HOW IMPORTANT IS THE AUTHOR WEBSITE?

The need to advertise your own book has never been more important, whether you want to self-publish or use a traditional publishing route. In fact, leaving the majority of their book's marketing to the publisher is one of the blunders new authors make most frequently when signing a traditional publishing deal. They won't offer your book the time, attention, and resources you would anticipate, despite having reach and resources you don't. Most publishing houses utilize their marketing clout to promote their well-known authors, while offering little to no help to unproven or lesser-known authors. All of this is to imply that you must be the book's primary marketer.

There are numerous ways to promote your book (and for a wonderful place to start, take a look at this useful list from Joanna Penn), but the author website may be the most crucial. Having your own website is essential for developing your writing persona and giving your audience a central hub to engage with you. Put some of your eggs in other baskets, even if you significantly rely on social media to communicate with readers or promote your writing. Your own website can be the constant that your "brand" needs to grow over time as those other sites can alter (or disappear) without much notice.

Nothing has been more fruitful in my own experience than devoting time, effort, and resources to an author website except these:

-Use Your Name As The URL: I made the aforementioned error right away by purchasing a domain that wasn't in my name. Instead, I made a domain purchase based on a newly popular term in the area of expertise I was writing about. This was successful up to a point, but also constrained the site's focus and its ability to spread awareness of my identity. The greatest option for a domain name is your own name, unless you have an absurdly lengthy and complicated name.

-Invest in a Professional Site Design: While the cost of a professionally built website may be difficult to bear, a poorly designed site will do more harm than good to your efforts to be taken seriously. By doing some research, you can find designers and designs at reasonable prices. Solo Design, who also serves as the site's host, created my website. I heartily endorse them.

-Keep It Fresh: There are three essential strategies to guarantee that the material of your website is up-to-date and engaging in a way that will help you engage readers and increase book sales. Start by creating a blog where you regularly post about subjects that your audience will find interesting. Avoid making repeated sales pitches, but look for opportunities to reference your work in postings in a useful way. Second, make sure your most recent book is prominently displayed on the page visitors land on when they arrive at your website. Make them not search for it. Finally, be willing to completely remodel your website every few years (but not too frequently), keeping it engaging, current, and appealing.

I've come across far too many author websites that were obviously created by unskilled designers (or by folks using out-of-date designs and coding) or by free/cheap sites that a friend volunteered to throw up for them. Even though a fantastic website will be of tremendous use to you, a subpar website can be worse than having none at all. Make the most of this opportunity to invest in your writing career because it is one of the most crucial ones.