Do you really need an author website?
Ah, the author website debate. If you’re an author, you’ve probably wondered whether or not you need your own website. A website can help you connect with readers and sell more books. But as anyone who has ever cried over plugin updates knows, it also has the potential to be more of a hindrance than a help.
In this post, I’ll:
Break down my thoughts on author websites
Highlight the pros and cons of having an author website
Offer options for those looking to create an author website
Offer alternatives for those who may want an author presence elsewhere
I’m prefacing this by saying that I am an author, web developer and digital marketer, so I have an in-depth understanding of what it takes to be an author, but also understand the technical and online marketing side of things.
Do you need an author website?
I have two answers to this question:
‘No, but it can help’ for traditionally published fiction authors
‘Yes, but make sure it’s current’ for non-fiction and self-published authors
The reason I don’t think traditionally published fiction authors need a website is that, to me, the main thing you need to do as an author is both annoyingly simple and incredibly complex: write a great book.
And if you want a career as an author, then you have to write another. And another.
The most beautiful website in the world cannot make up for a sub-par book. This is also how I feel about social media. No amount of followers, likes, or TikTok dance routines can make up for a book that people don’t want to read and recommend to their friends.
That being said, having a website won’t hurt you. It could lead to more sales and better reader engagement.
If you’re a non-fiction or self-published author, I do think that having a website is something you need.
Why?
Many non-fiction authors I know are experts in their chosen field and often use their websites to showcase research, work projects, publications, speaking engagements and media appearances. There are also non-fiction authors who end up getting book deals because of the content on their website (writing consistently was how James Clear became so well-known in the field of habits and productivity, which eventually led to a book deal).
But, you have to do the work. You (or your team) have to be producing content that’s valuable and doing so on a consistent basis.
For self-published authors, having a website is a great idea. If you choose the self-pub route, you’ll be doing most of the marketing and publicity yourself. Having a website is wonderful because it offers you a direct line of communication with your readers.
But, as with non-fiction authors, it’s only as useful as you are — meaning you have to put in the work, consistently. Visiting a website that hasn’t been updated since 1999 is sort of like the digital equivalent of tumbleweed.
What are the pros of having an author website?
There are a ton of benefits to having an author website, no matter who you’re publishing with or what genre you’re in. Let’s go through the main ones:
Direct communication with readers:
The biggest benefit by far is that you have a direct line of contact to your readers. Being able to communicate with the people who buy, love and recommend your books is priceless. I don’t know a single author who hasn’t been touched by the kind messages they’ve received from readers. Readers are really why we do what we do! So for this reason alone, it’s worth it.
You are not controlled by an algorithm:
Social media platforms never show all of your posts/tweets/videos to all your followers. For this reason it’s really tough to know how many people are engaging with your content. But a website isn’t controlled by an algorithm, so people are much more likely to see your content.
It can help you build an email list:
Building an email list is probably the best thing you can do as an author. Email has a much higher ROI than social media.
It can act as a ‘home base’ for everything book-related:
Most authors I know work full-time and have families, life and other books on the go. We don’t have time to spend hours posting and reposting things to different channels. With social media, your posts eventually fall down the page, out of sight. You also can’t easily search on a social media platform. With a website, you can create content that will continue to get picked up in search engines.
You can combine all your ‘Buy the Book’ links on one page:
Another win for busy authors. You can create a page or pages with direct links to the many different retailers your books are available at. This makes it so much easier for readers to find and purchase your work.
Makes it easy for journalists to find you:
Here’s a quick story. I was asked to be on a podcast that had over 10 million downloads before I’d even published my book. When I asked them why they picked me, they said one of the factors was that I was so easy to contact (I’ve always had a contact form on my site). People forget that a lot of journalists and producers don’t use social media for work — they use it for personal reasons and don’t always feel comfortable DM-ing people from their accounts. But most people have a work-related email.
Creates a community:
It’s possible to create community elsewhere but it’s much easier to track and communicate with readers from a website. You can build an email list and email them or you could consider creating a ‘Members Only’ section of your site that’s password protected. This is especially useful for self-published authors.
What are the cons of having an author website?
Can be costly to set up:
Custom authors websites usually run in the $1,500-$3,500 (USD) range. That’s not chump change, especially if it’s something you don’t think you’ll be using much.
Too difficult and complex to maintain:
Sadly, this is one I hear about all the time. Authors get given the keys to their website, only to find it’s too tough to manage and update. If this sounds like something you may struggle with, I strongly suggest you go with a DIY website builder or no-code option. They usually have customer support and a lot of online tutorials to help you.
Can lead to burnout:
Juggling a website alongside writing books, managing social media and doing other promotional activities can be exhausting. We love what we do, are grateful for the opportunities, but handling so much at once on top of your regular life can take a toll.
