How to Build an Author Website Like a Professional?

Searching for the quickest and most effective way to present your books?

If you are a book writer, an author website is the best way to showcase your writing or books to others! 

This website will allow you to showcase your unique skills and hard work to your readers online all over the world. It will stand as your voice to the person, and it works best to increase your readers’ group! 

As you know, there are tremendous benefits to having these websites. It’s time to know how to build an author website now. So, let’s discover something exceptional from this article—

How to Build an Author Website in 3 Easy Steps?

When you are on the way to making an author website, whether with a no-code website builder or by writing custom codes, knowing some primary steps, for instance, components and principles of making a single-page website, would be a blessing for you.

So, let’s dive in the steps of building a website.

Step 1: Preparing for Your Author Website

Before starting to build your author website, you should consider a few things. Things like- How other author websites are made thoroughly, buying custom domain names and hostings, selecting a perfect website builder to build the website without writing codes, and many more. 

So, let's know more about the necessary steps you should take in preparation for creating your Author website.

a) Research online to Brainstorm Ideas 

It’s important to grab some inspiration from fellow author websites before creating your website.

So, Look for inspirational author website examples to make a website layout according to your needs.

For instance, if your writing Genre is Thriller or Fiction, look for Fiction writer’s websites to collect ideas for your website. It will help you understand the latest design trends and build a visually appealing and to-the-point author website.

 b) Register a Domain Name

A domain name is your virtual identity. It is the unique address visitors use to access your website platform. Domain name acts as your virtual address and aids in establishing your credibility and memorability on the internet.

Getting a custom domain name does not mean you need to have it only for an author’s website. It's an unavoidable step if you intend to build an online presence.

Here are some primary stages you should not miss out on while choosing a domain name—

✅ Search online- Explore online to get ideas from other author website’s domain names. Usually, the domain names of author websites remain their own name. For example- helenhoang.com/ and rickriordan.com/ used their names as domain names.

✅ Avoid adding numbers- Having foreign words, symbols, and numbers on your domain name may confuse your visitors and make spelling mistakes. As a result, they may end up landing on others’ websites instead of yours.

✅ Get a Perfect domain name extension- Domain name extensions are also known as the top-level domain(TLD). Domain name extensions stand for the final component of a domain name. Some examples of domain name extensions include .mail and .org.

Avoid using domain name extensions like - .gov, .edu, and .info for writer’s websites. Specifically, avoid those extensions that are used for a particular purpose. Instead, you can pick the .com for your author’s website. 

✅ Check Availability- Others can also take your chosen domain name before you. So, check if the name is available on domain name generators. If it’s attainable, register the name of your author’s website. 

But, if the name is unavailable, search for other similar names and register it. 

✨ Check our step-by-step guideline blog post on choosing a domain name for better understanding. 

 c) Select a Website Builder

Will you believe me if I say you can build an entire author website without writing a single line of code? Yes, it's possible. You need no coding or technical skills to build a website anymore. You can make it all alone with a no-code website builder!! 

No-code website builders make it easier and faster for everyone to make a captivating digital presence. 

But you have to check out the builder’s ability before choosing it. So, let’s have a glance at what ideal features you should look for from a no-code website builder to build your author website– 

Now that you know what features to look for in a website builder, let me introduce Dorik. It offers all the features mentioned above and more. It is one of the best no-code website builders. It is the most affordable and flexible white-level website builder that helps users build their dream website without breaking the bank!

Step 02- Start Building with Dorik

Once you have a domain name, a visual layout, and a structure of your author’s website contents, it’s time to build it using the website builder. 

You will get a bundle of unique and exciting features in the no-code website builder Dorik to build a website. Let's guide you step-by-step through the process of how to build an author website using Dorik now. 

First, Sign up to Dorik Website Builder and build your account. Then, you will land on the beautiful platform to make the sublime.

Here are some steps that will make your journey easier on the go- 

a) Select a Template or Start from Scratch

Well, now the decision is yours. You can select a premade template from Dorik’s 80+ templates collection and customize it as needed. 

Or, if you have a different plan and want to design the website on your own, you can utilize the ‘Start from Scratch’ opportunity. But, As I want to show you the process in the easiest and fastest way, I will select a template for today’s tutorial. 

For this demo author’s website creation article, I am selecting the ‘AF - Writer Personal Portfolio Template.’ This template has all the necessary features for a writer's portfolio.

 b) Customize the Website Layout. 

