Author Websites

Bring your readers home

An author website will help you communicate, promote, and sell your books to a growing community of fans and readers.

NEW!
Author websites are now available to all self-publishers!
If you are a Luminare Press author, check the offer reserved to you.

Build your author platform with a beautiful website

With more than 1.6 million books published every year it is essential to create a solid platform to increase readership, share your work and ideas, promote events, and showcase existing and upcoming titles.

Your author website will be the starting point for all your marketing activities, both online and offline. It will allow readers, community members, journalists, and other authors to easily get in touch with you to start a conversation, an interview, or a sale!

Luminare Press has helped hundreds of authors publish their work and make it available to a wide audience. With over 10 years of experience in the publishing industry, we know exactly what an author needs to stand out.

author websites for writers

Professional Author Website

The recommended solution for self-publishers. Expand your brand as an author and connect with a wider audience.

$1,250

It includes:

  • A beautiful design that matches your books or author brand
  • A site, powered by Wix*, that is easy to manage and update
  • Custom domain**
  • Up to 5 pages
  • Up to 3 books
  • Links to online bookstores
  • Newsletter signup
  • Multiple contact solutions
  • SEO friendly site
  • One round of review
  • A 30-minute consultation with one of our designers

Available add-on:

  • Extra pages
  • Extra books
  • Media gallery
  • Blog setup
  • Technical assistance (billed hourly at $120/h)

*Websites are built with Wix. Website costs do not include Wix subscription plans.
**First year free with any Premium Wix Plan.


Example of our author websites

Why do you want an author website for your self-published books?

Credibility comes with availability.

To be a recognized, credible, and trusted author you and your work need to be available and easy to find. The first place anyone will look for you in today’s world is the Internet. Make sure your website is the first result when someone search for your name, because you can tell your story better than anyone else.

Building and growing your audience.

Events, book fairs, book presentations and signings are great opportunities to talk, meet, and engage with potential readers. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible and it’s not enough. Either you talk to someone in-person or online, you need a follow up, and your website is the absolute best way to do that. On your website they can read more about your work, maybe get a free chapter and, most importantly, decide to give you permission to write them joining your mailing list.

Website vs. and Social Media.

While social media is a fundamental tool for your marketing activities, relying only on social networks is not ideal. Changes in rules and algorithms can have a tremendous impact on the exposure your content have even on your followers. Today, most pages need to sponsor their content to reach their core audience, even if they have an active community.
On your website you have full control of what your readers see and don’t see. Removing distracting contents (no kittens on memes right after to your post), allows your readers to focus on your work so you can engage them into meaningful conversations.
Readers that visit your website can sign-up for newsletters, receive bonus and exclusive content, contact you the way you prefer, and buy your book!
Bring your readers out from the social media jungle to the home of your work and keep the communication going.

An easy-to-use, effective solution.

With an author website by Luminare Press, you have full control of the content you want to share over time, without the need of technical skills or outside help. Our author websites aren’t just beautifully designed, they are extremely user friendly both for readers and authors.
We know you want to spend your time writing and publishing your next best-seller, not maintaining your website; that’s why offer a solution that gives you all the tools you need, without the headache of complicated technology.


How does it work?

Getting your author website with Luminare Press is fast, simple, and easy.

  1. Order your website
  2. Use our easy-to-complete intake questionnaire to send us your content, your preference for the website, and add extra pages, books, or feature
  3. Review the website and schedule your 30′ consultation with our designer
  4. Approve the changes and see your website go live!

After your website is published, you’ll have full control of it. You’ll be able to make edits, updates, and add new content if you need to. No strings attached.


FAQ

Does Luminare Press create the content for my website?

No, you’re responsible for providing all the information and the content you want on your website. Our designers will help you shape how to display your content and advise which pages and features may be best for you. If you need editing or content review, our editors are available for an hourly rate.

What should I put in my author website?

The answer may change based on your situation, but we strongly advise that you include a carefully edited author bio, a professional headshot, book description and purchasing links, book reviews or testimonials, a sign-up form for your newsletter, and your contact information. The content, depending on quality and quantity, can be structured in a number of ways, depending on what you prefer on each page. Read our comprehensive guide here.

Why do you include five pages?

For the vast majority of authors, five pages are more than enough. We suggest including the following page or content sections: Homepage, About the Author, Book(s), Reviews, and Contact.
Consider that it’s better to have more content on fewer pages than limited content spread across multiple pages. If you plan on writing articles, blog posts, or news about your work with some regularity, add a Blog instead of new pages.

If you are planning a book tour or to host events, you may want to consider adding an Event page, too.

What if I have more than three books?

That’s not a problem; we can add them all! Our package includes three books because that’s usually enough for most authors without a website. If you need a new, mobile-ready, beautifully designed website, or you’re now ready to expand the reach of your catalog, simply add as many extra books as you need during the order.

When should I start working on my website information?

We recommend that you start your website content as soon as possible so it’s ready to go once you reach the printed proof stage. We suggest starting a Word document or Google doc for each page of your website’s content (Eg: Home, About, etc…) so you can start adding content there that we can grab from when it’s time.

For Luminare Press authors, we will start your website design around the same time your book is sent for printed proof. A printed proof comes after your cover and interior have been completed and approved.

For any other authors, we will start after the contract is signed and all the required information is submitted.

Does Luminare Press manage my website after it is published?

A designer from Luminare Press will build and design your website according to your unique needs as an author*, but once the website is published all updates or edits are the responsibility of the author. Luminare Press can provide website updates at an hourly rate.

*There may be additional fees for extra pages or set-up for blogs and photo galleries.

Will a Luminare designer show me how to update and maintain my website once we’re done with the overall design?

Yes, a 30-minute website review will be scheduled once your website is completed. In the review, we will show you how to make text edits, add images, review the Wix editor, and answer any questions you have about Wix or your website.

How do I purchase a domain?

Wix—the platform we use to build our user-friendly author websites—offers free URLs and discounts with some of their plans so we prefer to guide our new authors through domain purchasing with Wix.

What is domain mapping?

Domain mapping is the process of taking the domain (aka your website address, eg: www.mywebsite.com) you purchased from a site such as GoDaddy or Bluehost and connecting that domain to your Wix website. This is an additional service we offer for clients who already have their own domain that they would like to connect to their new Wix website.

Why do you use Wix.com? Can I choose something else?

Wix is a great, easy to to use, and reliable solution to build and maintain websites without the need for technical knowledge. This way, you can focus on writing and promoting your books, without worrying about security updates, plugin compatibility, theme updates, hosting problems, and more.
Wix provides a lot of ready-to-use solutions, hosting, marketing tools, and constant updates for a convenient price. You’ll be able to keep your website online and manage the content without external intervention.

After testing different options, Luminare Press determined Wix was the best platform for our author websites. This choice allows us to be efficient and keep our price competitive–giving you an amazing website for a fraction of the cost compared to a web agency.

What Wix plan should I purchase?

The Wix Light plan is usually enough for the average author. However, if you plan to include a photo gallery with a lot of images or videos, or you need e-commerce functionalities, the Wix Core plan may be the better option.

Wix also offers a free plan, but it comes with limited features and does not allow users to connect their own domain name.

Visit their pricing page to see the up-to-date options.