What authors should have a website? Every one of them. But a writer or illustrator should have a website that contains information of value. Simply having a book⏤whether publisher or in-progress⏤listed on an author’s website is of little use to the viewer. Having information to support that book adds value.
One of my students compiled a list of what she found most useful on author websites and sorted it by category. It looks like this:
About the Author
Author info
Interview
FAQ
Media info and photos
Branding
Good site name
Social media links
Press release
Press coverage (clippings)
Mailing list subscription
Gift shop
Design
Layout
Readability
Effective us of color
Mobile Friendly
Use of images
Use of thumbnails
Child / Adult oriented design
Multilingual
Content
Blog
Chapter preview
Reviews
Audio
Video
Artwork info
Awards
Interactivity
Other Services
Sales
Bibliography (list of books)
Where to buy books
E-book option
Audio Book option
Signed Copy option
Other works (paintings, etc.)
Events
School visits
Library Programs
List of Public Events
Resources
For writers
For adults and teachers
For parents
A website is not for the website owner; it’s for the person visiting the site. Think of your customers (and colleagues) first.
