As an author in the online world, your digital image is what makes you stand out from the rest. Cultivation of an online presence is benefited by the use of cinematic book trailers instead of simple slideshows, developing creative author’s videos and designing one-of-a-kind author websites to showcase all these things.
However, in the sea of similar websites, what can you do to differentiate your site from the rest? The first step is to understand that a digital image is more than professionalism. It should also have personality and style. Needless to say, the more aesthetically interesting and inviting author websites are, the higher the chances of drawing traffic. Go overboard and create something personalized and meaningful, not just to others, but to yourself.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of well-designed author websites!
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Rosenthal, who passed away just last month, was a prolific children’s author and public speaker. Her writing is charming, uplifting, and filled with sharp humor. Consequently, this website has a very interesting feature that allows you to choose your ambiance, uses sunny yellow, and a joyful child’s font.
Gillian Flynn
Best known for GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn’s current website design is currently promoting her latest short story, THE GROWNUP. The banner is has the same title design as the book, and the entire color scheme of the website follows the book as well.
Lauren Oliver
Lauren Oliver’s works generally fall in the science fiction and speculative fiction genres, one of which is in theaters now: BEFORE I FALL. Her website is neat, organized, and uses a neutral grey-blue theme that is refreshingly beautiful.
Katherine Arden
This website is so beautiful it doesn’t even need words. Katherine Arden’s debut series is set in the blistering cold winter of Russia, depicted perfectly in the design of the site. Like Gillian Flynn, she is clearly promoting her debut, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE.
Victoria Aveyard
This minimalist, chic website looks like a Tiffany’s ad, which follows the book cover aesthetic of Victoria Aveyard’s RED QUEEN series. The inside of her website is responsive, clean, and informative.
Shel Silverstein
Ah, who doesn’t know Shel Silverstein? His website uses his iconic illustration style and contains animations that are sure to capture the attention of both kids and adults who peruse the site.
Kim Savage
Kim Savage’s website is chock full of autumn forest sensations, in line with her novel, AFTER THE WOODS. Don’t those social media icons look great?
Angie Thomas
This YA author who recently debuted with THE HATE U GIVE has a fun and flashy website, showing off her personality and giving off exciting, happy vibes all around.
Ransom Riggs
Dark, atmospheric, and certainly filled with peculiarity, Ransom Riggs’ website is designed to encompass the creepy, mysterious dreaminess of his PECULIAR books.
Haruki Murakami
This popular Japanese author’s website is amazingly completely animated, with the backdrop and text changing every few seconds to promote a different book. Also included are interview blurbs and creative promotion campaigns such as music playlists as seen above.
Need a book trailer? Film 14 offers book trailers for authors and services such as audiobook recording, book cover design, and more! Check us out here, or shoot us an email! Want to make your own book trailer? Check out our free guide!
