CREATE & SHARE YOUR
FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE 
IN 5 DAYS (OR FASTER)

& KICK THAT IMPOSTER SYNDROME TO THE CURB

This course is not open for enrollment

Writer, You Need a Website!

5 Days to Your First Author Website

Hey Writer,

I see you writing those stories, crafting those poems, creating that art your younger self wished existed.

You're building your body of work and dreaming of sharing it with the world.

You might still be afraid say it out loud, but you know you're a writer down to your bones.

You'll never stop writing.

So what are you waiting for?

It's time to start owning that identity:

WRITER.

As a budding author, you already know you'll eventually need a website.

Every famous writer you know has a website. The less famous ones do too.

Once you have that book deal, you'll definitely need a website.

Wait, wait, wait. Hold up a second.

Once you have a book deal?

Nope Nopity Nope Nope. Nope. That's entirely too late.

The best time to create your FIRST author website is as soon as you commit to writing towards publication.

If you already have even one poem, essay, or story published? Then you need a website now.

Here's what you might not have heard:

You DON'T need a book deal, a pile of cash, or a ton of technical know-how in order to create that FIRST author site.

In fact waiting for all of those things to appear is a mistake and a waste of time.

You need a framework, a realistic timeframe, and instruction you can follow on your schedule.

And that's exactly what you get with the course:

Writer, You Need a Website.

4 REASONS WRITERS PUT OFF CREATING THEIR FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITES

(and how you can beat that procrastination trap)

MINDSET
"I'm not far along enough in my career to justify having an author website."

Sound familiar?

The problem is that this sentiment has it backwards.

You don't need a book deal to have an author website.

You need to create a starter website in preparation for that book deal coming your way.

You're a writer.

You're already worthy of an author website.

OVERWHELM
& ANALYSIS PARALYSIS
"I don't know where to start."

The overwhelm is real when there are so many decisions to make:

* Where do I build my site?
* What do I include?
* How do I make it look good?
* How much tech do I need to know?

Skip analysis paralysis by following my proven First Author Website Framework and step-by-step 5 Day Roadmap.

Instead of getting stuck in indecision, you'll focus on what matters: executing each step, and getting your first author website off the ground fast.

TIME
"I don't have time for another thing. I should be writing."
I hear you. I should be writing too!

The good news?

Building your FIRST author website doesn't have to take months away from your writing time. 

You can build a simple and effective starter website in just a few days. 

After that, your site can grow and evolve organically alongside your writing career.

And since Writer, You Need a Website is completely self-paced, YOU get to fit the course into your life not the other way around.
MONEY
"I can't afford to hire someone to build me a site."

Save your money for submission fees.

It doesn't have to be expensive to create, host, and maintain your first author website.

Pick the right platform for the current state of your writing journey and you'll lock in long term savings.

You can even get started with a platform like Weebly for FREE.

Since your site will continue to evolve, you can invest more down the line to upgrade or spruce up your site.

WRITER, YOU NEED A WEBSITE:
5 DAYS TO YOUR FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE

is different than other website courses:

DESIGNED BY A WRITER FOR WRITERS

I'm not a web designer, I'm a writer. That means I know what writers need:
 
Time to write, money to support that writing time, and straightforward no no-nonsense instruction, so you can complete this project quickly and get back to writing.  

I’m not promising to custom design a website for you.

I’m giving you the tools to create a simple yet effective website for yourself, a solid foundation that you can build upon in the future on your own or in collaboration with a professional designer.

FOCUSED ON YOUR FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE

This course was designed specifically to help writers create that FIRST author website.

It helps you get out of your own way by breaking everything down into simple steps.

It empowers you with the fundamentals: the what, why, and how of building an author website.

And it inspires you to take this important writing career step even if you're not sure you're ready.

SELF-PACED + GROUP COACHING REPLAYS

You know your schedule best, so you can complete this self-guided course at your own pace. 

But you don't have to figure everything out on your own.

In addition to step-by-step guidance within the course, you'll have the chance to watch Li Yun coach other writers on their websites to get additional ideas and inspiration.


RESOURCES LIBRARY

Your FIRST author website is just the start.  

As your writing career evolves, so will your Author Website.

The Resources Library includes curated information to support your site's growth and evolution.

