This was extremely helpful on creating an author website. But how does one go about getting a logo and brand for an author platform? Have you done a video on that? If not, it’d be really helpful!
Because the time stamps don't work in the App. 2:19 Buying a domain 4:26 What you should have on your author website 8:19 where should you build your website? (overview of website builders vs. self-hosted) 9:24 Website builders in-depth (free and paid) 12:55 Tumblr & Squarespace overview (my recommendations) 15:25 Self-hosted overview (how I built my website!) 19:00 What I pay for self-hosting + themes & downsides to self-hosting 20:31 Hiring a professional website designer (spoiler: need to be self-hosted) 22:41 Key recommendations with on-screen demonstration
I am a published author and have already purchased a domain with web building capabilities. I needed more insight on what to put on the site and you nailed it!
Alexa, Thank you for your extremely helpful introduction to building an author page! You've taken me from ground 0 to a place where I can now ask appropriate questions and move forward. Well done!
I spent most of today comparing options, and both Weebly and Squarespace were on my list, but I think you just sold me on Squarespace! Thanks for such an in depth overview - it's really made my decision a lot easier.
I know this is four years late, but I would say after your first book is published. That way you are an established author and can show people your work.
Thank you for your advice Ms. Donne, I’ve found it very beneficial for choosing my website builder. I am curious id your thoughts have changed since 2017 (apologies if you’ve already covered that in another video).
You F'ing Crushed it! Thanks SO much for all that effort (ask box! :^) loved it and found it very informative - I would have loved a blurb on registering one's domain name - I'm sure you cover that later, but even if that's the case - PLEASE mention that in this brilliant short how to guide / Bless you!
I have a WordPress site. I'm not tech savvy. WP offered lessons on block editing so I took them and followed the steps. Things got so screwed up that I now have a worse site than I started with and don't know how to fix it.
I know this is a late question, but if you are going to try to be traditionally published, will your publisher want you to have already built your website a particular way, like self-hosted? And will they want to take over management of your site after you reach a certain level of success? Thanks for a great video!
Alexa, can you do an update about this topic? I’d like to know if you still recommend Square Space and the other options. I love your videos and appreciate all your advice.
I've bought my domain name already and plan to set up my author website soon on a self hosted basis. One of the things you didn't mention is having a blog on an author website. Could you discuss this in a new video? The kind of things to blog about, whether to have a split blog for readers and writers (which I'm thinking of doing). Perhaps what other authors you know do and how effective you think that is. Or whether an author should use social media, videos and podcasts instead of a blog. Love your videos. Thanks, Alexa.
Love Squarespace! I see a lot of authors default to wix because you can sign up for free but I know from firsthand experience once you pay to remove the ads and branding (which is a must because they look horrible) it’s the same price as Squarespace anyway. Weebly is exactly the same problem. Plus SS looks really good on mobile devices too, no weird overlaying.
the biggest diff between the two is that Wix offers the option to SPEAK to a customer service rep. You request a call and they call you literally within 30 seconds. Sqsp only has chat line, and if you ever got bugged, you know that there are a lot of things you just cant sort out via a chatline. Talking to an actual person for me is a must (yes, old fashioned boy here...), so until Squsp upgrades its service, I stick to Wix. That is that.
Hey guys! if you do use tumblr and really DON'T want to pay $49 for their "premium" themes, plenty of users have custom theme HTMLs that you can put on your blog yourself!! it costs nothing and most of them are really nice!! tumblr asking you to pay $49 for their themes is a huge rip off and frankly a waste of money when there are nicer looking free options out there
I'm technologically challenged, so hosting my own domain would end up becoming a frustrating and futile endeavor for me. I've used Wordpress and Blogger for blog posts. I have a Tumblr account, but have never used it. So, thank you for the recommendations. When the time comes, I'll probably try out Square Space (unless something better comes along by then).
Thank-you so much Alexa, so much food for thought. I feel like I would have to have done a lot of research that I wasn't sure how to approach without this video. Now I feel so much more confident about options available. Hayley ^_^
Hi Alexa, this video is still relevant. Can you advice, considering Squarespace has developed more since you did this video, which would be your recommended template for an indie author. Thank you.
I am a programmer, but I am still going to use wix for personal and book site. AWS S3 static hosting is pretty good. I wonder if you do multiple things than just write books what should your site look like?
Hello. Thank you for the information. I love the squarespace example. Do you know which template was used for Victoria Aveyard? I like how she lists her series. Or can you suggest the best template to use as an author that doesn't involve blogging? Thank you.
