By Lucy Manole
Are you an author looking to make an impact with your upcoming works?
The best way to give your books the reach they deserve is by creating a WordPress author website. Nowadays, books are increasingly bought online. Think about the last time you bought a book! Was it you visiting a physical store or getting it delivered to your doorstep?
In other words, you will likely get the majority of your readers from the internet. So, the best way to capitalize on this fact is by having your author website.
In this article, we will explain why you need a WordPress author website and how to create one. But first…
How does an author website help?
Here are five ways in which having an author website is beneficial for you.
- Building a rapport with your readers: A website is a way in which your readers can come in touch with you and have a personal connection.
- You can build an email list: According to a report by Campaign Monitor, marketers observed that segmented email campaigns grew their revenue by 760%. The best way to build an email list is by first owning an author website.
- Show how your readers feel: Your author website will also show other visitors how well your book was received through testimonials, comments, and community engagements.
- You will own the data: Unlike your social media followers, you will be the sole owner of your email list. That means you can consistently and directly send them exclusive and valuable content.
- Publishing your upcoming books will be easier: When you will be ready to publish your next bestseller, you will already have an audience that loves you.
So the question is: why choose WordPress amongst all the countless other CMS options?
Why a WordPress author website?
43% of all websites are powered by WordPress. Here are the reasons why you should also choose WordPress over other CMS options.
- Great for beginners without a technical background. You can get your website running in 30 minutes!
- Designing your website and giving it a unique look with all the WordPress themes available is as easy as ABC.
- The WordPress ecosystem boasts over 54k plugins that enable you to have just about any feature on your website, along with a thriving community of enthusiasts helping each other.
- Lots of documentation is already available. A lot of WordPress users have created many helpful articles and videos that will make the process even smoother.
- Already have a website/blog? Take the help of easy-to-use WordPress migration services. WordPress is super flexible and can adapt to your requirements.
Now that you know why a WordPress author website is crucial for your book’s success, let’s take a look at the steps to create one.
Steps to create a WordPress author website
Before you pull your sleeves and get straight into it, make sure you have selected an ideal hosting solution and have a brand name (your pen name, or real name) ready as it will be your website’s address.
Now, let’s get straight into it.
- Choose a theme: The theme of your site decides its adaptiveness and responsiveness. It also provides an outline in which you can add content to the modules instead of reinventing the wheel. Make sure that the theme can evolve and incorporate new changes with time and is mobile-friendly. There are plenty of free and premium WordPress author website themes to choose from.
- Create the fundamental pages: “Homepage”, “Portfolio”, “About me”, “Contact me”, “Blog”, “Updates”, and “Testimonials” are the must-haves. These basic pages will make your site whole. Make sure to have a header that simplifies browsing.
- Provide flexibility with purchase: Provide options to your readers in terms of payment methods (if you’re selling your books directly on your website).
- Be ready with an email strategy: An email to welcome your newest subscriber, a word of thanks to someone who had ordered a copy and another email requesting their feedback are some ideas to get you started. You can also send them periodic newsletters with exclusive content to keep your readers engaged. Keep the tone in your emails simple and conversational. Most importantly, never spam.
- Improve your website over time: The more experience you get, the more innovative ideas you will have. Use plugins to add more features and functionalities to your WordPress author website.
- Google your problems: Believe it or not, this is how you can solve most of your website-related problems. Search with the keyword “WordPress” and countless online communities, blog articles, and help docs will assist you.
For example, take a look at James Clear’s website. The theme appears unique, the header gives a visitor an easy browsing experience and the homepage features his most recent work. Furthermore, he makes the book’s first chapter available for free, which is a great way to grow his email list.
Wrapping up
Writing a book is difficult and time-consuming. Publishing and distributing it doesn’t have to be. With the benefits of a WordPress author website and our tips to help you create one, driving readership for your work can become so much easier.
A website provides you with complete freedom, control, and autonomy to engage and grow your audience, as opposed to solely relying on social media platforms, where the algorithms decide your content’s reach. Above all, your own website means your readers get your most valuable content directly from you.
We hope this quick article helped!
Lucy is a creative content writer and strategist at Marketing Digest. She specializes in writing about digital marketing, technology, entrepreneurship, and education. When she is not writing or editing, she spends time reading books, cooking and traveling.
