If You Confuse, You Lose: A Publisher’s Perspective on Author Sites

 

The first time I heard Donald Miller say, “If you confuse, you lose,” it stopped me. I’ve spent decades working with writers and publishers, and I’ve seen that simple truth play out again and again. Writers often believe cleverness or complexity will sell books. It won’t. What sells is clarity.

Over the years, I’ve watched the landscape change. Bookstores gave way to Amazon. Flyers and brochures have given way to email lists and social media posts. At one point, every author thought they needed a big, elaborate website. Today, discovery happens elsewhere—on podcasts, in book clubs, through social shares, or directly on Amazon. Does that mean a website doesn’t matter? Not at all. It means its role is different.

Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand explains what a site should do, and I’ve seen the same lesson proven in practice. A good website must answer three questions in the first few seconds:

1. What do you offer?
2. How does it make life better for the reader?
3. How do they get it?

That’s it. If those answers aren’t front and center, readers click away.

I’ve seen authors build sprawling sites filled with menus, sidebars, and blog posts that never translated into sales. I’ve also seen simple sites—with a book cover, a line describing the experience it offers, and a bold Buy Now button—outperform expectations. The difference isn’t design; it’s clarity.

Think of it like walking into a room. If the room is cluttered, you don’t know where to sit. If the room has a chair by the fire and someone smiling, you know exactly what to do. A website should be that chair by the fire, waiting for readers to step inside.

Even a well-built website, if left unattended or ignored, quickly becomes dated. What once felt inviting can start to resemble an abandoned house, with spiderwebs in the fireplace and a broken chair in the corner. Instead of drawing readers in, it signals neglect and pushes them away.

For writers, the essentials aren’t complicated:

• Your name and photo.
• Your books, with covers, blurbs, and links to buy.
• A short bio that makes a personal connection.
• An email sign-up for readers who want more.
• Contact and social links.

That’s enough. Anything more risks confusing the very people you’re trying to reach.

I’ve seen projects with polished websites fizzle and books with clear, simple pages find momentum. The difference is clarity. Amazon provides trust and convenience. A publisher’s site can add the personal touch—autographed copies, direct support for the author. A website’s job is not to do everything. Its job is to welcome, point clearly to where books can be bought, and then get out of the way.

The temptation for writers will always be to add more—more words, more features, more cleverness. Resist it. Remember Miller’s phrase: if you confuse, you lose.

So yes, you still need a website. But keep it simple. Use it as a front door, not as a warehouse. Make it a chair by the fire, not a cluttered room. Then put your best energy where it belongs—into writing the next book and connecting with readers who are waiting to hear your voice.

The Power of Authors: A Rallying Cry for Today's Writers to Recognize Their Power, Rise to Their Calling, and Write with Moral Conviction, written by Evan and Lois Swensen with a foreword by Jane L. Evanson, PhD, Professor Emerita at Alaska Pacific University, launches this September. You’ve been reading its heartbeat in these messages — soon you can hold the book in your hands.