The Elements of an Outstanding Author Website: 12 Must-Haves to Include on Yours
You know you need an author website to promote your books, but what should you actually include on that website? Is a few lines about you and your latest book enough? Do you just need a nice picture and a contact form?
Here’s my guide to everything you could include on your author website, ranked in order from essential to nice-to-have.
1. Author bio
Bottom line: people are nosy. A lot of readers will google you after reading your book, because they want to know… who is this author? What’s their (non-writing) job, where do they live, what’s their vibe?
I know, I know, being perceived is a terrible thing, but that’s why you should make sure your author bio shows you in a good light. You don’t need to include every little thing that’s ever happened to you, but (even if you’re writing under a pen name) include some of your history and personality.
Good to know: author bios are generally written in third-person, rather than first-person.
2. Author photo
In addition to wanting to know a little about you, readers will also want to see your face. This means you need to include an author photo on your website.
Many authors are reluctant to be photographed, but in my opinion, this only makes it more important to get pics taken by a professional photographer. Not sure how to go about it? Read my article on how to get a stunning author photo (and why you need one).
3. An easy guide to your books
An essential aspect of an author website? Your books, of course! You need to make it as easy as possible for visitors to see everything you’ve published, in order, with simple links on where to buy.
It sounds obvious, but some author websites end up as a muddled mess. Make sure your books are arranged on your website with care. Include all the information that would entice someone to read them (back cover marketing copy, blurbs from other authors, award wins and major reviews). Plus, make sure your newest release is most prominent.
4. Accolades and reviews
As mentioned, it’s good to include accolades about your books – bestseller status, award wins, and other honours. These accolades act as “social proof”, which is a term from psychology. Social proof occurs when you see someone else enjoying something and it makes you think, “Huh, that must be good, I should check it out.”
Reviews, whether from newspapers/magazines or from readers, also function as social proof, so it’s a good idea to include some of these on your website.
A word of warning: keep it snappy. Don’t include every review, every nice thing someone ever said about your books. It’s easy for website visitors to glaze over when faced with an overabundance of gushing commentary. Instead, pick out the very best reviews and/or reduce longer reviews to a snippet.
5. Contact form
One of the advantages of a website is that it provides an easy way for people to contact you. I don’t get an overwhelming number of messages through my own author website, but over the years, I’ve received lovely messages of praise from readers, opportunities to have short stories published, and invites to speak at events.
Yes, it’s possible someone could hunt you down via your agent/publisher, or send you a DM through social media, but it’s much better to make it straightforward for people to contact you.
A web contact form is preferable to simply posting your email address on your website, which can lead to spam. A good contact form should be paired with a spam filter, which means you’ll (mostly) only get legitimate enquiries through your website.
6. Newsletter sign-up
Most elements of an author website are passive – you’re providing information for people to look at, before they click away and go back to looking at cute cat gifs – but when you persuade someone to sign up to your newsletter, you’re creating an active relationship with them.
Having a list of reader email addresses is fantastic, because when your next book comes out, you can email a whole bunch of people who you know are interested in you as an author. It’s inevitable that some of them will want to buy your new book.
Building a relationship with readers by sending out regular newsletters is a commitment, but I do think it is the most effective marketing tool authors have at their disposal. Therefore, don’t skip including a newsletter sign-up box on your website.
7. Bonus content (for newsletter subscribers)
In an ideal world, readers would visit your author website, see the newsletter sign-up box, and immediately subscribe. But. Most website visitors don’t do that. They already receive too many emails. They’re worried about being spammed. They’ll just pass, thanks.
Therefore, you need to make visitors to your website want to subscribe to your newsletter. How? Provide juicy bonus content in exchange for an email address.
The juicier the bonus content, the better. Some authors give away bonus chapters, short stories, games, recipes, or “declassified” documents about their characters. Others give away whole ebook novels to newsletter subscribers.
I personally think it’s worth the time investment of creating (I’m going to use a technical term here) bomb-ass bonus content for your newsletter subscribers. But if you’re just starting out, put up anything you have that you think people would like to read. It’s a little lure that will prompt people to give you their email address.
8. Blog articles
Blogging – writing and posting articles to your website – gets a bad rap. Many people think it’s outdated and has been subsumed by social media. I would argue it still has its place for authors.
By creating content for your blog, you’re creating content that you can also use in your newsletters. You’ll boost your search engine rankings, too, which could bring completely new readers to your website.
I’m not saying you have to blog if you’re an author, but if you’re already jotting down your thoughts on social media or a newsletter, why not turn them into a blog post as well?
9. Events schedule
If you do a lot of author events – whether it’s speaking at festivals, or manning a booth at a conference – it’s worth including that information on your website. Especially if you have a lot of fans, it’s good to make sure they know how to attend and/or buy tickets.
You should make sure your events page stays up to date, though. Nothing looks tackier than an events page that lists events from two years ago.
Also, I’m going to say this gently: if you’re only booking a couple of events a year, you might be better off just mentioning it on social media or in your newsletter. Maybe you don’t need a whole page taking up space on your website.
10. Reading group questions
If your book is popular with book clubs, it can be useful to provide a list of discussion questions. Many authors receive this request from readers, especially if their novel is particularly geared towards book clubs.
Is it essential? Probably not, but it can be a nice form of bonus content (see above).
11. FAQs
A list of frequently asked questions (with answers) can be a draw for readers, particularly if you have a long-running book series, and fans tend to ask you the same questions over and over again.
12. Media pack
If you do a lot of events or give a number of interviews, you may find it expedient to put together a media pack. This is likely to consist of a high-res photo of you, your author bio, and the back-cover description of your latest book.
If you like, you can provide an easy download link of this media pack for journalists and event organisers to find on your website.
Personally, I think you can provide the type of information journalists are looking for as content on your website. Make sure your author bio is comprehensive. Make sure your website is updated with all the info about your latest book. Provide a link to a high-res version of your author photo. You don’t need to call it a media pack, as long as the content is easy to find.
Hopefully this article has given you some pointers on how to make your author website more than just a shell. Need help building a new website or rejuvenating your existing one? Check out my author website design and build services.
