Frequently Asked Questions

Go to Author Portal → Resource Library to upload files the AI uses when building or improving your site. Supported formats include PDF, EPUB, DOCX, and TXT manuscripts, images (book cover, author photo, logo), and audio or video files. Free accounts get 50 MB of storage; Established Author gets 500 MB; Prolific Author gets 2 GB. Use clear filenames like cover.jpg, manuscript.pdf, or author-bio.docx so the AI can identify them correctly.

When pointing a domain to HostingAuthors through Cloudflare, set the DNS record to DNS only (grey cloud icon) — not proxied (orange cloud). Cloudflare proxying intercepts our SSL verification and prevents the domain from being confirmed. Switch to DNS-only mode, wait a few minutes for DNS to propagate, then click Verify in Author Portal → Custom Domain.

Yes. Every element of your book page — background colors, heading colors, call-to-action button color, font, hero image, and footer — is fully customizable. Open the AI Webmaster (Portal → AI) and ask it to change your colors, or type the name of a color scheme (e.g., "dark navy and gold"). You can also use it to swap your cover image, author photo, or background image from your Resource Library. Changes appear live immediately.

Yes, on the Established Author ($9/mo) or Prolific Author ($19/mo) plan you can point a custom domain to your book page. Add the domain in Author Portal → Custom Domain, create a CNAME DNS record with your registrar, then click Verify. SSL is issued automatically.

Yes. If you have a book on SelfPublishing.pro with the same email address, open the book editor in your Author Portal and click the Import tab. Select a book from the dropdown and click Import. Your title, description, author bio, ISBNs, retailer links, and cover image are copied over automatically. A confirmation prompt warns you before overwriting any existing data.

Yes. On paid plans you can enable a bookstore for each book and add products (ebook, paperback, audiobook, bundles). Buyers pay via PayPal, Authorize.net, or Stripe — configured per bookstore. You keep 100% of the sale price; HostingAuthors charges no per-transaction commission.

On paid plans, visitors can subscribe to your mailing list directly from your book page. Subscribers receive a confirmation email and are only added after they click the link. You can view, manually add, and export your subscriber list from the Author Portal.

Yes, blogging is available on the Prolific Author plan ($19/mo). Write and schedule posts in Author Portal → Blog. Your public blog appears at /blog/your-author-url. On the same plan you can also publish a podcast RSS feed (audio episodes) compatible with Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Yes. The Established Author plan supports up to 10 book pages and the Prolific Author plan supports unlimited book pages. Each book gets its own URL (e.g., hostingauthors.com/your-book-title). On paid plans, your other books are cross-linked on each book page so readers can discover your full catalog.

The Author Hub (available on paid plans) is a central profile page at hostingauthors.com/authors/your-name that showcases your bio, author photo, and links to all your books in one place. Individual book pages (hostingauthors.com/your-book-title) focus on a single title with its cover, description, reviews, and buy links. Think of the Hub as your author homepage and each book page as a dedicated sales page.

Yes. In the book editor (Author Portal → Book → Edit), select which retailers to display on your book page. Supported retailers include Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, eBookIt, and Goodreads. You can provide a specific URL for each retailer, or leave it blank to use a search link. You can also add a link directly to your HostingAuthors bookstore.

Yes. In Author Portal → Book → Reviews you can add reviews manually (reviewer name, rating, text, source, and optional URL) or import them directly from Goodreads in one click. Reviews appear in a dedicated section on your public book page and can be reordered or removed at any time.

Yes. Go to Author Portal → Book → Media to add links to articles, interviews, podcast appearances, TV/radio spots, or reviews. Each entry shows a title, type badge, and clickable link on your book page so visitors can explore your press history.

Yes. In Author Portal → Bookstore, open the discount codes section to create a promo code with a percentage off, an optional usage limit (or unlimited uses), and an optional expiry date. Shoppers enter the code at checkout and the discount is applied automatically.

Yes. You can choose annual billing when subscribing or upgrading. Established Author is $90/year (about $7.50/month — saving ~$18 vs monthly). Prolific Author is $190/year (about $15.83/month — saving ~$38 vs monthly). Annual plans renew automatically and follow the same cancellation policy as monthly plans.

Yes. In the AI chat (Portal → AI), type something like "build my website" and the AI will read your uploaded book cover and files (or scrape a URL you provide), generate your copy, choose colors from your cover, and create a hero image — all in one step. You can then ask it to adjust anything you want to change.

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are available via links in the site footer. The privacy policy explains what data we collect and how it is used. The terms cover author content responsibilities, subscriptions, and hosted pages.

Click Register (or sign in with Google) to create a free account. Then go to your Author Portal, click New Book, and fill in your title, cover, and description. Your book page is live immediately at hostingauthors.com/your-book-name. Upgrade your plan any time to unlock more features.

There are three plans. New Author is free and includes 1 book page. Established Author is $9/month and includes up to 10 book pages, a custom domain, author page, mailing list, and custom logo. Prolific Author is $19/month and adds unlimited book pages plus a blog and podcast feed.

AuthorPass is a benefit program from SelfPublishing.pro. If you have an active AuthorPass subscription there, you can activate a free Established Author plan on HostingAuthors using the same email address — no payment required. Look for the "Claim your benefit" link on your Author Portal dashboard.

Go to Author Portal → Subscription and click Cancel. Your paid features remain active until the end of the current billing period, then your account reverts to the free New Author plan. No refunds are issued for partial months.

HostingAuthors has been rebuilt on a modern platform with improved speed, cleaner architecture, and better SEO foundations.

The AI assistant (accessible at Author Portal → AI) is a built-in chat tool that can read and update your book page content, suggest improvements, help with bio copy, and answer questions about your site — all without leaving the portal. You can also tell it to "build my website" and it will automatically generate colors, copy, and images from your book cover or a URL you provide.

Better SEO helps authors get found more easily, present books more professionally, and build a stronger long-term online presence.