It may seem difficult, but it’s possible to develop connections between young booklovers and writers in their own communities. School libraries are the answers.
Young readers are always excited to meet an author in person. Writers have an opportunity to facilitate this by working with schools and libraries. It might seem challenging, but with some phone calls, emails, and/or personal visits, it’s possible to develop connections between readers and writers.
School Librarians
A school librarian helps students improve their reading comprehension through various activities, and encourages them to find interesting materials to further their interests. School librarians work closely with teachers and students in finding educational resources.
Requirements for working as a school librarian differ vastly from State-to-State.
Some states have no regulations regarding school libraries. Others require a certified school library media specialist in every school district, a half-time or full-time certified library specialist in schools depending on the number of students.
Connecting with school librarians
The last year I taught in Mission Viejo, California, the administration of the elementary school I worked in decided to run the library without a librarian. The library was then maintained by a media specialist instead. Each teacher scheduled time to bring their students to the library weekly.
In cases such as this, I suggest contacting the library media specialist as you would the school librarian.
Ways to contact are:
Social media
Email
By school district
By individual school
Phone call
Personal visit
Prior to stopping by the school library, call and make an appointment. Librarians have schedules packed with students, meetings, filing, and paperwork. Plus, there is the case of security. The main office personnel are the gatekeepers. One cannot breeze on through the school without stopping, showing identification, stating specifically who you will be seeing, why, and logging the time in as well as out.
Finding school librarians
In the US, each state has a library association for school librarians. Perform a search for <state> Library Association and find their social media links.
Many librarians use Facebook, Twitter(X), LinkedIn, and TikTok. You can contact local school librarians through social media and query them regarding school visits.
Talk to your fellow writers
One of the members of a writers marketing group I joined happened to be a school librarian. That was a wonderful connection. I went to her school as a volunteer for an evening literary event and met the principal. Becoming known as a person willing to assist the local community helps a great deal. The school was happy to have me give talks at the school library several times.
School librarians have monthly, district meetings. If you can get on their agenda, it’s possible to speak briefly to the group about who you are and what you can do.
What to do once you’ve found libraries to visit
Chat with the school librarian about the grades you will speak to and what their teachers would like. Teachers have a daunting job and cover a lot of ground over the school year. If you can lighten their load for thirty or so minutes, you are golden. If you expand upon what their students are learning in the classroom, you have added diamonds to that gold.
Library budgets
Often, there isn’t a huge budget for school libraries. The district or individual schools decide how much money is available, what type of books are preferred, and who are trusted vendors. To be a trusted vendor you need a Federal tax ID, also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You can apply online through the IRS website. The application is free and does not take long. You’ll also need to be able to print invoices.
Librarians find creative methods for funding
One school librarian who loved my work used part of the grant money she obtained for book purchases to buy a few classroom-sized sets for the school. I offered a good discount, and we were both pleased with the transaction. I had offered a free copy of each of the books in the series as I have done in the past at other school libraries, but she refused and made the purchase instead.
Public Librarians
When I thought of ways to disrupt, shake things up to get Indie Authors’ work seen, my first impulse was to look at the public library system. A library shelf is a fantastic place to find new authors. Who wouldn’t enjoy the thrill of seeing their books on a library shelf for the public to peruse, read, love, and purchase at a later date?
With this in mind, I contacted my local librarians, with whom I have good relations. I lead a critique group that meets there and ran a city and county-wide poetry contest for two years, using the library as the venue for our winners’ celebratory luncheon and awards ceremony.
While visiting the library, I mentioned to a few librarians what I had in mind, which they all felt was a great idea. I sent a request to interview anyone who would be available, giving a few months’ notice as I understand the wheels grind slowly at the library.
Crickets. No response.
After no response I made a few calls, left a few messages.
Crickets. Still no response.
Prior to a critique meeting, I chatted with two of the library assistants. After I explained my concern, and not wanting to seem like a stalker, I discovered that there were several major changes with technology as well as changes in staffing. People were jumping ship. Hence, no time for interviews.
What I’ve learned through interactions with public librarians
They cannot take a book from you and place it on the shelf.
No matter how wonderful your book is and how fantastic the reviews are, there is a system librarians must follow.
Books, eBooks, journals, magazines, and videos are chosen taking into consideration:
the make-up of the community
requests for the title
and if the library already owns other books that are by that author or a similar topic.
Then there is the concern of cost. Librarians must consider their budget.
The library patrons may request books, but the library director makes the decision regarding what to buy.
The book must be available in places where they are able to purchase. In the case of my local library, books must be available at IngramSpark or Baker & Taylor.
