Takeaway: Make your site interactive for engagement and retention.

Takeaway: Give readers a free sample of your book.

Takeaway: Don’t use all the colors in the rainbow if you don’t want to distract visitors.

Takeaway: Your website should be an extension of your author brand.

Takeaway: Keep it simple.

Takeaway: Make sure you’re visible to your target market.

f you have written your novel for a certain market, then you correspondingly want to ensure you are putting your book and yourself out there in a way that is accessible to that market.

Pro tip: Keep site speed in mind! On the technical side, a simple setup will help your site load faster. Heavy images will slow a site down and frustrate visitors. 

Takeaway: Promote your book.

Takeaway: Give people a reason to come back.

Something as simple as an up-to-date Twitter feed or a list of upcoming events can keep your website feeling fresh and show that you’re committed to interacting with your readers. If you're able to blog regularly, all the bett...

Takeaway: Playing hard to get is not a wise move for an indie author.

Takeaway: Know when to break the rules.

Upon first glance at Gary’s website, you might think, “Well, that’s zany.” But whether you realize it or not, two concrete goals have been achieved: (1) the website has left an impression that’s on-point with the author’s brand, an...

Takeaway: Offer a little something extra.

Gretchen Rubin has done this by devoting whole pages of her sites to tips-filled listicles, “revealing” quizzes, podcasts, and resources for applying her methods for a happy li...