What’s the point of Having an Author’s website?

Picture of Mel Pennant’s Author’s Wepbage

It’s been one year since my author website melpennant.com went live.

I spent ages deciding whether to invest in a webpage and then researching how I’d go about creating one.  Given this is the one year anniversary of my webpage, I thought I’d share my reflections.

What sort of webpage - DIY or professionally designed?

I looked at some examples and decided that I wouldn’t have the capacity or capability to design the kind of webpage I aspired to so I looked around for designers who could help me achieve what I was looking for and came across Charlotte.  Charlotte is someone I’d worked with briefly before (during an MA we did in screenwriting) but importantly she is also an author so I thought and was right that she’d understand what my needs were as a writer.  

Do you need a webpage if you already have a publisher?

In my case it’s not duplication.  It’s a space I exclusively control.  As I have a newsletter I can also build my own readership family and keep in touch with them.   The design of the webpage can of course be complementary to what your publisher is doing.

As I write in other forms, not just novel writing, I have found having my own webpage has been a great way for bringing all of my writing together in one place.  

How can setting up a webpage help you to prepare for your journey of becoming a published author?

My webpage was developed and launched about eight months before  my book was published.  That lead in time really helped me to start to think way in advance through key issues around being a published author aided by a questionnaire Charlotte provided.

What type of a writer do you want the world to see?

For the first time I thought about how I wanted to present myself to the world as a writer.  It’s helpful to look at other writers’ websites and social media profiles to get a sense of what can be achieved.  

In terms of visuals I was aided by some fabulous photographs that were taken by Gemma Day.   

How much of yourself will you permit to be public and what are your red lines in terms of privacy?

Some writers are very private, not on social media at all, and have a very low profile and are very successful. 

Others are very public and very visible on social media.

There’s a question around how much of putting yourself out there will actually impact sales unless you’ve got thousands of followers/ subscribers.   I think the jury is out but irrespective of whether it makes a difference or not, as a writer, you probably only want to do what you are reasonably comfortable with.

Prior to publication it’s good to decide what you will feel comfortable with and study how other writers navigate the spaces successfully for themselves. 

Who do you want your audience to be? What will they expect from you? 

As part of my website questionnaire I was asked who I thought my audience would be.   I did some research amongst friends and family.  Their responses were helpful to understand what makes them click on a post or subscribe to a newsletter.

How active will you be as an author?

How often will you engage with your audience? How will you engage with them?

It’s good to have an overreaching strategy.  What are you hoping to achieve from your website/ social media engagement?  What is success for you in those spaces? Understanding that will drive what you do.

Having a webpage can push you out of your comfort zone

Before getting my webpage, I’d never published a blog before.  Having a website made me think about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.  See examples of my other blogs here.

A space where you can showcase all your diverse writing

I have details of my debut novel, A Murder for Miss Hortense, and also details of my stage plays and audio books.  Designing my webpage was the first time I’d collected my writing in one space.

It can be a great way to keep track of successes

I update my webpage with reviews I’m proud of. Reviews like this!

It can be a great way of keeping track of all your activity

I’ve taken part in twenty plus events to date since the publication of A Murder for Miss Hortense.  My webpage is a great place for my readers to know where they can connect with me in person and it’s handy to be reminded of how busy this year has been!

A way of letting readers know what’s on your mind

As I said, I have a blog attached to my webpage.  I’ve written blogs which vary from what it was like to get a book deal, the process of writing my debut novel and tips from my book launch.

A place to signpost to others

Obviously, one of the key things of a webpage is you can send people to it when they want to know more.  I’ve met readers and workshop participants who say they have looked at it before meeting me - and as it’s the story I’ve provided I know what that narrative is.  It can also have a broad reach.  I’ve had people reach out to me from other countries and even tv producers.

How can a webpage help with the published author blues?

Recently a writer in a WhatsApp group I’m on queried what to do during the publication writer blues.  Once all the hullabaloo of publication is past, the debut publishing world can feel a bit like an anti-climax.  I think having your own space/ newsletter helps a bit with that. You can use it as a means to talk to readers.  It’s a space that you as an author can control.  You, in your space, can try to keep the buzz going if you want to.

It’s a space that can grow with you

I’m looking forward to updating my webpage when more details of Book Two of the Miss Hortense book series is released and having a body of work in this space that interested readers can access easily.

For more information about the work Charlotte Duckworth does with authors go here. To see the interview Charlotte did with me just after my webpage launched see here.

For further information on navigating social media for authors check out this from Callie.