Individual libraries are responsible for their own book purchases and collections. There is no agency that chooses and distributes books and other library resources to all libraries.
D2D, Draft2Digital, distributes to libraries. If you have an account with them and a library patron is interested in your book, you can be compensated for the patron’s borrowing of your work. Baker & Taylor and IngramSpark are among other companies that distribute to libraries.
For more information on getting Indie books into libraries check here.
Final thoughts
Libraries promoting literacy. We, local authors, are part of that literacy. If we work together, we can connect with the public as well as help students to become successful readers. This is a common goal of writers and librarians.
Do you have a working relationship with your local library? Have you ever requested a book for them to purchase? Would you consider an author visit at a school?
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About Ellen
Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.
Merry Christmas! As you sip your cocoa (or something stronger—I won’t judge), let’s talk about giving your author website the gift of attention. Yes, the holidays are for relaxation, but they’re also a perfect time to think about fresh starts.
Your author website is one of your most important tools, but too often, it gets ignored in the whirlwind of writing, publishing, and life. Today, I want to challenge you to disrupt the status quo.
Don’t panic—this isn’t about flipping everything upside down overnight. Small changes can breathe new life into your online presence and make a significant impact in the year ahead.
WordPress: To Stay or Go?
WordPress has been the go-to for author websites for years, but let’s face it: the ecosystem is devolving. If you haven't heard about the WordPress Drama, grab some popcorn and go look it up. Just remember: DON’T PANIC. This is the biggest disruption I've seen in the author website space in at least 10 years.
Hopefully, we'll have new Content Management Systems (CMS) in the next year that may replace WordPress. Unfortunately, my crystal snow globe isn’t giving me the full picture, but I do predict exciting new toys in our future.
In the meantime, take a hard look at your current setup. Are you paying for features you don’t need? Is your hosting plan more hassle than it’s worth?
If WordPress is still serving you well, stay with it—but be aware of changes. Keep an eye out for alternatives and be ready to pivot if something better comes along.
AI Disruptions in Discoverability
Have you noticed a drop in traffic to your website? Feeling like you’re alone in the universe?
Not everyone is affected by this, but with the rise of AI powered search results, how people find and interact with websites is changing. What worked wonderfully a year ago may not work next year.
We could look at these changes as a disaster. Or, we can look at them as a powerful shift in the universe that will benefit both writers and readers.
Think about it: When’s the last time you saw a website and were filled with the delight and joy of a Christmas morning discovery? What if we could have that?
A simple online presence with the essentials—a bio, books, and social media links. Cheap and low-maintenance but limited.
A dynamic website with a blog or news section designed to engage readers and build a fan base. Requires regular updates to shine.
A powerhouse designed for authors who are selling books, services, or merchandise. Costly and time-intensive but often worth it. (If this type of website isn't paying for itself, take time and review your analytics or other data to try and figure out why not.) These websites often include store software (a simplified store is called a shopping cart). People can buy their products and books right on the site.
Where does your site fall? Be honest. Is it serving your needs and your fans? Or is it overdue for an upgrade?
Disrupting Each Type of Website
No matter what kind of site you have, there’s always room for improvement. Let’s check out some creative options tailored to each category.
Basic Business Card
Keep it simple, but make it smart. One platform I've been exploring is Carrd.io. It offers beautiful, professional templates at an incredibly affordable price ($10–$20/year). Integrate MailerLite or other email management program for list-building. This way, you can start connecting with fans without a heavy investment in time or money.
These sites won't perform as well with search engines as larger sites, but let's be real: a bigger website that you haven't updated in two years or more isn't performing well, either. Why spend hundreds of dollars each year on something that isn't working? Maybe it's time to downsize!
Blogging Platform
Blogging takes dedication, but tools like Substack can simplify the process. Substack combines blogging with newsletter functionality and even lets you make money on your content. It’s mostly free, with a one-time $50 fee to integrate your domain name.
If you’re not consistent with your blog, maybe it’s time to streamline and focus on connecting with readers in a new way.
And because Substack doesn't make money if you don't, they have tools to help readers find you.
If you’re selling books, courses, or other products, your site needs to work as hard as you do.
Consider upgrading to Shopify for a dedicated e-commerce (online store) solution. Or, if you’re sticking with WordPress, pair it with a shopping cart like PayHip or ThriveCart to handle sales.
Customers want to see tax and shipping during checkout, and adding these functions to your store can add costs to your setup.
