Writing a book: when to have an author website

A great question I saw asked online recently:

How many books should an author have before creating an author website?

My answer was:

Whenever the author thinks appropriate, whether they have one book or lots!

With one or two books you can have a basic website up & running that can build on as you release more books.

Plus also ensures you own domain name, etc. (which I recommend registering even if not planning on website)

After some more thought, this question gave me an idea to expand on this topic with a blog post - using both my book author hat - and also my software developer hat too.

Domain name

Even if you don't have (or plan to have) a website, I recommend registering a domain name (e.g. www.example.com).

This ensures you own the domain name, and prevents anyone from registering the name, squatting or worse - registering the name then using it for dubious purposes!

I'm not saying register every possible domain name - however if your own name is available, or a name you like, then I suggest registering.

If your own name is not available or you don't want to use it, then I'm sure you can come up with something creative - e.g. FirstNameWrites.com, BooksByFirstName.com, etc.

If you don't plan to have a website straight away, you can point your domain name to your Amazon author page, Facebook page, blog, section of an existing website or anywhere else. I.e. when someone types in www.yourwebaddress.com in your web browser it will redirect and take them to that page instead.

And if you point your web address to another location - you can still have your web address on your business cards, social media posts, etc. - as your web address is probably going to be much easier to remember then an Amazon author page web address for example.

Another advantage of registering the domain name is that even if you don't plan to have a website, you can still use the domain name for e-mail addresses, e.g. [email protected] - providing a more professional touch then having a GMail address, etc.

Basic Website

As I mentioned at the start, one advantage of having one book published initially, is that you can set up a basic website, and then grow and expand your website as you have more content, books, etc.

You could even have a one-page website with just Amazon links to your books, or a full website with content, blogs, etc.

Even if you haven't written your book yet - you could still set up a website with blog posts (remembering you can collect blog posts together into your book, future book, bonus chapter, etc.), news on progress, hints, tips, pre-order information, etc.

Existing Website

If you have an existing website - e.g. as part of your business - then you may just want to set up a "Books" section of your website - and this is what I am currently doing (although have previously looked at having a website for my books).

What to include on your website?

As well as information about your book, including cover image, description, etc. here are some quick ideas for other things you can include...

• Remember not everyone is in the UK (or your particular part of the world). On my website I like to include both UK and US Amazon links. Others like to include links for other countries too.
• Extra content - e.g. sample chapters, extra content that didn't make it into the book, examples from book, etc.
• Any additional and related services you offer - e.g. consulting, implementation, etc.
• Video examples, webinars, etc. expanding the topics you cover in your books.
• Blog posts - whether your blog is hosted as part of your website or elsewhere (and remember what I mentioned earlier about collecting blog posts into your next book)!
• Links to any other websites, social media pages, etc.

Google Sites, Wix, etc.

Whether to use a "free website" service is frequently debated in business forums, Facebook groups, etc. - however for getting a basic website up and running I believe its a great option.

I've never used Wix, although often use Google Sites myself. It's really easy to use and set up, there are no adverts, etc. and you can have a really good professional looking website up and running relatively quickly - with both mobile and desktop friendly websites.

You can even have your domain name point to your Google Sites websites, so visitors won't really be able to tell its Google Sites.

If you don't want to (or can't) pay for web hosting, and want a website for your books, then I do recommend checking out Google Sites (sites.google.com) and experimenting.

Do you need a website?

That's up to you - and to decide when/if that is appropriate.

You may decide to just add pages to an existing business website, register a domain name and point to your Amazon author page, set something up using Google Sites, or even a mixture of all of these options.

And nothing is set in stone - for example you could register your domain name, set up a free website using Google Sites and then move to a WordPress hosted website in the future.

Hopefully the above has given you some ideas on the options available, alternatives, and even made the idea of having a website less daunting.

I'm the author of four non-fiction books - covering editing audio, creating new products, coding and WordPress - all ideal for beginners and available to order from my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simon-Pittman/e/B07D7WPTH5

If you are considering writing a book while there are lockdown restrictions - or started bringing your idea to life while staying at home - I'm happy to help with a free half hour phone call.

Absolutely no sales pitches (and that goes both ways!) - we'll discuss options for self publishing, answer any questions you may have and hopefully help point you in right direction.

Send me a message on here or e-mail [email protected] and we'll arrange a time to talk.