There are so many things that a writer needs to think about as they navigate the publishing industry, and the internet has added a whole other layer of complexity to the equation. There’s social media and the headaches about building a fan base there. There’s the email list and the management of a newsletter.

But if there is only one thing that you do on the internet for your online platform, create a website.

All writers seeking publication, traditionally or self-published, NEED a website. No exception. Your website is your online home. It’s the place where readers will go to get the latest information about your various projects, both old and new. You will likely have a list of all your published books, links to where they can be purchased, and links to interviews and other goodies. Yes, your social media will likely have information about the latest happenings too; however, any older material is quickly buried.

Seriously, folks, the moment you decide that you ultimately want to be published, start thinking about that website. And you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on fancy website designs either. No need to stress yourself about learning HTML or CSS. Just focus on the page content and get it out there.

In today’s post, we’re going to explore the bare-minimum website for writers.

A writer’s platform is ever-changing.

As you grow as a writer, your needs will change and you can rebuild. This includes your website. The design of it will evolve as you evolve. You’ll expand your ideas, and your website will need to expand as a consequence. Elements might remain constant, such as the domain name, but there will be times when you feel that you need to totally reinvent yourself.

Nothing is cast in stone.

Web-hosting technology has come a long way in recent years, using tools that are simple and cheap to use. I created the first iteration of my author website, with all the bells and whistles, within 30 minutes. I kid you not. And all it cost me was time. That website was FREE.

My personal website is now on its thirteenth iteration, I think, constantly being updated and tweaked, with another rebuild slated for 2025 when I publish a technothriller.

But with all the tweaks and shifts that I do, I can almost certainly guarantee that no one really notices. It’s because as long as the content is easy to get to, the site map is easy to follow, and the content is a reflection of who you are as a writer, no one cares if you have a fancy website with all the bells and whistles or not—not even agents or publishers.

This means that whatever you do, you can keep your overall design simple, sticking to the base functions of whatever template you choose. But you will want to put your own stamp on it. You do that by way of the colors, the images, and the content.

I’m not going to dive any deeper in this post about colors, images, or branding elements, because that is a huge topic that will take away from the nature of this post. Today, I want to focus on the core content of any author website.

The Basic Author Website

Your website does not need to be a complicated beast. If you really wanted to, you could create a single-page website, but I don’t recommend that. There is a significant amount of information that you should include on your website, and for the sake of simplicity, it would be best to put the information on separate pages.

A website for a writer should include the following information at a minimum:

• information about the writer, detailing what you write, including genre and themes (an About page);
• a list of published works (if there are any), along with links on where those works can be found;
• a way in which to contact the writer (a Contact page or other links); and
• a privacy policy.

In today’s internet world, the privacy policy is a legal requirement, and I will come back to this point shortly. But there is some other information that you will want to include too:

• your profile photos (normally included on your About page);
• links to key social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.)—but only include the accounts that are actively used;
• information about upcoming and ongoing projects; and
• a newsletter signup form—and make it easy to find.

If you have a blog, then you will likely have that on your website somewhere too. But please remember that a blog is not necessary to make it in this industry. Don’t blog if you don’t want to.

So… Ignoring the blog, the basic writer website is four pages: About, Book, Contact, and Privacy Policy. Links to your social media and newsletter signup forms will be peppered around the site, likely in the footers or on the sidebars (if your theme includes footers and sidebars).

There is no need to make it any more complicated than that—unless you want to.

The About Page

The About page on a website serves one purpose: to give the reader information about who you are, what you do, and why you do it. As such, your bio will be the most important component of an About page. However, you might also include a profile photo and some basic contact information.

Feel free to include information about your pets, your family, or your hobbies. Include whatever information you are comfortable in sharing, but do keep it short(ish). There is no need to include an entire biographical essay.

If you would like more advice on crafting bios, check out my post Bios: One Size Won’t Fit Me.

I also recommend that you include a profile photo on your about page, but it can be an image of anything you like—as long as it’s reflective of your personality.

If you don’t want to make your face publicly known, that’s okay. You don’t have to. For years, Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler) used an image of himself dressed in his trench coat and a fedora, taken in dark shadow. You couldn’t see his face or any other identifiable feature of his person. Yet, the image was uniquely him.

The Contact Page

It is a legal requirement to have valid contact information on your website, not just links to your social media. Some countries require that you include a postal address on your website, too. (I know Australia requires this.) But exactly how much detail you provide, other than what is legally required, is up to you.

While you can include contact information anywhere on your website, I recommend that you have a dedicated contact page with all the information anyone needs to contact you for whatever reason.

