TGEP Author Career Library
Professional Author Websites
How to build a clear, credible and useful online home for an author and their books
A professional author website should provide readers, publishers, booksellers, media professionals and event organisers with accurate information about the author, published books, forthcoming work and professional contact routes. It should be simple to navigate, easy to maintain and useful beyond the launch of a single title.
Your website is the official home of your author career.
Social platforms may support visibility, but they are controlled by other companies. A website gives the author a permanent place to present books, biography, news, media material and professional contact information.
Primary Function
Official Information Hub
Recommended Owner
The Author
Essential Pages
Four to Six
Review Cycle
Quarterly
What an Author Website Should Do
Every major element of the website should serve one of these practical purposes.
Confirm Identity
Present the official author name, biography, photograph and principal writing interests.
Present the Books
Provide reliable descriptions, covers, ISBNs, formats and purchase information.
Support Discovery
Help readers, search engines, booksellers and media professionals find the work.
Enable Contact
Create clear routes for reader, media, event, rights and professional enquiries.
Essential Author Website Pages
A useful author website does not need dozens of pages. It needs the right pages, clear information and working links.
Page 01
EssentialHome
Introduce the author, highlight the principal book and guide visitors toward the most important next action.
- Author name and positioning
- Featured book
- Brief author introduction
- Primary action button
Page 02
EssentialAbout the Author
Present a professional biography and explain the author's literary interests, expertise and published work.
- Standard biography
- Professional photograph
- Writing interests
- Relevant credentials
Page 03
EssentialBooks
Provide a clear catalogue of published and forthcoming titles with links to dedicated book pages.
- Book covers
- Descriptions
- Formats and ISBNs
- Purchase links
Page 04
EssentialContact
Give readers and professionals a clear, appropriate and secure way to contact the author or representative.
- General enquiries
- Media requests
- Event invitations
- Rights enquiries
Page 05
UsefulMedia
Provide approved information and files for journalists, interviewers, festival organisers and publicity teams.
- Short and standard biography
- Author photographs
- Book covers
- Press information
Page 06
OptionalNews or Journal
Share publication updates, interviews, events or articles only when the page can be maintained consistently.
- Publication news
- Event announcements
- Interviews
- Selected essays
Recommended Homepage Order
The homepage should answer the visitor's main questions quickly and guide them toward books, author information or contact.
Author Identity
Display the author's name and a concise description of the work.
Featured Book
Present the principal title with its cover, description and link.
Author Introduction
Add a short biography and link to the full About page.
Reader Connection
Offer a newsletter, event update or selected author news.
Contact Route
Make professional and reader contact information easy to locate.
What Every Book Page Should Contain
Each published title should have its own permanent page rather than appearing only in a temporary announcement.
Publication Information
- Full title and subtitle
- Book cover
- Publisher
- Publication date
- ISBN
- Available formats
Reader Information
- Concise description
- Genre or subject
- Intended readership
- Selected endorsements
- Review quotations
- Sample material where appropriate
Availability
- Publisher purchase link
- Amazon or retailer links
- eBook availability
- Audiobook availability
- Library information
- International options
Website Content Standards
Credibility depends more on accuracy, clarity and maintenance than on elaborate design.
Use
- Accurate biography and book details
- Current professional photographs
- Clear headings and navigation
- Readable typography
- Verified retailer links
- Current contact information
- Concise and useful page copy
Avoid
- Automatic music or video
- Long opening animations
- Outdated events and announcements
- Broken purchase links
- Decorative fonts that reduce readability
- Repeated pop-ups
- Unsupported claims about success
Minimum Technical Standards
A professional author website should work reliably for readers, search engines and professional visitors.
Mobile Responsive
Pages should remain readable and easy to navigate on phones and tablets.
Secure Connection
Use HTTPS, especially where contact forms or newsletter subscriptions are collected.
Fast Loading
Compress author photographs, book covers and other images before uploading.
Accessible Design
Use readable contrast, descriptive links, logical headings and image alternative text.
Search Visibility
Add clear page titles, descriptions, book metadata and structured information.
Privacy Protection
Explain how contact details, newsletter information and cookies are handled.
Choosing the Domain Name
The domain should be easy to remember, easy to spell and suitable for the author's long-term career.
Preferred
authorname.com
Usually the clearest and most durable choice when the author's name is available.
Alternative
authornamebooks.com
A useful option where the direct author-name domain has already been taken.
Use Carefully
booktitle.com
Suitable for one major title, but less useful for the author's complete career.
Website Ownership and Control
Authors should retain practical control over the domain, account access and essential website information.
The Author Should Control
- Domain registration
- Website login credentials
- Newsletter account
- Contact-form destination
- Analytics access
- Current author and book information
Do Not Depend Entirely On
- A designer's personal account
- A publisher's temporary campaign page
- One social media profile
- An inactive agency
- Unclear domain ownership
- Passwords known only to another person
Website Maintenance Schedule
A simple review routine prevents broken links, outdated information and abandoned pages.
Monthly
Check Essentials
- Purchase links
- Contact forms
- Upcoming events
- Recent announcements
Quarterly
Review Content
- Author biography
- Book information
- Media files
- Inactive or duplicate pages
Annually
Complete Audit
- Mobile performance
- Search visibility
- Privacy information
- Domain and service renewals
Author Website Checklist
Use this checklist before publishing or relaunching the website.
Author Identity
Books and Readers
Technical Control
Recommended Author Platform Path
Build the author's professional presence in this order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Practical guidance on creating and maintaining an author website.
Does an unpublished author need a website?
A simple website may be useful, but it does not need to be extensive. A biography, writing interests and professional contact route are normally sufficient until publication details exist.
Should an author website include a blog?
Only when the author can maintain it and has relevant material to share. An inactive blog can make the website appear abandoned.
Can social media replace an author website?
No. Social platforms are controlled by third parties. An author website remains the most stable source of official information.
Should book pages link only to Amazon?
No. Where possible, include the publisher, major retailers, independent booksellers and library options.
Who should own the domain name?
The author should normally retain control of the domain even when a designer, publisher or agency builds the website.
How much personal information should appear?
Include only information relevant to the author's work and public identity. Private addresses, personal phone numbers and unnecessary family details should not be published.
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