Part Two of a Blog Series
Ideally, your domain name should be yourname.com. If you have multiple books, this should be a no-brainer. Obviously, you wouldn’t get a domain name for just one of your books if you have an author website with multiple books. What if you already have a website using the domain name of one of your books? Now might be the time to consolidate under one website using your name. Your name is generally more searchable, and by putting all of your books on one site, you allow readers looking for one book, in particular, to naturally discover your other works. Even if you are a first-time author with one book, it should still be yourname.com.
I've encountered authors over the years who started building a new site for every book or series. This splits your book marketing efforts, money, and time. Not to mention, it increases your updating headaches exponentially.
Domain Name Availability
What if your name is taken? In many cases, it will be. Mine, johnburke.com, was already taken when I first checked in 1996! But there are other options. You can use johnburkeauthor.com, johnburkebooks.com, or john-burke.com. In some cases, if all your preferred options are taken, you could consider johnburke.net or even johnburke.org. But think of “.com” as Main Street — it’s the preferred location.
Buying a Domain Name
You should buy your domain name yourself with your email address and credit card. You should always know the username and password of your domain name account and where it’s registered (GoDaddy, Network Solutions, Register.com, etc.). You should be listed as what’s referred to as the “Registrant,” meaning you own it. If someone registers it for you, make sure they follow these guidelines, and that you have the username and password to the account. It should not be registered in the web developer’s account with other domain names, because then you will not have access to it.
Domain names usually expire or come up for renewal every couple of years, so keep an eye out for emails reminding you to renew them. This is another reason why you want your domain name registered in your name and email address, so you will get the renewal notifications.
Some of the bigger domain name registrars also offer email addresses using your domain name, for example, you@yourdomainname.com. It’s an additional charge, but a relatively small one. If this is something you want, check into the registrar’s offerings before you use them. You can also use Gmail’s G Suite to do this. The advantage of doing it with your registrar or G Suite is that it’s permanent—no matter where you host your author website, now or in the future, your email, and domain name, are set where it is, and you don’t have to move it.
So give some thought to your domain name—it’s part of your branding and overall book marketing.
How Much Does an Author Website Cost?
Many authors and publishers struggle with choosing the best website option for themselves and their companies. Few people have a technical background, so setting up a DIY author website seems like a daunting task, and many authors and publishers don’t feel confident talking or negotiating with a potential website developer. Some authors have told me that sometimes “it can feel like negotiating with a used car dealer.” It doesn’t have to be so difficult.It depends on how you build it. There is such a wide range, from doing it yourself on platforms like Wix, Pub Site, or WordPress, to spending many thousands of dollars hiring a website designer/developer to do the entire project for you.
DIY Website Platforms
The free, do-it-yourself, options are appealing if you are so inclined and willing to try. Wix is probably the most popular right now, along with WordPress and Squarespace. Pub Site is relatively new, but its advantage is that it was developed specifically for books, authors, and small publishers, and is very easy to use. These platforms are not just free to set up your site, but you can do the updating yourself, which can be a significant cost-saver over time.
You can also hire someone to develop one of the DIY options for you, which may save you some money. There are many levels of development in this scenario — from using a basic template with no modification to using a template and extensively customizing it. Obviously, the more customization, the higher the cost. These sites can range from maybe $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the customization, the level of graphic design, and the features you want to be included, such as a blog, mailing list signup, social media integration, video and audio, interactivity, special effects, etc. Maybe you can do the updating after the site is done.
Custom Web Design
You can hire an individual or web design firm that will design and develop from scratch to your particular needs. I’ve heard of sites being done for as much as $20,000. This would be a prominent web design firm that has professional graphic designers and programmers on staff, in very expensive offices in larger cities. If you have the money and want that level of service, you can go that route, but it’s not necessary.
Finding a Developer Who Understands Book Marketing
Regardless of which path you take, be mindful that a lot of developers do not know a lot about marketing in general, and book marketing in particular, and that’s what your author website is—a book marketing tool. Check out a developer’s portfolio before you hire them. I always recommend going with a developer who has experience with book and author websites. Book websites are different—they are text and content-heavy, which is very different from, say, photography or restaurant websites, which are very graphic intensive. That is one thing authors have discovered about Wix and Squarespace—they are not particularly oriented toward authors and books.
What to Ask When You Hire a Website Developer
When you contacted a potential developer, were they responsive? Did they speak to you in terms you could understand and not in condescending tones? What are their limits on how many design changes you can make? Is there a limit on how many pages your site can have? What’s the cost for additional pages? What are the per-hour charges for changes and updates?
Very importantly, are they available to do updates after launching your website? Ask about this before committing to a developer—what’s their turnaround time for updates and how much do they charge? I’ve had many authors come to me bemoaning the fact that after their website is up, their developer is unresponsive, takes much too long to make simple updates, and is very expensive.
Check out our other blogs in this series for more valuable info:
The Complete Guide to Creating Your Author Website
How to Use Your Website as a Book Marketing Tool
Author Website Traffic Analytics
