An author website turns visitors into readers when it tells them in seconds who you are and what you write, makes each book easy to buy, and gives them a clear reason to join your mailing list. You do not need a large or expensive site: a fast, mobile-friendly site with a home page, book pages, an about page and a sign-up offer covers what most readers look for. Everything else is optional until those basics work.

This guide covers the pages you need, what to put on each, how to choose a website platform, how to capture email sign-ups legally and effectively, how to keep the site secure, and how to tell whether it is working.

At a glance

• One job per page: the home page should lead to your books and your mailing list; each book page should lead to a purchase.
• The essentials are few: home, books, individual book pages, about, newsletter sign-up, and a contact form.
• Own your domain: a domain in your author name, on a platform you control, is the part of your platform no algorithm can take away.
• Mobile first: many readers arrive from a phone, often via social media or the back of an ebook.
• Measure sign-ups and clicks: traffic alone does not tell you whether the site is doing its job.

What an author website is for

Your website is the one place online where you control the message, the layout and the links. Retailer pages, social media profiles and reader sites all have their own rules and can change them at any time. Your site sits in the middle: a reader who hears about you anywhere can search your name and find everything in one place.

For most authors, the website has three jobs, in this order: help readers find and buy your books, convert interested visitors into email subscribers, and give media, event organisers and other professionals what they need. If you are still deciding how the website fits with social media and email, start with how to build your author platform before you publish.

The essential pages

Home page

• A clear line stating what you write, such as “Small-town romantic suspense with a slow burn”.
• Your latest or best entry-point book, with cover and a buy button.
• A newsletter sign-up with a specific offer.
• Simple navigation to your books and about page.

Books page and individual book pages

The books page lists every title, grouped by series in reading order. Each book then needs its own page with:

1. A large, clear cover image.
2. The title, series name and number.
3. A short hook, then the full description.
4. Buy links to each retailer where the book is sold, and a direct-sale option if you have one.
5. A few short review quotes, used with permission and accurately attributed.
6. A link to the next book in the series, or to similar books you have written.

About page

Readers want to know who is behind the books and why you write what you write. Keep it focused on what matters to your readers, add a professional photo if you are comfortable doing so, and include a short third-person bio that event organisers and media can copy.

Newsletter page

A dedicated sign-up page gives you one link to share everywhere: in your book’s back matter, on social profiles and in interviews. Explain what subscribers receive and how often.

Contact page

Use a contact form rather than publishing your email address on the page, which attracts spam and scrapers. Add links to your social profiles and, if you work with an agent or publicist, say how professional enquiries are handled.

Legal pages

If you collect email addresses or use analytics, you need a privacy policy explaining what you collect and why. Rules vary by country: the EU and UK GDPR, Australia’s Spam Act, Canada’s anti-spam legislation and the US CAN-SPAM Act all set requirements for consent, identification and unsubscribing. If you use affiliate links, add a clear disclosure.

Optional pages

• Blog or news: useful if you will update it regularly; otherwise a simple news section is enough.
• Media kit: bios, photos and book details for interviews and events.
• Reader extras: maps, character lists, reading order guides or bonus scenes.
• Events: signings, festivals and talks.

Choosing a website platform

The right platform depends on how much control you want, how comfortable you are with technical tasks and whether you plan to sell directly. All of these offer paid plans, and some offer free tiers with limitations; prices change often, so compare current plans on each provider’s own site before deciding.

Platform	Best for	Strengths	Trade-offs
WordPress (self-hosted)	Authors who want full control and room to grow	Free software; huge range of themes and plugins; you own your files and can move hosts	You manage hosting, updates, backups and security, or pay someone to
Squarespace	Authors who want a polished look with little setup	Attractive templates; hosting, security and updates handled for you	Less flexible; harder to move away from
Wix	Authors who like drag-and-drop design	Easy visual editor; built-in tools for forms and simple stores	Template changes can be limited; harder to migrate
Shopify	Authors focused on selling books and merchandise directly	Strong e-commerce, payments and digital delivery integrations	Higher ongoing cost; more than many authors need for a basic site
Author-specific site builders	Authors who want book pages and buy links ready-made	Templates designed around series, retailers and newsletters	Smaller ecosystems; check you can export your content

Whichever you choose, register your domain in your own name and account, keep the login details secure, and make sure you can export your content. If direct sales are part of your plan, compare the options in how to sell books direct to readers. For a wider comparison of author software, see our author toolkit guide and the essential author platform tools.

Design that helps readers act

• Match your genre: colours, fonts and imagery should feel like your covers, so a reader instantly knows they are in the right place.
• Keep it uncluttered: one main call to action per section works better than a page of competing buttons.
• Make navigation obvious: Books, About, Newsletter and Contact are usually all you need in the menu.
• Design for phones first: StatCounter’s global figures have shown mobile devices accounting for more than half of web traffic for several years, so check every page on a phone.
• Keep it fast: compress images, avoid unnecessary plugins and widgets, and choose reliable hosting. Slow pages lose visitors before they see your books.
• Make it accessible: use readable text sizes, good colour contrast and descriptive alt text on cover images.

