Submission Sunday 5.14.23: Why You Need an Author Website

And what belongs in an effective design

I thought we’d take a little detour today and talk about author websites. About ten years ago, I started working as co-director of Writing Workshops Los Angeles, and we needed a new website. I had designed a couple Squarespace sites for other projects, and I really enjoyed it. So it was a fun challenge to build my most complicated site yet. I loved the way it turned out and I wanted more. It was a few years later before I had my first bonafide client: bestselling novelist and future adapted-for-TV author Janelle Brown. I’m grateful she gave me a chance, and two books later, Janelle still uses the layout I designed.

Since then, I’m going on fifty websites that I’ve designed, mostly for authors, several small businesses, and one large university library.

I wanted to put together a post about why it’s important for authors to have a professional website (and what they should make sure to include). I was on the other end of things when I first realized the lost opportunities that might happen without a functioning website.

As director of WWLA, I frequently encountered the work of a writer that impressed me, and I wanted to reach out to them to see if they’d be interested in teaching for us. I would go to Google, search for their website, and when I wasn’t able to find one through which to contact them, that was it! I could probably have tracked them down on social media, friended or followed them so that I would be allowed to send them a message they may not even see, but there are a lot of impressive writers out there. I would usually move on.

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A well-designed author website can

• give visitors a sense of your voice and style

• convey the tone and context of your latest book

• organize your writing and publicity in one location

• advertise upcoming events

• collect subscribers to build your platform

• ensure you don't miss opportunities

• allow agents, publishers, and future employers to contact you

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TL;DR > > > Contact Chris now to get a website of your own. Mention this newsletter to get a 20% discount.

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Debut authors and writers with a new book

Any time is a good time to launch your first website or spruce up an existing website, but the imminent publication of a new book is especially excellent timing. The press accompanying a new book will bring your name to new readers and they’re going to want to look into you. An effective website will collect all the relevant information in one spot and make it easy for visitors to navigate. A new design can also reflect the style of your book cover and make the reader’s visit an extension of their experience with the book.

If you don’t have a book coming out, an author website can also be a stylish way to organize and publicize clips in a single location. Ashley Stimpson has a really nice example of a journalist’s website. Let’s take a look at what a well-designed website should offer its visitors.