How To Build an Author Website: a Step-by-Step Guide [+ Checklist]

An author website is a must for any writer who wants to be taken seriously. It’s the best way to showcase all your books and achievements in one place and an important marketing tool to grow your readership. Luckily, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to make a beautiful site — with a bit of guidance, anyone can do it.

Here’s how to build an author website in 7 steps: 

1. Gather your assets

Start by gathering some materials to streamline the process. You’ll want to put all these materials in a dedicated folder so they remain accessible. (If you’ve never worked on a website before, you’d be amazed how easily assets can get lost!)

For your books

• High-resolution cover images

• Brief descriptions (50–100 words for homepage/catalog display)

• Long descriptions (250–400 words for dedicated book pages)

• Your best editorial and reader reviews

• Purchase links to major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, etc.) — or your Universal Book Link

• ISBN and publication details

Make sure all images are high-resolution and all text is sufficiently engaging. Also consider pulling “highlights” from your reviews, the same way you might put quotes on a book cover (e.g., “A magnificent tour de force” or “Characters that leap off the page”).

For your author brand

• Professional author headshot (high-resolution press shot)

• Author bio (again, short and long versions)

• Contact information for your agent and/or publicist (if applicable)

• Social media handles and profile links

• Any press coverage, awards, or notable achievements

In time, you could even start an author blog to share your thoughts and keep readers up-to-date on your books. We’ll talk about this more below (as well as growing a newsletter) — but it’s not mandatory for starting an author website, so don’t worry if you’re not quite there yet.

For unpublished authors

If you haven't published a book, you can still start building a professional presence by adding:

• Pages for works in progress (with brief descriptions)

• Links to shorter works published online (literary magazines, blogs, Medium articles)

• Details of your writing background and credentials

Preparing these assets beforehand will make the website-building process much faster and more efficient.

2. Buy a domain name

A domain name is your “street address” on the web, which you can buy — or more accurately, rent — in order to get started. There are many services through which you can acquire your own domain, such as Cloudflare, Namecheap, and Porkbun. 

Here are a few tips for choosing domain names:

• Go with your full author name if it’s available, or something close to it (e.g. rupikaur.com). 

• If your name is already taken, try including “author” or “books” (e.g. johncaseyauthor.com or johncaseybooks.com)

• For author names that are long or easy to mistype, pick something as simple as possible (e.g. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s website is simply chimamanda.com).

• If you can, purchase an email to use alongside your domain. This should be something like firstname@yourdomain.com, and will greatly increase your chances of building a successful mailing list 

💡Pro tip: You can also buy a domain name directly from many website builders, which we’ll cover in the next step — but it will usually cost you more money. 

3. Choose a website builder and hosting service

A website builder is a site where you can craft the layout and content of your author website — whereas a hosting service merely provides the servers on which your website will run. To use a real estate analogy, if your domain is your street address, the hosting server rents you the land; the website builder is the construction company that lets you build on top of it.

Most website builders today come with hosting included, meaning you can get your domain directly through them (as mentioned). This spares you the trouble of connecting your domain registrar with your website builder and paying two separate annual bills. But again, doing all this through your website builder is more costly.

Below is a table comparing some of the most popular website builders available. Take a look to see which suits you.

Best website builders for authors

Feature	WordPress	Squarespace	Wix	Weebly	Shopify
Customization	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Design quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book cover / portfolio display	Buildable	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in	Built-in
Blogging	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Cheapest plan	Free	$16/month	Free	Free	$5/month
Mailing list	Third-party	Built-in	Built-in	Integrated	Built-in
E-commerce	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
SEO support	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Ease of use	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Best for	Those wanting maximum customization and SEO	Those prioritizing design and simplicity	Those with no technical experience	Those wanting a simple design that is easy to build	Those planning to sell products directly

Our top pick: WordPress 🏆

If you don’t mind a slight learning curve, we think that WordPress is the best website builder for customization and SEO capabilities. It does everything a good web designer should do, plus lots of extra wiggle room.

For the strongest possible web presence, we recommend combining the flexible functionalities of WordPress with the unique artistry of a professional web designer. 

💡Pro tip: Low-cost hosting ($3-10/month) is perfectly acceptable for author websites with little traffic. However, consider scaling to better hosting as your audience grows to ensure fast load times and reliability.

If you have different needs, another service might be best for you. But once you’ve found a place to host your website, it’s time for the exciting part — designing your little corner of the Internet!

