I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”
Flannery O’Connor, Novelist
Marketing is not a favorite task for authors. We would prefer to focus on our craft of writing, and hand over the business stuff to someone else. I get it. I’d prefer to write as opposed to market my work. And my background is marketing.
Unlike painters who end up with benefactors, or musicians who sign a contract with a music label, or dancers who perform with a professional company, we writers ended up with the short end of the stick. Even if we sign with a large publishing house, the days of the houses holding our hand and taking the reins on marketing and publicity are long gone.
Our writing and publishing are viewed less as an art and more as a business. But don’t let that discourage you. In a way, that means we have more control over our work.
What this does mean is that to have time to write and hone our craft, we must be strategic with our marketing. And unless we can afford to hire a marketing agency or publicist, we are on our own, at least for the time being.
I’ve written about using your newsletter as one of your greatest marketing tools. You can read about that here to get more ideas on how to make it work for you.
But ultimately, our websites are our best marketing tool. What is the purpose of our author website? What should we show on our website? And how can a website help us recycle our content and save us time with marketing?
Your author website and its purpose
Think of your website as the first impression of you you give your readers. Do you write mainly romance? Are you a nonfiction writer or memoirist? Are mysteries your genre? Your homepage should tell your readers immediately who you are just by your header and overall look and feel.
While I won’t get too much into design here, it is important to reflect your brand. Colors and fonts reveal a lot about your personality, which is why it is better to have a professional help you with this. Ideally, though, you want images of you if possible because you are building connection with people. Images and your personal story allow visitors to get to know you, and become interested in what you write.
As you initially or continue to build your author brand, your website is going to be the main source of your branding. Everything else you do — your newsletter, your social media, your media interviews — should always steer people to your website. In fact, the design and look of your website should be the template for all other marketing tools you use. Consistency is key so no matter where people are, they recognize you or at least, your brand.
Your website homepage and introduction
Your opening lines on your homepage — a sentence or two about who you are and/or what you write — should hook your visitor. Keep it brief as it is a snapshot of what you are about. Make sure you check this on your phone because that is what most of us use, especially in searches.
For example, on my site, my opening is: “Poet, writer, editor and photographer of all things beautiful.” The images also reflect my love of gardening, creation, and the type of material I write. I try to show class, sophistication, and warmth.
Other examples you could review for ideas are: Sharon Blackie, who writes mythology and folklore; Taylor Jenkins Reid where pretty much most of what you need is on the homepage; Anna Mazzola’s site is more obvious in her particular genre and interests; Colleen Hoover, who’s site is a good example of a brand (but save this complication for when you truly become your own brand); and Katie Khan, who writes speculative fiction and has many interesting aspects to her site design.
You could also visit the sites of your favorite authors and capture ideas from them. Your goal should be to see what on their site tells you about them, and what compels you to read their books.
Remember: your website is where your main book sales are, and selling them is your ultimate objective, yes?
What should you show on your website?
If you have a book, that should be front and center. You want this on your homepage: in your header, but also at the top of your homepage or close to the opening. Wherever you show the image of your book, it should link either to the page where they can purchase it, or to a landing page to read more about it. On that page, you want a purchase link. In fact, every time you give the title of your book, link it to where readers can buy it.
While you may opt for an extensive homepage where you cram all your information, people prefer to click more than scroll for a long period. In addition, they want to read something specific, so offering options is more feasible. If you insist on one page, make sure the header has a menu (About, Contact, Events, etc.) that when they click on it, the page moves them to the spot on that page.
Include an About page, just some background about you — who you are, why you write, where you reside (though not your address), maybe family and pets. Your About page should be your brand story, but until you hire a professional to help you with that (the main thing I do for clients!), you can keep it short but appealing to your visitors and future readers.
A page with your books should be included, as well as a simple contact form if people want/need to reach out to you, or your agent’s information.
If you write nonfiction, short stories, poetry, or material other than books, then you’ll want to include those published articles on a page that people can click and read in its original publication. You are trying to build your reputation and image, so make these publications accessible to others.
Your website blog or article page
What about a blog?
What many do not understand is that fresh content drives visitors to your site. Static sites — ones that rarely are touched and refreshed — fall to the bottom of the search engines. Having a blog with consistent articles will help keep your website fresh. You want visitors to see you are active (and alive!).
And you do not need to worry about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as that is simply a technical way of saying: write well. If you write about specific themes and subjects, what your readers will likely search for, then they will find you. You want your writing to focus on speaking to humans, not filling in key search words.
The more reasons you give people to come to your site, and create content that will drive that traffic, the more readers will buy your books.
The more reasons you give people to come to your site, and create content that will drive that traffic, the more readers will buy your books.
Save time on marketing by recycling your content
An easy and effective way to conserve your time but still do some marketing, is to recycle your content. Having a website helps with this tactic.
If you write a blog or article for your site, use pieces of that content for your next newsletter. In addition, take several chunks, sentences, or phrases to use in your social media posts. Add links to those posts that lead readers back to the article on your website where they will also see your newsletter sign up. (For more information on why you should convert your social media followers to subscribers, check out this article) When done well, one article can last you a month or more of social media content.
In addition, review content from 12 months or older, do a few quick edits, and reuse the content on your site and in your newsletter. Not only will you have new subscribers and readers within those months, but your current subscribers probably won’t remember year-old content.
Your website doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should be strategic. Think of it as your living room where readers come to visit and get to know you. As you build trust, your fan base increases.
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