Wednesday’s promoting tip for authors

For over a decade, one of my favorite authors has been Harry Beckwith. Quality content–in terms of conciseness and relevance–and quality design characterize his books. Harry’s books are “evergreen” in that they are consistent sellers. A year after the first appearance of You, Inc., which Harry co-authored with his wife, Christine Beckwith, the book is still displayed face-out at Barnes & Noble, a testament to its continuing strong sales.

When I recently revisited Harry Beckwith’s website, I was pleased by the design restraint which reflected the strong, but tasteful, image projected by his books. In a environment of cacaphony and “me to” attention-grabbing, his website’s image stands apart and pre-sells the site’s contents. Note that the dominant visual on each page of his website is the banner, with its simple message of his last name and the covers of his four books.

Note the colors chosen for the banner, shown above, which not only complements the book covers, but shares a “family look” of richness and quality. Note, also, the consistent use of reversed white text on his book covers and on his website.

At the right, under the “latest news” subhead, notice the tasteful proof of his firm’s competence:

19 clients make Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list, including three on the World Top 15 List: ADP, Progressive, Wells Fargo, Northern Trust, Target, Sysco, McKesson, DuPont, Merck, Eli Lilly, Accenture, Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, EDS, 3M, Medtronic and Medco.

Six clients ranked among world’s 22 most valuable brands by Interbrand: Microsoft, IBM, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Gillette, and Merrill Lynch.

Great positioning; it communicates specifics without brag or boast, reinforcing his firm’s image without over-selling. From both content and design perspectives, it’s a great standard to compare your website to.

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What’s your impression of Harry Beckwith’s website? Comment, below! Are there any other author’s websites you would like me to comment on in future posts?

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