Here at Clockpunk Studios, we got our start designing and building beautiful, functional websites for authors, and that’s still our focus. Why authors? Lots of reasons. For one, here at Clockpunk Studios, we are authors. Our founder and primary web designer Jeremiah Tolbert has had stories in Lightspeed, Fantasy, Interzone, Asimov’s, and more. Molly Tanzer’s first novel Vermilion just came out from Word Horde, and has been receiving glowing reviews from places as prestigious as NPR. And my own story “Persistence of Vision” will be reprinted in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year Volume 7 in August.
As authors, and friends of authors, we know the challenges and opportunities that authors face in an online marketplace. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to design author websites that showcase the talents, vision, and voice of our clients, and empower them to connect with readers in new ways.
So why do you need an author website? An author website serves as more than just a place for your bibliography, or even a point of sale, though it’s both of those as well. It’s often your first contact with readers and fans. Think about it: when you’re reading a magazine or an anthology and you come across a story you love by somebody you’ve never heard about, what’s the first thing you do? How about when you’re browsing the bookstore or library shelves and a book cover catches your eye? If you’re anything like me, the first thing you do in those situations is Google the author. And if what you find at the other end of that Google search is an engaging and attractive author website, then you might just keep reading.
Having a vibrant, well-designed, and reader-friendly website could mean the difference not just between selling a book or not selling one, but between finding or losing a lifelong fan. If someone sees your book on the shelf or reads your story in a magazine and then can’t find you online—or, if when they do find you, they find an outdated website that doesn’t give them a genuine glimpse into your creative space—then that might be where they stop.
A custom author website from Clockpunk Studios does more than build your brand, showcase your work, and provide opportunities for readers to buy your books (though it’ll do all those things, too); it gives you a place to engage with your readers, to convert casual browsers to dedicated fans. Today, readers expect to be able to connect with their favorite authors in ways that were impossible even a few years ago, and for most people, an author website is the first step.
If you’re ready to start work on an author website that’ll grab readers’ attention—and keep it—then contact us today!