NOVLR

This is an online writing app, and their services beyond just being a word processor include a free author site!

There's very few options in terms of customization, but if you're already using their platform to write, the site builder is worth a peek! Plus it's beginner-friendly!

(not sponsored at all btw but carrd.co is having a sale rn on their pro standard accounts and you can get your first year for only $11 !! it's great if you want some of the bells and whistles, like working contact forms and a custom domain so you don't need to use their url or branding)

CARRD!

This is great for basic landing pages or splash pages, which is enough for a photo, bio, and any links!

You can do much more too, even on a free acc. Multi-page sites are a cinch with a bit of know-how (its small learning curve goes a long way to customization!)

Pro is about $19/year.

Linktree!

Just a page full of links, all about YOU!

This is a great option for authors who have been featured in many different zines. You can link each of your works in the main feed and do icons for your socials.

And if you have merch, it even supports promos!

Here's what mine looks like:

(But if you wanna follow and learn as much as you can for when you need to start...? OWO)

Your job once the book is out, whether you wanted it or not, is at least in part to get people to buy it! So building that ecosystem in a way that you can manage easily is super important!

We'll talk about the ecosystem another day, but until your book is OUT, don't stress too much about brand!

But there's ways to just post and ways to post effectively. Being loud doesn't always mean results.

Building a website, optimizing your social bio, having eye-catching graphics... building the brand, even if it's just a small updates account, is always an ecosystem.

When it's announced on PM (if you're on the trad route!), when preorder links drop, when you have your launch events, and when your book is ON SHELVES, this whole chunk of time is when you want to be as loud as you can!

I HAVE A BOOK
IT DROPS ON THIS DATE
HERE'S WHERE TO GET IT

etc, etc...

Fiction books are an entirely different marketing beast, but my not-so-hot take is that if you want people to know your book exists, you need to post about it.

Some want to post the whole journey, from writing to pubbing, and that's cool!

But you don't need to until your manuscript is a BOOK!

And... that's it! Congratulations! You've optimized your account's bio to be more personal and show potential new followers and readers what your account will provide them, even if you just post cat pics.

If you try this tip out, tag this account! I'd love to see your bio's glow-up!

Line #3

CTA! Call! To! Action!

What would you like to gently nudge your potential new followers toward? Maybe you have a newsletter, or a book coming out soon with a fancy preorder page?

Line #2

What do you offer?

Breaking yourself down into a value proposition can be hard since we're such multi-faceted beings, but think about what you want your account(s) to focus on.

What do you want your readers to take away from your books? What is it you want to say?

Line #1

Introduce yourself. Who are you and what do you write?

If you want, you can get creative by using specific language from your novel or even the genre you write in to pull potential readers in!