Do you need an author website if you have just started to write your book?
Yes!
Whether you…
- have not yet started
- just started
- are in the the process
- sent your book to the editor
- are finished but have no sales
…a website is your home base for marketing and selling your book.
Where to begin?
Start by choosing a WordPress website theme.
You can also search for Free WordPress Themes For Writers.
What is a website theme?
A website theme is a pre-designed website with generic text and images.
What is a website template?
A website template resides inside of a website theme.
Your website theme controls the overall appearance of your website such as its color, font, page layout, header, and backgrounds.
Whereas aTemplate changes the look of individual pages.
For example, if you have a blog, you may have noticed that your blog looks different than your About page. That is because the blog is controlled by a website template.
Don’t worry about Templates. Focus on choosing a theme.
There are literally thousands of WordPress website themes to choose from.
Start by choosing something you like, and see if it will accommodate these key design elements that authors need:
- Author bio
- Recent headshot
- Image of your book cover (if available)
- Content description of your book
- Newsletter sign up form
- Link to your social media profiles
- Blog
- Link to buy your book
Best WordPress Themes For Authors
Below are WordPress themes I have used for authors because they contain all the key design elements listed above.
What I love about WordPress themes is their flexibility. I can take what my authors need and leave out the rest, as you see in the grayed-out areas below:
Authority Pro theme by StudioPress
There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes to choose from. Authority Pro is a great choice for authors who want to grow their fan base, at any stage in their book writing journey.
Influencer theme by KadenceWP
When someone searches your name in Google, or their favorite search engine, Influencer can help you get found online
Mai Reach theme by BizBudding
This is a fun theme for authors who want to promote a book that builds their business like Raise Your Fees Without Losing Clients
Navigation Pro by StudioPress
Navigation Pro is perfect for authors, like Tina Zion, who have multiple books to promote
Pumpkin Patch by KadenceWP
Pumpkin Patch appeals to my clients who prefer a soft sell approach to their marketing and book sales
Unique to you
Some authors worry that they will look like everyone else if they use a WordPress theme.
Don’t worry.
There are so many WordPress themes to choose from, plus…
…When you add your images, your story, and brand colors, your website will represent you, look professional, and help you sell more books.
Need help choosing the perfect theme?
Let me tell you about a client who had a passion for her message.
She fell head-over-heels in love with one website theme.
Her current website design seemed more appropriate for her message, but she convinced herself, and me, that the new website theme was perfect.
After 10 days and 50+ hours of work, we met for the first time to reveal the ‘website of her dreams.’
“Oh…that’s nice,” she said in an unexcited tone.
My heart sank.
What could I do to make her site better?
She agreed that I did everything she requested, paid me in full and on-time.
Two weeks later I looked up her URL.
Her old site was back up.
That’s when brilliance struck…
Knowing which theme is right for you is tricky.
As a graphic designer for over 20 years, I knew how to mockup designs in Photoshop.
What if I first mocked up website themes in Photoshop instead of spending days building a site on my customer’s hosting platform?
That would allow my client to pick right theme for them because they could quickly see if their message works best with a long headline, or a short one. Do they want large square images, or images that are long and rectangular? Does sleek and ultra modern fit them best, or more traditional? A dark background, stark white, or something in-between?
These subtle design differences have a big impact on how they and their book will to show-up online.
In 90-minutes we will search through dozens of themes, and narrow down your selection to your top 4. As a bonus, we will choose five high quality stock images, that you can download after our session.
After our session I create 4 mockups, using your top theme choices, and images, so you can envision your future website that you are proud to promote.
This is an example of mockups I created for author, Ruth Backstrom. Can you guess which theme she chose?
If you’re having trouble deciding which website theme to choose, it will hold you back from building a website and promoting yourself. And that could affect your book sales, your self esteem, and even your confidence.
Discover how easy it is to pick the right website theme for you.