PayHip has a free forever plan that lets you set up your products in their system. They take a small percentage of each sale. They'll handle pesky things like shipping and tax charges while integrating with options like BookVault (physical books) or BookFunnel (epubs).
These platforms are versatile and scalable (start small and grow), making them ideal for professional authors looking to grow their sales.
For authors dreaming of creating a world fans can truly dive into, World Anvil is a game-changer. It’s more than a website—it’s a platform for crafting detailed, interactive worlds.
The Sage plan ($300/year) supports a custom domain and offers additional features like writing software and a vibrant community that includes motivation and education for authors. World Anvil is your story bible come to life. Lifetime memberships are available, so keep an eye out for sales. There's a free version that you can experiment with, and other cheaper options if you are comfortable not attaching a domain to your world.
Creativity is your friend. For example, you could connect a free world to a Carrd.io site! Add a free Pay-Hip store, and you'll have a powerful presence without a lot of expense.
Imagine your readers exploring character backstories, maps, and alternate story paths. These websites are beautiful and offer a refreshing change from everyday author websites.
For authors who love world-building, this is the ultimate gift to your fans—and yourself.
Ready to take action? Here’s your to-do list for shaking things up:
Update your bio, add your latest books, and prune old posts that no longer serve your goals.
Your readers are on their phones. Make sure your site looks and works great on small screens.
Review hosting costs, add-ons, and any unnecessary expenses.
Add a poll, interactive map, or signup bonus for your readers. Small changes can make a big impact.
Set clear goals for your site. Do you want to grow your email list, boost sales, or engage more deeply with fans?
The Gift of Renewal
Your author website is more than just an online presence—it’s a tool for connection, growth, and storytelling. This Christmas, give it a little love. Disrupt what’s not working, embrace what is, and set yourself up for a stronger, brighter year ahead.
What’s one small (or big!) change you’ll make to your website? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Merry Christmas, and here’s to a wonderfully disruptive 2025!
Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.
Being an indie author is a hellava lotta work, my friends. Passion for crafting great stories and knowing how to sell them as an indie author is just the beginning. You might have solid advice, a dream team to set up your store, and books your audience will devour, but that's only part of the puzzle. To truly make waves, to make a disruption in the publishing world as an indie author, there are other factors to consider. Read on for an inside look at my experience using WooCommerce to sell physical books from my author website, complete with its promises and woes.
The Hosting Nightmare
My website journey began years ago with Bluehost. Back then, my site was just a single page, and I was taking a class to improve my author platform. I fumbled my way through setting it up and, in an effort to save money, purchased a three-year hosting plan for a bargain price. Then Bluehost was sold to another entity. I figured, what difference does it make who hosts my site? As long as my books had an online home, I was good to go.
It turns out, it does make a difference.
Under new ownership, Bluehost’s quality dropped significantly, particularly when it came to supporting small, independent businesses like mine. Customer service became nearly impossible to reach, and when I did get through, the answers were vague or included upsells for add-ons I didn’t need. Billing was a mess—I once received an invoice for an additional three years of hosting that totaled nearly a thousand dollars.
WooCommerce Woes
My website itself was a disaster. I had set up WooCommerce on my own (full disclosure: I had no idea what I was doing), and it was cluttered with free and recommended plugins that often conflicted with one another. Unknowingly, I'd followed the advice of affiliates who were more concerned with their success than mine. My eBook links failed more often than they worked. Instead of a professional storefront, I had a clunky site that whimpered "amateur," eroding any buying confidence my audience had.
It's interesting in hindsight, but as authors we know that we need to disclose our affiliate links. But seeing those affiliate links in how-to videos, I believed that each one of those plugins was the solution to a problem, just like the YouTuber said it would be. I didn't understand that they could conflict with each other and cause even more problems... that other YouTubers would be happy to tell me how to fix by adding yet another plugin.
The real fly in my fondue? Customers were trying to buy my books. One particularly frustrated reader emailed, “I am literally trying to give you money. Why can’t I do that?” Imagine hearing that after months of sweat, investment, and energy spent trying to make this store functional. And for every customer who reached out, how many gave up after hitting the first broken link?
After two years of frustration, I knew it was time to call in the experts. I needed a website that actually worked—a clean, professional store that could sell my books reliably.
A Professional Website
I began working with Lisa Norman, our resident website expert at WITS that other authors highly recommended to me. Together, we rebuilt my site from the ground up. We designed a clean, polished store that could sell both eBooks and paperbacks. Lisa added logos for my two pen names. She set up analytics so I could track my sales, and installed essential security and spam protection. She removed the unnecessary and expensive fluff. I even got designated emails to make my storefront communications more professional.
