What Kind of Author Are You?

Answer this, to know what you need on your author website!

According to estimates, there are now around 2 million to 3 million books published each year in the USA.

As book lovers, these are exciting times. As authors, these are both exciting and terrifying times. Not least because most book marketing advice still comes too often in a “one size fits all” message.

If we’re lucky, book marketing gurus might differentiate between genres, for example, how to market your memoir, or how to launch your nonfiction book. But there isn’t nearly enough nuanced discussion that asks: what kind of author are you?

I’m not talking about genre here, and I’m not referring to whether you’re with a big publisher, hybrid publisher, or you’re an indie author.

Instead, I’m talking about your goals, your business, and how your book(s) will contribute to your personal and professional aspirations.

Because until you get clear on this (and it’s okay if you only get clarity for now, it can evolve later!), you’ll be at risk of following all kinds of dud advice. Or at least, reasonable advice that’s completely wrong for you.

You’ll probably run yourself ragged, trying all kinds of book marketing tactics that feel burdensome. You’ll work toward goals that are not aligned with why you wrote your book in the first place. And your author website will be a lame duck.

Here are 3 kinds of author that you might be, and my corresponding advice for your author website:

1) You’re a solopreneur, with a book to promote your business

You might not identify primarily as an author. You’re a business owner, probably a solo entrepreneur, and you sell expertise and services, not products. And, honestly, you published your book to bring in leads for your business. The book isn’t where you’re going to make money (in fact, you might even lose money on it), but the opportunities that it generates will make a massive difference to your bottom line.

If this is you, your author website needs to establish you as an expert and authority in your field.

Yes, you need to show off your book, but your website goes far beyond that. It needs to demonstrate your value, appeal to the right clients, repel the wrong clients, and streamline inquiries, consultations, and business processes. Simply put, your website needs to sell your services and programs.

For this type of website, you’re looking for ROI. You’ll need a modest number of pages, and probably some additional tech integrations (for example, with your email list, appointment scheduler, and course provider). If SEO is a long-term tactic, you’ll need a website that’s carefully optimized, and an ongoing, targeted content plan. You understand you cannot afford to show up online with a poorly constructed site, calls to action that aren’t strategic, or a DIY design appearance.

After all, if you’re asking clients to invest thousands of dollars in working with you, your website needs to demonstrate that you’re credible and worth it.

If this is you, you are an ideal match for my custom website design service.

Example client from this category: Zakiya Fatin is a life coach, author, workshop leader, and public speaker.

2) You’re a repeat author, with several books

You love to write. You’ve written (or you soon will write) a number of books. This is what you long to do all day, and you’d love to make a living from your writing.

In this scenario, your books are your biggest asset … possibly your only business asset. Book sales drive your income.

For an author business like this, your website needs to make it easy for readers to explore your titles, get to know you, join your email list, and purchase their next read. Perhaps you’d also love to be invited by book clubs, or for occasional speaking appearances and other collaborations.

An important mindset shift here: your website is just as important for selling your next book as it is in selling your current book. You’re playing a long game, and you should aim to build an ongoing relationship with your readers. Unless you are incredibly lucky, you’re not going to strike it rich without sustained effort.

For this type of author website, ROI may take longer. You can absolutely benefit from working with a professional like me so that your design is top notch, your reader magnet is appealing, your email list is integrated, and your books look amazing. But the financial return from hiring me could take years, not months. This is not to say that you shouldn’t invest in custom website design, I simply want you to make an informed decision.

Example client from this category: Lēigh Tudor writes series romance novels and has established a collective of firm fans who will buy her future books.

3) You’re an author with one special book

Congratulations, you’ve done it! Your book might be your passion project, your memoir, the start of a movement, or your bucket list achievement. You’re probably new to online marketing, a little nervous of tech, and you want to make the best possible impression with a professional and beautiful author website.

Honestly, it’s going to be hard to make back what you’ll spend on a custom website design from a seasoned professional like me. But, rewards come in other ways. You’ll benefit from a beautiful, top quality website that positions your expertise and makes your book shine. And it could well be the stepping stone to a renaissance career in a field you love.

When a one-book author works with me, I notice a tremendous sense of pride and validation when the website launches, usually combined with heartfelt delight as my client reconnects with their network and shares this important work. And my clients love the extra hand-holding and training that I offer, especially if they’re not nimble with technology.

For this type of website, we’ll set it up to look beautiful and make it easy to buy your book. We might add a blog, if you’re enthusiastic about writing articles and opinion pieces around your topic. If your book includes your personal experiences, adding background context and photos to your website offers more depth for your reader. And if you have the appetite to grow an email list to connect with your new fans, we’ll set that up as part of your website project.

Example client from this category (for now, but who knows what lies ahead?) : Garry Cole, author of Are We Old Yet?

There are certainly further distinctions I could make, but for now, this gives you a flavor of why it’s important to know yourself, and clarify your author goals.

Of course, some of my clients might fall into more than one category. Lisa Manterfield, for example, has written several books, and also offers book coaching services. Patrick Hurley’s website is designed primarily to promote his current book, but he has multiple academic textbooks under his belt, too.

And you can absolutely change from one category to another during your author career.

In fact, I myself started out firmly in the camp of “one special book”. Then, surprised by how much I enjoyed the publishing process (and the lovely feedback from readers), I decided I wanted to join the “several books” category. A few years later, I am now convinced that I’m actually a solopreneur with bookish tendencies. I no longer market my novels heavily, but they’re extremely helpful in establishing shared ground with my clients and in demonstrating my expertise. After all, with over 1,200 ratings on Amazon for my debut novel, I must have done something right!

My encouragement here is to pause and know yourself.

Only then can you filter through the book marketing advice that you receive, and make informed decisions about the plan that best aligns with your hopes, preferences, and goals. And if you haven’t already considered these aspects, a website designer like me will make sure that you do.

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Would you like me to design and build your Squarespace author website?

As a professional specializing in author website design, I’m an expert in using your overall aspirations and author goals to steer your website project. Unlike some other designers, I make a point of understanding your big picture needs before we jump in.

So, if you’d like strategic planning, technical expertise, stunning design, book marketing advice, and all of the implementation taken care of, consider hiring me.

After careful preparation together, I’ll design, build and launch your site in (usually) just 2 weeks. Learn more, and then schedule your complimentary consultation.

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