Do You Need Your Own Book or Author Website?

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All the big-name authors have them. They are fancy, appear high-maintenance, and seem to cost a small fortune. Author websites seem to be a must-have, but are they really?

As someone who owns and runs a webhosting platform specifically for authors, you would think I am a bit biased to write this article. Admittedly, I would love it if every author needed a website and used my platform, but the truth is, if an author doesn't need a website, it is a waste of everyone's resources to get one (mine because of the support involved in the first few months). So I will give it to you straight. The short answer is that every author certainly doesn't "need" a website and for some authors, even having a free website can be a waste of time and even do more harm than good. But for other authors, a website can be the answer to actually making money as an author.

Some Definitions and Examples.

First, let's make sure we understand what we are talking about when we say "book" or "author" website. A "book website" is a website or even a single page, run and controlled by the author (not by a retailer like Amazon), that primarily contains details about a single book or a series. An "author website" is a website or even a single page, run and controlled by the author (not by a retailer like Amazon), that primarily contains details about the author, where the books written by the author are secondary. If an author has written multiple books, the best practice is to have an author page with several book pages linked to the author page. You can see what I mean by checking out my author page at https://www.bobennett.com . Notice the custom domain name that focuses on the author (me) and not any of my book titles. However, I do have about a dozen book websites, one for each of my books, all linked to my author page.

Why You Wouldn't Want an Author or Book Website.

First, if you only have one book and only plan on writing one book for the near future, you don't need an author website. An author website will just be extra noise if you are interested in selling and promoting your one book. Of course, your book website will have an "about the author" section, and this can be as detailed and extensive as you like. But the focus should be on the book, not you.

Book websites are almost always good to have. Almost. Price isn't an issue. At HostingAuthors.com, we offer free websites that look fantastic (we make money on upgrades). Quality is an issue. Although the websites look fantastic, if you don't choose the right colors, don't upload quality images, and don't complete most of the information, the website will reflect poorly on you (the author) and your book, by extension. You don't need to spend time maintaining the website once set up—unless your book changes. If your book has frequent updates, you need to devote the time to update your website, as well. If you can't, you probably shouldn't have a book website.

Why You Would Want an Author or Book Website.

First, you want an author website if you have multiple books. Rather than promote multiple websites, you can simply promote the one website that links to all your books. Of course, each book will have its own website or URL, and you can still promote the book website if needed.

You will want a book/author website for a myriad of reasons, depending on what features are part of the website. For example, we have several plans at HostingAuthors.com and the list of features for each plan is displayed on the homepage. Here are some of features / reasons:

• If the website looks good, it will add credibility to you as an author and your book.
• You can control the information on the website, and include interviews, press releases, awards, etc.
• You can add a mailing list and collect the e-mail addresses from readers and prospective readers (an excellent marketing tool).
• You can run a blog.
• You can run a podcast.
• You can promote other products or services such as online courses, consulting services, speaking engagements, etc.
• You can run your own bookstore and keep nearly 100% of the sales price of your books (have to pay PayPal or CC fees).

That last one is a biggie, at least for me. I sell autographed hard copies of my books from my website. I have a small stash of my books at home and run to the post office to mail out the books once per week. It is a nice, little profit center.

So there you have it. If you think an author/book website is for you, you can start with your free account at HostingAuthors.com . If you are not very good with technology or design, I do suggest you allow us to create the site for you, ensuring the website will help enhance your image.

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