The magazine for authors
Chapter I: Craft & Practice
From the first sentence to the finished manuscript: tools, habits and the form in which a text reaches a publisher’s desk.
6 articles
- Writing Software for Authors: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your BookA novel is a document you live with for months or years. Here is what writing software needs to do for a book-length project, how the familiar tools compare, and how to choose one that never locks your manuscript in.6 min read
- How to Write Your First Book: From Idea to Finished First DraftMost first novels do not fail for lack of talent. They stall halfway. These are the principles that carry you from the first spark to a complete first draft, and why finishing beats polishing.6 min read
- Standard Manuscript Format: How to Format and Measure Your NovelAgents and editors expect manuscripts in a standard format and measure them in words, not pages. Here is what that format looks like, how to count your length, and the mistakes that mark a submission as amateur.3 min read
- What Is a Manuscript? Meaning, Stages and the Submission DraftFrom first draft to galley proof, your book is called a manuscript, but it is not always the same thing. What the word means, the stages a manuscript moves through, and what the version you send to agents should look like.6 min read
- How to Write a Children's Book: Age Groups, Word Counts and IllustrationChildren's books are short, but they are not easy. Which formats suit which ages, what word counts publishers expect, how text and pictures work together, and what to know before you submit.5 min read
- How to Write Fanfiction: Craft, Communities and Moving On to Original WorkFor many writers, fanfiction is where it all starts, and it is a genuinely good training ground. What the craft demands, how fan communities work, what to know about copyright, and how a fan story can become an original novel.5 min read
Chapter II: Dramaturgy & Character
What makes a story hold: tension, turning points and characters whose desires drive the plot.
3 articles
- How to Plot a Novel: Proven Methods ComparedThree-act structure, the Hero’s Journey, the Snowflake Method, Save the Cat or scene cards: what each method does, who it suits and how much planning a novel really needs.6 min read
- Character Profiles: How to Build Characters with DepthA useful character profile is not a list of eye colours and favourite foods. It is a tool that generates story. What belongs in one, how want, wound and need fit together, and how to use the profile while you draft.6 min read
- What Is Plot? The Blueprint of a StoryPlot is not just what happens. It links events through cause and effect, drives them with conflict and shapes them into a rising arc. Here is what plot is made of and how to test whether yours holds.5 min read
Chapter III: Literary Worlds
The laws of each genre, from thriller to children’s book, and where it pays to break them on purpose.
3 articles
- Mystery vs. Thriller: What’s the Difference?They often share a shelf, but mysteries and thrillers create tension in different ways: one with a puzzle, the other with a threat. How the two genres differ in structure, viewpoint and pace, and which subgenres belong to each.6 min read
- Book Genres Explained: A Guide for AuthorsFrom romance to science fiction, from cozy mystery to romantasy: the main fiction genres and their subgenres, the difference between genre and age category, and why the right classification matters so much to agents, retailers and online stores.6 min read
- How to Write Dark Romance: Conventions, Reader Expectations and Responsible CraftDark romance pairs a love story with dark themes, morally grey characters and deliberately unsettling moments. What defines the subgenre, what readers expect, and how to handle content warnings, framing and platform rules with care.6 min read
Chapter IV: Book Aesthetics & Typesetting
Type area, typeface and cover: what makes a book feel valuable in the hand before a single line is read.
2 articles
- How to Design a Book Cover: Genre, Typography and Print FilesYour cover decides whether anyone clicks on your book at all. How to send the right genre signals, keep the title readable at thumbnail size, set up ebook and print covers correctly and stay on the right side of image rights.6 min read
- Paperback Trim Size, Binding and Print: How to Plan Your BookBefore your paperback can be printed, trim size, paper, margins and cover have to fit together. The common trim sizes, how page count drives spine width, and what determines your printing cost.5 min read
Chapter V: The Road to the Reader
Query, publisher or self-publishing: the routes from manuscript to book, and what each of them demands.
3 articles
- How to Publish a Book: The Paths from Manuscript to MarketTraditional publisher, small press, self-publishing or a paid service: every path to a published book has its own strengths, costs and timelines. A clear-eyed overview to help you choose the right one for your manuscript.6 min read
- How to Publish on Amazon KDP: Ebook and Paperback, Step by StepKindle Direct Publishing is where many self-published authors start. How to set up your account and tax information, choose metadata and categories, understand pricing and royalties, and prepare your print files.6 min read
- How to Write a Synopsis (and the Rest of Your Query Package)Agents decide from a query letter, a synopsis and a few sample pages whether to read your manuscript. What goes into each part, how long a synopsis should be and the mistakes that lead to a quick pass.5 min read
Chapter VI: Visibility & Reach
How readers find your book: author website, series, reviews and what a book really earns.
3 articles
- Book Marketing for Authors: What Actually WorksMarketing starts with your cover and blurb, not after launch day. A clear-eyed guide to audience, newsletters, social media, reviews, ads, bookstores and series.6 min read
- How to Build an Author Website: Domain, Pages and What to Put on ThemYour website is the one place online that you fully own. Which pages it needs, what readers and press look for, and the privacy basics to cover before you launch.6 min read
- How Much Do Authors Earn per Book? Royalties, Advances and Real NumbersRoyalties, advances, earning out: what reaches you from a book's cover price depends on how it is published. Worked examples for traditional and self-publishing, subsidiary rights and the costs authors forget.5 min read
How to Build an Author Website: Domain, Pages and What to Put on Them
Your website is the one place online that you fully own. Which pages it needs, what readers and press look for, and the privacy basics to cover before you launch.
