Your Presence on the Web
For starters, a website will be the foundation of your web presence. Yes, social media can be very useful in promoting your books; however, a Facebook or Instagram account is not as complete as a website. Your website can be the space where you talk about yourself and your work. This includes describing your books in detail and talking about your career as an author. As well, you can put all the places where you can buy your books and the reviews of your books. You can also announce your future events and how to contact you. By the way, having a site will give you credibility. When someone looks up your name or one of your books in Google, your website will appear in the search results.
It is a good idea to add the link to your website in the web locations where you have to sell your book: Goodreads, Babelio, Google Books, etc. Also, consider adding the link on the back cover of your books. So, if someone liked your book and would like to follow you to find out when the next volume is coming out, or to have the date of your next book signing, they can find all the information easily. A site can also be very useful if you want to do promotional campaigns that include newsletters or social media.
Showcase Your Books and Share Your Reviews
How can you advertise your books? Why not put an excerpt or the first chapter on your website to showcase them? That way people will be able to see if your work is of interest to them. Of course, choose texts that will captivate and attract attention. You might also take the time to add reader reviews directly to your website. As is the case with companies that want to get more customers, don't hesitate to put testimonials on your site as this could encourage your potential customers to read your book. So, ask for feedback about your books.
Tip: If you want to make your work known, why not send a few copies to literary bloggers? There are thousands of influencers whose number-one passion is reading. Start by searching for bloggers who are interested in your type of writing, and then contact them. They are often happy to talk about your books. If necessary, read our series of articles on How to Work with Influencers if this is your first time using this marketing tool.
Use WebSelf for Your Author Site
WebSelf is a very easy-to-use website publisher. That's why I chose it when it was time to create a personal site for my books and my life as an author. Everything is designed for you to simply drag and drop. Just choose an item and put it where you want it. There are also different templates designed specifically for authors or the literary world. I was able to use my creativity to create exactly what I had in mind, and I am very proud of the result. Because it was simple, I was able to quickly return to my writing and promotional campaigns. I highly recommend it!
Add a Blog to Tell Your Stories
Have you ever thought about having a blog? I personally find it quite valuable to write articles about my experiences as an author. I talk about various events related to writing, including my book fairs or my launches. I also share my tips for writing a novel, finding inspiration and getting published. This is the kind of content that my community reads and enjoys. In addition to adding pages to your website, it also allows you to improve the referencing of your website. The more quality content you have on your site, the more it will appear in search engine results. As well, it's also a great way to provide your followers with news which will help you gain credibility as an author and writer.
Sell Your Books Directly on Your Website
One of the questions people may ask when visiting your site is where can I buy your books? You should make this clear on your site. You can also put links to the places that keep it in stock to make it easier to buy. If you are self-publishing, did you know that you can sell your books directly through your website? WebSelf gives you the opportunity to have your own online shop where you can sell both your hardcopy and ebook versions. To do this, you just have to choose the ecommerce plan and activate the shop module. You will then be able to manage your sales, inventory, and orders.
If you want to use your site to complement your social media, you can most certainly add a landing page to it. These pages are known to have a high conversion rate. To read more about this, here is our article on How to Create a Landing Page that Rocks.
In conclusion, I believe that all authors should take the time to create a website to showcase their work. Start by choosing one of WebSelf’s website templates, then customize it with your content. When it's ready, publish it and have a link on your social media. This will make it easier for your community and potential readers to find all the information about your books. Happy creating!