How to build an effective author website
Website design, layout and branding: Author as brand
On this page:You hear the term "brand" or "positioning" a lot these days in the corporate world, so what is it? Put simply a brand is the relationship between a consumer and a product. Think of it a brand as the memory of everything you know about the company from interaction with it and its products, everything you've ever heard about it and everything you've ever thought about it.
As an author each book you release is with a view to building your brand. You are looking to retain the readers you already have and capture new readers with every release.
Your goal should be to ensure that your brand is as clearly defined and as positive as possible. When establishing yourself as a brand a logo, stationery, colour palette and website are a good place to start, but that's only the beginning.
In most cases the look of your products (your books) will be decided by the publisher, often with limited input from you. Your editor and agent can offer you advice on this, but don't be afraid to ask questions about the long term vision for building a cohesive look for your covers. This is particularly important if you are releasing a series of books. The title font on your books should be the same across the series. Your name should be presented in the same way. The titles and your name should line up perfectly across the series when face-out in a pocket as well as spine out.
Your cover art is the obvious starting point to build your brand - it is usually the first contact your readers have with you and so everything else should fall in line with the look and feel of your book jackets.
Once your cover art is finalised, the art department at your publisher will be invaluable. Ask your editor or marketing representative to find out the following:
- What font is used for the title
- What font is used for your author name
- Has a particular colour palette been set for your work
- Are any of the images used in the cover or marketing material royalty free
Once you know the colours, fonts and images you have the start for a style guide - this should dictate your visual identity moving forward.
Your publisher will take care of a lot of the sales and marketing for your work, but bear in mind that every piece of information presented about you should build on your brand. The same colours and fonts should be used - work with your marketing representative to ensure this is the case and ask what other activities you should be undertaking.
Always be courteous and professional when dealing with your publisher, but don't be afraid to make suggestions about marketing activities. If an activity you'd like to pursue falls outside the publisher's marketing budget, ask if it is something you can undertake yourself.
Remember - most marketing budgets are limited and provided you work with the marketing team assigned to your book, any marketing efforts you make will be appreciated.