Hi Alexa - very informative video. I am now following you! I had already purchased a web domain name (mine) from Godaddy, which you cautioned against. Is there a way to reverse this action?
Best thing about tumblr, though, is there are millions of free themes that you can copy and paste code for, and they generally look ten times better than anything you might pay for. And you can customize those and play with the code if you know what you're doing I've used tumblr for personal use for years, so it might be the best option for me to simply pay for a domain name and whip up a personalized tumblrn especially since I adore the look of oldweb sites and would prefer that personally.
Thank you, Alexa. I'm torn between Tumblr and SquareSpace. Hope to keep in touch as I build the site. Got GoDaddy, and now kicking myself. Anyway, to get it back?
Thanks for this! It was very interesting and informative. At what point in an author's career do you recommend getting a webpage? After you get an agent? Or would it be better to already have a website before you start querying so that agents find something professional if they Google you?
I don't think you need a professional domain and site until after you have an agent and are querying. Before that, as long as you have some web presence while querying, you're fine. Like, a yourname.tumblr.com or yourname.wordpress.com will be fine up until that point. I didn't get my domain/build my site until after I was agented, partly b/c I didn't pick my pen name until then. I did have a domain for my real name, which was more like a personal hub site than for authoring.
I have a question! :) I have my manuscript ready to go but wanted to build my author platform a bit before querying agents. So of course I want to make an author site, but my dilemma is I’m getting married next year and my name is going to change. That is the name id like to publish with. Do I start building my platform and website with my future name? Or do I start with the name I have currently and change social media/link to a new website once I’m married? Thanks for your advice!
you build your site around your "brand" and your brand is your name. So the name you want to use as an author is the one that you use on the new site. Good luck with the marriage by the way. Hope it works out and you guys improve the statistics...
it depends on what the aim for the website. if it is to SELL, than the answer is yes, as your memoir would have a different target market to your children book. If your site is simply a "CV" replacement, than the answer is no: just upload all the info for those who want to see. When doing a website, the question is always - who is it for? Do you use it to sell or do you use it to give info. Two very different sites.
I am using divi too... but it seems to load so slow, have you had a problem with website loading speed? Do you have any recommendations on how I would I fix that?
I already purchased my domain from Godaddy and want to attempt to build my own site with very little tech savvy. What do you think is going to be the best solution with a moderate budget?
I would recommend one of the site builders, such a Wix, Weebly or Squarespace. Squarespace is my personal favorite, and you should be able to easily port your domain over to them and use it.
I'm sorry, Is there anything more basic out there on this subject? Too much jargon for me... "back end", domain, host, css, theme, platform. You mentioned so many different things that, by the end, I couldn't remember why I thought this video was for me. Not that you did a poor job: far from it. I just don't know what most of this stuff is and, generally, when I go in search of definitions, I am greeted by the the dreaded "word used in the definition of the word" syndrome, which is what I feel like happened to me here. I didn't think I was stupid, ignorant perhaps, but I truly am beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with me. What I got was, I need an author website. What to do about it (first) is still a mystery.
Use a website builder so you don't need to know the technical stuff! That's my rec. Try Wix or Squarespace. In particular if you decide to use Wix, check out Kim Chance's video on author websites b/c that's the site she uses and she has useful tips! Sorry, I kind of get technical by default since I'm a long time web nerd. I should make something more 101 in the future!
Thank you so much for replying. I am going for it. I am an author, and I need to gain the knowledge authors have in order to get published and share with the world. (Just a little self pep talk) I greatly appreciate your taking the time to offer what you know, and I intend to get to where it all makes sense to me. Cheers!
I suggest people buy their Domain Names from Google Domain. $12.99 to buy & re-register. Most others will charge $12-free, but charge you $30+ to re-register your domain.
Thank you for that. There was a lot of information here, and some honest opinions on some potential drawbacks, which I appreciate. I have my site on WordPress, and part of me wants to be self-hosted. I'm on a very limited budget, and also, can't always cope with some of the technical issues. I'm learning about SEO, and getting there slowly. My site still has the WordPress extension, on the URL. That's because I don't know exactly how to move forward right now. I plan to self-publish my novel eventually, but that's not in the near future, as the book isn't finished yet. I'm at: paulathewriter.wordpress.com.
@@AlexaDonne oh wow, I didn't think you'd respond, let alone that fast. Well, I been watching a bunch of writing help videos lately, a few of yours and some others, 'cause I'm trying to psych myself up to get my first-ever draft done....
