Investing in technological growth. Unveiling our new Author Hub and website

October 2023 sees the launch of Troubador Publishing's new Author Hub and website, the culmination of a £50k investment designed to simplify and enhance our authors' online experience. Custom-designed and -built, the new Hub and website are created with customer experience at the core. The existing website and current author centre will be replaced by the new Hub and website on October 2nd. Here we describe some of the new features and also look at how the switch might impact you as a user.

Elevating the author experience: Key features and advantages of the Author Hub

Empowering resources: A comprehensive resource and education section specifically designed to support an author's publication journey. This includes searchable FAQS and downloadable guides. Royalty Insights: There has been a redesign of the royalty, sales and stock information for our authors' titles; this now collates all formats (print, audio, ebook), plus gives easier access to historical royalty statements and downloads and a clearer layout. Author profile pages: A personalised and customisable author profile page linking directly to the shopfront for an author's books and allowing them to link multiple books and formats on one 'author page'. Seamless collaboration: Tailored online author experience to foster smoother collaboration with the Troubador team in alignment with the ethos that is at the heart of working with us. Individualised author pages that include a staff directory of the team working on a book and easy ways to contact them. Bespoke: Access to individualised offers and advice, accessed via the Author Hub. Effortless transactions: Secure and quick online payments via the portal to simplify payments. Marketing materials: A dedicated area to order and pay for marketing materials to support an author's own marketing. Helpful answers to common questions: Easy to access and searchable FAQs – so users can find answers to any publishing questions quickly. Intuitive navigation: A simple-to-use interface for seamless navigation – plus enhanced back-end functionality to ensure the new Hub and website are easily accessed on mobile, tablet or desktop. The platform is bespoke and has been built from the ground up using custom code by Troubador's web development partner.

An all-encompassing platform

In addition to the Hub, the new website offers enhanced bookshop recommendations and offers – allowing increased discoverability of books by readers and browsers. Plus an information-rich resource centre offers valuable downloads encompassing essential self-publishing guides, distribution insights, audiobook information and marketing ideas for anyone exploring the self-publishing route. The resource centre is constantly updated by Troubador staff, with handy guides, articles and events added monthly.

A commitment to progress and excellence

The Author Hub and website have been in development since January 2023 and are part of our ongoing commitment to development and growth. Managing Director Jeremy Thompson says: 'The launch of the Author Hub and website is the culmination of 9 months' work, designing, building and testing. The intuitive and friendly interface will transform how our authors collaborate with our talented team and further empower those who publish with Troubador. It continues our dedication to exceptional customer service, an integral part of our company DNA.'

What does this mean for you?

On September 30th, our existing website and author centre will be switched to the new look Author Hub and website. Current authors will be contacted directly with more specific information about any actions they may need to take once the new website is live. While the transfer is underway, you will see a 'we are undergoing maintenance' screen on both the website and author centre. While that screen is visible it will not be possible to access the website, order books or log in. The maintenance screens will be removed as soon we have run extensive tests at which point the website and hub will be fully available again. We are very excited about the launch of our new Author Hub and website and can't wait for it to go fully live so you can explore all the benefits it offers. In the meantime, you can take an advanced look at the new functionalities here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCCK5C5jRv8 in this short video.