Your enthusiasm was infectious! You made me see how important it is to have an author website and how painless it is so create one. I was so impressed by your message that I made a one-page website later that day. Thanks for helping me defeat my impostor syndrome and get the first draft of the website out."

Lituo Huang,
author of This Long Clot of Love

If you write, you are a writer; you are investing in yourself as a writer. You need a website. This is the heart of the message Li Yun communicates and the greatest gift especially for those who the world might not be hearing from otherwise. Give yourself this gift. Attend her workshop. Plus, she makes building a website so simple all hurdles fall: time, ability, cost, confidence. I created mine the same day using a website creation tool that was new to me, one Li Yun demoed. In less than two hours, my author website was up and running."

TM Semrad,
Poet and Writer

I've taken everything I've learned from creating and maintaining my own author site and teaching and coaching other writers as they create and maintain their sites to bring you:

This course is not open for enrollment

Writer, You Need a Website!

5 Days to Your First Author Website

Your step-by-step guide to building your first author website quickly and painlessly.

In the self-guided course, you'll learn the strategies behind everything I teach, and, more importantly, you'll have a meticulous, step-by-step project plan to implement.

Plus you'll get access to Q&A Replays, and a Resources Library that will help you develop your website further over time.

You'll finally feel excited and motivated to complete this critical project that you've already put off for too long.

The end result:

Your FIRST Author Website AND the confidence to share that new URL far and wide.

You already know that these days authors have "platforms."

I bet that "p" word and the whole idea of marketing your art kind of makes your skin crawl.

You are a writer -- not a marketer or publicist.  

You're not focused on your "personal brand" or "doing it for the gram."  

You want to write, not spend your writing time promoting yourself and your work on the internet, even if everyone says that's how it's done.  

Well here's what folks aren't telling you:

Creating your first author website isn't primarily about building up your author "platform." 

(that's just a useful side benefit). 

 Creating your first author website is about:

CLAIMING YOUR WRITER IDENTITY
&
TAKING CONTROL OF HOW YOU TELL YOUR WRITER STORY TO THE WORLD.

At least that's how you'll learn to approach creating your first author site if you enroll in Writer, You Need a Website. 

 This course doesn't just teach you how to create a website, it also invites you to reflect on why and for whom you write.

Using that deeper understanding, you'll craft a site aligned with who you are and want to be as a writer.

Being tapped into your writer "why" will help you kick imposter syndrome to the curb and own it already:

YOU ARE A WRITER.  

Plus the minute you share your author website you'll feel even more legit than you did just a few days before when you were a writer without a website.

That confidence alone will snowball into other areas of your writing life.  

And as your career and website evolve alongside each other, you'll benefit from ongoing access to the Writer, You Nee a Website resources library for growth and advanced tools.

Li Yun Alvarado's course, You Need a Website, is a game changer. In the year (2020) of confusion, cloudy thinking, terror, rage and lethargy, Li Yun's course gave me direction, purpose, permission to fail, AND permission to succeed at some small things, while all the big things fell to shit around me.

When I listened to her, I said very emphatically, "I don't want to do this."

The questions she poses before you even start were the game changers for me. They asked me to claim my life as a writer. I had published, written a dissertation, and just submitted my novel after several revisions to my agent in August of 2020 and I was STILL having difficulty laying claim to this life, this title. 

Li Yun's advice to do it as a first draft, knowing all the while that the website would change over time, gave me the push I needed. The five questions gave me access to the deeper reasons this would be so important.

After years of hesitation, I made my website in less than a week. I went with simple, and very purposefully rough draft, with the understanding that it could not be more "rough draft" than what I had online at that point: Facebook and Instagram. I published it. I shared it as per her instructions.

Within a week I was doing a Zoom reading and someone asked for my website to post on the promotions, I would have been the only writer without one, had I not done the course!

The fall of 2020 into the spring of 2021 turned into one of the biggest transitions of my writing life as my novel made the rounds at editorial houses and an excerpt was published in an online journal, and all of it led readers to my website. It became a place editors, producers and readers went to get to know me, and some even mentioned things they saw there in our meetings. I received an email to submit work through the website.

Now, I finally understood why "I Needed a Website." It became an archive, a flag planted in the ground of my writing life, and a central location where I could direct the narrative about myself and my writing.

Thank you Li Yun for taking the time and energy to apply your depth of wisdom and intelligence to this course and sharing it.

