Whether you’re a New York Times Best Seller or a self-published author, having an author website is vital to a successful writing career. Why? At Self-Publishing Relief, our marketing experts know that traditionally published authors no longer receive extensive promotional support from their publishing houses, so self-published authors should also expect to put in the work to promote their books. Active, targeted marketing is vital—and an author website will serve as a digital business card and the hub of your author brand and online marketing efforts. We’ll break down the top reasons why self-published authors need websites.
Here’s Why Self-Published Authors Need Websites
An author website acts as a hub for your book sales. The biggest goal of any self-published author is, of course, to sell books! There are many things you can do to boost your sales, but having an author website will streamline and centralize your efforts. Readers will visit your author website for information about you and your writing, and you can include convenient links to the online retailers selling your books: Amazon, the Nook store, or iBooks. With all these links in one convenient online hub, readers won’t have to go searching for ways to buy your book!
A website solidifies your author brand. Self-publishing means being in charge of your own writing success, so creating an author brand is especially important. You won’t have a publishing house to spearhead your promotional efforts, so it’s up to you to build your book sales and your reputation as an author. You’ll have to work harder to find opportunities to get exposure and bring your book to the attention of potential readers. Book signings, public readings, interviews with book bloggers, even teaming up with local businesses are just some ways you can build awareness about your book. Your author website will become the go-to place for all of these events and to show off the branding you’ve created for your literary career.
An author website helps you make lasting connections with fans, other self-published authors, and even booksellers! Having an author website demonstrates that you’re a serious and committed writer. It also shows that you’re willing to interact with your readers and create a community. By engaging with your visitors, you can create a “promo team” of your followers and even other writers. In fact, other self-published authors can be among your best promotional resources. You can also connect with readers to get more book reviews, which can help boost your book’s appearance in Internet search engine results. Having an author website makes you accessible to new opportunities and new allies in the literary world.
It’s never been easier to build an author website. And if you’re not tech-savvy, the experts at Web Design Relief can help! Our team of tech-savvy writers will create an attractive, informative author website that fits your budget and helps boost sales of your self-published book. Sign up for a free, no-obligation consultation call today!
Question: How do you use your author website to promote your self-published book?
I didn’t think print was worth it for independently published authors since it can leave you with unsold inventory (which you will need to store at your house or arrange to store elsewhere). But as soon as I started offering paperback copies of through CreateSpace, I noticed that at least 10% of my sales were physical copies. Since it’s printed on demand through Amazon, there’s no inventory — just royalties, automatically deposited to my bank account each month.
Good advice about an author’s website and I wholeheartedly agree, but I do have one thought to add. Going to all the work of creating a website and then only updating it when the mood strikes – which may not be often – can do more damage to your brand than having no website at all.
Re the comment regarding experience with POD. I’m just in the editing stage of a 10th-anniversary edition of my first book to relaunch this fall in conjunction with my new website and have been mulling the value of a POD version – I think I’m going to go for it. Thanks!