Turning visitors into subscribers

Email is the most direct way to reach readers when you release a book, because you are not depending on a social media algorithm to show your post. The website is where most sign-ups happen.

Offer something specific

“Subscribe for updates” rarely persuades anyone. A specific reader magnet works better: a free short story or novella set in your series, a bonus epilogue, a character guide, or for non-fiction, a checklist or template related to your book. Deliver it automatically with your email platform or a delivery service.

Place sign-ups where readers are ready

• On the home page, near the top.
• At the end of each book page, after the description and buy links.
• At the end of blog posts.
• In your book’s back matter, linking to the dedicated newsletter page.

Stay within the rules

Only add people who have clearly agreed to receive your emails, say what they will receive, identify yourself in every email and include an easy unsubscribe link. Your email platform will help with most of this, but you are responsible for how you collect addresses. For what to send once people join, read how authors build profitable email lists.

A simple way to think about the numbers

Suppose your site gets 1,000 visitors in a month and 2 in every 100 sign up. That is 20 new subscribers who have asked to hear about your next book. Doubling the sign-up rate through a better offer or placement has the same effect as doubling your traffic, and is usually easier. Use your own figures, not someone else’s, to judge progress.

Keep the site secure

Your website, email platform and retailer dashboards are linked to your income, so treat their logins seriously. Use a unique password and two-factor authentication for each, keep themes and plugins updated, take regular backups, and be careful when logging in on public Wi-Fi. Online security for authors covers this in more detail.

Disclosure: this article contains an affiliate link. If you sign up through it, Freyja Publishing may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. See our affiliate disclosure.

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Measuring whether it works

Set up analytics so you can see what visitors do, not just how many arrive. Focus on a few measures:

Measure	Where to find it	What to do if it is low
Email sign-ups	Your email platform	Make the offer more specific; move the form higher; test a different headline
Clicks on buy links	Analytics events, or tracked links	Make buttons more visible; shorten the description above them; check links work
Where visitors come from	Analytics traffic sources	Put more effort into the channels already sending readers
Pages that lose visitors	Analytics page reports	Check load speed and mobile layout on those pages

Launch checklist

1. Register a domain in your author name, in an account you control.
2. Choose a platform and a theme that suits your genre.
3. Build home, books, individual book, about, newsletter and contact pages.
4. Add buy links for every retailer and test each one.
5. Connect your email platform and set up automatic delivery of your reader magnet.
6. Publish a privacy policy and any affiliate disclosure.
7. Check every page on a phone and test load speed.
8. Add alt text to images and check text contrast.
9. Turn on two-factor authentication and backups.
10. Set up analytics and decide which three measures you will review each month.
11. Add your website and newsletter links to your book’s back matter and your retailer author profiles.

Common mistakes

• No clear statement of what you write: visitors should know your genre within a few seconds.
• Broken or missing buy links: check them after every new release and retailer change.
• A vague sign-up offer: give readers a specific reason to join.
• Publishing your email address: use a form instead to reduce spam.
• Ignoring mobile: a layout that breaks on phones loses many visitors.
• Building on a domain you do not own: moving later can mean losing links and search visibility.
• Skipping the privacy policy: collecting emails without one can breach privacy and spam laws in many countries.
• Using reviews without care: quote accurately, attribute fairly and follow each review site’s rules. More on this in the complete guide to book reviews and ratings.

Sources this guide draws on: StatCounter Global Stats on device market share; the EU General Data Protection Regulation; the UK Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on electronic marketing; the Australian Communications and Media Authority guidance on the Spam Act; the US Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide.

FAQ

Do I need an author website before my first book comes out?

It helps. Even a simple one-page site with your genre, a newsletter sign-up and a coming-soon book page lets early readers find you and join your list. You can add more pages once the book is live.

What pages should an author website have?

At minimum: a home page, a books page with individual pages for each title, an about page, a newsletter sign-up page and a contact form. Add a privacy policy if you collect emails or use analytics, and an affiliate disclosure if you use affiliate links.

Is WordPress or Squarespace better for authors?

Self-hosted WordPress gives more control and flexibility but needs more maintenance. Squarespace and Wix are easier to set up and maintain but are less flexible and harder to move away from. Choose based on how much technical work you are willing to do.

Should my author website use my name or my book title?

Your author name is usually the better choice, because it covers every book you write. You can create pages, or separate sites, for individual series later. If you write under more than one pen name, many authors keep a separate site for each readership.

Do I need a blog on my author website?

No. A blog can bring search traffic and give subscribers something to read, but only if you update it. A news section for releases and events is enough for many authors.

Your website does not need to be elaborate to work. Make it obvious what you write, make every book easy to buy, give readers a reason to subscribe, and check a few numbers each month. Improve one thing at a time and the site will keep earning its place in your author business.