We sat down with Tertulia cofounder Lynda Hammes who shared her expert insights on best practices for growing your author platform.
Does having a website make an author look more "official" to readers and publishers?Absolutely. A website is your professional home base, the one place you fully own and control. For readers, it signals you're serious about your craft, and it conveys that other readers are already here. (FOMO is a powerful thing!) For publishers and agents, it shows you're invested in your platform.
Why is it better to have your own website than to rely on social media?
Social media is great for discovery and engagement, but "likes" don't sell books. Direct relationships do. Your website is where followers become readers, and readers become fans who actually buy. At Tertulia, we've collaborated with hundreds of authors on campaigns, and we see consistently that email converts readers to purchasers many times more effectively than social media. Social platforms change and can even disappear overnight, taking your hard-won followers with them. Your website—and email list it builds—belong to you permanently.
Can a website actually help you sell books?
Absolutely, and it's one of the most underutilized sales tools authors have. Your website can link directly to retailers, announce pre-order campaigns, host giveaways, and give readers a sample of your work through reviews and excerpts. A visitor to your site already showed up on purpose; they're interested in you. That's a warm lead! Now give them a reason to buy. At Tertulia for Authors, we make this seamless: clean book pages, direct retailer links including Ingram Spark, and built-in tools to turn browsers into buyers.
How does a website act as a "one-stop shop" for all your different book links?
Your website should become the single destination you point to from everywhere: social media, your email signature, Amazon, Goodreads, anywhere. We built Tertulia to allow for one clean books page with every retailer (including IngramSpark), every format, every title…organized your way. If you have a series, we let you showcase your books in the proper reading order, which is notoriously hard for readers to find online.
How does a website help new readers discover your books for the first time?
Search engines (and increasingly AI answer engines) index websites, not Instagram posts. A well-structured, SEO-optimized author site with your name, genre, and book titles can show up when someone searches for exactly the kind of book you write. That's passive discoverability working for you 24/7. Add a built-in blog and events calendar rich with keywords and quality content, and your online presence becomes far more findable. Tertulia for Authors sites are built with this in mind from the ground up.
What are the main things every author should have on their homepage?
Keep it simple but complete: a compelling author bio, your latest or featured book with a clear buy link, an email sign-up offer, and easy navigation to your full book list. At Tertulia, we make it easy to add a professional author logo, customizable banners that highlight your top message, and a prominent author photo. You can also showcase your most recent blog post and upcoming events. Your homepage should answer "who is this author and why should I care?" in 10 seconds.
How does a website keep readers engaged between book releases?
This is where your blog, book club discussion questions, reading recommendations, and writing updates come in, all living on your site, keeping readers warm between books. We always tell authors not to stress if they can't maintain a rigid newsletter schedule, but to work toward a content strategy that's manageable and authentic. A personal behind-the-scenes update can do more for reader loyalty than a perfectly polished campaign. Tertulia gives you the tools to do this without juggling multiple subscriptions
Why is an email list sign-up the most important part of an author's website?
Email is the only channel where you own the relationship completely. No algorithm decides whether your subscribers see your message. An email list is your most valuable long-term asset as an author…bar none. Start building it the moment you know you're going to publish. Not after your second book. Not after your launch. Now. Every day you wait is a reader relationship you didn't get to start.
What kind of bonus content can you give away to get readers excited to sign up?
Anything that feels exclusive! Character profiles, deleted scenes, playlists that inspired the book, a prequel short story. For nonfiction authors: worksheets, checklists, templates, archival research. The best sign-up offers feel like a genuine gift—something a true fan would actually want. Make it exclusive, relevant, and distinctly yours. The goal isn't to trick people onto your list; it's to immediately deliver value so they're glad they signed up.
Is it hard for a non-techy author to set up and manage their own site?
It used to be. But that's exactly why we built Tertulia for Authors. We brought your website, book links, email list, and content tools into one place: no coding required, no juggling multiple subscriptions, no paying a developer every time you want to update your bio. The goal is simple: less time on tech, more time writing.
Tertulia for Authors helps you spend less time juggling tools and more time writing. Built for ownership and control, Tertulia lets authors grow their audience directly, strengthen reader relationships, and reduce reliance on third-party platforms — creating a more sustainable path to long-term success. Start your free trial today: authors.tertulia.com