At that time, Lisa warned me about my hosting company, and while I wasn’t thrilled with my long-term commitment, we decided to stick it out for the final year. The site looked fantastic, and I was excited to share it with my audience.
I ran a sale, prepped my email list of then 1,500 double opt-in subscribers, blogged, and created promotional materials. My readers were engaged—they interacted with my emails, commented on social media, and clicked my Calls to Action. Statistically speaking, someone should have been buying.
But I wasn’t selling books. Worse, during a big launch week, a broken URL greeted my customers. All the effort, momentum, and excitement vanished. I received confused emails from readers saying my site was flagged as “suspicious” or “spam,” despite having every privacy and security box checked. I had done everything right, but it still wasn’t working. My website was literally pushing customers away. When Lisa checked, she found that pieces of my website were randomly vanishing due to some problem with the hosting setup. As soon as she fixed one thing, another would break. We were both exhausted.
Discovering WooCommerce’s Hidden Costs
When setting up my store, I wanted customers to be able to buy paperback books, which meant navigating shipping rates and taxes. WooCommerce offered a supposedly new payment plugin that looked promising—until I tested it. My test customer couldn’t buy the book at all.
Next I learned that WooCommerce doesn’t automatically calculate shipping fees and taxes. You can set up flat rates and shipping zones, and as long as no one buys more than one book, it might work. But for taxes, you’re on your own. Each tax rate has to be added manually, state by state. For many authors, this is something an accountant handles. But as an indie author who wears all the hats, I decided to track taxes myself. Sadly, but within a realistic expectation as a small, growing business, the lack of sales made this less of an issue.
To cover my bases, I set flat shipping rates and added a note at checkout asking customers outside the continental U.S. to contact me directly. While this kept my costs in check, it didn’t give me the confidence to run promotions. I was constantly worried about orders falling apart or losing money on paperback sales. I've since learned that for shipping and taxes to work well in WooCommerce you'll need to invest in a costly plugin with an annual fee, annual fees that have been going up a lot lately.
Integration Issues: Lulu and USPS
I tried working with Lulu to automate paperback fulfillment, but the costs were ridiculous. I was losing money on every sale. So, I decided to manually ship my own paperbacks, which felt more sustainable but far from automated.
My next step was to integrate a USPS shipping plugin. For a $100/year subscription, I hoped to streamline the checkout process. Instead, I found myself trapped in a lucid nightmare. The plugin’s customer service was incomprehensible—one email was a copy-paste from their website, while another was so technical I couldn’t understand what they needed. After two months of frustration and a near-meltdown, I managed to secure a refund. To this day, I don’t know if the USPS plugin would have been a solution because I could never get it to work. I can't even tell you if the problem was with the plugin or my application with the USPS for an account.
The Big Switch
The three-year stint of Bluehost was nearly finished and I switched to the more reliable hosting service Lisa recommended last summer. I am happy to report that since that month, I have not had a crash or email complaint. Even though I have not held a full book launch since this change, I am getting small revenues each month without doing a thing. My confidence to dive into promotions is high. It feels like I finally have the indie website I intended. Had I realized how much the hosting service was impacting the functionality of my site, I would have made a better business decision to cut my losses and ties to the previous company.
Live and learn. And learn from others. As I tell you my story, I hope you can take from my experience and find an online sales platform that works for you.
The Takeaway
The combination of bad hosting, unreliable plugins, and unhelpful integrations made my website journey unnecessarily painful. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that Investing in quality hosting and tools isn’t optional—it’s the cost of doing business. As indie authors, we put so much effort into creating great books. Our websites, the places where we sell those books, deserve the same care and attention. Anything less will only cost us time, money, and readers.
Your Turn
What website woes have you had? What tips to indie writers would you share?
About Kris
Kris Maze is an author, blogger, and teacher. She enjoys writing twisty, speculative fiction with character driven plots. After years of reading classic literature from around the world, mysteries, and thrillers, she began to write and publish her own sci-fi and horror books. She also writes for various publications including a regular post at the award-winning Writers in the Storm Blog.
When she isn’t spending time with her favorite people and stories, Kris Maze is taking pictures, hiking, or pondering the wisdom of Bob Ross.
And sometimes, she cuts down a natural Christmas Tree.
Scaretastic and Sci-fi Stories is a collection of short fiction written to mystify and frighten readers. With stories under the pen names Kris Maze and Krissy Knoxx, these tales span the speculative subgenres of science fiction and light horror. It includes award-winning stories and a preview of a YA science fiction series. Are you brave enough to take the path less traveled?
