Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog

 

By Evan Swensen

When I first heard Donald Miller say, “If you confuse, you lose,” I stopped in my tracks. 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.

The Shifting Landscape of Book Discovery

Publishing has never been static. In my early years, bookstores, flyers, and brochures carried the weight of discovery. If you wanted to reach readers, you had to fight for space on shelves or invest in print promotions. But the landscape shifted. Amazon replaced bookstores as the hub. Flyers and brochures were replaced by email lists and social media posts.

And then came a new assumption: every author needs a big, elaborate website. But today, that isn’t entirely true. Readers don’t primarily discover books on author sites. They discover them through podcasts, book clubs, social shares, or—most often—directly on Amazon.

So does a website still matter? Absolutely. But its role has changed.

The Three Essential Questions Every Site Must Answer

Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand breaks down the purpose of any website into three simple questions:

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

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

In my experience, the difference between an author site that works and one that fails doesn’t come down to design trends, coding tricks, or fancy features. It comes down to clarity.

Simplicity Always Wins

I’ve watched authors pour months into sprawling sites filled with complex menus, hidden subpages, and blogs that nobody read. The result? Frustration, not sales.

On the other hand, I’ve seen minimalist sites—just a book cover, one line describing the experience it offers, and a bold “Buy Now” button—outperform expectations. Readers didn’t need a labyrinth; they needed a front door.

Think of it like walking into a room. If the room is cluttered, you hesitate. You don’t know where to sit, and the chaos feels overwhelming. But if the room has a chair by the fire and someone smiling, you know exactly what to do.

A good author website should feel like that chair by the fire: warm, welcoming, and obvious.

The Danger of Neglect

Even the best-built website loses power if it’s ignored. I’ve seen clean, simple pages slowly transform into digital ghost towns—outdated bios, broken links, old event announcements. Instead of inviting readers in, they signal neglect, like walking into a house with cobwebs in the fireplace and a broken chair in the corner.

Your site should never make a reader wonder if you’ve stopped writing.

The Author Website Checklist

For most writers, the essentials aren’t complicated. You need:

Your name and photo. Readers want to know who you are.Your books. Covers, blurbs, and clear links to buy—front and center.A short bio. Something that connects with readers personally.An email sign-up. Your most valuable tool for staying connected.Contact and social links. A way for readers or collaborators to reach you.

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

Why Clarity Builds Trust

Here’s the truth: Amazon already offers trust, speed, and convenience. Your site doesn’t need to replace Amazon. What it can do is add the personal touch—a place for readers to see your face, hear your story, and perhaps buy an autographed copy directly from you.

Your site’s job is not to do everything. Its job is to welcome readers, point clearly to where they can get your books, and then get out of the way.

Resist the Temptation to Overcomplicate

The hardest part for writers is resisting the temptation to add more. More words. More features. More cleverness. But each “extra” risks clutter. And as Miller reminds us, if you confuse, you lose.

So yes, you still need a website. But keep it simple. Think of it as a front door, not a warehouse. A chair by the fire, not a cluttered room.

When you get clarity right, your website does its job quietly—making space for your real focus: writing the next book and connecting with the readers who are waiting to hear your voice.

 

Evan Swensen is the founder of Publication Consultants, an Alaska-based publishing company dedicated to helping writers bring their stories to life. As a publisher, author, and editor, Evan has guided countless authors through the journey of turning manuscripts into books. With decades of experience, he continues to champion the power of storytelling and the importance of connecting with readers.

If You Confuse, You Lose: A Publisher’s Perspective on Author Sites
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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you’re there, check out the Writer’s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. Follow the WKB on Facebook here.

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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you’re there, check out the Writer’s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. Follow the WKB on Facebook here.

Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers! I’ll be taking tomorrow off in observance. See you back here next Sunday.

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By Patricia Crisafulli

“The minute you walk out this door you show your character to everyone who sees you.” 

When I was young, my mother admonished me into good behavior with these words. What she did not know, and I could not fully appreciate until many years later, was just how valuable her advice was for writing. 

Layer by layer, we reveal the character of our protagonists and antagonists by what they say and do, particularly in interactions with others. 

There are endless possibilities in character-driven novels like cozy mysteries, while also advancing the plot. Here are some examples from my Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series: 

Edgy, Has Trust Issues, Buries Feelings: That’s the thumbnail description of my protagonist Gabriela Domenici, a 40-year-old single mother who had to leave her dream job at the New York Public Library and move back to her hometown, and now longs to return to New York City. In my first novel, The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor , I began revealing the many sides of her character as Gabriela reacts to the tragic drowning death of a local banker with whom she’d had a brief exchange earlier that day.