Include a method of contacting you via email by either stating a public-facing email address or using a contact form. (I have both.) Include links to your social media too.

Published authors: Include information about how to contact you regarding rights for your books, either by listing your agent details or directing them to contact you directly.

As an individual, I would advise against phone numbers unless you are legally required to include a phone number in your country. And for postal addresses, I would advise using a PO Box or virtual office address. Try to avoid listing your home address. (It’s a security thing. Delusions of grandeur… and stalkers are real!)

Publications/Books Page

It is highly advisable to include a list of ALL of your published works on your website, along with links to where the works can be purchased or found. If you are not yet published, that’s okay—this is one aspect of your website that will be added as you grow as a writer—but think through how you would like these pages to work for when you get there.

Some writers opt to have a grid of their cover images, while others will have just a list of the titles. Some writers choose to have a page dedicated to each book separately (which is what I recommend), but others just link to other sites.

There is no right or wrong way here. Just pick what feels right for you. Remember, you can change it later if you want.

HINT: For those who are self-hosted using a WordPress engine for your websites, seriously look into the MyBookTable plugin. This plugin is a dream to work with, allowing you to quickly build book pages on your site with little effort. You can see it in action through the recommended books page on this site. All those breadcrumb links and book previews are created by the plugin.

Publications that are NOT Books

Not all publications will be books. Some might be guest blog posts. Or maybe you have short stories or personal essays published in anthologies or magazines.

For anything published in a magazine or anthology, I would treat it like a book. For guest blog posts, my inclination would be to compile a list of your guest blog posts onto one page, along with a description of the post and links. Include information about when it was posted and on what site. I would also include a Read Post link at the bottom of the listing, so your site visitors don’t need to scroll up for the link.

If you would like to take a look at how I manage guest blog posts on my own site, visit: judylmohr.com/about/publications/guest-blog-posts/

The Privacy Policy

If you are new to the idea of websites, you are likely wondering if you really need to have a privacy policy.

The simple answer: Yes.

The more complicated answer: You legally don’t have a choice.

If you have a website, you are collecting personal data. Because of international privacy laws, any user of the internet is entitled to know exactly what it is that you do with the personal data you collect. With privacy practices being legally challenged in a big way in recent times, it’s more important than ever before to ensure your readers know exactly how their data is being used.

I can hear someone complaining, saying that they aren’t collecting personal data (probably someone who doesn’t have an email list). But trust me, just by having a website, you are collecting personal data.

If you have a contact form on your website, you are collecting personal data. If you have a newsletter subscription form on your website, you’re collecting personal data. If you provide your email address (or phone number) and encourage readers to contact you that way, you’re collecting personal data. And every time anyone visits a page on your website, you’re collecting IP addresses that tell you from where in the world someone accessed your website.

It doesn’t matter if you have no idea what to actually do with that information, you’re still collecting it.

Now, to totally do your head in.

If you have a social media account and you are interacting with others on those sites (which you should be doing with social media), you are collecting personal data.

Everything we do on the internet results in the transfer of personal data. And if your interactions are in a business-related context (and being a writer is like being a small business owner), then you are legally required to inform people how you use their personal data.

There is no getting around this. You don’t want to be the one writer who faces court action because of a breach of privacy.

To cover your ass, just have a privacy policy and move on.

But it’s okay. Don’t panic. There are plenty of examples on the web for privacy policies. There are even sites that help you generate one specific to your site. And as much as we all might hate what ChatGPT has done with writing these days, getting ChatGPT to write a privacy policy would be a perfect use of the technology (as long as you edit it to ensure that it makes sense).

A writer's website really is basic

That’s it. The basic writer website is 3 pages, plus whatever pages you have for your publications.

You don’t need a blog if you don’t want to have one. There is no need to have fancy landing pages if that is not your style. And you can include external links to your newsletter signup if you don’t want to include those forms on your website either.

Your website can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. And don’t let anyone bully you into doing something with your website that you don’t want to do.

Help is at your fingertips

Are you feeling incredibly uncertain about your website? Do you need a little help to get it up and running, or to take control? I offer mentoring to writers building their online platforms.

I am NOT a web designer, though I know a lot about website design. I can guide you through what you need to do, so you can manage your website for yourself. I want to empower you to take control over your own online platform.

However, if you are struggling with the financial side of things, there is a cheaper option. Working with websites, including the lowdown on web design, is one of the many topics found in Hidden Traps of the Internet: Building and Protecting Your Online Platform by Judy L Mohr.