Ask any reader and they’ll probably say that one of the reasons they visit an author website is to learn more about the author. They want to get a peek into who the author is as a person. But how do you know what to share? How do you get personal … but not too personal?
First, here are some of the personal things that site visitors say they would want to see on your author website:
- Your story about how you started writing and got published
- A photo album of pictures
- What books/music/websites you’re into
- A blog that conveys your distinct personality
- What inspired you to write each book (for non-fiction authors), or where the idea for the story came from (for fiction authors)
- Your daily journey toward the next book
- Details about your involvement in any community projects, charity work, etc…
- A background about where you grew up, your marital status, etc…
Basically, people are saying that what they want from the website is to get to know you better. But there’s a flip side to that. Because an author can get too personal at times. Here are some don’ts…
- DON’T provide any details about exactly where you live or where your children go to school. There are stalkers out there, you know.
- DON’T blog or tweet about things that readers might find boring. Like driving your kids to a soccer game or deciding what to eat for dinner.
- DON’T get negative. Even if you’re having a bad day, no one wants to read blog posts about how you’re getting mean emails or someone cut you off on the road.
What’s your experience — either as an author with a website or as a reader visiting an author website? What do you want to see? What works? Share your thoughts here!
Ready to talk with us about building your own author website? Contact us today for a free consultation!