Configure Your Starter Author Website

Welcome

Welcome to the first module of the Build an Author Website course! I am thrilled to have you here as you take the first steps toward creating a professional online platform that showcases your work and connects with readers.

Dirk Volcano

In this course we are going to go step by step to build a secure, fast loading website for the fictional author Dirk Volcano. Dirk is the author of the Dylan Danger Thrillers and the Village Detective Cozy Mysteries. 

Together, we are going to build Dirk a website that attracts his target audience, grows his mailing list, and promotes his books for increased sales. You can check out the example website any time.

How to get the most out of this course

If you have the time I recommend looking over the index, sampling a few lessons that catch your eye then come back here and play all the lessons from start to finish. 

Most of the course is in bite sized videos you can watch when you’ve a few minutes. You can even put me on in the background to hear the entire course. It’s a quick way to get a feel for the whole thing and see if the course and my teaching style are for you. 

If you connect with the lessons I’d set aside time every day to rewatch but this time building the example website alongside the tutorial for the most hands on experince.

But that’s only one way of doing it.

Follow your preferred learning style and feel free to contact me if there’s anything I can do to improve the lessons, module, or course to help you get the best possible author website to support your career.

Introduction

Building a professional author website starts with a strong foundation, and Module 1 of the Build an Author Website course is designed to help you achieve just that.

This module transforms a default WordPress installation into an optimised starting point, ready to support a professional author platform that attracts readers and grows your audience.

Overview

Module 1 focuses on cleaning, configuring, and optimising your WordPress setup to ensure your website is ready for the next stages of development. Here’s what you’ll learn and why it matters:

• Content Clean Up: Remove unnecessary posts, categories, tags, and pages to ensure your author site is built entirely with original content.
• Optimising Themes and Plugins: Enhance your site’s speed, security, and performance by removing unused themes and plugins.
• Configuring WordPress Settings: Tailor WordPress settings specifically for writers to ensure your site functions smoothly and meets your unique needs as an author.
• Enhancing Email Delivery: Install the FluentSMTP plugin for reliable email communication, ensuring smooth interaction with visitors and subscribers.
• Introducing Breakdance: Discover Breakdance, a powerful website builder for authors. Learn how to install it and optimise its settings for maximum functionality.
• Installing Advanced Custom Fields: We are going to use the Advanced Custom Fields plugin to manage custom content fields, offering flexibility and control over how you present your books and other content.

Summary

In Module 1, we’ll configure a fresh WordPress installation with the essential settings and plugins needed to create an optimised starter author website. This foundation will enable us to build a site that not only looks professional but also functions seamlessly, connecting you with readers and growing your career as an author.