“… She made a cup of tea, scrubbed splotches from her counter, then started cleaning out the vegetable bins in the refrigerator. As she worked, Gabriela replayed her conversation with Ellyn that morning and the invitation to have lunch. Maybe it hadn’t been just social—perhaps Ellyn had been troubled and wanted to talk. And she had been too busy to make time for her … Gabriela began scraping a dried spinach leaf from a glass shelf inside the refrigerator, trying to evade another reason she had avoided Ellyn’s invitation until she had to confront the thought. She didn’t want to become invested in anyone in this town so that when she left, it would be a clean break.”

Prickly and even off-putting at times, yes. But in that manic scraping of the dried spinach leaf we see Gabriela’s grief, the bitterness of her regret, and her desire to do something to channel those feelings.

Human vs. Nature. It’s one of the classic conflicts in literature and an opportunity to reveal another aspect of character. In the opening of The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm , a hike on a beautiful fall day becomes emotionally triggering for Gabriela when she’s suddenly overwhelmed by irrational fears. 

“As she hoisted her backpack, Gabriela imagined yellow eyes peering out of the woods and her thoughts soured. Would those animals slink away from them, not wanting to be seen, or would they sense the vulnerability of two humans alone? Suddenly she felt certain something really was watching them. Her chest tightened and her breath quickened. Her ears strained to detect any sound other than the wind swishing the branches. A twig snapped and the clearing seemed to darken, as if thick clouds blotted out the sky. Her throat constricted, and she fingered the one-inch scar on her throat from a knife that, just three months ago, had flirted with her carotid artery. Glancing over, she saw Daniel adjusting the laces of his hiking boots as if nothing had happened. Because nothing did, she scolded herself.”

In that scene, much is revealed about Gabriela’s interiority, including her desire to dismiss her fears and desensitize herself to trauma (which are major motivations for how she acts in the novel).

Conflict Sparks Self-Disclosure. In my newly released novel, The Secrets of the Old Post Cemetery , Gabriela’s assumptions about how her world works are challenged after her boyfriend, Daniel Red Deer, is accused of a serious crime and hospitalized with critical injuries (slight spoiler alert). When Daniel’s sister, Rose, comes to town, Gabriela tries to assure her that the state police know him, which she believes will work in his favor. 

“‘Look, you don’t get this,’ Rose shot back. ‘The laws that protect you blame us.’ Heat flooded Gabriela’s face. Rose was right; she had no idea other than what she read—how the Thanksgiving stories she’d learned as a child of happy Pilgrims and friendly Indians had cloaked uglier truths of lands stolen from sovereign peoples and diseases used as weapons. Daniel was part Native American, but he never talked much about what that identity meant to him. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, she hadn’t asked him either. To be his life partner, she would have to change their dialogue.”

A Few Tips:

Show your characters among the people they care about to reveal their compassion, kindness, loyalty, and other positive aspects. Who makes it safe for them to expose their softer side, and when do they hold back?Divulge their insecurities, self-doubts, and feelings of inadequacy as they interact with those who challenge them. What’s their reaction—do they cower or bully others? Immerse them in a setting to show where they are most comfortable (relaxed, at home, in control)—and where they are uncomfortable (fearful, irritable, challenged). 

Layer by layer, our protagonists and antagonists reveal their character through interactions with others. What we learn just might surprise us.

 

 

Patricia Crisafulli is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning fiction writer. Her latest novel, The Secrets of the Old Post Cemetery, was published in October 2025 by Woodhall Press. It is the third novel in the Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series.

Showing Character: by Patricia Crisafulli
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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you’re there, check out the Writer’s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. Follow the WKB on Facebook here.

