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Building an author website, Part 2: putting your assets together

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Don't forget the icing sugar...

Don't forget the icing sugar...

So, you’re an emerging writer and it’s time you launched yourself into cyberspace? That’s great. I’m going to share with you some steps to getting started with a simple website that you can build yourself on a modest non-existent budget. Just one thing though, and sorry to be a nag, but you did do your homework from last time, didn’t you? If so, you can have a virtual pat on the back and a seasonal mince pie for your efforts. If you’re new to this site then I’d advise you to go through the checklist in Part 1 and decide which of the success ingredients you’re going to need to put together in your website. Trust me, it’ll make the process much easier in the long run.

First steps

1. Decide what you want your website to be called, i.e. your domain name. Many new writers keep it simple with something like www.firstnamelastname.com. If you have a specific product or project to promote then you can also (or instead) register the domain name for that, like www.noveltitle.com.
2. Now check whether your choice of domain name is available. To do this you need to go to one of the domain names registers, here, for example. If you can’t get .com or .co.uk (for UK writers) then check out other suffixes like .org,  .info,  .net, and .org.uk. However, they start getting a bit bizarre after a while, like uk.com, .tel or .biz!
3. Then you need a hosting company, aka an Internet Service Provider (ISP), to give you webspace and host your website. There are zillions of companies out there that offer web hosting services, and usually include the registration of your domain name. For this website I used eukhosts as it’s relatively cheap (less than a hundred pounds for two years hosting), and I’ve had great customer service from them.
4. Another decision you need to make is whether you’ll be making very regular updates, like news, features or articles, and inviting comments from your readers – in which case you need the functionality of a blog –  or whether you’re happy to start with fairly static pages without much interaction.

Yes, but how do I actually build a website?

Back in ye olde days of the internet you needed some knowledge of html or would’ve had to hire a web designer. But now there are some amazingly easy-to-use software systems that require very little technical expertise.

Option 1. You can download free and paid-for website templates, which you then fill with your own words. Open Source Web Design has a vast collection of templates on offer, although you may need a bit of hand-holding from someone who’s tech savvy. By the way, your hosting company may also offer a free website builder.

Option 2. Probably a better alternative is what I call a ‘blog-style’ system. These were originally designed for people who wanted to keep blogs but they’ve become really popular and are almost the default option for those starting a website for the first time.
The two most popular ones are Blogger and WordPress (the latter of which I used to build this site). Others include Squarespace and the free Weebly, both of which are very simple for the non-techie person to use. With these you can add all types of content, i.e. text, images, audio, video, and update the content easily and within a specific template.

N.B. You can create a basic blog right away for free, but unless you choose a paid-for option that includes your own domain (and web hosting) then your website will be www.firstnamelastname.blogger.com or www.firstnamelastname.wordpress.com.
Me? I prefer to pay the extra to have my own domain name, as I think it looks more professional, but it depends on your budget.

Next time I visit this topic I’ll be talking about design, and getting the right look for your website. In the meantime if you have any questions or comments please post them below. I’d also love to hear from new/emerging writers who already have a website. How easy/hard did you find it to get yourself online?

Fiona Joseph

Building an author website, Part 1: gathering your assets

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Do I really need to have a website?

I don’t know, but my guess is that if you’re asking the question then perhaps the answer’s yes – especially if you’re at the stage of wanting to achieve the following aims:

  • building your credibility as a potential author with agents, editors and likely readers, and
  • connecting with like-minded people who will buy your work and/or be referrers of your work (also known as an author platform these days)

So this post is especially for new and emerging writers who are hovering nervously on the brink of deciding whether or not to have a website. (In follow-up posts I’ll look at more technical stuff but for now it’ll be pain-free, I promise.)

One step at a time

All is safely gathered in

All is safely gathered in...

Where to start? Forget any anxieties about html coding and file transfer protocols. None of that matters for the moment. The first step is to collect all your assets together. By ‘assets’ I mean all the bits and pieces of information that you might need for your new website. And, as it’s the harvest season, there couldn’t be a more perfect time to gather in what marketing expert C.J. Hayden calls your success ingredients. I love that term – so American and dynamic!

#1 Author Photos You need an author pic – one at least, but a few more would be even better. Either hire a professional – go on, you’re worth it – or take the cost-effective DIY approach. In the latter case, an excellent and user-friendly online tool is Picnik. Here you can upload your photos for free and do the basics of image editing: cropping, resizing and adding special effects. (Don’t make yourself look too gorgeous though, or we won’t recognise you at your book launch. And you may attract stalkers.) You could also check out the advice from Salt Publishing in their 10 Ways to Take a Bad Author Photo.

#2 A Longer Bio
Gone are the days when writers could be all deep and mysterious; it seems we’re expected to give at least the bare bones of our life story. There are different formats, like Questions and Answers, or 12 Things You Didn’t Know About… , as well as a simple and straightforward narrative. (N.B. Longer Bios are not to be confused with the Shorter Bio of around 60 words that you also need.)

#3 List of writing credits
This should include the writing you’ve published so far; writing courses and qualifications; professional engagements; prizes or awards …  really, anything that will enhance your reputation and suggest to the casual browser of your website that you’re to be taken seriously.

#4 List of possible links
Who are the people you’d want to link to? Friends and colleagues in your field? Opinion-makers whose work you admire? Even better if your list includes people who are prepared to reciprocate by linking back to you.

#5 Reviews / Endorsements
These are one of the most powerful forms of marketing you can get. Here’s a secret: I’m really shy when it comes to repeating nice things people have said about my writing. (It’s my childhood conditioning I guess, although – oddly – I’m not at all embarrassed by some of the testimonials I’ve received through my business, here and here.) Okay, I have issues to work on but don’t let that stop you.

#6 Notes on your personal brand
You will either loathe or adore this part, but an awareness of your ‘personal brand’ is helpful when you get down to designing your website, or briefing a web designer. Why? Because you want to make sure that your website reflects who you are, through your use of colour, fonts, images, etc.

That’s a lot to be getting on with. Next time, I’ll look at domain registration, static vs. blog websites, and doing a basic storyboard.

Do you want or need a website, or are you determined not to have one?  Have I missed out any success ingredients? If you’re a new/emerging writer with your own website, tell us how it’s working for you.

Fiona Joseph

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