4. Design your site 

Designing your own author website

Each of the website builders mentioned above offers plenty of free templates for you to choose from. Here’s a couple of examples from our top pick, WordPress:

While you might not find the perfect template, each one is customizable — meaning you’ll be able to make it your own. Think about your author brand and what you want to communicate to your site’s visitors. Do you want there to be an air of sophistication? Should there be lots of colour and bold visuals, or would a simple design be better? If you’ve published books, consider whether it’s worth basing the site’s design on your most recent book cover. 

Once you’ve picked a site builder, browse through the different templates and pick the one that speaks to you the most. You can then drag and drop your prepared assets. This approach is great for building an author website on a budget — but there’s a catch. 

If you’re hoping to stand out and build a truly unique website, using ready-made templates risks creating something that looks too similar to other author websites, which could damage your brand. 

💡Listen to our top-rated web designer, Stuart Grant, discussing how to make your website work for you. He shares his best tips from 6 years of helping authors create stunning sites. 

Hiring a professional author website designer 

For a more distinctive and polished website, the best option is to work with a professional author website designer. Collaborating with a designer allows you to tailor the site to your branding, and web designers can also help with technical issues — so this is also a good option if you’re a website newbie.

Working with a professional web designer guarantees:

• A unique, professionally branded site

• Site features tailored to your needs

• Technical support for challenges like connecting your domain or setting up mailing list integrations

• Mobile optimization and accessibility compliance

• Avoiding visual design mistakes

It’s a bigger investment than a site builder, but if you choose the right person, the results will be refined and unique. Thoroughly vetting your web design candidates is important, but if you choose to hire a designer through Reedsy, we do the legwork for you. You can learn more about the costs of professional web design by reading this article.

Web designers are available all over the internet — but if you want a designer with specific expertise around author websites, you can find them on the Reedsy marketplace. Browse some of their profiles below and get in touch with them for a quote.

5. Add content to your website

With your assets in hand and your site fully functional, this is where you decide what goes where — starting with the homepage. Some authors, like Matt Haig, heavily feature their book covers on their homepage:

Others, like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, might have a professional headshot and author bio first:

Each approach has its own merit, and your choice depends on what you want people to see first. Is a personal bio necessary to foster connection between your readers? Or would you rather your books take the lead? It’s entirely up to you. Check out more author websites here for ideas — or just google your favorite authors.

In any case, your most recent or upcoming book should be somewhere on your homepage — even if it’s after the jump — and you should also be sure to include an email signup form, social media links, and clear navigation to other pages. Speaking of which…

What other pages should an author website have?

Generally speaking, a professional author website should also include the following:

About page

Share a longer version of your author bio, writing journey, credentials, and personal details that help readers connect with you. Include a headshot, and make sure to keep the tone authentic to your author brand. Here are some tips on how to write a killer author bio. 

Books page

Showcase all your published works with:

• High-resolution cover images

• Long descriptions

• Purchase links to all major retailers

• Reviews and testimonials

Consider creating separate dedicated pages for each book or book series, especially if you write in multiple genres or have extensive backlists. Lee Child even created a dedicated website for his Jack Reacher series, and Terry Pratchett’s website delves into the characters of his acclaimed series, Discworld.

Furthermore, think about how to ensure your descriptions will impress and engage readers. Nonfiction authors, for example, should emphasize their own credentials and expertise — while fiction authors should focus on storytelling and creating an emotional spark.

Contact page

Provide a simple way to get in touch with you: a contact form or email address. Additionally, if you have an agent or publicist, make sure to include their information here.

Blog

A blog is useful to keep your audience in the loop and to share your latest thoughts and ideas. Fiction authors can use blogs for writing updates, cover reveals, and behind-the-scenes content. 

Having a blog also helps with SEO optimization — meaning you can target search phrases that are relevant to your book — and keeps visitors engaged for longer, which is important for reducing your site’s bounce rate.

Media kit

To make it easier for journalists, podcasters, and event coordinators to access your professional materials, consider creating a media kit page with these resources:

• High-resolution press shots

• Author bio in multiple lengths

• Book covers and descriptions

• Press coverage and reviews

• Contact information for interviews and appearances

This allows you to easily link to all your professional assets for various campaigns.

6. Set up an email newsletter

A mailing list is crucial for nurturing your readership, and it’s a cornerstone of a strong author platform. Also, unlike social media, an email newsletter is a communication channel where you have complete control over whom you’re reaching. If you use it consistently, you might just turn casual readers into life-long supporters.