Every writer needs a website, but before you hire someone to make it, take this course so you understand from the inside out why you need it in the first place and what it should help you feel, think and say about yourself and your writing."

Melissa Coss Aquino
author of Carmen and Grace

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

THE WHAT

the many purposes your website serves & how your site can help you further your author goals -- at any stage of your career.

THE WHY

the reasons ALL writers need a website -- the earlier in their careers the better.

THE HOW
the First Author Website Framework outlines exactly what to include in your first website, and the Five Day Roadmap guides you step-by-step on creating that first site.
THE WHAT'S NEXT

the various ways in which your Author Website can evolve alongside your writing career.

Creating your FIRST Author Website can be:

QUICK

Follow The First Author Website Framework and The 5 Day Roadmap your FIRST Author Website will be up and ready to share in 5 Days or Faster.

EASY

The First Author Website Framework outlines exactly what to include on your website. Plus, bonus step-by-step video tutorials* guide you through the technical side of building the site on the recommended platform: Weebly.

*Video tutorials are accurate as of 2020-21. While the technology might continue to develop, the framework itself can adapt to any platform or Weebly updates.

INEXPENSIVE

How does FREE sound?

If you choose to go with Weebly, you'll learn how to get started with a completely FREE account.

Then, when you're ready, you can invest further to add your own domain and to remove ads from your site. (You would pay fees directly to your provider / platform of choice).

Before I started Li Yun’s course, I had a million reasons why I couldn’t finish my barely started website from at least 6 years ago.  Li Yun’s practical, easy approach and the constant reminder that “it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be up” helped me bust through my blocks and finally get momentum!  A few days after the course I had a working draft up, and a few weeks later I’ve refined it and am so proud of my new site and how it represents my artistry to the world! 

Shyamala Moorty,
director of award-winning film, How Do You Fall Out of Love with Country Music

This course is not open for enrollment

Writer, You Need a Website!

5 Days to Your First Author Website

Here's how the course lessons break down:

WELCOME Writer

PRELIMINARY STEPS

Day 1

WHAT, WHY, & HOW OF YOUR FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE

Day 2

FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE FRAMEWORK

Day 3

BUILD YOUR SITE

Day 4

DOMAIN NAME

DAY 5
SHARE, CELEBRATE & NEXT STEPS

So you feel fully supported, you'll also get access to:

BONUS 1

Q&A REPLAYS

BONUS 2

SITE GROWTH
RESOURCES LIBRARY

BONUS 3

ADVANCED TOOLS RESOURCES LIBRARY

Imagine what it would feel like if you had...

  • A clearly defined and achievable goal (your first author website) that instantly increases your writer credibility -- for yourself and for the outside world.
  • A self-guided course with a manageable project timeline that included quick wins along the way.
  • A step-by-step framework and 5 day roadmap that took out all of the guess-work.
  • Budget conscious solutions to getting your first author site off the ground.

That's exactly what you get with

WRITER, YOU NEED A WEBSITE:
5 DAYS TO YOUR FIRST AUTHOR WEBSITE

WHEN YOU ADD IT ALL UP THAT'S A TOTAL VALUE OF OVER $750

(A ridiculously low investment when you consider it would cost you thousands to hire a designer).

Plus, you don't have to figure any of this out by yourself.

Hi! I'm Li Yun Alvarado and I teach writers how to create and launch their First Author Websites. I'm also a poet, parent and Puerto Rican, WEPA! I created my own website over a decade ago and have maintained while continuing to write poems, perform, teach, get a PhD, mother, and do all the things (but never all at once).

My You Need a Website students have watched The Workshop, followed the steps outlined in The 5 Day Roadmap, and built their sites -- without breaking the bank -- in 5 days or faster. Enroll in the course and I'll share the mindset shifts, the concrete steps, and the future potential for your first author website. I also host Live Q & A's at least once a year, that all students can attend to have their questions answered.

30 Day Money-Back Guarantee


I know WRITER, YOU NEED A WEBSITE works because I've seen my students go from nothing to a website in days after following the Five Day Roadmap and implementing the First Author Website Framework.

