When my brothers and I decided to self-publish our debut novel, The Battle for Christmas: Reign of the Nutcrackers, we quickly realized we needed more than just a great story. Like any developer, I knew we needed a site to connect people, especially when the book wasn't available yet. But, as both the authors and the marketing team, we were stretched thin and had to make smart decisions about how to spend our time.
For someone like me—who enjoys playing with tech and trying new things—the decision to use a pre-built platform like Kit wasn’t easy. I really, really wanted to stand up an Astro site. But as first-time co-authors juggling writing and marketing, life quickly threw us some curveballs.
Between last-minute setbacks and unforeseen challenges, the decision to use Kit (formerly Convert Kit) for our website felt like the best one we made. It saved us time, stress, and ultimately, our sanity.
What We Needed in a Website
From the start, we had a clear list of priorities:
- Build a Connection: We wanted a space to collect emails to notify potential readers when we went live and about potential sequels.
- Highlight the Book: The site needed a clean, polished way to showcase the synopsis, themes, and buy links.
- Be Easy to Manage: With everything else on our plates, the website had to be simple to set up and maintain. My brothers and I have varying degrees of technical expertise, but it was important that all of us could easily make updates without extensive training.
Initially, I had planned to build the site from scratch. I've been itching to build an Astro site for a while, and this felt like the perfect opportunity. Astro’s speed and flexibility seemed perfect for building a simple, lightweight, high-performing site. But as the realities of self-publishing set in, it became clear I didn’t have the time to make that happen.
The Realities of Self-Publishing
Every indie author will tell you the road to publishing is full of surprises. Here are just a few of the setbacks we faced:
- Our Editor Fell Through: At the last minute, I had to step in and edit the manuscript myself—thankfully, my MA in English helped!
- Trademark Issues: We discovered late in the process that some elements of the book conflicted with existing trademarks, requiring last-minute changes.
- Cover Art Redo: The cover art we received wasn’t what we hoped for, so we had to roll up our sleeves and create it ourselves.
- Amazon Glitches: Twice, Amazon glitched and removed the ability to buy copies of the book, which required us to scramble to fix the issue.
Each of these challenges pulled time and energy away from other parts of the process. I know now that I probably could have rolled out the site, but it wouldn't be the quality that I had dreamed of.
Why Kit Was the Right Choice
Kit became our lifesaver for a few key reasons:
- Pre-Built Templates: Kit’s templates meant I didn’t have to worry about design or coding and I could functional site live in hours. (I am not a designer, and I notoriously spend wayyyy too much time even creating slides for my talks.)
- Integrated Features: Email sign-up forms, SEO, and other things were already built in, letting me focus on content rather than configuration.
- Time-Saving: With everything else demanding our attention, having a platform that worked right out of the box allowed me to spend time on things that absolutely needed my attention.
- Multiple Custom Domains: We were able to use two custom domains for the site, and it was quick and easy for my brother to set up.
What I Learned
As much as I love building things from scratch, sometimes the best tool is the one that lets you focus on what matters most. I put my energy where it was needed—on editing, marketing, and managing the unpredictable hiccups of publishing.
For anyone juggling creative and technical roles, it’s okay to choose a tool that gets the job done quickly and efficiently. Perfection isn’t the goal—connecting with your audience is.
A Christmas Adventure Awaits!
Making that decision let us channel our energy into creating a story that we’re so proud to share.
The Battle for Christmas: Reign of the Nutcrackers is a story about courage, family, and the light that shines brightest in the darkest times. Tim, our 13-year-old hero, faces an army of nutcrackers he helped create, discovering that even in the face of darkness, hope and bravery can prevail.
If you want to check it out, or to sign-up to receive notifications about what we're writing next, check out siblingswrite.com.
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