Author landing pages: 15 examples to promote your books and your brand

As an author, your website is often the first place avid readers visit after enjoying your work. This means you need to invest in a website and create author landing pages that promote your books effectively.

While websites and landing pages aren’t exactly the same, they have a common goal. These web pages should help readers learn more about you and your other books and how best to stay connected.

If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of building an appealing author landing page or landing pages for your books, we’re here to help! We’ll share what a book landing page actually means, highlight some book landing page examples, and show you how to build one for yourself.

What is a book landing page?

A book landing page is a webpage designed specifically to promote a book (or books). At a minimum, book landing pages often contain a description of the book, a picture of its cover, and a link to purchase it from popular retailers.

What is an author landing page?

Technically, the term “author landing page” is a misnomer. When most people use the phrase “author landing page,” they mean the author’s website—which is often made up of more than one landing page.

What’s the difference between landing pages for books and an author’s website?

Landing pages for books are web pages built solely to tell visitors about the book (or books), while the author’s website refers to an entire web domain built to promote the author and their work.

Author websites typically have multiple pages, including the About page, book landing pages, a contact page, and an FAQ page. In contrast, book landing pages are just one or a few of the many pages hosted on an author’s website.

How to create a perfect landing page for books

Creating the perfect landing page for books starts with setting an objective. Remember that the goal of your book’s landing page is to promote the book and sell it to your audience. Every choice you make about the elements on your book landing pages should support this goal.

To build high-performance landing pages for books, follow these four tips:

1. Use videos: Videos are fun to watch and easy to consume. At the same time, they create a sense of excitement and motivation. Using storytelling in your video can help you evoke emotions and get the desired reaction from the readers.
2. Include a sneak peek: People are curious. They always want to know more before they buy something. One way of sharing a sneak peek with your readers is by letting them download a free chapter or sharing a shorter excerpt which can motivate readers to buy the book.
3. Add book reviews: Almost 70% of online shoppers read 1-6 customer reviews before buying anything. Make it easier for your audience to make a purchasing decision by sharing positive reviews of your book right on your book’s landing page.
4. Use a single call-to-action: The primary purpose of a book landing page is to persuade readers to take a specific action. If they land on a page with different calls to action, you may confuse them, and they might even leave your page.

Don’t have a website yet? You can still set up your book landing page with Kit—no website necessary. (Although we recommend getting a website of your own as soon as you can.) Kit also has book landing page templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch.

10 examples of high-converting & beautiful book landing pages

Having an author website or landing pages for books is essential because it provides a home for your books on a platform you have complete control over. You can optimize landing pages for search engines, which makes it easy for readers to find your site whenever they have any questions about your book.

Unlike on retail websites like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, you can present your book in the right light, with the right branding, and with any supplemental information you want to share with readers. This helps readers build and maintain interest in your work.

If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve curated 10 examples of author landing pages and book landing pages. There are general landing page best practices, but these examples are particularly stellar for book landing pages.

Example #1 – Alyson Gerber uses videos

Video landing pages can be highly effective for marketing. 96% of marketers say that videos have helped users understand their product better, and 87% credit videos for an increase in sales, according to Hubspot. Isn’t that what you want as an author?

Author Alyson Gerber isn’t afraid to use videos on her book landing page.

She’s included video trailers for all her books as well as any video press available for each one. Still, she doesn’t just add a video or two and call it a day. Her landing page videos supplement her text, and the page still features praise for each book and links to purchase.

Video key takeaways

Not sure which videos to add? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Try using:

• A short video of you talking about your inspiration for the book and why people should be interested
• Video reviews or blurbs from other readers or authors
• Footage from a virtual reading of the book

Example #2 – Elly Swartz offers a sneak peek

Everyone loves a product sample, and for books, the ultimate product sample is an excerpt or sneak peek.

Children’s book author Elly Swartz shares excerpts of all her books on her book landing page—and in an engaging way too. She shares a video reading the first chapter of each book.

She even brings a furry friend to some readings to appeal to her younger audience.

Sneak peeks key takeaways

If you’re still intimidated by the video format, here are some other ways you can share a sneak peek with your audience:

• Add a text-only excerpt to your landing page
• Ask visitors to share their email addresses and email them an excerpt—a great way to build your mailing list
• Add an excerpt of the audiobook format for readers who prefer that format

If you share a text excerpt, ensure your website has a readable font and color combination. Otherwise, readers may be discouraged.

Additionally, keep video sneak peeks brief to maximize engagement.

Example #3 – Cathy Carr adds book reviews

You know what’s better than telling people that your book is great? Other people telling them! Make your book landing page pop by adding reviews from other readers and recognized critics.

Author Cathy Carr does this on the landing page of her debut novel. She includes glowing reviews from revered industry review sites like Kirkus, Booklist, and the School Library Journal.

Carr also includes a sidebar highlighting all of her book’s awards and adds links to buy the book online.

Book review key takeaways

If you include book reviews on your landing page, keep the following tips in mind:

• Quality over quantity: Reviews are good, but a flood of reviews can overwhelm readers, so handpick the best of them for your landing page.
• Choose the right snippet: Don’t paste the entire review on your site. Choose the most persuasive and rave segments to share with readers.
• Don’t forget the call-to-action: After pumping visitors with all the nice words, be sure they know which action to take next.

Example #4 – Varian Johnson uses a single call-to-action

Adding several links with different intents to your book landing page is tempting. But that’s often distracting and confusing for visitors.

