Websites are still relevant and needed and every author needs one. If you don’t have a Wikipedia page, a huge social following or a lot of press—in other words, if you’re not already well-known—YOU need an author website too. Below we’ll tell you WHY every author needs a website.
1-An Author Website Makes You and Your Book Discoverable
If you have an author website, especially with your name as the domain, people will be able to search online and find you AND your book. Besides social media, a website is the best way to have an online presence. Your book is connected to your site, so viola! Another great benefit of an author website is that in the future you can:
- Update it with new information
- Add new books or new editions for visitors to discover
2-It Will Give You Social Proof and Clout
Having an author website lends you legitimacy. It tells your audience that you have put in time and effort into what you’re doing and you’re serious about it. Plus, your author website can contain reviews of your book, your bio. Plus all the relevant information a visitor needs to determine, you are a ‘somebody”. This makes you more trustworthy too.
3-You Need an Author Website to Sell More Books
With the ability to have Buy Now buttons on your site, where readers have the option to purchase right there from their retailer of choice. It makes it easy! Plus, your author website will have links to your social channels and the opportunity to sign up for your blog or newsletter. This is the stuff that builds loyal fans. And loyal fans buy books! Add having social proof and clout like we mentioned above, and you’re set.
4-Author Websites are a One Stop Resource for Learning About YOU
Let’s imagine someone comes across your book out in the wild. All they have to go on is that book and your short book cover bio. And maybe some reviews and blurbs. Now imagine they love your book and want to know more about you. Well, that’s where your website comes in. Bonus! It’s a great place for reviewers, and media outlets to find all they may need to now about you, and even get in touch. You want that!
Now imagine this potential new fan decided to search for you online and found nothing! You’d likely be forgotten. By the way, this is why it’s important to be visible other places online as well. And in those other spaces hopefully a link to your website. See how this works?
In Conclusion…
Basically, an author without a website is less likely to be discovered. Without a website to keep up with you, learn more about you, or to get in touch, readers and reviewers will likely lose interest. You want yourself to be found easily. No one is going to start doing a deep dive into Google to find out who you are. It’s just how it is.
Having even a one-page author website is critical for these reasons. It still needs to be professional looking, but you don’t have to have something elaborate and fancy. Just make sure you have an author website, and that it has these three crucial elements and you’ll be far better off than not having a website at all.
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