As an author in the digital age, your website may be the first point of contact with your audience. A successful author site is one that helps you connect with potential readers, showcasing core elements of your voice and style. Beyond being an online shopping place for your books, your author site should reflect your personal brand and demonstrate your expertise.
The hard part of building an author site is conveying all this information without creating a clunky experience for visitors. Instead, you want to aim for a clean layout that’s easy to navigate. Follow this simple guide and learn how to build an author site that will solidify your online presence, promote your work, and help further your career.
Best platforms for author sites
These days, you don’t need an advanced degree in web development to create a successful website. Plenty of user-friendly hosting platforms will allow you to build your author site with helpful templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch. Some ideal candidates include:
These platforms also have integrations with other services, such as Shopify, making online book sales a breeze.
Key elements of your author site homepage
The homepage is where you make that all-important first impression. Here is where you want to prioritize a professional headshot. Your author site is, after all, a way for people to get to know you. An author site with no portrait of the author, or just a poorly lit selfie, may come across as impersonal and amateurish. You can either hire a photographer or learn how to take your own professional headshot.
Somewhere in the vicinity of your headshot, add a brief author bio written in third person. Try your best to communicate only the most essential information in one or two sentences. There will be room for an extended bio on another page. For now, just give people a word about your background, your area of interest, and a couple of your career highlights.
You’ll also want to include high-resolution images of book covers. Again, you can save the details for a dedicated book page — here you’re just trying to catch the eye and draw attention to your work.
Finally, include links to your social media profiles. Most web hosting platforms have integrations that will make it easy to create buttons leading to your Instagram and X accounts. Be sure to cross-promote your website content on your social media accounts to take full advantage of these integrations and optimize growth.
Secondary pages of your author site
From your homepage, visitors should be able to navigate to secondary pages where they can learn more about you, discover some of your writing, and follow any promotional events.
About page
For visitors who are curious about your background and the inspirations behind your writing, create an about page with more detailed biographical information. While you shouldn’t copy and paste your CV directly onto your author site, you can bullet point your education, relevant professional experience, your written works, and any awards or recognition you’ve received.
Books page
On a separate books page, you can create a unique section for each of your books, with a synopsis and any blurbs or positive reviews you’ve received. You could also include a short excerpt from each book, but no more than a paragraph or two. Each section should have direct links to all the places your book is available for purchase.
Media and events page
This should be a hub for additional photos, interviews you’ve recorded, links to articles and reviews, as well as any videos of lectures, TED Talks, or other content that demonstrates your knowledge and storytelling ability. Here you might also make an event calendar, where visitors can learn about any readings, book signings, speaking engagements, or other public events you’ll be participating in.
Maintaining your author site
If you really want to make the most of your author site, don’t just set it and forget it. Be proactive about updating your bio and your about page as career developments occur. Include new reviews on your books page as they come in. Delete old items from your events calendar and refresh it with upcoming engagements. Post new audio and visual content whenever you can.
Overall, try not to let your author site become a static thing. You want someone to visit your author site and, in just a few clicks, be able to get a sense of your dynamic literary career.
Your author site is a PR asset
Unlike some other kinds of sales, in the literary marketplace, the person behind the product is just as important as the quality of the product itself. When your author site represents your distinct voice and unique brand, it becomes a powerful tool in the marketing arsenal. Think of it not only as a way to sell books, but as a way to sell you.
Author Site Examples
AuthorBytes is a company specializing in creating landing pages for authors and we refer quite a few clients to them. Even if you are considering making your own site, take a look at their portfolio for examples of what a good author landing page should look like.