Decide your site's primary purpose
Is it primarily to sell books (direct your audience to retailers), build a mailing list (capture readers for launch announcements), or establish authority (for speaking, teaching, or pitching)? Your primary purpose determines your page structure and CTA hierarchy.
Plan your pages
Essential: Home, Books (one page per book), About the Author, Blog or News, and Contact/Mailing List. Optional: Speaking, Media Kit, Newsletter archive. Each book page should link to all purchase options (Amazon, Bookshop.org, Apple Books, local indie).
Generate your author layout
Use Canvas Builder to generate your author website. Specify your genre, brand style (literary minimal, bold and commercial, editorial), brand colours, and sections (hero with latest book, book grid, about author, newsletter signup). Download the Bootstrap 5 HTML.
Create compelling book pages
Each book needs its own page with: cover image (high resolution), one-paragraph hook (not the full blurb), quotes from reviews, buy links for all retailers, and a mailing list signup (for readers who want to know about your next release). These pages rank for '[book title] by [author name]' searches.
Set up your mailing list capture
Your mailing list is your most valuable asset — it's how you notify readers on launch day. Add signup forms in your sidebar, after blog posts, and in a pop-up on exit. Offer a free short story, chapter, or reading guide as an incentive. Use ConvertKit, MailerLite, or Buttondown.
Optimise for book discovery searches
Target '[your name] author' and '[book title]' in your homepage title. Add Book + Person JSON-LD schema for each book page. Create a Google Knowledge Panel request. Write blog posts answering questions your readers search for. Link between your book pages and blog posts.
Tools You'll Need
- →Canvas Builder (HTML generation)
- →ConvertKit or MailerLite (email list)
- →Google Search Console
- →Netlify or GitHub Pages (hosting)