For anyone wanting to be found online, you need a place to call your home online – a website. That includes authors. An author website is the best place for people to learn about you, your books, any events you have coming up, and join an email newsletter to stay up to date.
With websites today, you don’t have to be good at coding to have a beautiful and functional website, but some of these platforms come with a pretty high cost. And it can take time to build that website.
Don’t let either of those things deter you. I have a solution that is ideal for authors, especially ones just starting out with limited time and budget.
Website vs. Landing Page: Why a Simple Solution is Better for New Authors
You have full control of your online space when you own a website. It’s not controlled by a social media platform that sells, shuts down, or drastically changes – all of which we have seen over the last few years. (That doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t be on social media, but you want a place that you fully control too!)
If you found this page, I’ll bet you’ve also explored other author websites trying to figure out what you want and need. Starting with inspiration is never a bad place to start. You can see a lot of different layouts and solutions for an author website.
The best of which, I believe, is a landing page. A landing page is a standalone web page that potential customers can “land” on when they click through from an email, ad, or other digital location.
It’s a website with one page, which is all you need when you get started with your website. Think of it as the home page that you can expand later if you want to.
One Tool, Endless Possibilities: Hosting Your Landing Page
The beauty of a landing page is that when you use the right platform, you can include all of the pieces of an author website on one page.
Different platforms will have different templates and capabilities. You can use a traditional website builder like WordPress, but personally I recommend using an email marketing platform to host your landing page.
Creating a landing page on an email marketing platform will allow you the simplest integration when it comes to collecting email addresses for people who want to join your newsletter, which I believe makes the entire process of setting up a website that much easier. It also means you only have to have the one tool you’re using. I love the simplicity of it.
How to Build Your Author Landing Page with MailerLite
Not all email marketing tool’s landing pages are created equal though. I’ve used a lot of these tools with clients. Some templates have more flexibility than others, and flexibility for a landing page is what will allow you to create your one page author website of your dreams!
MailerLite’s landing page builder is the best I have encountered for the price, and yes, this does include the access in their free version. You’ll be able to add multiple sections, add images or videos, collect emails for freebies, sell products, and more. Everything I’ve wanted to add, I’ve found an easy to add option for. (My one page author website is a MailerLite landing page, isn’t live yet. You can check out a snip below though)
MailerLite isn’t the only platform you can use for your landing, but the price and flexibility are hard to beat, especially if you’re using it for your email marketing tool. You can read more about why I recommend MailerLite as the best email marketing tool for authors here.
Elements to Include on Your One-Page Author Website
Whether you’re ready to start building your one page author website or still want to explore some other possible tools, knowing what you want to include on your site will make the rest easier.
Here’s a starting point for you:
- Your Author Bio
- Your Books – include blurbs and links to purchase
- An email newsletter opt-in form – bonus if you have a freebie that people receive when they join
- Book Review
- Links to your socials
- Contact Info
Next steps
If you’re looking to create our author website, I highly recommend a landing page or one page website and using your email marketing tool. It’s a one stop shop for your author platform that will be simple and easy to use and keep up to date.
If you have any questions about choosing the right platform or setting up your page, please reach out!