Options for those looking to make an author website:
If you’ve read through this and are thinking of creating a website, there are two main options for you:
Website Templates:
Website templates are a great option for those who don’t want to DIY a site from scratch, but also don’t want to hire someone to make and maintain it. There are so many wonderful templates out there that come with instructions.
When evaluating which template you want to buy, I would encourage authors to think about what elements they will have on their site. If the template is very photo heavy, that likely won’t work for most authors. The majority of authors I know have a headshot and an image or two of their book — so they wouldn’t necessarily need a website that has loads of images.
You will also want to check if the images shown in a template demo come with the actual purchase. Most shops include royalty free stock images in purchases, but some do not. If in doubt, email the shop owner BEFORE you buy, as digital downloads generally cannot be refunded.
Three of my favourite shops for purchasing templates are: GoLiveHQ, Big Cat Creative and Station Seven. I believe images come with the first two, but not with Station Seven.
Side Note: I’m in the process of making a template on Squarespace that includes everything an author would need. Join the waitlist below.
Custom Website Design:
A custom website design for an author site can be really lovely. If you have the budget, it also feels quite special to be able to have someone come in and do all the work for you. You’ve likely worked for many years to reach the goal of being published, and deserve to celebrate.
The costs of custom websites vary widely but here is a typical breakdown:
Design and build: A typical custom site will run you anywhere from about $1,500 - $3,500 USD. This could be higher or lower, depending on how many pages you need and how much functionality you’d like built in.
Hosting: With any website, you will have to pay a fee to ‘host’ it online. This is essentially like ‘renting’ a space for it on the internet. This usually costs around $150-$200 USD/year.
Domain: You’ll want to purchase your domain name (I recommend you do this even if you don’t build a website. It’s just good to have it!) For authors, the domain is generally your first and last name (mine is amitaparikh.com but I also see many authors do their first and last names followed by the word ‘books’ or ‘author’.) Domains typically cost around $12-$20 USD/year.
Updates: Depending on whether or not your web designer has given you instructions on how to maintain your site and your own comfort levels and bandwidth, you may have to pay for updates. Most designers charge around $70- $100 USD/hour for this, but it can get pricier depending on the ask.
I do think custom websites are wonderful, but only if you can afford them. It’s not worth going into debt for. I have also seen a few designers starting to offer services like ‘Hire me for a day’ where they’ll work with you to get a more basic, streamlined version of a website out. That may be worth exploring if you’re not ready to buy a template but don’t want to go completely custom.
Alternatives for those not looking to make an author website:
As I’ve said from the start, the most important thing you have to do as an author is write a good book. If you don’t want to build a website but would like an online presence elsewhere, here are a few options:
Social Media:
I am personally not a fan of social media and don’t use it much but that doesn’t mean authors can’t be successful on it and use it as their ‘digital home base’. Instagram and Twitter both offer options where people can contact you and you can put in a Linktree page with all your book buying links (a basic Linktree page is free).
Publisher sites:
If you are a traditionally published author (by this I mean an author who has secured a deal with a traditional publishing house and who will have books in major bookstores), your publisher will, at the very least, have a page for you on their website with a short bio, a blurb about your book, maybe some reviews, and links to purchase at a range of retailers. This is fairly standard for the big 4 publishers and I’m sure that many smaller boutique publishers do this as well. You can easily link this page to any social profiles you may have or put it in your email signature.
If you are a self-published author, I would recommend setting up a simple landing page as your author website, one that doesn’t have a blog or events page. You can do this quite easily with any of the existing templates in Squarespace, Wordpress or Wix. I personally use Squarespace because I’ve used every website builder under the sun and think it’s the best and most user-friendly.
Ignore it all:
There’s no rule that says you need to have a website. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype of sharing everything online and worrying about which new platform you have to be on. It’s enough to give anyone a complex. Personally, I’ve never bought into it and I still don’t. I run a website and blog because I enjoy it, not because anyone told me to do it.
Conclusion:
To sum it up, I don’t think it’s imperative for authors to have websites but when done well, they really do help boost reader engagement, publicity opportunities and sales. I only had a handful of posts for all of 2021, but now have thousands of visitors and have had speaking and job opportunity offers as well — not bad for an unknown author.
If you’re still unsure about whether or not you want a website, my last bits of advice are:
Think about what brings you joy: I don’t do very well on social media so that’s why I’ve chosen to not use it much. But I love tinkering around with code and sharing info about book research I’ve done. If you don’t find some kind of joy in what you do, it’s going to be hard to keep it up.
Be honest and kind with yourself about your time: We’ve all been that person who sets out to blog daily or send weekly newsletters. But the reality is that managing a career as an author is hard. You can have the best intentions, but things doesn’t always go to plan. Figure out 1 or 2 places where you’re going to be showing up consistently (for me it’s my blog and emails), and then focus on those.
Whatever you decide, just remember that a website won’t compensate for a poorly written book. Focus on your book (or books) first, and then hopefully, the rest will follow.