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How Fantasy Author S.C. Muir Uses Her Author Website to Connect with Readers
A real-world author website example showing how design supports reader connection.
The Overview
Author Websites & Social Media: Muir uses Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest to drive traffic to her website & books, finding TikTok most effective for engagement and sales.
Selling Signed Copies: Her website is the primary place for selling signed copies, with a direct link between TikTok interactions and book purchases.
Building a Reader Community with Newsletters: Muir’s main website goal is to grow her newsletter, allowing her to build long-term reader relationships.
Newsletter Engagement: Her newsletter subscribers are highly engaged, often responding to events and street team invites, and most stay subscribed for 8+ months.
Incentives for Sign-Ups: Muir offers exclusive content (e.g., character art, cover designs, and early access) to encourage newsletter subscriptions.
DIY Author Website Design Challenges: Muir found balancing aesthetics and professional functionality difficult when setting up her website.
Mobile Optimization is Essential: Muir emphasizes mobile optimization, a lesson learned after discovering her website didn’t initially look great on mobile.
Advice for Indie Authors: Muir advises having a website as a central landing page and encourages overcoming the fear of imperfection.
Encouragement for Website Creation: Muir believes authors should embrace website creation and seek help from peers to build a functional and effective online presence.
How Fantasy Author S.C. Muir Uses Her Author Website to Connect with Readers
WHO: S.C. Muir
Website URL: scmuirauthor.com
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Indie author S.C. Muir is making waves in the fantasy romance genre with her captivating Dual Mage Series, which follows a prince of fire and a princess of death as they navigate an arranged marriage, societal divisions, and the rise of a dual mage who can wield two types of magic at once. Currently, Muir has two books in the series published, with a third slated for release in early 2026.
“I’ve always been a writer,” Muir shares, reflecting on her long-standing love for storytelling. “I wrote my first book when I was about eight.” Though the first book in the Dual Mage Series“Death By Fire” started as a fun personal project, it quickly grew, and the idea for her trilogy sprang to life.
How S.C Muir is Currently Marketing Her Books
When it comes to marketing her books, S.C. Muir takes a multi-platform approach, primarily leveraging social media. “I mostly use a mix of Instagram, TikTok, and a little bit of Pinterest,” she says. These platforms serve as the primary driver of traffic to her books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and her author website.
Out of the three, Muir finds that TikTok has had the greatest impact. “I think it’s TikTok,” she notes when asked which platform drives the most traffic to her website. Muir uses her website mainly to sell signed copies of her books, and she sees a direct link between her TikTok interactions and book sales. “Just based on interactions I’ve had in my comment section on TikTok, I always get comments like, ‘I just bought your book,’ and then I see the order pop up!”
The Importance of a Newsletter sign-up on your author website
For Muir, her author website isn’t just about selling books—it’s about building long-term relationships with her readers, primarily through her email newsletter. When asked what the main goal of her website is, she says: “Definitely getting visitors up on my newsletter,” Muir recognizes the power of newsletters in driving sales: “The amount of times I have bought books from my favorite author’s newsletters, I do it all the time!”
She goes on to explain that newsletters give authors a direct line of communication with their readers. “If I mention in my newsletter ‘I’m going to be at X event, I’m looking for people to join my street team,’ a lot of my newsletter subscribers actually sign up for those things. They interact with you; they have signed up to see these communications from you—they want to hear from you.”
Her strategy has paid off, with most of her subscribers staying engaged for the long term. “I’ve had my website for 1.5 years, and most of my subscribers have been on my newsletter for 8 or more months.”
To incentivize newsletter sign-ups, Muir offers exclusive content to her readers. “First looks at character art, book cover designs, access to advanced copies, etc.”
Muir currently uses MailerLite as her email service provider. “It’s super user-friendly,” she says, though she has noted that the aesthetics aren’t the best.
Challenges with DIY Author Website Design
Like many indie authors, Muir faced her own challenges when setting up her website. “I think the thing that was hardest for me was aesthetics,” she admits. “I don’t have an aesthetic eye, so trying to find the balance between professional and too professional was difficult for me.”
Choosing the right platform also proved tricky. “Figuring out which website hosting to use was confusing. That was a lot. There are so many that it was hard to know which one to choose.”
In terms of content to include on her website, Muir found guidance by looking at what other authors in her niche were doing. “I looked at other authors’ websites in my niche and I tried to imitate that on my website,” she explains. For her, the essentials included: “Home page, things about my books, an about me section, a shop, and a newsletter sign-up.”
Yes, Author Websites need to look great on mobile
One of the most surprising lessons Muir learned while designing her website was the importance of mobile optimization. “Haha yes, I didn’t even realize that there was a difference,” she laughs, recalling an early misstep. “I sent my website to a friend so that she could check if all the links worked, and she sent me a screenshot of my mobile website, and she was like, ‘This is horrible, haha.’ I had no idea you had to design your website on mobile separately.”