I went with using Wix, for the most part, I do like what it is, for now, I don't mind the payment and it's my own domain name and it's where I blog, my only problem is how bad my grammar is and how that looks. If you don't mind links it's here www.losttrainofthoughts.com/
If you want to learn how to build an author website, this is NOT what your looking for. If you want to hear her blow her own horn and sell you on her opinion of WHERE to build a website, grab a bottle of no-doze and click here. PS. Unless you have mastered code and want to be super restricted with options, stay away from square space. If you DO know code, save a ton of money and just get a hosting plan iwth green geeks or bluehost.
![Traditional Publishing Book Money 101 [MONEY MONTH]](/img/n.gif)
This was extremely helpful on creating an author website. But how does one go about getting a logo and brand for an author platform? Have you done a video on that? If not, it’d be really helpful!
Because the time stamps don't work in the App.
2:19 Buying a domain
4:26 What you should have on your author website
8:19 where should you build your website? (overview of website builders vs. self-hosted)
9:24 Website builders in-depth (free and paid)
12:55 Tumblr & Squarespace overview (my recommendations)
15:25 Self-hosted overview (how I built my website!)
19:00 What I pay for self-hosting + themes & downsides to self-hosting
20:31 Hiring a professional website designer (spoiler: need to be self-hosted)
22:41 Key recommendations with on-screen demonstration
I am a published author and have already purchased a domain with web building capabilities. I needed more insight on what to put on the site and you nailed it!
Alexa, Thank you for your extremely helpful introduction to building an author page! You've taken me from ground 0 to a place where I can now ask appropriate questions and move forward. Well done!
I spent most of today comparing options, and both Weebly and Squarespace were on my list, but I think you just sold me on Squarespace! Thanks for such an in depth overview - it's really made my decision a lot easier.
At what point do I need to invest in a website? Should I wait until I actually have a book deal or start when I'm querying agents?
I know this is four years late, but I would say after your first book is published. That way you are an established author and can show people your work.
Thank you for your advice Ms. Donne, I’ve found it very beneficial for choosing my website builder. I am curious id your thoughts have changed since 2017 (apologies if you’ve already covered that in another video).
You F'ing Crushed it! Thanks SO much for all that effort (ask box! :^) loved it and found it very informative - I would have loved a blurb on registering one's domain name - I'm sure you cover that later, but even if that's the case - PLEASE mention that in this brilliant short how to guide / Bless you!
I have a WordPress site. I'm not tech savvy. WP offered lessons on block editing so I took them and followed the steps.
Things got so screwed up that I now have a worse site than I started with and don't know how to fix it.
I know this is a late question, but if you are going to try to be traditionally published, will your publisher want you to have already built your website a particular way, like self-hosted? And will they want to take over management of your site after you reach a certain level of success? Thanks for a great video!
Alexa, can you do an update about this topic? I’d like to know if you still recommend Square Space and the other options. I love your videos and appreciate all your advice.
I've bought my domain name already and plan to set up my author website soon on a self hosted basis. One of the things you didn't mention is having a blog on an author website. Could you discuss this in a new video? The kind of things to blog about, whether to have a split blog for readers and writers (which I'm thinking of doing). Perhaps what other authors you know do and how effective you think that is. Or whether an author should use social media, videos and podcasts instead of a blog. Love your videos. Thanks, Alexa.
Love Squarespace! I see a lot of authors default to wix because you can sign up for free but I know from firsthand experience once you pay to remove the ads and branding (which is a must because they look horrible) it’s the same price as Squarespace anyway. Weebly is exactly the same problem. Plus SS looks really good on mobile devices too, no weird overlaying.
the biggest diff between the two is that Wix offers the option to SPEAK to a customer service rep. You request a call and they call you literally within 30 seconds. Sqsp only has chat line, and if you ever got bugged, you know that there are a lot of things you just cant sort out via a chatline. Talking to an actual person for me is a must (yes, old fashioned boy here...), so until Squsp upgrades its service, I stick to Wix. That is that.
This was great! I'm definitely going the SquareSpace option since you mentioned it links up with Mail Chimp. SOLD!
The free mailchimp gives you the ability to have 4 people contact you and its a headache to set up. She is paid to lead you the wrong way.
I've been on the struggle bus with this situation for a long time. This was helpful.
Editor x with wix looks pretty cool.
Great Advice Alexa! Thanks for taking the time to share.
