It is both an annoyance and truth that these days, businesses require an online presence to be seen as legitimate. Moreover, most shopping is done online through these business websites. If being an author is your job in any way (part-time, side-hustle, full-time, whatever!), then as a business, you need a website.

There are a hundred different ways to make a website, and a hundred different companies clamoring for your business, so I’ll leave it to you to research and select the best hosting platform for your website, and the best price point for you based on your budget and how much stuff you want to upload. (I used Angelfire and then WordPress, but I know others who use Shopify, Winx, Squarespace, etc.) But once you’ve bought it, what should you do with it?

Websites exist to answer questions.

Everyone with a question turns to the internet to answer it, and you want to be able to control the response that the search engine supplies to your readership. You want your website to be at the top of the search results, so readers come directly to you, and spend their money on your books in the best was possible for your business. (This doesn’t mean you also have to function as a shop and personally fulfill orders–you can still provide them with links to your Amazon, Kobo, Barns & Noble, Smashwords etc. storefronts.) It just means that you want to direct them to the easiest possible way for them to discover you as a writer, and to give you money.

As such, your author website should answer the following questions:

Should Have

• Who are you?
  1. 100-500 word bio
     1. • A brief explanation of who you are and what you write. It can be as long or as short as you like, but make sure you have a short version (about 100 words) available somewhere, as usually people will scoop the short version for their own marketing materials when you’re being interviewed or appearing somewhere.
     2. I usually put this on an About Page, along with:
  2. Photo(s)
     • If you’re comfortable sharing your face, it should include a professionally shot or really excellent amateur photograph of you so people can associate your face with your name and brand—use the same headshot on all of your social media so readers can easily tell if it’s your legit profile or not. It’s also important that your headshot actually look like you–not a heavily made-up version of you–so that when you arrive places like book store signings, and local writer’s festivals, the organization team knows who you are. If readers know what you look like, they can find you at events and appearances, or can recognize you as they pass by your table at a convention.
     • If you’re not comfortable with photos, then hire an illustrator to make a likeness or logo for you, and use the same one everywhere to ensure your branding stays consistent across your whole online presence.
  3. Any other relevant information, like award wins, interesting biographical information (like if you’re a doctor and you write medical thrillers), or your hobbies (I love cosplay, so I included a photo of myself in costume at the end of my bio).
• What have you written?
  1. A list of all the books you’ve written, in one place that’s easy to read and doesn’t require people to click around too much, including links to read free samples/chapters, and information on:
• How do I give you money?
  1. A list of buying links, usually on the same page as the list of books you’ve written. Basically, you want to create a flow of as few clicks as possible to get people from Googling your name to clicking a “purchase” button. Make this the simplest and most obvious part of the website.

There’s lots of ways to display the books and buying links on your website, you don’t have to do it the way I have. Here are ways some other authors do it: Ruthanne Reid; Adrienne Kress; Sara Raasch; Julie Czerneda.

That’s really all you have to have on an author website. However, if you want to, you can add more information that answers the questions:

Nice to Have

• How do I get regular updates from you?
  1. A link to your Newsletter and incentive to sign up. The link can be a popup or a landing page, or in the footer of the page; whatever feels best. Most authors give away an older backlisted title or the first of an ongoing series to entice readers to sign up.
  2. A list of your most active social media handles and an encouragement to follow you there for the most up-to-the-minute info.
• How do I know you’re legit?
  1. A bibliography and/or list of awards
  2. An interview archive (I just keep a list of all of the newspaper/magazine/blog/podcast interviews I’ve done, with links to each. It’s also useful for myself, so I can go back and reference reviews and good press in my Press Kits in case anyone needs pull quotes for book covers and the likes.)
• How do I work with you?
  1. I have a page dedicated to laying out how folks can get in contact with me for something beyond simple inquiries and fan-mail, and the workshops and lectures I have ready to present.
• How do I get an overview of your career?
  1. With a Press/Media Kit. A PDF of  6-10 pages that you send to journos and interviewers that gives them an overview of who you are, what books you have out, major awards and achievements, a one-page biography, photos, etc. You can see my press kit here as an example.
• How do I contact you?
  1. A contact page that includes:
     1. Social Media handles
     2. Email link or contact form that goes straight to your email or your assistant’s email
     3. Email link or contact form that goes to your agent (if you have one)
     4. Email link or contact form that goes to your booking manager or appearances manager (if you have one)
     5. Information on how to inquire about agent-y things (rights, translation, etc.) if you don’t have an agent (email form or link).

This next group of items are not necessary for an informative website, but I like having them so folks can explore more of who I am and what I do, and to serve as an archive repository for myself.