Now that we have chosen a pre-built template. Let’s move forward with this template by selecting it. But, before entering the Dorik website builder with this template, it will ask you to name your project and add a domain name to it.

On the domain part, you can use a subdomain name under Dorik’s domain name. 

But, if you already have your own custom domain and web hosting, you can add that by choosing a Premium Plan of Dorik. 

For now, I am moving forward with the subdomain so I can show you the process of how to build an author website for free using Dorik's Free Plan. 

So, when you click ‘Create’ after adding your subdomain and project title, you will enter the builder where you can customize your template. 

Select the ‘Design and Pages’ option to give your site a personal touch. From this place, you can bring magic to your entire site.

You can set new page settings, edit the website’s content and design, build collections, save changes, and publish it as per your needs. 

For example, let’s assume you need to change the Header title 'Albert Flowres' into your name. You can simply click on the Heading text for this. Instantly, an onsite editor will appear on the screen to let you customize the section. 

From this, you can edit the texts and change contents and styles as needed. You can even add new elements, add blocks, and drag-and-drop the contents using the ‘+’ icon on the editor. 

In the same way, you can change the logo and section alignments and customize the entire website layout just like you want. 

There’s no limitation and compromise with your wish!!

This resourceful and easy-to-use website builder provides everything you need for your site. You can even decorate the site more uniquely by adding illustrations from our huge illustration collection for Free!! 

There are many illustrations are recently added to the collection. They all are available in various formats, including .png and .svg as well. 

Dorik’s royalty-free illustrations are organized in multiple package collections, so you can use the images as often as you need without repeatedly renewing your license. 

Step 3: Launch the website

Let’s consider you have done all the necessary customization and modification of your online author website. Now, take a moment before you hit the Publish button. 

With your newly built website, you still have the chance to check out how your website is working using the ‘Preview’ button. 

This will help you understand whether all your added links are performing correctly or not, check out if the website is appropriately responsive, and the other mandatory things. 

Once you are satisfied with your last stage’s scrutiny, you can go live with your author’s website. 

What things should an author’s website have? 

Check out the must-have resources you should include to build a comprehensive author website. 

🎯 Author Bio- Include a well-written author biography highlighting your background, achievements, and the genres you specialize in. It can add a personal connection with your audience.

Perhaps you can write a short and detailed author bio for different pages. For example, add a short author bio on your homepage with your image and a detailed author bio on the Author’s About Me page.

Link the home page’s bio with the detail one with a read more button. Audiences who want to know more about you can click this link. 

🎯 Book Showcase- Build a dedicated page or section to showcase your books. Include high-quality book covers, synopses, and purchase links for each title.

You can also build different individual pages for each book. It is a prominent practice for search engine optimization of your author’s website with relevant keywords.

Besides, when you want to share links to specific books with someone, you can easily share the exact link of the individual page instead of sharing the entire book collection. 

🎯 Subscription Form- Encourage your author website visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. This allows you to build a direct connection with your audience and notify them of new releases or updates.

Build an author website by adding subscription forms on multiple pages like- homepage, landing page, and Blog page. This will also allow you to build an email list for your email marketing campaigns as well.

Even if you are not sending newsletters for now, you can collect the email addresses using a Sign-up form for later use as well.

🎯 Press Page- Consider adding multimedia elements like book trailers, author interviews, or podcasts if they complement your writing and engage your audience effectively.

Add an author contact form on this page to help the media reach out to you easily if needed. Moreover, adding news portal interviews and other media content to your author’s website will build trust among the audience. 

🎯 Blogs- Maintain a blog or news section where you can share posts about your writing process, book releases, author events, and relevant industry news. This aligns with your experience in writing blog posts about various genres like- Fiction, Non-fiction, Thriller, etc.

There are a few tips you can follow if you are blogging-

🎯 Contact Page- Make it easy for readers to get in touch with you. Provide a contact form or list your email address and social media profiles for communication on the Contact page.

Learn more about how to build a converting Contact Us Page. 

Tips to follow while creating an author website 

✨ Modern design: Your website platform reflects your professionalism as an author. So, try to build an author website by making the best UI and UX design. Make sure the site is visually appealing so visitors feel interest while visiting. 

If you are hiring a web designer, ensure the website maintains all the web design principles and laws that captivate your audience. 

✨ User-friendliness: According to Jinand Co., the duration time of visitors to an author’s website is 1 minute 44 seconds.

