Why and How to Build an Author’s Website
These days, with more and more people being online, it is crucial for authors to have a good online presence. One of the key features that accentuates their online presence is an author website. Previously, readers used to visit libraries, bookstores, be a part of offline/local book clubs, etc., and that is how they get updated about the new eBooks on the market. However, in the recent times, selection, purchase, and review of eBooks are done online. Even the eBook clubs have gone online these days. Bibliophiles, these days, prefer to check book reviews on pages like Good Reads. Also, social media is the new word-of-mouth; in this tech-savvy age, you need to be omnipresent on the Internet to capture your readers’ attention. Here are a few suggestions as to why and how to build an author’s website.
Why should you have your own website?
While many might think that having a personal website is narcissistic, if you are an author, having an author website is an altruistic act as you will be sharing your knowledge and works with your audience. Some of the benefits of having an author website are as follows:
1. Brand Building:
Brand building is necessary not only for consumer brands but is crucial for your eBooks, too. Indian authors like Chetan Bhagat, Preeti Shenoy, Amish Tripathi, etc., have built a brand name through their author websites and social media. Once you build a good brand image, you and your works get instant recognition on a global platform.
2. Fan Base Creation:
Gone are those days where many authors adapted to pen names and wrote in disguise. While the idea of writing in disguise seems intelligent and interesting, the truth is that your face adds a lot more value to your works. Readers of the current generation prefer to know the authors through their websites, social media channels, etc. The better the reader knows that you are real, the more are his/her chances of becoming your fan.
3. Re-Direct Selling:
When you have a well-established author site, you have to just leave a link to your website from where the readers re-direct to the Digital Paper shop pages, where they can purchase eBooks directly, which is a great marketing strategy.
Important elements your website should have:
1. Use a slick design — it creates a lasting first impression:
Design is the first thing that your readers notice about your website. The design should be slick, sleek, and subtle. While fun, fantasy, or quirky elements in the design do make your website look unique, it is always the professional yet simple-looking websites that catch the reader's’ mind.
2. Include an author bio & contact information:
A brief bio about you and your work is the most mandatory thing on the website. It doesn’t need to be flashy or quirky, but it must be prominent, unique, and interesting. Writing the author bio from a third person’s point of you definitely helps in making it look more eye-grabbing. Also, make sure to leave hyperlinks to all your social media platforms, and specify your e-mail ID as well.
3. Update as often as possible:
Your author website is actually obsolete if you don’t update it often. Include new reviews on the testimonial page of your site. Also, you can conduct giveaways on your website. Some of the authors even conduct contests on their website about their new eBooks. These methods ensure that your website gets good traffic and views. Additionally, mention about all your offline events and press coverages on your author site.
4. Have a blog on your author website:
No matter if you are a blogger-turned-author or just an author, having a blog is useful at various levels. Firstly, it helps you to connect with various blogs around the globe. Also, it helps you to communicate regularly with your writers. You needn’t necessarily always write about eBooks; you can also write on general topics or public issues.
5. Add social media feeds:
To showcase your social media activities on your website, place Facebook, Twitter, and other social media widgets on your website. Many WordPress hosted websites have this option inbuilt, so it can be easy to incorporate this. One of the biggest benefits of having this on your website is that apart from enhancing your design, it also increases your credibility among your readers.
6. Add mobile responsiveness:
In the recent times, people search and browse most of the online information using their mobile phones. According to a research, on an average, people, especially young adults, check their smartphones for about five hours each day. Therefore, it is necessary to add mobile responsiveness feature to your website.
How to Get an Website?
Creating a website useful could be tough and sometimes overwhelming, that’s why it a good idea to get some help so that you can focus on what you are already good at: Writing
You can get your website developed & designed by CodeCarrot.