Fun to Have

• Galleries of photos from past appearances or talks
• Galleries of videos, especially if you do a lot of skits or offer advice videos
• A blog (In my case, I use it for announcements, sharing interviews, and for my Words for Writers advice series)
• Gifts from fans, including a gallery of fanart, links to fanfic if you’re comfortable sharing that, galleries of photos at signings or of folks in cosplay of your characters, etc.
• If you are self published, a form that allows bookstores or retailers to order large batches of your books on commission or discount (I don’t have one yet, I’m working on it!)
• List of upcoming appearances so folks know where they can greet you next.
• Whatever else you want, it’s your website!

Whatever kind of website you decide to build, remember that it’s totally yours and you can do whatever you like with it. Just make sure that it reflects your professional brand, and makes it easy for people to discover who you are, and to buy your books. The whole site doesn’t have to be done before you launch it, either—I rolled out all these different pages slowly over many years, as I found a need or desire for them.

Happy building!

Originally Published on Storybilder June 24, 2022

If you’re writing and editing your novel and plan to submit it to an agent or a publisher, there are a few more small things you can do to make sure your manuscript is polished and as professional as possible. Before you begin, note that most publishers only accept submissions through an agent, though there are exceptions, so if you’re sending your manuscript directly to a publisher, make sure they accepts non-agented manuscripts before you start.

Whether you’re submitting to an agent or to a publisher, always read their submission guidelines first. If they request specific typeset, formats or list any other requirements, always follow their guidelines first. For everything else, the following formatting practices are common practice:

Consistency

Go through your manuscript and ensure that every small detail, especially the ones pertaining to your characters, are consistent throughout the manuscript.

For example, check that your characters names are always spelled the same way, that their eye colour hasn’t shifted, and that they’re not picking up an object four times in one scene but never putting it down.

Margins and Pages

Generally, the pre-set margins in whatever document editing program you’re working with are just fine, but if you want to play it by the book, industry standard sets them at 1” on all four sides.

Start a new page with each new chapter, and use the “page break/new page” option in your editor to do so. Don’t keep hitting your enter or space keys to push your chapter header to a new page because you don’t know what size of screen someone will be reading on, and extra spacing could make the formatting wacky.

Header

In the header of your manuscript, you should include your surname, the title of the novel, and a page number. Exclude a Header from your Title Page. (I generally write it as: FREY | TITLE OF NOVEL | ##). Most writing software programs provide you with pre-loaded header templates to choose from.

Font

Any easy-on-the-eyes font is usually acceptable. Courier New is traditional but not necessary, unless you prefer it. Times New Roman, Arial and Calibri are all frequently used, and they’re easy to read. Make sure the font is black, and the kerning (the space between the letters) is set to standard. Font sizes should be no smaller than 11pt and no bigger than 13pt.

The idea here is to make reading your manuscript the least fatiguing possible. Don’t try to be tricky or fancy. Basically, whatever your writing software defaults to is usually acceptable.

Line spacing

Some agents or acquisitions editors prefer double spacing (2.0) and some prefer one-and-a-half (1.5). It’s rare to see a request for single spacing (1.0). If the submission guidelines don’t specify, choose 2.0 or 1.5.

Excess Spacing

Don’t add extra spaces between paragraphs. You’ll see extra line spaces in blog posts or emails, but agents and publishers don’t need them. And, though some of us older folks may cringe to hear it, it’s now industry standard to add just one space after a full stop or period. No need for two. Double spacing used to be necessary to make typewritten text easier to read. Now it’s considered messy and old-fashioned.

Paragraphs

Paragraphs should each start with a first line indent of 0.5. Use tabs; do not use the space bar. You can set your tab indents in the paragraph settings on most document editors.

Smart quotes

Do a global find-and-replace to shift smart quotes to straight quotes. Smart quotes angle in toward the text. Straight quotes, as the name suggests, are simple, have no extra decoration, and don’t tilt. This isn’t necessary, but it makes the manuscript clean and easy to read, and avoids the issues of smart quotes accidentally being flipped in the wrong direction.

Front matter

There’s no need to include copyright information, dedications, or any other notes or maps or epithets in the submission draft of a manuscript. Just start with a title page and jump straight into the first chapter.

Title Page

The top left corner of your title page holds your: name, postal address, email address, phone number (and if you have one, your agent’s name, and their email address and phone number). In the top right corner, provide your approximate word count. Round to the closest 100 to keep the word count easy to read.

In the middle of the title page (centered and halfway down the page), place the full title of the novel. Your name goes underneath the title. No need to get fancy with fonts or formatting for the title, though making it stand out with bolding, or full caps, is appreciated. If you publish under a pseudonym or alias, use that name under the title instead of your real name, but be sure to use your real name in the top left corner with your contact information.

US Spelling

American Spelling is industry standard in North America. Sorry, Canada. If you’re sending your story to agent/acquisitions editors in this territory, change your spellings. Bah.

Nothing Extra

Don’t include photos, illustrations, sample covers, or any sort of “extra” bonus content on first submission, unless the guidelines explicitly request it. For now, your prose itself should be in the spotlight. Don’t do or add anything to detract from your awesome words.

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Read more WORDS FOR WRITERS articles or ask me a question about the craft or business of writing.