Weebly for Authors

 

Weebly is easy to use once you start. I’m still having trouble getting my computer to log in properly with one click. It could be a Firefox issue or my login, but I thought I’d give you a heads-up. Also, it doesn’t let me refresh the login page on Firefox. I have to reenter the website address.

Other than that, I found creating a new site with Weebly easy. Elements were easy to add and rearrange. The color choices were lovely and current. There hasn’t been any of that silly WordPress “Update these themes” every day. The site updates immediately, and the content looks great.

Another plus for Weebly is the connection to Square. Now that Square owns the software, it’s easy to create a store for your merchandise, books, or whatever. I have my Square account set with my book bundles, autographed copies, and my cross stitch bookmarks. Weebly automatically adds a shop page for me with the items with the prices. Through the Square software, you can work out how to charge shipping, tax, and what not. You can edit the page in the Weebly app as well.

Other ideas for Weebly for authors

Note: to turn “off” a page on Weebly, go to Home page, Headings, Navigation, Navigation links, and remove the page from Navigation.

I mentioned having an Event page for any personal appearances, live or virtual. You can add vendor info, location, and items for sale. Then, after the event, you can turn that page off on your navigation menu. That way, it’s only up before an event, and you still have the information if you attend/visit/zoom another time.

Weebly lets you duplicate pages as you build the site. The duplicate page doesn’t need to be live until you’re ready. You can change content/colors/images around before putting the info out there. Have a new book? Then duplicate your book/series page with the new book and turn on the new page when it’s live. (Also, turn off the old page.) Be aware of the link addresses. You may need to change links to this page if you use the duplicate.

This turning on and off pages works great for secret content. My new book coming out in February is a closed-door romance. I write steamy. I plan to put my steamy scenes on non-public pages for readers. Once the book is out, I’ll send the address of the page directly. No one will get to the page without the address. It works great for extra content, deleted scenes, secret cover reveals, or whatever you want to place behind a closed door. If you upgrade your Weebly account, you can even have password protected pages for this content.

Weebly has much to offer with content. Design, not so much. That’s more up to you to create a vibrant page with color and images. It has the advantage of not having to play with the plugins from WordPress. Honestly, I do not know how good the software is at repelling spam attacks. But my good friend D.V. Stone has used Weebly for years, and her site is strong.

We could spend months going through the options for this app, but these posts will start you on a new author site.

Good luck!