Authors Guild Sitebuilder
authorsguild.orgSummary
The Authors Guild Sitebuilder is a website creation service tailored for authors, enabling them to build and manage professional websites with ease. It offers features like customizable themes, a fully-integrated blog, and Google Analytics integration to help authors establish their online presence and engage with readers.
Features4/13
See allMust Have
2 of 5
Rich Text Editor
Reader Engagement Metrics
Distribution & Recommendation Engine
Membership & Monetization
Community Feedback Tools
Other
2 of 8
User Profiles & Following
Social Sharing & Embedding
Publication Management
Tags & Topics
Email Newsletter Integration
Audio Story Playback
Mobile App Access
Search & Discovery
PricingSubscription
See allRegular Membership
- Full voting rights in Guild elections
- Contract reviews
- Publishing industry updates and advice
- Legal advice and forms
- Marketing and social media advice
- Website building and hosting
- Access to members-only workshops, seminars and events
- Print and digital subscription to the Authors Guild Bulletin
- Listing in our member profiles
- Exclusive discounts on services and goods
- Eligibility: Traditionally published authors, translators, and illustrators with at least 1 published book in the U.S.
- Self-published authors who have made at least $5,000 in the past 18 months from their writing
- Freelance writers who have published 3+ pieces or made $5,000 in the past 18 months
Associate Membership
- Contract reviews
- Publishing industry updates and advice
- Legal advice and forms
- Marketing and social media advice
- Website building and hosting
- Access to members-only workshops, seminars and events
- Print and digital subscription to the Authors Guild Bulletin
- Listing in our member profiles
- Exclusive discounts on services and goods
- Eligibility: Writers, translators, and illustrators who have received a contract offer from a traditional U.S. publisher or an offer of representation from a U.S. literary agent
- Self-published authors or freelance writers who have made at least $500 in the past 18 months from their writing.
At-Large Membership
- Publishing industry updates and advice
- Legal advice
- Website building and hosting
- Access to member-only workshops, seminars and events
- Print and digital subscription to the Authors Guild Bulletin
- Listing in our member profiles
- Exclusive discounts on car rentals, publications, and more.
- Eligibility: Established literary agents and editors
- Heirs, executors or trustees of the estates of deceased authors
- Attorneys and accountants representing authors
- Publicists or other publishing professionals.
Emerging Writer Membership
- Publishing industry updates and advice
- Marketing and social media advice
- Website building and hosting
- Access to members-only workshops, seminars, and events
- Digital access to the Authors Guild Bulletin
- Listing in our member profiles
- Exclusive discounts on services and goods
- Eligibility: Dedicated writers who are actively seeking to publish their work, but have not yet published a book or do not meet the income thresholds for professional membership
- This category does not include legal help at this time.
Student Membership
- Publishing industry updates and advice
- Marketing and social media advice
- Access to members-only workshops, seminars, and events
- Digital access to the Authors Guild Bulletin
- Listing in our member profiles
- Exclusive discounts on services and goods, as well as discounts on car rentals
- Eligibility: College and graduate students interested in pursuing writing professionally in the future
- This category does not include legal help or web services at this time.
Rationale
The Authors Guild Sitebuilder offers a website creation tool specifically for authors, which includes a blog feature (implying a rich text editor) and integration with Google Analytics for tracking (reader engagement metrics). It also allows for user profiles and social sharing. However, it lacks the core features of a content distribution and recommendation engine, community feedback tools beyond basic social sharing, and a direct membership monetization model for content creators as described in the 'Medium' concept. The platform is more of a personal website builder for authors rather than a broad content publishing and distribution platform with a built-in audience and monetization for individual articles.
