Don't send everyone everywhere. Send readers who are ready to buy straight to the retailer, and send everyone else (social followers, podcast listeners, press readers) to your author website, where you can capture their email and offer every buy link. One audience, one destination, one action.
A simple rule
When authors ask whether to send their website "to as many people as possible," the real question is what do I want this person to do next? The link follows the answer.
- If the reader already wants the book, remove steps: link to the buy page.
- If the reader is only curious, give them a reason to stay in touch: link to a page that introduces the book and asks for an email.
Reach matters, but a link that goes to the wrong place at high volume just wastes the attention you earned.
When to send people to your website
Your author website is the right destination when the reader doesn't know you yet, or when you don't control the platform they're on.
- Social bios and posts. A link on your website can offer Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, and your direct store, and it never locks you into one retailer. See our guide to promoting your book on TikTok for how this works with BookTok traffic.
- Podcasts, interviews, and press. A listener can't click while driving. A short, memorable address like yourname.com is easy to say and remember.
- Anywhere you want an email address. A subscriber is a reader you can reach again at your next launch, without paying for the reach each time.
- Anything that needs context. Series, multiple genres, or a book that's hard to describe in a single line all benefit from a page you control.
Your website is also the one destination you fully own. Retailers can change layouts, rules, and recommendations. We cover that in Do Authors Actually Need a Website?
When to send them straight to Amazon
Go direct to the retailer when the reader is already convinced and every extra click costs you a sale.
- Launch day emails to your existing list. They already know you; give them the buy button.
- Paid ads aimed at a retailer's audience. Retailer ads send traffic to the retailer product page by design.
- A coordinated launch-week push. Concentrated sales in a short window are what make retailer algorithms notice a book. Our guide on marketing your book on Amazon covers that side.
Using both without splitting your audience
You don't have to choose once. Choose per channel:
| Channel | Send them to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Social profile link | Your website | All retailers plus an email signup in one place |
| Podcast or interview | Your website | Easy to say aloud, captures email |
| Launch-day email to your list | Retailer page | Warm readers, fewest clicks to purchase |
| Retailer ads | Retailer page | Matches the ad's context |
| Press, reviews, blog features | Your website book page | Gives readers a stable address that doesn't change |
What a promotion page needs
If your website is the destination, the page has to earn the click. A book page that converts has:
- The cover and a one-line hook, above the fold on mobile
- Buy links for each retailer you sell through
- A short sample or two review quotes
- A newsletter signup with a reason to join (a chapter, a bonus scene, launch news)
- One primary action, not a menu of ten
The Author Website Design Checklist and book landing page examples show what this looks like in practice.
Give your promotion somewhere to land
We build custom author websites with book pages, retailer links, and email capture built in. Live in about a week, and you own it.
Common mistakes
- Sending cold traffic straight to a book with no reviews or context. Strangers need a reason to trust you first.
- Giving five links to choose from. Every extra option lowers the chance of any of them being clicked.
- Changing your domain or link address between campaigns. Use one permanent address so past promotion keeps working.
- Not collecting emails. Without a list, every launch starts from zero.
- Measuring only sales. Track clicks and signups from each channel so you know which promotion brings readers back.
Frequently asked questions
Should I send people to my website or to Amazon when promoting my book?
Send each audience to one clear destination. Readers who are ready to buy (a launch-day email, a review, a retailer ad) go straight to the retailer. Cold or curious audiences (social posts, podcasts, press) go to your author website, where you can capture an email address and offer every buy link. Blasting both links to everyone dilutes the message and wastes the click.
Should I send my website to as many people as I can?
Not indiscriminately. Volume matters less than fit: a few hundred people who land on a clear page with a single next step will do more for your book than thousands who get a vague link. Pick the destination by the reader's intent, then give them one action.
Is it better to link to Amazon or my author website in my social bio?
Link to your author website (or a link page on it). It lets you offer every retailer, collect emails, and change the destination for each promotion without editing your bio, while Amazon-only links lock you into one store.
Do website visitors help my Amazon ranking?
Sales on Amazon help Amazon ranking, and visitors who arrive from your own site and then buy are counted as sales like any other. Your website's job is to convert interest into either a purchase or an email subscriber, so you can reach those readers again at launch.
What should an author website page for promotion include?
The book cover, a one-line hook, buy links for each retailer, a short sample or review quotes, and a newsletter signup. One clear primary action per page performs better than a menu of options.