Guest post by Lauren Gebka
Once your book is ready to be seen by the world, how do you effectively get it to readers who have not discovered you as an author? Having a great author website is one of the tools you need to succeed.
When an author decides to get a professional website, there’s almost always a rise in their book sales. This may not be immediate, but we’ve seen this time and time again. This is because they appear more professional than if they had no author website or one that made them seem like an amateur.
Having a great author website doesn’t automatically mean you’ll become a best-seller. It does mean you have a lot more of a chance of becoming one over time though!
People who don’t know you will almost always Google you before deciding if they want to help you promote your books. What they find is often what they’ll think of you. If they find a stunning professional website, you have that much chance of being promoted more widely.
But it’s not just about having an author website, it’s more about having a website that is designed to produce these very results.
Here are some important elements that your existing or new author website should have:
Key Elements To A Great Author Website
Easy Navigation
If I am a potential reader who happens to come across your website because you write books in my favourite genre, my patience will not be the same as that of a loyal reader. This is why navigating my way through your website should not be confusing or difficult. Anyone should be able to find what they are looking for on your site, thus making sure your website content is organised logically is important.
Branding
Every successful author has an established author brand which is often developed when they choose a genre to focus on and work on their book cover designs. This guides you in knowing your author brand as there will be a similar style across your book covers and author website. This style is created by the type of illustrations you use, the color and the fonts. Your style and the way you present yourself and your work become your author brand.
Through your brand, you will be able to stand out online as a unique author within your genre.
Mailing List Sign Up
This is a great way to grow the number of potential readers. And having an author website allows you to easily have this platform. While new website visitors are on your website learning about you, they can be added to an author funnel (mailing list) by offering them an attractive opt-in. Once you have their emails, through a series of emails you can guide them to become buyers.
What’s great about having a mailing list is that your loyal readers will most likely sign up to get news updates, and free content, such as the first three chapters of your new book, etc. And when they get updates on new releases and other interesting updates, they can forward the inside information to the people around them and on their social media … and just like that, you have word-of-mouth marketing.
Make Buying Your Books Easy
Most people who visit your website have heard of your books or have read your book. So they might be interested in more of your books. This is why you need to make sure that throughout your entire website you add your purchase links. This will make the buying process much easier.
Conclusion
An author website is a great marketing tool; it compliments everything you do related to your books. This is why you need to ensure that your site is designed with all the necessary elements to make it effective.
But on its own, it can only be effective to a limited degree. Thus your book itself needs to be a book people will enjoy reading, having a professional editor to assist you with this can improve your book. And your book cover design should draw readers to it, its appearance alone will help market it.
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