So I was in PA this weekend for an AWESOME conference with AWESOME people. I did a one-hour workshop on "Building An Online Author Platform," which is a workshop I love, love, LOVE giving. Always results in great discussions, questions, and a few laughs when I admit my story about "KOrtizzle" and the "TRex" brand that I've unintentionally given myself. *le sigh*
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| This has absolutely zero relevance to the topic. But I said "Titanic" and this popped up and I had to find a way to include it. |
Anyway, I always have requests for copies of the PowerPoint, which I don't give out because...well...then I wouldn't be asked to give said lectures, right? But there was one slide in particular they requested, and I've decided to post it here for all to see/refer to when needed.
Therefore, I'm happy to share with you my guidelines for the absolute basics you should have for your author web site:
Unpublished Authors
- Home page
- Clear, easy to find, organized menu buttons
- Links (preferably widgets or buttons rather than "Find my Twitter here") to social media sites
- Brief bio or welcome message
- About Me page
- Professional bio
- Fun bio -- don't give TMI
- Contact page
- Email contact -- do not give phone number or address
- Writing page
- Genres you write
- Do NOT post your query unless it's your absolute best version. If you have the slightest thought that you may update it in the future, don't post it. -- why? this is your first impression to someone who comes by your page. If you've updated your query and not updated it on your web site, you may be doing yourself a disservice.
- Sample pages -- totally up to you. If you *must* do it, then no more than five. -- why? again, this is your first impression to someone who comes by your page. If you've updated your pages OR have opening pages that are not as stellar as later pages (often the case), you're doing yourself a disservice.
- *Do not post a photo unless it's your professional author photo*
Published Authors
- Home Page
- Clear, easy to find, organized menu buttons
- Links (preferably widgets or buttons rather than "Find my Twitter here") to social media sites
- Latest book cover OR title (if unable to publicly show cover at the moment)
- Brief welcome message
- About Me Page
- Professional bio (typically what you would put in the back of your book)
- "Fun bio" -- again, be careful of TMI
- FAQs -- these are Q&As of Qs you think you'll get a lot of -- when did you sign with your agent? What inspired you to write the book? Boxers or briefs? <-- for the love of Godiva (as Janet would say) I'm totally kidding. I don't want to know that...
- Books Page
- Jacket copy, only -- why? Because if you write your own synopsis and your publisher comes up with a better one, the overall message / connotation may change and then confuse your audience.
- Covers (if approved)
- Future pub dates (if in a series) so people know when to expect them.
- Links to bookstores (directly to your book -- not the general page -- you'd be surprised how many people link to Amazon.com rather than their book's page). You should link to Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon and IndieBound.
- Contact Page
- Agency / publisher / publicist info -- super important. If there's a rights inquiry or permissions request (usually non-fiction), this will make it easier for someone to find the right contact.
- *Do not post synopses of unwritten work. Wait for jacket copy.*
- *DO post a short "What am I working on now?" to keep people interested and up-to-date on the fact you are still writing, but be vague. Age group (YA, MG, adult) + genre is best.
A few notes:
- Update regularly: it's so frustrating to visit an author's site for information, just to see the (C)2006 at the bottom.
- Clean pages: sometimes less is more. Don't clutter.
- Do NOT have automatic music: if someone's at work or in a quiet house and forgot the sound is on, it will irritate them and send them packing, never to return!
- Do NOT have flash animation: more than half of MY blog's and web site's visitors use Apple devices (iTouch, iPad, iPhone) and (as of now) cannot see Flash animation on their screen. It basically appears as the big finger. (Ok...a box with an X...same thing).
- DO consult someone for color combinations/graphics. A pretty web site (or at least a non-ugly one) is a happy web site.
- DO triple check all your links. Broken links makes everyone a sad panda.
- DO update your information regularly.
- Do NOT give too much personal information. I really do not want to know about your last gyno visit unless you're a health doctor...
- DO use a web analytics program to see WHO your audience is, WHERE they come from, and HOW they access your information. I highly recommend Google Analytics or StatCounter.com. (There are dozens of others)
- No ads: it really bothers me when someone has ads on their site. It makes the page messy and annoying. The lure of free money is pretty big, but I promise you the loyalty of return visitors is more important than the pennies you'll make from Google ads.
- You do not need to hire a professional or spend $1,500 on your web site -- but do remember that you get what you pay for and sometimes it's best to consult a professional.
Any questions? Thoughts? Has someone told you to put something on your site that I didn't list?
~K
**Edit: Your questions, answered:
Using your blog as your website, good or bad idea?
Good if the layout is good. Lots of authors do it. Just choose a good design/template so that it's clear it's your "main hub" for your information. It's what I'm in the 'process' of doing to this site...
What do you think we should have on our "books" page if jacket copy isn't available yet?
Your PM posting :) If the book hasn't sold yet, just say the genre / age group you write for. IMHO, don't say you're 'on submission with editors.' Because if it's been a while and an editor looks you up, they might question why you've been on sub for a while.