Instead of mixed signals, focus on one objective with your book landing page—which is often to get people to purchase. Every call-to-action on your page should lead visitors to the same goal: buying your book.

That’s what author Varian Johnson does on his book landing pages.

While Johnson does have four different purchase links, they all have the same intent: buy my book.

CTA key takeaways

For effective CTAs:

• Get clear about the goal of your landing page
• Ensure your CTAs promote that singular goal, preferably to guide visitors to purchase
• Use clear and concise copy on your CTA buttons

Example #5 – Erin Entrada Kelly includes her social media profiles

Many readers like to follow their favorite authors on social media. So, consider adding links to your social media profiles to your book landing pages to help keep your readers engaged.

Author Erin Entrada Kelly adds links to her social media profile at the bottom of the page.

This way, they’re unobtrusive and don’t distract site visitors from the important purchase links.

Sharing tools key takeaways

Keep these tips in mind while sharing your social media profiles on your book landing pages:

• Choose unobtrusive locations like the website footer
• Use icons only if possible, as more text can overwhelm or distract visitors

Example #6 – Emily Henry answers FAQs

Readers often have a ton of questions about your writing process, your next project, and why your last book ended the way it did. Include a fun FAQ section for them on your website or book landing page.

Author Emily Henry answers FAQ on a separate webpage on her site.

FAQ key takeaways

Make FAQ sections more useful and enjoyable by answering questions that you’ve actually received frequently—not questions you think readers may have.

Example #7 – Taylor Jenkins Reid adds her published book collections

Rather than share only one book per page, consider sharing your entire collection on one page if you’ve published many books. That’s what prolific author Taylor Jenkins Reid does on her website.

Users can click on the cover of each book to reach their specific landing pages.

Book collection key takeaways

Sharing your entire published book collection on your book landing page helps in the following ways:

• Introduces readers to more of your works in a visually appealing way
• Shows how much experience you have as an author and inspires trust and credibility
• Increases your chances of selling more books as readers have a wider variety of options to choose from

Example #8 – Brandy Colbert adds her author bio

Add a personal touch to your landing page by including your author bio. Author Brandy Colbert adds a brief bio to her author website—right below the Books section.

Bio key takeaways

Adding a bio to your landing page is beneficial:

• Especially when you have a one-page website like Brandy’s
• Because it helps unfamiliar visitors learn more about your personally and professionally
• When your bio is brief and to the point

Example #9 – Cliff Burke includes where to find + buy his book

This may seem like a no-brainer, but not every author remembers to add enough buy links to their book landing page. Cliff Burke shares with his readers where to find and buy his book—in multiple formats.

Online/offline store takeaways

When including buy links for your books:

• Add more than one retailer
• Include options to purchase books in several formats (ebooks and audiobooks, for example)
• Use hard-to-miss buttons instead of burying links in text or behind pictures

Example #10: Logan Ury includes additional related resources

Help potential readers get more out of your book by offering supplementary resources. Author Logan Ury offers a variety of extra resources, including a quiz and worksheets visitors can access before they even buy her book.

Related resources takeaways

Sharing additional resources is another way to share sample content with readers. If you decide to add supplementary resources to your landing page, keep the following in mind:

• Include content that complements your book but can also be used independently. This ensures that your material appeals to visitors before they buy the book (and encourages them to make a purchase).
• Sharing downloadable resources provides a great opportunity to collect contact details for building your mailing list.

5 other landing page examples that authors commonly use

Book landing pages aren’t the only kinds of landing pages for authors. Several other important types are worth considering for your website or as a standalone webpage.

Example #11 – Author website “coming soon”

If you’re a debut author still working on their website, a Coming Soon landing page is just what you need.

You can usually get these set up in the backend of your hosting platform, or if you use WordPress, you can install a Coming Soon landing page plugin. When you’re ready to take your site live, you can deactivate it.

Example #12 – Landing pages for book launch events or speaking events

You should have a landing page for book launch events or speaking events if you do either. Author Celeste Ng has an Events landing page on her website.

Like Celeste does, you should include the event title, date, location, and other information on that landing page. This helps readers know when you’ll be in their city or one nearby. It also makes it easier to share a page link for anyone who’s wondering where you’ll be next.

Example #13 – Author newsletter landing page

A newsletter landing page is a dedicated page to promote your newsletter and collect sign-ups. If growing your mailing list is an important goal, it’s worth setting up a landing page for that.

Author Emily Henry has a newsletter page on her website—linked to her menu tab.

This ensures that every visitor sees the link and increases the chances of conversions.

Example #14 – “Thank You” landing page

As an author, your branding matters. Instead of redirecting users to a generic confirmation page after they sign up to your mailing list, buy a book, or register for an event, build a special Thank You landing page.

Example #15 – “How to write/publish your own e-book” webinar page

More authors are leaning into teaching the craft and business of writing. If you have a course or webinar on the subject, you should certainly have a webinar landing page promoting it too.

On her website, author Georgia Clark promotes her course “ The Proactive Author,” which helps authors launch and market their books effectively.

Find and retain readers with Kit author landing pages

After years of writing your dream book, the rigors of publishing and marketing can dampen your joy if you don’t know how to reach your audience effectively. Ditch the ups and downs of social media algorithms and build a home for your work on a website that’s all yours.

Creating book landing pages with engaging elements such as reviews, an FAQ section, and your author profile is a great first step. Kit landing page templates make it easy for anyone to get started in a few clicks.

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