kit, every article you’ve ever published, your twenty favorite recipes, and your high school English report is doing you a disservice.
Once again, the wise Orna Ross says it best!
When you cram too much information onto your website, you confuse your visitor and make it much less likely they’ll take the action you want.
And as importantly, it’s overwhelming for you to pull all this content together! It greatly reduces the chances you’ll ever hit publish on the website you’ve been laboring with for months, or even years.
If you’re not sure what to include, take a look here at What to Include on Your Author Website.
Even better: ask a few of your ideal readers what they’d most like to see there.
7. You only need a website once your book has been published
I don’t want you to spend the earth on a new website before you’ve even finished your first draft. However, as soon as your writing has settled enough that you know how you want to come across and who your ideal reader might be, it’s a healthy step to publish a simple website. And when I say simple, it could be just one page, or follow a basic author website template.
Why should you launch your website before your book?
Publishing a website is an important sign to yourself that you identify as a writer, and intend to share your work with the world.
It also shows family, friends, and other naysayers that you’re serious about this writing lark!
By creating an early website, one that you know you’ll grow and improve later, you get used to the notion of iterating and allowing your website to be a living tool.
If your personal connections and/or blog readers are supportive, you can start to grow your email list even before your book is finished. (Hint: agents love this!)
You never know who might be looking. Whether it’s a local group that needs a speaker, a journalist looking for a source, an influencer who loves your subject matter, or your dream literary agent, don’t pass up the chance of making a connection that could ignite your writing career.
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Would you like me to design and build your Squarespace author website?
As an indie author turned website designer, I am uniquely placed to not only create a professional, attractive, effective website for you, but also to guide you on the overall role it plays in your author platform and book marketing strategy. If you’d like technical expertise, book promotion advice, and all of the implementation taken care of, consider hiring me.
After careful preparation together, I’ll design, build and launch your site in just 2 weeks. Learn more, and then schedule our free and friendly chat.
Other resources for an author website you love:
And for the essential steps in your website project, take a look at my free 50 Step Website Checklist.