“Buffy” is still my favorite show!
i cant believe that this video doesn’t have more likes ???? this is so cool!
i absolutely loved how much you covered in this video! thank you!
Hey guys! if you do use tumblr and really DON'T want to pay $49 for their "premium" themes, plenty of users have custom theme HTMLs that you can put on your blog yourself!! it costs nothing and most of them are really nice!! tumblr asking you to pay $49 for their themes is a huge rip off and frankly a waste of money when there are nicer looking free options out there
I'm technologically challenged, so hosting my own domain would end up becoming a frustrating and futile endeavor for me. I've used Wordpress and Blogger for blog posts. I have a Tumblr account, but have never used it. So, thank you for the recommendations. When the time comes, I'll probably try out Square Space (unless something better comes along by then).
Love your videos they're so informative and easy to listen to. What's your opinion on using Google sites?
This was so informative. I think tumblr's the best option for me!
Thank-you so much Alexa, so much food for thought. I feel like I would have to have done a lot of research that I wasn't sure how to approach without this video. Now I feel so much more confident about options available.
Hayley ^_^
Hi Alexa, this video is still relevant. Can you advice, considering Squarespace has developed more since you did this video, which would be your recommended template for an indie author. Thank you.
"It's a decent amount of knowing..." Haha I love Alexa!
I am a programmer, but I am still going to use wix for personal and book site. AWS S3 static hosting is pretty good. I wonder if you do multiple things than just write books what should your site look like?
I see a 🇫🇮! What’s the relation? 🙂 Also, thanks for this interesting video, I’m prepping for Nanowrimo 2018, so looking into all things “writer” 🙂
Hello. Thank you for the information. I love the squarespace example. Do you know which template was used for Victoria Aveyard? I like how she lists her series. Or can you suggest the best template to use as an author that doesn't involve blogging? Thank you.
Hi Alexa - very informative video. I am now following you! I had already purchased a web domain name (mine) from Godaddy, which you cautioned against. Is there a way to reverse this action?
Yes, you can migrate your domain to another platform. Have you been able to solve this problem?
Just came across this video and Love it! Thank you for doing this - so helpful! Subscribing :)
Best thing about tumblr, though, is there are millions of free themes that you can copy and paste code for, and they generally look ten times better than anything you might pay for. And you can customize those and play with the code if you know what you're doing
I've used tumblr for personal use for years, so it might be the best option for me to simply pay for a domain name and whip up a personalized tumblrn especially since I adore the look of oldweb sites and would prefer that personally.
I love victoria Aveyard site on square space. How can I create that website
Thank you, Alexa. I'm torn between Tumblr and SquareSpace. Hope to keep in touch as I build the site. Got GoDaddy, and now kicking myself. Anyway, to get it back?
Godaddy for just holding domains is ok. You can always update the nameservers.
Now what if you aren't published yet. Would it still be worth while to make one now or should I wait until I publish first?
Love this! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for this video. I know it's a couple years old now, but it's still really useful.
Thanks for this! It was very interesting and informative. At what point in an author's career do you recommend getting a webpage? After you get an agent? Or would it be better to already have a website before you start querying so that agents find something professional if they Google you?
I don't think you need a professional domain and site until after you have an agent and are querying. Before that, as long as you have some web presence while querying, you're fine. Like, a yourname.tumblr.com or yourname.wordpress.com will be fine up until that point. I didn't get my domain/build my site until after I was agented, partly b/c I didn't pick my pen name until then. I did have a domain for my real name, which was more like a personal hub site than for authoring.
Hi if I use the wix for free can i add a domain name
No, you can't.
Tumblr users also make themes that you can use for free and some that they charge for.
The only time where my history of being a front end developer will come in handy.
Question Alexa: what do you think about .CA domains?
Wish I could get some .ca domains :(
Thank you - very informative
Thank you. This was very helpful.
I have a question! :) I have my manuscript ready to go but wanted to build my author platform a bit before querying agents. So of course I want to make an author site, but my dilemma is I’m getting married next year and my name is going to change. That is the name id like to publish with. Do I start building my platform and website with my future name? Or do I start with the name I have currently and change social media/link to a new website once I’m married? Thanks for your advice!
you build your site around your "brand" and your brand is your name. So the name you want to use as an author is the one that you use on the new site. Good luck with the marriage by the way. Hope it works out and you guys improve the statistics...
Can you start out with self publishing
How do you get the lighting to not reflect off of your glasses?