6 min read · Updated September 23, 2026
The moment a book comes out, people start searching for your name: readers who finished the last chapter, booksellers, event organisers, podcast hosts, journalists. What they find is partly up to you. It can be a social media profile whose rules change without notice, a retailer page you do not control, or a site of your own that gathers your books, events and contact details in one place.
An author website does not need to be large or elaborate. It needs to be easy to find, look clean and answer the questions people arrive with. This guide covers what to include, how to choose a domain and the privacy basics you should not skip.
Why you need a site of your own
Social platforms are good places for conversation and poor places for an archive. Posts fade within days, reach depends on an algorithm, and a suspended or abandoned account takes everything with it. Your website is your permanent address: the one you print in the back of your books, add to your email signature and put on event posters.
- Discoverability: someone searching your name or a title should find you, not only retailers and third-party pages.
- A complete list: every book in the right order, which matters most for series.
- Direct contact: newsletter sign-ups, media requests, event invitations.
- Credibility: agents, editors and organisers look you up before they reply.
Choosing a domain
The best address is almost always your author name, such as firstnamelastname.com. Book titles make poor domains because every new book has a new title. If you write under a pen name, register the pen name. If you write in different genres under different names, decide deliberately whether each name gets its own site or whether one site openly connects them.
The pages every author site needs
Most visitors want to know a handful of things: what have you written, in what order, where can they buy it, and how will they hear about the next one? That leads to a lean structure:
| Page | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| Home | Your current or upcoming book with cover, a two-sentence pitch and a buy link; newsletter sign-up below |
| Books | Each title with cover, blurb, excerpt, release date, formats and links to several retailers; series in reading order |
| About | A short bio in the third person, a photo, and something personal that fits the kind of books you write |
| Newsletter | What subscribers get and how often, plus the sign-up form |
| Media kit and events | Press bio, high-resolution author photos, downloadable covers, upcoming events |
| Contact | A form or an email address, separated into reader and media enquiries once volume grows |
| Privacy policy | How you handle visitor data, linked from every page |
Link to more than one retailer. Readers have their habits, and for some of them the link to Bookshop.org or their local independent matters more than the one to the largest store. A media kit saves you time later: anyone writing about you needs a high-resolution photo, a short bio and the cover, and they usually need them today.
The newsletter is the most valuable part of the site. An email list belongs to you, and everyone on it has actively asked to hear about your books. Our guide to book marketing for authors covers how to use it well.
Privacy policy, GDPR and email rules
A privacy policy explains what data your site collects and why: server logs, contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, analytics, embedded videos or maps. Many website builders and email services require you to have one, and it is good practice regardless of where you live. List every tool that touches visitor data.
If you collect data from readers in the European Union, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can apply to you even if you live in the US; the UK has its own version, the UK GDPR. In practice that means a clear privacy policy, consent before non-essential cookies and a lawful basis for your mailing list. For newsletters sent to US readers, the CAN-SPAM Act requires, among other things, a working unsubscribe link and a valid physical postal address in each commercial email; a PO box or a mailbox service can often serve that purpose.
A double opt-in, where new subscribers confirm by clicking a link in a first email, keeps your list clean and gives you a record that each person signed up themselves. Most email services offer it as a setting.
Website builder or custom build?
For most authors, a hosted website builder or a widely used content management system with a simple theme is enough. The choice depends less on technology than on how much time you want to spend maintaining it.
| Website builder | Custom build or designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Online in an afternoon, no coding | More planning, often outside help |
| Cost | Predictable monthly fee | Hosting, maintenance, possibly design fees |
| Design | Within the templates | Largely unrestricted |
| Maintenance | The provider handles updates | Updates and security are on you or your developer |
| Moving later | Can be awkward | Usually easier |
Whatever you choose, check three things: the site reads well on a phone, it loads quickly, and you can update it yourself without asking anyone. Adding a new book should take fifteen minutes, not a support ticket.
Design: let the books lead
Your covers are the strongest images you have. A calm page with generous white space, a readable typeface and large covers looks more professional than animations or autoplaying video. Match the mood to your genre: a thriller writer can go darker than a cosy mystery author, but both sites should tell a visitor at a glance what kind of books live there.
Before you launch
- Domain registered in your author name
- Every book listed with cover, blurb and links to several retailers
- Series shown in reading order
- Newsletter sign-up with double opt-in
- Media kit with photo, short bio and high-resolution covers
- Privacy policy linked from every page
- Checked on a phone: readable, fast, every link working
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website before my first book comes out?
It pays to secure the domain early and put up a simple page with a newsletter sign-up, so interested readers can join before launch. Add the full book page once the cover and blurb are final.
Isn't a social media profile enough?
As a supplement, yes; as a replacement, no. You control neither your reach nor the future of your account there, and you cannot build a mailing list on someone else's platform.
Should I use my real name or my pen name for the domain?
Use the name printed on your covers. That is what readers search for. If you want to keep your legal name private, check what your domain registrar and email service display publicly and choose privacy options where they exist.