You can read about setting up a mailing list in more detail here, but here are the three main steps:

Choose a mailing list provider

To set up a mailing list, you’ll first need to choose a provider. Some website builders, such as Wix, offer integrated mailing list services. But for a more comprehensive approach, choosing an external mailing list provider is often the best way to go. 

Some providers offer free plans, such as MailerLite, which is free up to 500 subscribers. This means that you can save on your marketing costs as you grow your reach. Other options, such as Kit (previously ConvertKit) are specifically designed with creators in mind. Having a software that is tailored to your needs helps to address any learning curves, and we’ve found that Kit is great for beginners. 

💡Pro tip: Most email clients require you to have an official email address, such as info@yourdomain.com, for sending email campaigns. If you use a premade email address such as Gmail, you risk your mail campaigns going straight to spam. Fortunately, when you purchase a domain name, you should also be able to purchase the associated email domain at the same time.

Integrate with your website

Connect your email provider by creating a signup form and embedding the code on your website — most platforms provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Make sure to sign up to your own mailing list and send a test campaign before you publish.

As for where to place signup opportunities on your site, the answer is: as many places as possible (without it being too over-the-top). You’ll want to prominently feature it somewhere on your homepage — and maybe in a footer or sidebar on other pages as well.

💡Pro tip: When creating the call to action (CTA) for newsletter signups, try to avoid generic text like "Subscribe to my newsletter." Instead, aim to offer something specific: "Get a free short story when you join my reader community" or "Be the first to know about new releases and exclusive content."

Create a free resource for your visitors

Most website visitors won't subscribe without an incentive (who doesn’t love free stuff?). A lead magnet is a valuable free resource that you can offer in exchange for an email address. The content of the lead magnet can be anything you want — as long as it’s valuable to your readers.

If you write fiction, it could be a short story, or perhaps the first book in your series of multiple books. If you’re writing nonfiction, it could be access to an exclusive online course or the first chapter of your book. Whatever you decide, make it worth your readers’ time (and email). 

To activate the lead magnet, you’ll have to create the resource (often a PDF file) and another email sequence that delivers the file to those who request it. Again, be sure to test the lead magnet signup yourself to check that everything is working. 

If you’ve followed all our steps so far, you have a professional website up and running  — congratulations! From now on, it’ll just need a bit of love and maintenance.

Create automated campaigns

The beauty of emails is that they can be automated. For example, you should set up an automated welcome email that:

• Thanks new subscribers

• Delivers any promised lead magnet (more on this below)

• Sets expectations for email frequency

• Reflects your author brand and personality

Any emails that follow will depend on what you want to promote — but once you have a firm idea of this, they can be automated as well.

7. Keep improving the user experience

Building your website is just the beginning — there’s always room to improve your visitors' experience! From dynamic, interactive elements to banners for price promotions to a calendar page for your book tour, your options are endless. Here are some things to consider:

Mobile optimization

Ensure your site is responsive — meaning it looks and functions perfectly — on smartphones and tablets. Mobile traffic now accounts for over 60% of web traffic, making this crucial for user experience and SEO. Most site builders have a built-in feature for viewing your site as it appears on mobile devices. You might be surprised how different it looks!

Website accessibility

In addition to making your site mobile-friendly, you’ll also want to ensure that it is readable and accessible to all:

• Use readable fonts (minimum 12pt font, which is 16px)

• Ensure sufficient color contrast

• Add alt text to all images

• Make navigation keyboard-friendly (e.g., scrolling with up and down arrows)

• Include transcripts for audio/video content

Regular content

Keep your site content fresh by regularly adding:

• Blog posts

• News about upcoming releases

• Cover reveals

• Event announcements

• Reader testimonials

• Book reviews 

💡Pro tip: If you find yourself short on ideas for your website, why not check out the competition? Take a look at the website of your favorite author, or maybe explore websites that are within your genre. 

Options for scaling

While most website builders offer a free service, the tools are often limited. As your traffic grows, consider upgrading hosting, or looking into hiring a professional web designer. On Reedsy, you’ll find top-notch designers to help you tailor a website to your needs.

Remember, this is your home on the internet — and it will influence what readers, agents, and strangers alike think of you when they Google your name. Your website is worth the extra care and effort to make it as beautiful and professional as possible; hopefully, this post will set you on the right path. For even more ideas and inspiration, check out the previous post in this series, which showcases 13 additional author website examples.