How To Clean Dirty Book Links: by Sue ColettaSeven Lessons for My Past Self on Running a Small Press: by Holly Lyn Walrath‘Flesh’ wins 2025 Booker Prize: ‘We had never read anything quite like it’: by Andrew Limbong5 Fun Ways to Play with Language: By L.L. Barkat If, Just, Maybe: by Jillian ForsbergWhen the World Falls to Pieces, Write: by Rochelle MelanderHow We Can Improve Our Lives by Going Outside: By Marc BermanThe Literary Film & TV You Need to Stream in November: by Emily Temple“Your Book Deserves To Reach a Larger Audience”: by James Scott BellHow Writers Are Like Backyard Chickens: by Sue ColettaBenefits of Writing with Children: by Charles YallowitzLow Fantasy: by CS BoyackIn The Spotlight: Martin Cruz Smith’s Havana Bay: @mkinberg.bsky.socialCrafting Memorable Sidekicks for Cozy Mysteries: Colonel Mustard in the Ballroom: How Setting Shapes Mystery: by Michelle BarkerAncient Rituals and Belief Systems in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg.bsky.socialWhat I Learned at Romance GenreCon: 3 Essential Tips for Authors: by Shannon A ThompsonWhy I Won’t Chase the Post That Went Viral: by Lesley Krueger @janefriedman.comCheck Out the Best Website Builder for Authors: by Bryn Donovan“In Medias Res” Means in the Middle, but What Is the Middle? by Chris WinkleHow to Write Killer Chapter Endings That Hook Readers: By Jenn WindrowHow to develop character wounds and misbeliefs: by Selene Grace SilverThe Vocabulary of Emotion: Five Ways to Convey Emotion in Fiction: By Susan FletcherHow to Use the Four Levels of Conflict to Strengthen Your Story: by Angela AckermanWriting Better Character Conflicts With the 5 Conflict Management Styles: by K.M. WeilandThe Power of Dialogue: More Than Just Spoken Words: by CS Lakin“Heed this advice!” she said desperately: by PJ ParrishEdgar Allen Poe’s Writing Tips: By B.K. StevensThree-Act Analysis of The Great Gatsby: by Gabriela PereiraThe Power of Why: By Kathleen McClearyPlay the Long Game: By Kathryn CraftMemoir On a Hill: Finding the Best Way to Tell the Story of America: By Jason MottThe Fastest, Most Reliable Way to Improve Your Writing Craft: by Jenny HansenPlot : Flatlands or Hill and Dale? by N.L. HolmesAffect vs Effect: The Difference Explained: by Millie DinsdalePruning the Problem Tree: By Juliet MarillierGetting Feedback On Your Writing: from MythcreantsA 5-Minute Fix for a Blah Scene: Creating Character-Driven Settings: Ask Your Characters, Not the Chatbots: by Jane K. ClelandWords With No Translations: By Arlene MillerThe tired Millennial’s guide to a few of the Cambridge Dictionary’s brand new words: By Brittany AllenCan AI Edit Your Book? from Fox Print EditorialWorking Writers: Nalini Jones on How Having a Day Job in Music Helped Her Write a Novel: https://lithub.com/working-writers-nalini-jones-on-how-having-a-day-job-in-music-helped-her-write-a-novel/

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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com

Sidekicks are important characters in cozy mysteries. They keep our sleuth from having a lot of interior monologue about suspects and motives, for one thing (which can get very boring to read).  But they play other big roles in our stories, too.

Give Them a Life Beyond the Sleuth

I’ve learned that the most memorable sidekicks have identities independent of the main character. In my Myrtle Clover series, I gave her sidekick, Miles, a job as a retired engineer, specific hobbies, and his own social connections. This approach brings fresh perspectives and storylines into the books. A sidekick who runs the local bakery brings completely different community insights than one who works at the historical society or retirement home.

Create Productive ContrastPair a cautious protagonist with an impulsive sidekick (Jane’s careful planning versus John’s spontaneous decisions)Match analytical thinking with intuitive hunchesBalance a rule-follower with a rule-bender (a sleuth who goes by the book working with someone who’ll peek through windows)Build in Useful Access

For me, sidekicks really shine when they open doors my sleuth can’t enter alone. Valuable sidekicks might be the neighbor who knows everyone’s business, the administrative assistant with access to private records, or the bartender who hears local secrets.

Allow for Growth and Surprise

Static sidekicks eventually become predictable. It’s worth giving your supporting characters their own arcs of discovery, challenge, and change across your series. It keeps things fresh for both you and your readers.

Balance Reliable Traits with Hidden Depths

Readers seem to appreciate characters with recognizable signatures—maybe it’s the sidekick’s catchphrase, collecting habit, or legendary baking skills. But let them also reveal surprising talents or unexpected vulnerabilities.

Which mystery sidekick has stayed with you? I was always partial to Poirot’s Captain Hastings. :)

Craft sidekicks who bring dimension, contrast, and essential narrative functions to your mysteries:
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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you’re there, check out the Writer’s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. Follow the WKB on Facebook here.

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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to shout about every new release. But I’ve learned that readers don’t follow books—they follow authors they like. When you focus on building yourself as a presence rather than pushing individual titles, every book you write benefits from the connections you’ve already made.

Build Relationships That Last Beyond One Release

When someone finds you because you shared something helpful or interesting, they discover your whole catalog. A reader looking for cozy mysteries who stumbles onto your blog post about small-town settings might browse your backlist and buy three books instead of just the new one. I like to think about promotion as introducing myself to potential readers rather than introducing one specific book. The relationships you build by being a consistent, helpful presence stick around between releases, which means readers are already waiting when your next book comes out.

Create Content That Keeps Working for You

Blog posts about writing, social media updates about your process, or discussions about topics you care about stay relevant a long time after you post them. Someone discovering that content six months from now might become a reader. Book-specific promotion, on the other hand, has a pretty short shelf life. After a few weeks, “Buy my new release!” posts feel stale, and the urgency is gone. But a post about how you approach plotting mysteries or what you love about your genre? That keeps working, bringing new readers to everything you’ve written.