I know I'm late to this party, but I'm looking for advice on whether I need to have a separate website for my children's book than I do for my memoir?
it depends on what the aim for the website. if it is to SELL, than the answer is yes, as your memoir would have a different target market to your children book. If your site is simply a "CV" replacement, than the answer is no: just upload all the info for those who want to see. When doing a website, the question is always - who is it for? Do you use it to sell or do you use it to give info. Two very different sites.
Who else went and stalked Alexa's website? lol. It looks great, girl!
Aww thank you! I'm excited to have a cover so I can do a redesign to match :)
Hi there. What template did Victoria use
Is it okay to post links in UA-cam comment sections?
I am using divi too... but it seems to load so slow, have you had a problem with website loading speed? Do you have any recommendations on how I would I fix that?
Cdn
Event page "Everything is canceled untel further notice"
Can I just use my Facebook website for my author website?
Perhaps, No. That is possible, but it will be limited in functionality
Good info 😄
I already purchased my domain from Godaddy and want to attempt to build my own site with very little tech savvy. What do you think is going to be the best solution with a moderate budget?
I would recommend one of the site builders, such a Wix, Weebly or Squarespace. Squarespace is my personal favorite, and you should be able to easily port your domain over to them and use it.
Is it wise to obtain a domain name if you are in the query trenches? Should I wait until I have an agent?
the agent will likely ask you for a website so.... domain first. website. agent. (although you dont really need on to get started...)
What hosts sell $15 domains yearly?
I'm sorry, Is there anything more basic out there on this subject? Too much jargon for me... "back end", domain, host, css, theme, platform. You mentioned so many different things that, by the end, I couldn't remember why I thought this video was for me. Not that you did a poor job: far from it. I just don't know what most of this stuff is and, generally, when I go in search of definitions, I am greeted by the the dreaded "word used in the definition of the word" syndrome, which is what I feel like happened to me here. I didn't think I was stupid, ignorant perhaps, but I truly am beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with me. What I got was, I need an author website. What to do about it (first) is still a mystery.
Use a website builder so you don't need to know the technical stuff! That's my rec. Try Wix or Squarespace. In particular if you decide to use Wix, check out Kim Chance's video on author websites b/c that's the site she uses and she has useful tips! Sorry, I kind of get technical by default since I'm a long time web nerd. I should make something more 101 in the future!
Thank you so much for replying. I am going for it. I am an author, and I need to gain the knowledge authors have in order to get published and share with the world. (Just a little self pep talk) I greatly appreciate your taking the time to offer what you know, and I intend to get to where it all makes sense to me. Cheers!
I suggest people buy their Domain Names from Google Domain. $12.99 to buy & re-register.
Most others will charge $12-free, but charge you $30+ to re-register your domain.
Thank you for that. There was a lot of information here, and some honest opinions on some potential drawbacks, which I appreciate. I have my site on WordPress, and part of me wants to be self-hosted. I'm on a very limited budget, and also, can't always cope with some of the technical issues. I'm learning about SEO, and getting there slowly. My site still has the WordPress extension, on the URL. That's because I don't know exactly how to move forward right now. I plan to self-publish my novel eventually, but that's not in the near future, as the book isn't finished yet. I'm at: paulathewriter.wordpress.com.
4y ago?
That explains why you make Tumblr sound like it's still a good venue.
lol yes this video is very old. It's more like 5 years old, actually, given I started the channel in 2017 and pretty sure this is that old.
@@AlexaDonne oh wow, I didn't think you'd respond, let alone that fast.
Well, I been watching a bunch of writing help videos lately, a few of yours and some others, 'cause I'm trying to psych myself up to get my first-ever draft done....
if my book did not sellf well who would read about my book? or about me?
What a out Google sites as a free option
Buffy-love
HOW DO I MAKE A FAN WEBSITE
SQUARESPACE 14:00
Lol the ad for me was for godaddy. Lol
Building
I went with using Wix, for the most part, I do like what it is, for now, I don't mind the payment and it's my own domain name and it's where I blog, my only problem is how bad my grammar is and how that looks. If you don't mind links it's here www.losttrainofthoughts.com/
Two new e publish books are now available:
www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TCStuhr
Wait! You’re 35?!
If you want to learn how to build an author website, this is NOT what your looking for. If you want to hear her blow her own horn and sell you on her opinion of WHERE to build a website, grab a bottle of no-doze and click here. PS. Unless you have mastered code and want to be super restricted with options, stay away from square space. If you DO know code, save a ton of money and just get a hosting plan iwth green geeks or bluehost.