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Every author  needs a website. Especially self-published authors.

Social media is great. But when it comes down to it, an author website that you control is the best way to promote your books, boost your sales, and create a loyal following that will support your future endeavors too.

As a self-published author you should have a website, at least one social media account, and an Amazon Author Page that works together in harmony to connect and promote. But the mistake that many authors made is building them – then forgetting about them. An active website can do wonders for sales and engagement. An outdated or stagnant one will do the opposite.

Luckily, it’s easy to improve your author website so that you can make sure it’s supporting your goals. If you’re thinking to yourself “Gee, it’s been a while since I’ve checked in to my own site,” we’ve rounded up a few tips for making your author website all it can be.

5 Things You Need for An Author Website
First, let’s cover the basics. You should have the following 5 things on your author website.

1. Author Bio
2. Your Books and Products
3. Mailing List Sign Up
4. Contact Info
5. Blog or Calendar

Tips for improving your author website

TIP #1: AUTHOR BIO: Make sure your bio is up-to-date, and that it includes a clear call-to-action at the end. If a reader feels connect to you, give them a way to stay in touch. This can include pointing them to your email/newsletter sign-up (see Tip #3), buying a book, or even just following you on an active social media account.

TIP #2: BOOKS & PRODUCTS: All of the books and products you currently have available for sale should be listed and have easy-to-find links for purchasing. If you have multiple products or lines, make sure this page is well-organized and easy to read. Many readers will go to your website to find your books, and if you make it easy for them to click and buy, you’ll make them very happy (and get more sales!)

We encourage you to sell directly from your site using any shopping cart, then let us print and ship the product to your customer.  Selling direct allows you to collect the customer data, specifically their email address, and build your subscriber list. You can then sell your products on Amazon as a secondary distribution channel.

TIP #3: MAILING LIST SIGN UP: Start collecting email addresses even if you don’t have a newsletter yet. Building a database of interested followers and loyal fans is a very powerful way to boost future sales, connect with your readers, and create a community that will support you for the long term. (You can read more here about how a contact list can support your next book or product launch.)

TIP #4: CONTACT INFO: Don’t leave them hanging. You don’t have to share your personal email or phone number, but be sure that readers have a way to stay in touch including an email/newsletter sign-up, social media, or even how to follow you on your Amazon Author Page.

TIP #5: BLOG or CALENDAR PAGE: A blog is a great way to let people know more about you, share your world, announce new books, launch campaigns, and give them a place to connect in a deeper way with you. A calendar is also a great method of announcing events such as book signing, online live streams, holiday promotions, etc.

TIP #6: MAKE IT SPECIAL: Offering incentives can go a long way toward creating a loyal and enthusiastic following.

• Lead Magnets
• Pre-Sale / Pre-Launch Offers
• Discounts
• Bonuses
• VIP Status
• Free Content
• Swag (Stickers are fun -- Custom card decks too!)

If you’re gearing up for a book or product launch for the holidays, now is the perfect time to update your author page. Having one more support system updated and ready to go will streamline your launch and help with smooth sales throughout the year ahead.

Check it out! We've just posted a new video to the Vervante Video Vault introducing you to our new Perforated Pages & Cards.

If you're thinking about adding something fun and functional to your planners, journals, workbooks or similar products, performated pages or punch-out cards are a great idea! They can be added when you first have your entire product printed and assembled, or they can be added after the fact. These are also very popular for coloring books so you can cleanly remove pages that have been colored to share or display.

We can perforate pages that can be added to planners, journals or products. You can also create perforated cards to add to products – and it’s great for easy tear-out pages in coloring books too!

To watch the video, click HERE.

Nothing can be more damaging to your products and your reputation than publishing a book or other written product that is filled with typos, errors, and incorrect information.

Every book needs editing, as well as other products such as planners, workbooks, journals, training manuals, fitness or health programs, and more. A few mistakes here and there aren't that big of a deal, but consistent misspellings, grammar errors, and incorrect information (such as wrong dates, incorrect website addresses, etc.) will distract your reader and leave them with a negative perception of you, your expertise, and the message or information you share.

No matter what your budget might be, investing time and/or money into editing for your project is a vital step that will help you create the best product you can. When your book or product is in the final stages of writing or design, we recommend that you have it professionally edited. Do not compromise when it comes to the quality of your product. If your budget allows for it, hire a professional. If not, consider a trade of services. Or ask for help from family, friends or colleagues. 

There are several kinds of editing services that can be done, including proofreading and copy editing:

#1 PROOFREADING: This is editing that is done at the final stage, before your book, planner, workbook, journal, etc. is finalized for printing. The editor checks for typos, formatting issues, and any other errors they can find. Proofreading is a "lighter" sort of editing that focuses on eliminating minor errors and inconsistencies. Proofreading is right for you if:

• Your book, planner or product is in the final stages of design and ready to be printed.
• You are reasonably confident in your work and just want one more set of eyes to catch any errors that might have slipped through.

#2 COPY EDITING: Copy editing is detailed, word-by-word editing that includes everything you get from Proofreading plus a deeper look at grammar, usage, and consistency. Copy editing is right for you if:

• Your manuscript is finished but hasn’t moved to the design and formatting stage yet.
• You want a professional set of eyes to ensure your content is free of errors, technical problems, inconsistencies or loose ends that might confuse or turn off your readers.

While we do not provide editing services here at Vervante, we strongly believe in the necessity of having an editor and often use editors to ensure professional end results. We are happy to provide you with referrals for editors, or answer any questions about editing at customerservice@vervante.com.