I'll give you a FULL 30 Days to work through the course and build your First Author Website. If you are in any way unsatisfied with your investment in those 30 days, you can request a refund (minus a small processing fee) by contacting me at 
liyun [at] liyunalvarado [. ]com

This program is for you if:

  • You're a writer with plans to share your work through publication and/or performance.
  •  You know you need a website, but keep putting off building yours.
  • You're in search of a simple guide to cut through the analysis paralysis, so you can get this done and get back to writing.
  • You're ready to set aside time to execute what you learn in the program.
  • You're ready to own your writer identity and want to take charge of your Writer Story.
  • You have a website but have no idea how to update it or don't really know what purpose the site should serve beyond existing, and could use some guidance on how to think about the what and why of your author website.

This program is not for you if:

  • You have not published/performed any work and are not actively submitting. If you are just dipping your toes into writing, investing in a writing course or workshop might make more sense at this stage. Once you are ready to start submitting regularly (and definitely as soon as your work is accepted for publication if not before), you'll want to get your site up and running.
  • You want one-on-one attention or feedback on your site. This is self-guided course, so you will NOT have access to one-on-one feedback.
  • You're 100% sure you want to build your site using wordpress [dot] org. This option requires a little more technical know how which I DO NOT cover in this course.
  • You have a book coming out in the next 6 months. If you have a book coming out in the next 6-12 months, I recommend hiring someone to build your site if you're able to. Since you'll have a lot going on as you approach pub day, taking this project off your plate can be a lifesaver. If you absolutely cannot afford a designer at this time, this course will help you bang out a solid basic site fast.

More student love:

"I got my money's worth in Li Yun's answers to my many questions. I had already invested in designing and getting a website ready, but didn't really know how to  make  the  most of it. Li Yun answered all my questions, generously providing resources, links, tips, and advice how to improve my existing page. I'm more than happy with the class. This is my second class with Li Yun, and I am almost  sure I will continue to learn from her whenever she comes up with another useful course. I highly recommend Li Yun's courses."

"More great concrete info. I really appreciate the breakdown of website requirements, based on how much work you have produced."

"This was really excellent and gave me a lot to think about around my website.'

"Very practical and awesome advice for people at any stage of their writing."

"This was great - delivered what it promised and was fun and engaging to attend."

"Great. She made websites sound necessary and doable."

This course is not open for enrollment

Writer, You Need a Website!

5 Days to Your First Author Website

F.A.Q.

Questions people asked before saying: "Oh yeah! I need Writer, You Need a Website!"

IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME?

Check out the flowchart below. If it says you need a website or that you might need a website, you can benefit from taking this course.

If you haven’t published yet, I would suggest investing your time in writing, writing, writing, and investing your money in classes, workshops, books, and in other activities that will help you improve your writing craft and professional development. Once you’re writing, revising, and submitting regularly, then you can think about that first author website!

Yes! This course is made for you! Most writers wait too long before creating an author website. If you have a publication and plan to keep writing, revising, submitting, and getting published, then you need a website and the time is NOW.

This course will be retired on DECEMBER 31, 2024.

If you cannot complete the course by then, do not enroll.

This online course is completely self-paced. When you enroll, you'll get access to all the materials until December 31, 2024. You can work through the materials at your convenience until the course expires on December 31, 2024.

The only live portion of the course is one Live Q&A in the fall. If you cannot attend live, you will have access to the replay.  

It depends. This course really focuses on First Author Websites and keeping things super simple.

I think any author who wants to think strategically about their author website will find value in this course and in my “First Author Website Framework.” You'll also have access to a resource library full of insights on site growth and advanced tools. I'm also happy to discuss advanced strategies during the Live Q & A.  

All that being said, the course might feel too basic for those who have been managing their own websites for a while.  

If you’re still unsure if this course is a good fit, send me an email and tell me a little more about your particular situation, that way I can address your specific concerns to help you decide what might work best for you.  

Contact me at: liyun [at] liyunalvarado [.] com

It depends, but probably not.  

Wordpress.org sites give you maximum control over your site and allow you to customize it to suit all of your needs.

That being said, there can be a steep learning curve, and you’ll have to make decisions about web-hosting and other “back end” issues that are beyond the scope of this program. If you know you want to use Wordpress.org, a different course is probably a better match for you.  

I will demonstrate how to build a FREE author website on Weebly, and will also discuss similar platforms like Squarespace, Wix and Wordpress.com (different from .org).

Mosyt of the information I apply using Weebly can easily be applied on these other platforms. In addition, the framework for building your first author website can be applied even if you’re using Wordpress.org.