Stand Out by Being More Than Buy Links

Every author has a new book at some point. What makes you memorable is offering something beyond announcements. When you share your perspective on craft, talk about books you love, or discuss topics related to your genre, you become someone worth following. I share writing tips because it’s genuinely helpful, but it also reminds people I exist and write books they might enjoy. Readers remember the author who taught them something or made them laugh, not the author who just posted cover reveals.

Make Everything Else Work Better

All your marketing gets easier when people already know and like you. Readers who follow you are more likely to preorder your next book, leave reviews, and tell their friends about you. Your newsletter gets better open rates when people actually want to hear from you instead of just tolerating release announcements. Social media posts get more engagement when you’ve built real connections. Everything compounds when you’ve invested time in being someone readers recognize and trust.

Build Something That Grows Over Time

Promoting individual books means starting fresh with each release. Promoting yourself as an author means every bit of effort adds to what you’ve already built. Each helpful post, every genuine interaction, and all the personality you share accumulates. Over time, readers start watching for your releases instead of discovering them by accident

How do you promote yourself as an author beyond just announcing new releases?

Author Branding: Build Connections to Benefit Everything You Write:
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by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

LitLinks are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 70,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers. While you’re there, check out the Writer’s Digest award-winning Hiveword novel organizer.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. Follow the WKB on Facebook here.

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Feature: A Capital Mystery – Ottawa’s First Mystery Anthology

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethspanncraig.com

Today I’m thrilled to feature something special from Mike Martin, a long-time supporter of this blog and author of the beloved Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. Mike has co-edited (with Bernadette Cox) A Capital Mystery, the first Ottawa mystery anthology sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada. This collection brings together 21 local writers who’ve created stories set in the darker corners of Canada’s beautiful capital city. I’m delighted to share Mike’s introduction to this exciting anthology.

A note about features: I’m opening up one free feature spot per month for blog friends who have a new release or special project they’d like to share. These features are first-come, first-served and available to writers who’ve been part of this blog community. If you’re interested in a future feature spot, feel free to reach out via the contact form on my website.

Mystery Stories from the Heart of Canada

by Mike Martin

If you ever visit Ottawa, the capital city of Canada you are likely to come away with pleasant thoughts about the Parliament Buildings or the scenic Rideau Canal. Few would be thinking about murder and mayhem and madness. But that is exactly what 21 local writers have on their mind in the first Ottawa mystery anthology, A Capital Mystery. Sponsored by Crime Writers of Canada it takes readers on a tour of the darker side of this beautiful city.

Inside the pages of A Capital Mystery, you can visit Orleans, or the Market or Little Italy or Strathcona Park. You can stroll along the Rideau River or go west to Barrhaven or south to Greely. Have supper at a cute little diner near Parliament Hill or maybe sneak back in time for a drink at the Chaud in Hull on the other side of the river. Take a tour of the Karsh exhibit at the Chateau Laurier and see the Winston Churchill portrait which is back on display after being brazenly stolen in broad daylight. Explore the sights and sounds of the city that the authors of this anthology love to call home.

Reviewer James Terry (The Reading Room) calls the book “a love letter to Ottawa and its surrounding landscapes.” He adds, “It’s the kind of collection that makes you pause mid-sentence and think, Wait… I know that corner. I’ve walked that street. That moment of recognition, that thrill of seeing your own city reflected in literature, is at the heart of this anthology’s magic.”

A Capital Mystery has received praise from many mystery writers including Louise Penny, Rick Mofina and Melodie Campbell who said:

“A Capital Mystery is As Canadian as…a Winter in Ottawa! From clever whodunits to edge of seat thrillers, this anthology covers all the bases. Ottawa takes the stage front and centre in twenty-one crime stories by seasoned writers and fresh new voices. A historical mystery places us deftly into 19th century Bytown. Blackmailers and burglars terrorize our current day capital, and even the weather has a part to play. I could feel the chill of Ottawa’s icy winter in the opening story by one of Canada’s master writers. From ‘Captain Canada,’ to ‘the nuclear option,’ there is truly something for everyone in an anthology as Canadian as…a winter in Ottawa!”

Join us on a murder mystery tour of Ottawa. We hope you enjoy your stay.

A Capital Mystery is published by Ottawa Press and Publishing and available all over the world on Amazon. 

Mike Martin is the Co-editor of A Capital Mystery, along with Bernadette Cox. He is also the author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.

 

21 writers explore the darker side of Canada's capital city. Co-edited by Mike Martin @mike54martin . #CanadianMystery #MysteryAnthology #CrimeWritersOfCanada @elizabethspanncraig.com
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