Year after year, at conferences and social events, in classes, and on social media, I hear authors ask: “Do I really need a website?”
Yes. You do.
Lucky for you, I’m an author and a web designer. I’ve been building sites in WordPress since 2008 for various endeavors and clients. In fact, I built this site. It’s deliberately no-frills. If you want more examples of my work in the literary realm, see BeeBooks.org and TaraLRoi.com. I built these to promote my business, designed all the graphics, and wrote all the copy. Now, I’m offering my services to you, Dear Author.
Here’s what I can do for you:
Website Creation
full site creation package
This package is for you if you already have a Brand ID, including all graphics, photos, messaging strategy, and pre-written copy for the site. (If you’re asking, “Brand ID?” then scroll down to the Author Brand section.)
The Process:
- Initial Q&A: In this free 30-minute session, you ask any questions about working with me and tell me about your goals for your site, any vision you have, etc. If you choose to hire me…
- Estimate & Deposit: I’ll email you a written estimate and an invoice for a 30% deposit. All invoices are Net 0, which means pay upon receipt.
- 90-minute Strategy Meeting. We’ll discuss your author brand, as well as the purpose of your website, what you hope to achieve with it. We’ll also discuss options for ensuring the look and feel of the site matches your author brand.
- Prep for Site Build. Based on what emerges during our strategy discussion and the brand images, fonts, and photos you provide, I’ll find three site templates. You’ll select one. (If the site template is not free, you will need to purchase it from WordPress directly or I can add it to your invoice.)
- Site Build: Using your images, brand identity, and pre written content and the template you selected, I will build the site.
- Review Meeting. During this one-hour session, we’ll go through each page of your website to ensure all information is correct, images and graphics are placed properly, and the site functions as expected.
- If there are no errors, you’ll sign off on the site. I will publish the site and let you know when I have signed out, so you can change your password. You will change your password (unless you want to hire me to update it annually or as needed)
- If we find any errors, I will correct them and send you the link to the updated site. You’ll review it on your own and (assuming all is well) sign off on the site. (See step a.)
- Invoicing & Payment. For details about invoicing, please see the Work With Me page.
service plus package
If you need a brand ID, messaging strategy, and copy (a.k.a. words), then select the service plus package. In addition to the services in the full site creation package, I create your Brand ID and basic messaging strategy, then write all original content (for site launch, not updates). Again, if you’re confused by the term Brand ID, scroll down to the Author Brand section.
The Process:
- Initial Q&A: In this free 30-minute session, you ask any questions about working with me and tell me about your goals for your site, any vision you have, etc. If you choose to hire me…
- Estimate & Deposit: I’ll email you a written estimate and an invoice for a 30% deposit. All invoices are Net 0, which means pay upon receipt.
- 90-minute Strategy Meeting. We’ll discuss your author goals, the image you want to portray, your audience, how you want your readers to feel when they visit your site and more.
- Brand ID. Based on our conversation, I’ll create a basic messaging strategy, 3 color palette options, 3 logo options, and 3 font palette options. Please note, I do not use logo templates. I custom-design each logo option specifically for you.
- 60-minute Brand Check-In. I’ll present the Brand ID and explain the rationale behind it. You’ll select the logo, color palette, and font palette you prefer. We’ll tweak the messaging strategy together if needed. During this meeting, you’ll show me any photos you want incorporated on your website.
- Invoice 2 & Payment. For details about payment, see the Work With Me page.
- Prep for Site Build. Based on what emerges during our strategy discussion and the photos you provide, I’ll present three site templates from which you can select. (If the site template is not free, you will need to purchase it from WordPress directly.)
- Content Creation: Based on the messaging strategy and site build prep meeting, I’ll write the copy for each page of your site.
- 60-minute Content Review Meeting. We’ll read through the content together and I’ll make any necessary changes on the fly. You’ll sign off on the copy.
- Site Build: Using your images, brand identity, and pre written content and the template you selected, I will build the site.
- 60-minute Site Review Meeting. We’ll go through each page of your website to ensure all information is correct, images and graphics are properly placed, and the site functions as expected.
- If there are no errors, you’ll sign off on the site. I will publish the site and let you know when I have signed out, so you can change your password. You will change your password (unless you want to hire me to update it annually or as needed).
- If we find any errors, I will correct them and send you the link to the updated site. You’ll review it on your own and (assuming all is well) sign off on the site. (See step a.)
- Final Invoice & Payment. For details about invoicing, please see the Work With Me page.
Author Brand
Yep. You need one of these, too. Don’t worry, creating your author brand can be fun! (or at least not scary.)
What is an author brand? Essentially, it’s the “unspoken promise” you make to your readers so they know what to expect when they buy your books. For example, readers know when they pick up any romance novel know they’ll get happily ever after ending or a happy for now ending. But readers of Tara L. Roí romance books know they’ll also get quirky older characters who care about environmental justice, steamy open-door love scenes, and vivid scents and vegetarian dishes. Readers who pick up a Lee Tobin McClain novel know they’ll read a sweet romance featuring a couple that finds strength through their Christian faith. (Often, there’s also a dog and a secret baby.) Priscilla Oliveras’ readers can expect strong family themes, lower-heat love scenes, and lots of delicious food and music.
See how branding can be fun? What do you want readers to think of when they see your name?
Let’s figure it out together.
The Process:
- Initial Q&A: In this free 30-minute session, you ask any questions about working with me and tell me about your goals for your site, any vision you have, etc. If you choose to hire me…
- Estimate & Deposit: I’ll email you a written estimate and an invoice for a 30% deposit. All invoices are Net 0, which means pay upon receipt.
- 90-minute Strategy Meeting. We’ll discuss your author goals, the image you want to portray, your audience, how you want your readers to feel when they see your name, and more.
- Brand ID. Based on our conversation, I’ll create a basic messaging strategy, plus 3 color palette options, 3 logo options, and 3 font palette options. Please note, I do not use logo templates. I custom-design each logo option specifically for you.
- 60-minute Brand Check-In. I’ll present the Brand ID and explain the rationale behind it. You’ll select the logo, color palette, and font palette you prefer. We’ll tweak the messaging strategy together if needed.
- Brand Delivery. You will receive:
- A custom-designed logo in your chosen color palette, plus one in black, and one in white.
- A brand brief, which lays out the rationale behind your brand and the basic messaging strategy, including tagline.
- Social media templates that incorporate your color palette, font, and (where appropriate) logo. These will be .png and .jpg files
- A branded header to use on your website and in your email newsletter. This will incorporate your author tagline. You will receive a .png and a .jpg file.
Are you ready to get started? Contact me.
Coming Soon: Book Layout and Design Services