COURSE LOGISTICS

Below you'll find a preview of the Course Curriculum. The heart of the program is the 5 Day Roadmap which will give you a step-by-step guide to building your site.

COURSE CURRICULUM

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

I’m not a web designer. I’m not promising to custom design a website for you.

I’m giving you the tools to create a simple yet effective website for yourself. Your FIRST Author Website will not have all the bells and whistles great designers can give you, but I believe your FIRST Author Website does not need those bells and whistles.

Your FIRST website's job is to establish your presence online. It serves as a good looking, straightforward cornerstone for your author platform.

I believe that authors who are just starting out should create their own websites, so they have control of their content and are able to update their sites easily. Authors should know how to update their site with each new publication, appearance, contribution to their literary community, etc., quickly and with ease. Unless a designer teaches you to update your site, you’re stuck the minute your next publication is available. Even when designers do teach you to make simple updates, if you get stuck, you might still need to re-hire them to consult.

Also writers who are just starting out usually don’t have hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend on a website design. That money is better spent on submission fees or on a course like this one.

My approach is to have you invest today in learning how to build and maintain your author website yourself and when you’re more established and have a clearer vision of your writing career and the website you need to match it, then you can reevaluate and choose to pay a designer.

Since I will no longer update the tech tutorials (last updated in 2020-21), I am able to offer the meat of the course at a deep discount.

You’re right! You can use the internet to find most of what I will teach in the Writer, You Need a Website.

What I’m saving you is time. What I’m giving you is a step by step framework. 

If you want to spend your writing time looking up all this stuff, then go for it.

(Some examples of info you’ll probably want to research: What do I need to include on my First Author Website? What platform should I use to build my site? What is a back end, and how do I manage it? When do I need a privacy policy? When do I need a Terms of Service? What kind of contact form should I use? Do I need to blog? What’s the best number of menu items? What the heck is SEO and GDRP and why does any of it matter for me — or not?).

It’s your time and I fully support you spending it any way you choose. If you’d prefer to spend your time implementing a quick and easy step-by-step framework that will get your site up and running in a five days or faster, so you can get back to writing, revising, and submitting, then enroll today!

There are no hidden fees that you will have to pay me, but, depending on where you are in your author journey, you may want to make some additional investments during the workshop or shortly after. 

For example, I will teach you how to build a completely FREE website, but the domain name will be a subdomain (ie www [.] liyunalvarado [.] weebly [.] com). You'll eventually want to invest in your own domain name.

Over time, you'll likely want to invest money into your site in other ways:
* Professional photos
* Paid Apps / Plugins
* Advanced Hosting Options
* Email Service Provider
* Consultation with a Web Designer / Branding Expert

Those are costs that might come down the line, but these are not investments you must make right now.

I offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. My guarantee is that if you follow the 5 Day Roadmap and implement the First Author Website Framework, you will be able to create your First Author Website.

If you are not ready to take action within the next 30 Days, then this program is probably not right for you at this time.

If you are in any way unsatisfied with your investment, you have 30 days from the date of your purchase to request a refund minus a small processing fee by emailing liyun [@] liyunalvarado [.] com.

Please include the following information:

Subject line: YNAW Refund
Body of the email:
- Your Full Name
- Email address used to purchase the program
- Optional: Reason for Refund Request

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Li Yun Alvarado

Poet, Parent, Puerto Rican! ¡Wepa!

Li Yun helps writers like you get intentional about crafting a writing life you love and an author platform that will help you reach your big, dreamy, knock it out of the park writer goals.

Through her writing, advocacy, and teaching, she also strives to amplify Puerto Rican and other underrepresented voices while supporting aspiring and emerging writers -- especially women writers of color.

She is the author of the chapbook Words or Water (2016) and her poems and essays have appeared in several journals and anthologies including: Raising Mothers; Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education; VIDA Review; Aster(ix); CURA: A Literary Magazine of Art and Action; L.A. Parent; The Acentos Review; PALABRA, A Magazine of Chicano and Latino Literary Art; and Modern Haiku, among others. 

She has served as the Senior Poetry Editor for Kweli Journal and is a member or alumna of Women Who Submit, VONA/Voices Writing Workshop, and AROHO. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Fordham University and a B.A. in Spanish and in sociology from Yale University. 

Li Yun is a native New Yorker living in California who takes frequent trips to Salinas, Puerto Rico to visit la familia.

Visit www.liyunalvarado.com to learn more.

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