welcome…
…to all my secrets on life as a published author
(I’m 7 traditionally published books in and I’ve learnt some stuff 😉)
I blog weekly about author websites, newsletters and life as a writer…
New posts published every Monday 😊
Want to learn more about me and my own publishing journey first?
(includes info on how I landed one of those mythical six-figure book deals!)
Read all about my own journey to publication →
Or scroll down to read all my other posts!
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most recent posts
The difference between branding and web design
I recently had to part ways with a client when it became apparent that they were looking for someone to provide branding alongside their new website. The experience was thankfully very amicable, with us both realising that we weren’t the right fit for one another, but it did get me thinking that perhaps I needed to be more clear in my messaging - particularly about the differences between web design and branding.
How to block AI crawlers from your Squarespace author website
A quick video for you today to show you how to stop AI crawlers from using the content on your author website to train their language models. Check it out.
What is PLR and why should authors know about it?
A bit of an impromptu blog post today, but today I received one of the best emails an author receives all year - from the British Library, with a link to my PLR statement. And on the statement was the amount of money my books had earnt from libraries across the UK in the past year.
Should I add a pop-up to my Squarespace author website?
One of the frustrations that many of my website clients share is how to get people to sign up to their author newsletter / mailing list. With all the author websites I build, I add a newsletter sign-up box as standard (usually in the footer, as this means it’s visible on every page), whether or not the author wants me to.
What's the best Squarespace template for authors?
As you’ve might have seen on the Squarespace website, they offer lots of different pre-built templates, all with their own specific look and feel. There are so many that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming – when I ask my web design clients to take a look through the templates and let me know which they like best, a lot of the time they say they feel bamboozled and come back to me with the same question: ‘but which Squarespace template is best for authors?’
5 finishing touches to make your author website look pro
As you might know, I’m a big believer in authors building their own websites! It honestly doesn’t have to be a hugely stressful experience, especially not when there are brilliant platforms such as Squarespace and Wix around to make it easy for you.
Which Squarespace plan is right for authors?
One of the most frequent questions my author website clients ask me is which Squarespace plan they should be on. So in today’s post I am going to take a look at the two main options that my authors use: the Personal plan, and the Business plan.
Why Squarespace is the perfect web platform for authors
On some of my trawls of the internet researching author websites, I’ve found a few articles suggesting that Squarespace isn’t a good platform for author websites.
How to upload a file to your Squarespace author website
As you may know, I offer Author VIP Design Days to authors who’ve built their own website but would like a bit of help to make the most of the platform, or who aren’t quite sure how to do certain things.
Which retailers should I link to from my author website?
Obviously, one of the primary purposes of your author website is to make it easy for people who visit to go on and buy your book. However you’ll be surprised - or perhaps dismayed?! - how many author websites I see that don’t have ANY links to online bookshops on them at all.
5 tips for building an author website on a budget
I’ve said before many times on this blog that writing is not a lucrative career in the main, and therefore I totally understand if you’re an author and you don’t have much budget available for creating your author website.
When should I launch my author website?
This is a question I get asked quite frequently by authors who are enquiring after my services! So I thought it would be an interesting topic to explore in a blog post.
Is a one-page author website right for you?
While obviously I believe that every author should have their own website, I also appreciate that not every author has the time or enthusiasm to create an all-singing, all-dancing, multi-page wonder website, packed full of content, that they need to update every week to stop it from looking ‘out of date’…
Why you need a custom email address for your author career
Email addresses! When was the last time you thought much about yours? Or more pertinently – when was the last time you changed yours? I suspect not for a long time. Email addresses are a bit like bank accounts – you set one up when you’re young and then stick with it for life.
How to share your Squarespace site privately for feedback
If you’ve taken the plunge and decided to build your own author website (and if you have, then a huge pat on the back from me!), then you might want to share it with others BEFORE you actually make the site live so that the whole world can find it.
How to build your own author website
One of the things that upsets me a lot is when I speak to authors who feel really discouraged, frustrated and downright angry with their author website. They don’t have the budget to pay a designer but they also have no idea where to start when it comes to building a site themselves.
What's the best website platform for authors?
Whether you’re a self-published or traditionally published author, you do need an author website. As an author, if you’re trying to sell copies of your books to people outside your immediate family, then you’re basically the head of a small business, and businesses in 2023 need websites!
2023 Squarespace navigation updates
Hello! Another short but sweet post today to let you know that Squarespace has been making some major changes to the back-end navigation, which might mean things look a little different when you log in to update your author website.
How to overcome tech phobia and build your own author website
This post is one that’s very close to my heart. I speak to SO many authors who say ‘I hate technology’ or ‘I just find it all so confusing’ or ‘I have no idea who to build a website - I’m a writer!’ and I’d just like to begin this post by saying that I totally get it.
How to manage images on your Squarespace author website
The images you use on your author website are probably more important than the words (sorry but it’s true!) which is why I’m very excited that earlier this year Squarespace finally introduced a better way of organising them!
✨ 30 things I’ve learnt from 5 years being published ✨
September 6 2023 marked 5 years since my first book was released 😲
To celebrate, I shared a new post about what I’ve learnt from being published EVERY DAY throughout the month.
Enjoy!
curious about my books?
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pssst! before you go…
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Look at all the great stuff you’ll get…
Essential Guide to SEO for Authors
17 page guide
The Debut Author’s Survival Guide
30 page ebook
Author Website Content Guide
14 page guide
Author Newsletters
- a Beginner’s Guide
30 minute video
Blogging for Authors
- a Beginner’s Guide
18 minute video