Author Website Design: Case Study
This is a self-initiated case study for a demo website for a fictional author, Nancy Drewlinsky.
About The Client
Nancy Drewlinsky, is a new author who has just finished writing her first book. Nancy came to Kaya B. Designs to design a website to showcase her debut novel and, she knew she needed a website that would allow people to learn about the book, who she is, why she wrote it, and why they should perhaps buy it.
Website Goals
Nancy came to me for a website design, we discussed her priorities and how she wanted her website to look and function.
- An easy to use website that allows readers to simply find the information they are looking for
- A way for readers to subscribe to my newsletter.
- A site that I could update easily on the back end
- A site with a more elegant, professional look.
Help an Author Promote Their Book
The Solution
A comprehensive website with 6 static pages and a mobile friendly-version.
The features of the new site include:
- Straightforward menu or navigation: The main goal Nancy had was a straightforward navigation for users. There are no clever names of menu items or pages. Everything is labeled clearly. Web design studies have shown visitors tend to glaze over if there are more than 5–7 menu items; so we made sure to only stick to 6 menu items.
- Clear Homepage: The homepage is her chance to make a first impression. On the homepage, the decision was made to make her debut book front and center. There are a newsletter signup and brief bio on the page.
- Email newsletter signup: This is place on the homepage and the blog archive and blog post pages. Nancy wanted a newsletter to connect with her readers on her writing and events she will be in attendance. The service we chose was Mailerlite. Mailerlite is free up to 1000 subscribers to help automate the process.
- About or bio page: For any website, it is important to have an about page. This was no different for Nancy. Even though there was a mini bio on the homepage. We created a separate page with a more detailed bio and a professional author photo.
- Books, articles or products: When collaborating with Nancy, we thought for the best result, to have a page with about her debut book. On this page, there is in-depth information about the book and upcoming books to be released soon. The links are included where her work can be read or purchased in both print and digital form.
- Photography: Her website needed background images for the website. There are 3 free stock photography websites I use for my go-to resources, Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash. Read more about the websites here.
- Events Page: Nancy knew she was going to attend literary or writing conventions, do book signings, and speak; so, I design a separate page for her events calendar. Her goal is to build an active audience and give her readers opportunities to meet and speak with her in-person. I embedded a google calendar into the website allowing Nancy to edit her calendar via her Google Account and not have to constantly change her site.
- Contact Page: Nancy knew her contact page is how her fans, press, agents, publishers, or anyone who might want to book her for a speaking engagement can easily reach out.
- Blog Page: During my conservation with Nancy, Nancy wanted a blog as a great way to improve her search engine rankings. Nancy wants to post on a regular basis about various writing projects, mentioning events, and link to inspiration articles, and helpful tips. She also wanted the liberty to post outtakes from her book either alternate endings or deleted scenes, or short stories. The design of Nancy’s blog is a landing page when click goes to a two-column page to view the full post.
- Social media icons or badges: Throughout the website, Nancy wanted social media icons. This allows readers to connect with her on the multiple social media platforms.
