Creating a Website for Authors
Website Development for Writers Focuses on Specific Information
Sep 4, 2009
With the right website design, an author’s website can drive sales. Writers should include information like a bio, contact information, writing samples, and testimonials on their sites.
Create a Free Website
Writers who don’t know how to make a website are in luck. Many companies offer free website templates and free website hosting. Usually, authors will have to deal with ads from the hosting company on the website, but this can be a viable option for an author with a limited marketing budget.
Even without HTML or CSS experience, a writer can begin to customize the look for the website by using a what-you-see-is-what-you-get program, often referred to as WYSIWYG. These programs allow a person to change the background color; add images; change the size, color, and style of the font; and embed hyperlinks without the need to learn code.
Use Website Development to Promote Writing
There are several essential elements that a writer should highlight on a website, including:
- Bio
- Contact Information
- News and updates
- Testimonials, blurbs, or awards
- Writing samples
- Links to buy the book
While these are standard elements for a writer’s website, authors want to inject their personality, as well. Adding a personal photograph to the bio section can help fans feel more connected to a writer. Fans often look for an author’s likes and dislikes, which can be worked into the online content to help show the author’s personality.
The structure of the website should vary depending on where the writer is in his or her career. For example, a popular published author may want to use his or her publisher’s information as the contact information where a new writer may need to use a post office box. Likewise, a published author might include excerpts from a released novel instead of other types of writing samples. The key is to tailor the website to match the writer’s style and career status.
Network Free Websites Together to Build a Better Web Presence
The premise of a website should be to lead readers and fans to a certain point. For a published author, the point is to drive sales. So, a novelist needs to be able to link his or her website to sites that sell the book.
It’s also a good idea to link to blogs and other social networking sites the writer uses. Social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter offer free memberships for writers interested in social media. An author can also use YouTube to air book trailers for novels about to be published.
Use Website Design as Part of a Wider Marketing Plan
Along with a website, authors might want to use a blog, give interviews, or avoid negative publicity as part of their marketing campaign. Writers can view an example of a free website host at Lime Domains, which claims to be ad-free.
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