Our Best Tips to Improve Any Author Website

[@PrinceShakurYoutube]

Just wanna say that I discovered your channel a few months ago and seeing your regular uploads has been super helpful and comforting to me through 2020! I’m a freelance writer and finishing edits with my agent on my debut book, so your words and wisdom are appreciated. thank you for all that you share!

[@WellnessGardenToolShed]

Very helpful. I have some work to do on my website. You've motivated me. Thank you

[@DalCecilRuno]

Question: What if an author doesn't want to show their face? What do we do about the "professional headshot" then?

[@ZanaPixel2060]

Exactly! It is so intrusive. It is like a MUST. James dived into the photo immediately.

[@reginamontana942]

This was most helpful and I know I need to start a website even though I’m unpublished as yet.

[@Ruthie888]

Wow. This is a bit daunting but good information. I have website but need to make it better.

[@MerlinGal]

Using this as a prompt to update our website (long overdue). What should a querying author do about contact info? Having been stalked several times, I'm reluctant to put phone number, address on there -- we have a dedicated email address and that can be there. I've been figuring that agents we've queried have our phone and address, but the world at large doesn't need it.

[@KierstenMarcil]

I'd appreciate suggestions for a vehicle to create my author website. The website creator I've been using is difficult to use and the product is pretty unsatisfying because of how limiting the vehicle is in terms of what it can do. I write historical fantasy, so my biggest need is being able to post pics with a couple of paragraphs explaining the image. I also have a limited budget, so I have been working with a free vehicle for now. Thoughts?

[@kathleenschwab4645]

My first book was a self published full color religious devotional. My second book was published by a small publisher. The subject is Speaking in Tongues. While these two books are aimed at a Christian audience, I am now writing a novel which is aimed at a general audience. (It's a fantasy novel, so a general fantasy audience.) My question: should my author website include the books for these different audiences? Would that be confusing? Right now the color devotional has its own website but my partner and I have decided to close it down, since it gets no traffic and costs money. The book about speaking in tongues has a page on the publishers website. I do not have a site for myself as an author. What do you recommend?

[@ecaimansands331]

I have much the same question, Kathleen. I've published a handful of science fiction short stories, and self published a few more for fun. At the moment my website focuses on these, and is light-hearted in tone like my self-published collection. But I'm soon going to be trying to sell my first novel--a serious adult sci fi. I'm thinking my website might be too frivolous!

[@aprill6828]

Kathleen Schwab same situation for me. I decided to adopt a pen name for my new fiction venture and maintain my separate identity as an education/curriculum writer. Since my pen name has no online presence, I’m working up my website, KZbin channel, Twitter. Good luck!

[@roweste]

Can you give examples of great new-author websites?

[@BarrettLaurie]

This is so helpful. I think the hardest part is knowing what to put on our websites before we have a deal, or have any published work. It makes it difficult but appreciate this video for some clarity from an agent’s POV. Keep up the great work. You two are my Covid friends while I live in my hunkered down world! ❤️📚📖

[@BookEndsLiterary]

Absolutely! It's definitely hard drumming up content. Some folks run a blog, others will post pictures, and others will just have a static site that serves as a landing page until they have news to share.

[@charlesrichardson7882]

How important is it to have a blog on your website?