So, design your author’s website to be user-friendly and easy to navigate. Use a clean layout, simple menus, and clear headings to help your readers and visitors quickly find what they want.

✨ Device friendly: Studies say over 35% of mobile users make purchases every week, whereas 15% of computer users make purchases every week. 

Besides, creating device-responsive websites is cost-effective and builds a better user experience as well. 

✨ Privacy and security- Implement necessary security measures to safeguard your own site and the data of your visitors, mainly if you collect personal information through forms.

Dorik website builder provides AWS Hosting, which is one of the most secure hosting providers. You don’t need to worry about site security while building an Author website with Dorik.

✨ Add Reviews: Reviews allow visitors to feel good about buying your books as they know others also had a pleasant experience with you.

So, try to showcase positive book reviews and reader testimonials to build credibility and trust with your potential readers.

How to Use Your Author Website for Book Marketing 

Your author website serves as more than just a digital business card. It's a powerful tool for promoting your books and adding connections with your readers. Let's explore some potent strategies to maximize its potential for book marketing:

Promoting the Latest Books on The Homepage 

When potential readers land on your website, what information can they get at once? Do you want to look over the entire book collection to find out if there is any new book released?

Introduce your latest books, and start the promotion work from your author’s website’s home page. 

Add converting reviews, short descriptions, and highly visual book covers to convince them to buy these books.

Creating Events

What if some visitors miss it to peep into your author’s website when you are releasing new books? 

It is very important to do some direct marketing to bring your book names to the best sellers list. Therefore, you can arrange events like Podcasts, reach out to book clubs and arrange contests to promote the book more effectively. 

Integrating Social Media links

Link your social media accounts to your website with calls-to-action buttons like- ‘Follow Me.’ Also, integrate your author website link on your author accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. 

Post regular updates and thoughts on these accounts to always stay in touch with the readers. You can also showcase your recent social media posts on the author’s website to build engagement with website visitors. 

Collecting and Building Email List

Collect email lists using sign-up forms or newsletter subscription forms. Then, you can promote your books by sending follow-up emails to the subscribers when releasing the latest books.

You can utilize email marketing automation software tools to do it right without any hassles. Email automation software is a technology platform that allows businesses of any size to automate their email marketing campaigns, send targeted messages, and track their email campaigns’ performance.

Writing Engaging Book Descriptions.

Engaging book descriptions are the punch words that work to influence your potential readers to buy the books. They are the marketers or sales executives of your Books. The more engaging and mysterious descriptions you can come up with, the more your sales rate will grow.

Get a Few Best Author Website Examples to Shape Your One

1.Tui T. Sutherland 

The author, Tui T. Sutherland, is the writer of the New York Times’s best-selling book series- 'Wings of Fire.' 

Her website design layout represents her writing style, and it’s genre in the easiest way possible. Not only the design but the website’s background, elements, color, and font styles also represent her book’s themes. Besides, Sutherland also introduces the visitor to her latest book sets on the website’s Hompage. 

2. Miquel Riena

Miquel Riena is a Barcelona-born writer, filmmaker, and graphic artist. 

His author’s website utilizes white space for most of the entire website. The website will welcome you with a calm, slow, and decent vibe with its tiny fonts and soothing color choices. What makes this author’s website example exceptional is the integration of YouTube video clips, which he built as his latest book’s promo. 

3. Helen Hoang

Helen Hoang’s website demonstrates how authors can effectively promote not only a single work but multiple pieces of their portfolio.

Positioned prominently above the fold, her colorful cover art immediately captures the attention of visitors, showcasing her captivating trilogy. Furthermore, the website features a dedicated page showcasing the various translations of her books and another page highlighting the diverse purchasing options available for her work.

4.  Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan’s website offers visitors a mini-quest related to the adventures his characters undertake. Beginning with the ‘Explore’ call to action (CTA) on the homepage, you can navigate downward to discover his extensive array of series and books.

While you scroll, the distinctive feature emerges—the yellow-dotted line transforms into a solid line with a shifting color scheme. This innovative approach adds a unique twist to the conventional reading order lists commonly found on author websites.

Final Wrap-up

Your author’s website is the accommodating part that works for onboarding new readers to your site. Keep every content related as each part of your website operates as an integral pinion.  

Follow these steps to build an author website and enjoy your journey from planning website design to publishing it!

Once you are done, remember to keep updating, evolving, and believing in the hidden magic of your writing skills.