This experience taught her an important lesson: it’s crucial to make sure your website looks good on mobile devices. Most people visiting author websites aren’t using a computer to look at them; they are using their phone. So make sure that you are making the mobile version of your website look just as great, if not even better than the desktop version.
Author Website Advice for Fellow Indie Authors
For any authors who are nervous about launching their first website, Muir offers clear advice: “I think it’s definitely imperative for authors to have a website, whether you’re selling a million copies a year or selling five copies. No matter where you are at, having a central landing page that links to everything is super imperative.”
Having a website gives authors a professional presence online and helps readers easily find them. “If you google your author name, sometimes a website might be one of the things that pops up.”
She also encourages authors to get past their fear of imperfection. “Getting over the fear, recognizing it doesn’t have to be perfect—you can always make it better.” Her advice? “Look at other author’s websites and get ideas, and find a platform that is easy for YOU. Not just what is easy for someone else.”
Future Plans for Her Author Website
Looking ahead, Muir has plans to expand her website’s functionality. “I’d really like to add an events page, now that I’m doing a lot more events, so then it’s not just a post on social media,” she says. She’s also considering adding an event wrap-up section to her blog to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at her appearances.
Advice to other authors launching their websites: Just Go for It
In conclusion, S.C. Muir encourages fellow authors to embrace the challenge of creating a website. “There is a lot of fear about stepping out of your comfort zone and setting it up, which is totally understandable,” she acknowledges, but she urges authors to take the plunge. “I encourage authors to embrace it and just go for it. Reach out to other authors and ask questions.”
With the right mix of social media, email marketing, and a well-designed website, S.C. Muir has built a strong platform to market her books and connect with her readers—and she believes other authors can do the same.
FREE!
Want to Sell More Books? It All Starts with Your Newsletter!
What’s Inside?
Discover the secret sauce top authors use to build loyal reader lists and skyrocket their book sales! 🚀 Download my free guide: Author Newsletter Booster: How to Get More Newsletter Signups on Your Author Website and start building your fanbase today.
Enter your email below to access the guide:
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How Fantasy Author J.E. Harter Uses Her Author Website
An author website example highlighting layout choices that support branding and engagement.
The Overview
Her Website = Hub for Loyal Fans
J.E. Harter sees her website as a place to stay in touch with her readers, where they can easily sign up for her newsletter and stay connected. It’s not the first place she gets new readers, but it’s essential for keeping her biggest fans in the loop with exclusive content like sneak peeks and cover reveals!Keep It Simple (and Free) to Start
Harter recommends starting with a free website (hello, budget-friendly!) to get the basics up and running—your bio, books, and a newsletter signup. You don’t need all the bells and whistles right away. Just get your feet on the ground and grow from there!Get That Newsletter Going!
Her website is all about getting readers onto her newsletter list—it's the only way readers can sign up! She uses fun calls-to-action on social media, offering free incentives (think sneak peeks and special reveals) to encourage sign-ups.Upgrade When You’re Ready
Harter plans to eventually switch to a paid website and focus more on SEO. She suggests taking your time, building your audience first, and then upgrading your site when it makes sense.Make Sure It Looks Good on Mobile
J.E. knows how important it is to have a site that looks great on every device. Her pro tip? After making changes, always check how your site reads on mobile to make sure it’s looking its best for your readers!Essential Pages to Include
On her site, she’s got a dedicated page for each of her books, an "About Me" section, a reviews page, and a newsletter sign-up. It’s clean, simple, and all about helping readers find what they’re looking for. Even without a shop (yet!), she’s made it super easy for fans to buy her books by linking out to where they can purchase.
How Fantasy Author J.E. Harter Uses Her Author Website
WHO: J.E. Harter
Website URL: https://jeharterauthor.wixsite.com/j--e--harter-author
Book Purchase Links: https://jeharterauthor.wixsite.com/j--e--harter-author/copy-of-press-reviews
J.E. Harter has been writing since childhood, with an unwavering passion that stretches back to when she was very young. "I have always been writing since I was a little kid, it was something I was always very committed to. I didn’t just write a page or so of writing, I would actually write books from a very young age, so it has always been something that I’ve enjoyed doing," she recalls.
It wasn’t until two and a half years ago that she began work on her debut novel, The Butcher and The Bard. The idea came while she was watching The Witcher. "I was watching The Witcher actually, and I thought it would be cool if there was a female version of Geralt, so that’s who my main character is about." With a blend of fantasy and a fierce female lead, Harter’s book has attracted readers intrigued by her take on a strong female protagonist.
How J.E. Harter is Currently Marketing Her Books
As an indie author, Harter relies on social media to connect with readers and promote her work. She finds social platforms essential for reaching her audience. "I would say certainly social media is important, I would say it’s almost impossible as a self-published author not to use social media, unless you are so well established that people know who you are."