And for the agent/editor contact info-- is having a link to their websites ok?
Yup! Though a link to your agent's page rather than the agency web site might help (so that there are fewer barriers between reader and information)
Why do you say not to post a photo unless it's your professional author photo?
Because if it's just flat out a bad photo, then it may come across as unprofessional. It's cool to have pics of you as a mom, or having fun but if it's just flat out a BAD unprofessional photo, that will be someone's first impression of you.
do you have any favorite author websites? You know, authors who get everything right?
non-clients? Personally I'm a HUGE fan of Holly Black and Maureen Johnson's web sites. One is super simple and clean, the other more decorated yet easy to navigate. But most importantly you get an immediate feel for their personalities.
**Edit: Your questions, answered:
Using your blog as your website, good or bad idea?
Good if the layout is good. Lots of authors do it. Just choose a good design/template so that it's clear it's your "main hub" for your information. It's what I'm in the 'process' of doing to this site...
What do you think we should have on our "books" page if jacket copy isn't available yet?
Your PM posting :) If the book hasn't sold yet, just say the genre / age group you write for. IMHO, don't say you're 'on submission with editors.' Because if it's been a while and an editor looks you up, they might question why you've been on sub for a while.
And for the agent/editor contact info-- is having a link to their websites ok?
Yup! Though a link to your agent's page rather than the agency web site might help (so that there are fewer barriers between reader and information)
Why do you say not to post a photo unless it's your professional author photo?
Because if it's just flat out a bad photo, then it may come across as unprofessional. It's cool to have pics of you as a mom, or having fun but if it's just flat out a BAD unprofessional photo, that will be someone's first impression of you.
do you have any favorite author websites? You know, authors who get everything right?
non-clients? Personally I'm a HUGE fan of Holly Black and Maureen Johnson's web sites. One is super simple and clean, the other more decorated yet easy to navigate. But most importantly you get an immediate feel for their personalities.
Using your blog as your website, good or bad idea? I have just recently switched my blog to being hosted on a domain which I own so I've taken the other site off of all my information. (I use iWeb and Mobile Me currently for that static website.)
@Stephanie: Good if the layout is good. Lots of authors do it. Just choose a good design/template so that it's clear it's your "main hub" for your information. It's what I'm in the 'process' of doing to this site...
Wow, this came at the perfect time. I just started building an author website last night. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips for making a website - I've been thinking of making one to go along with my blog lately, and this is so helpful (usually people talk about what to do if you are already published but leave out those of us who are still trying to get there).
And I completely agree with the music thing! That is so annoying.
Oooh, thank you! I've been putting this off for the longest time, since I wasn't sure what I'd put on my site. I think I'll take a crack at it now!
Your notes are greatly appreciated! I can easily see how an hour would fly by covering this information.
I'm sure you give this tip when you talk, but I've mostly learned the basics from visiting and following as many blogs as I can. Even if I don't follow a blog, I will check out new blogs every day to see how they are set up, what they're discussing, etc. It's worth the effort to troll a bit (nicely trolling of course, by commenting and being friendly). I've learned more in 6 months of combing through blogs than I could ever have from a how-to on blogging!
Okay. Good to know. I like to think the layout is good and easy to navigate. I don't have a lot in the sidebar of my blog so it's not too cluttered visually. I may separate it out again someday. We'll see. Thanks for responding!
Great information-- thanks so much for sharing!
What do you think we should have on our "books" page if jacket copy isn't available yet? I do have a description there that I wrote myself (snagged from my query letter) to let people know what it's about. And for the agent/editor contact info-- is having a link to their websites ok? I have a link to the NC site on my contact page, but I hadn't thought of doing that for the editor also.
I do have a page with some favorite links for writers, because I like seeing writing advice and such on other writers' websites. And I have a page about elephants, because every website should have a page about elephants.
Why do you say not to post a photo unless it's your professional author photo?
Super helpful post! Wish I'd read this when I was still querying. I might have a real website up already.
My web designer is currently working on my site. Can't wait for it to go live, and I'll make sure I have everything on the checklist. Question: do you have any favorite author websites? You know, authors who get everything right?
Fantastic post! I'm in the process of trying to get my blog/website where I want it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing all this great advice for those of us who couldn't attend your talk. You lay it all out for us.
Thanks Kathleen for this usefull information. I will print it and with time use it to improve my basic website/blog. Best wishes.
Great info! Thanks for sharing. *goes to update site*
This is fabulous and detailed information for creating our brands and web presences. Thanks for sharing it!
I always love a good reason to update my website. :) Thanks so much for sharing these tips with us!
Great tips! I'm redesigning my website soon and this is so helpful. Thanks!
Kami
Great post, thank you!
Great post. Very informational. I set up my own site a few months ago. These tips will help me refine it. Thank you!
FANTASTIC post!!!!! Thanks!
Some nice tips (plenty of which I hadn't considered!), thanks.
Phil