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

October 2023 saw 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. 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.'