She primarily uses Instagram, TikTok, and reposts her Instagram content to Facebook. "The majority of people find me via TikTok or Instagram," she explains. "I can connect to readers that way, share my favorite books, things that I’m reading, share my writing process and advice with people there, which I think is really helpful. I also talk about the tropes of my book and other avenues to capture people's attention." By engaging readers in this way, Harter keeps her audience connected to her writing journey and characters.
In addition to social media, Harter uses a monthly newsletter to stay in touch with her most loyal readers. "I don’t think I’m getting new readers, but my most loyal readers sign up for the newsletter, those are people who are mostly guaranteed to buy the next book whatever I write," she explains. The newsletter serves as a way to give these readers something special, such as exclusive content like title reveals, cover reveals, and even sneak peeks. "I always send out the blurb, the title reveals, or cover reveals. I even sent out the first chapter of my third book to my newsletter last month and this month again, as a kind of sneak peek."
FREE!
Want to Sell More Books? It All Starts with Your Newsletter!
Snag the free guide
Discover the secret sauce top authors use to build loyal reader lists and skyrocket their book sales! 🚀 Download my free guide: Author Newsletter Booster: How to Get More Newsletter Signups on Your Author Website and start building your fanbase today.
Enter your email below to access the guide:
How J.E. Harter’s Author Website Fits Into Her Book Marketing Efforts?
When it comes to using her website as a marketing tool, Harter sees it more as a necessary hub than a primary driver of sales. For her, the website primarily functions as a place for readers to sign up for her newsletter and as a central landing page. "Typically, people get to my website through social media, and the only way for them to sign up for my newsletter is through my website," she says, emphasizing how social media plays the main role in directing people to her site. She uses calls-to-action on her social accounts to entice readers to visit. "I usually say things like: Here are some free incentives if you sign up for the newsletter."
Where Are Most People Buying Her Books?
For most of Harter’s readers, Amazon is the go-to platform for purchasing her books. "Definitely Amazon. I think most people are going to purchase on Amazon, it’s just so much easier for everyone. If you have Prime, you get free shipping and it comes in like two days."
However, Harter also notes that mindful readers, those who really want to support indie authors directly, are trying to buy from alternative sources. "Mindful readers who are really trying to support the indie author themselves are trying to buy direct as much as possible," she shares, adding that she’s considering adding a store element to her website in the future.
Advice to Fellow Authors About Launching Their First Author Website:
Harter’s advice for new authors setting up a website is practical and budget-friendly. "My current website is a free website from Wix. It was really simple to set up and honestly, for an aspiring author or a brand-new indie author, I don’t see anything wrong with having a free website to just get your feet on the ground."
She emphasizes the importance of keeping things simple when you're first starting out. "Create a free website, get your basic bio, talk about your books, whatever else, get that newsletter going because that’s going to be really helpful. That’s all you need to start with if it feels intimidating."
Looking ahead, Harter plans to eventually switch to a paid website and explore more advanced SEO options as her audience grows. "In a year or so, depending on how book sales are going, I might switch to the paid version so that way I can work on some SEO stuff on my author website," she adds.
What J.E. Harter Included on Her Author Website?
When designing her website, Harter focused on giving each book its own space. "I tried to give each book its own separate page," she says. On the homepage, she displays pictures of her books with a small snippet of information to direct visitors to detailed book pages. Her site also includes an "About Me" page, a reviews page, and a newsletter subscription at the bottom of the homepage. Although she doesn't have an online shop yet, Harter has a purchase page that links to various places where people can buy her books, making it easy for readers to find the right platform for their purchase.
J.E. Harter’s journey as an indie author highlights the importance of balancing social media, newsletters, and a website. While her site may not yet be a primary driver for new readers, it remains a crucial tool for connecting with loyal fans and presenting herself professionally to a wider audience. Her practical advice to fellow authors emphasizes starting small and expanding as your readership grows.
Future Plans for Her Author Website and Some Tips for Authors:
As for future website improvements, Harter is focused on optimizing SEO and making sure her site is user-friendly on mobile. "When the time comes, look into your website’s SEO. That is something that I feel like really does help any website." She also advises authors to check their website on multiple devices. "Always double-check after you’ve made some changes on your website. Look at it on a couple of devices to make sure it is reading the way that you like it."
FREE!
Want to Sell More Books? It All Starts with Your Newsletter!
What’s Inside?
Discover the secret sauce top authors use to build loyal reader lists and skyrocket their book sales! 🚀 Download my free guide: Author Newsletter Booster: How to Get More Newsletter Signups on Your Author Website and start building your fanbase today.
Enter your email below to access the guide:
Want to save time launching your author website? Check Out The Squarespace Author Templates
Visit the Author Website Template Shop: TEMPLATE SHOP
THE ATWOOD - Squarespace Author Website Template
THE HEMINGWAY - Squarespace Author Website Template
THE GILBERT - Squarespace Author Website Template