The Author's Edge: Issue 5
Give Your Website a Book Menu: Turn One Book Into a Collection of Solutions
Visit most author websites and you will find the same thing: a book cover, a description, and a "Buy Now" button. That setup asks the visitor to make a single decision: do I want this book, yes or no?
That is the wrong question. A better question is: which part of this book is relevant to me right now?
A book menu is a one-page section on your website that lists every chapter of your book with a short, benefit-driven description next to each one. Think of it like a restaurant menu. Nobody walks in and orders "food." They scan the options, find what appeals to them, and choose. Your book should work the same way.
This works for two reasons. First, it turns your book from a single product into a collection of solutions. A visitor who might not buy "a book about leadership" will absolutely click on a chapter called "How to Rebuild Trust After a Team Failure." Second, it gives you permanent, searchable content on your website. Each chapter description becomes a mini landing page that search engines can index and readers can find through Google.
Most authors never show their table of contents publicly. That is a missed opportunity. Your chapter titles are selling points. Put them to work on your website where every visitor can see them.
Let's look at how two very different authors would run this exact play.
How a business author would run it: Keith Keating
Dr. Keith Keating is a Chief Learning and Talent Officer with over 20 years of experience partnering with Fortune 500 companies. His book, Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning, is the follow-up to his award-winning The Trusted Learning Advisor. It gives learning, talent, and HR leaders a blueprint for proving that what they do drives real business value, not by defending training budgets, but by learning to seek, create, measure, and communicate impact in language executives respect.
Keith's book is built for a book menu. Each chapter tackles a specific challenge L&D and HR leaders face daily: repositioning learning from a cost center to a value driver, building a genuine partnership with the CFO, measuring outcomes beyond ROI, using the Value Creation Compass to align learning with how the business already defines success, and telling the story of that value so leadership actually listens.
A book menu on Keith's website would list each chapter with a one-line description that speaks straight to his reader's daily work. For example:
Chapter on the value economy: “Why the future of work is shifting from what your people know to the value they create, and how to lead that shift.”
Chapter on the L&D-CFO partnership: “How to turn your finance leader from a budget gatekeeper into your strongest ally.”
Chapter on the Value Creation Compass: “A framework for measuring learning's impact in the exact terms your executives already care about.”
Chapter on communicating value: “How to translate training outcomes into business results the C-suite cannot ignore.”
An HR director browsing Keith's site does not need to buy the whole book to know it is relevant. They scan the menu, find three chapters that match the pressure they are under this quarter, and the purchase decision is already made. The menu also arms Keith for every conversation. Instead of “Check out my book,” he can say “Read the chapter on measuring value. It answers the exact ROI question your CFO keeps asking.” That specificity closes sales.
How a wellness author would run it: Jenn Trepeck
Jenn Trepeck is a health and lifestyle coach and the host of the podcast Salad With a Side of Fries. Her book, Uncomplicating Wellness: Ditch the Rules. Quiet the Noise. Reclaim Your Life., is a refreshingly candid, science-grounded answer to a wellness industry she says is off the rails, selling noise, perfectionism, and shame disguised as health. Her promise is simple: you are not lazy, failing, or broken, and you can have your health and eat the fries too.
Jenn's book is a natural fit for a book menu, but for a different reason than Keith's. Her chapters are not organized by corporate skills. They are organized by the everyday questions that keep people stuck: what to actually eat, why willpower is not the problem, how stress and sleep quietly run the show, and how to rebuild trust with a body you have spent years fighting.
A book menu on Jenn's website would let visitors browse those chapters like a set of honest answers to the questions they are already Googling. Each one becomes an invitation:
Chapter on biostacking: “Why the foundation of your health, your food, sleep, movement, and stress, matters more than any supplement or cold plunge.”
Chapter on stress: “Stress Is a Killer: how the pressure you have normalized is quietly undoing everything else you are doing for your health.”
Chapter on food confusion: “Protein, fiber, and the food marketing that keeps you second-guessing every meal.”
Chapter on body trust: “How to stop following someone else's rules and start hearing what your own body is telling you.”
A visitor exploring Jenn's site does not need to commit to the whole book upfront. They find the chapter that names exactly where they are stuck right now, and that immediate relevance drives the purchase. It also gives Jenn a tool for her coaching and her podcast audience. She can point a specific listener to a specific chapter and link straight to it. The book menu turns one book into a personalized starting point for wherever someone happens to be on their health journey.
Same concept. Completely different world. Both effective.
Your 15-Minute Action Step
Set a timer. This should take you no more than 15 minutes.
1. Open your book's table of contents. List every chapter title in a simple document.
2. Next to each chapter title, write one benefit-driven sentence. Answer the question: "What will the reader be able to do, understand, or feel after reading this chapter?" Keep it under 20 words.
3. Group your chapters into 2 to 4 sections if they do not already have a natural grouping. Use section headers that describe the transformation, not the topic. "Building Your Foundation" is stronger than "Part One."
4. Format it as a simple page. Chapter title in bold, one-line description below it. No images needed. No fancy design. Just clear, scannable text that lets the visitor self-select.
5. Add it to your website. If you use WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix, create a new page called "What Is Inside" or "Explore the Book" and paste your formatted list. Link it from your book's main page. If you do not manage your own website, send the finished text to your web designer today with a note: "Please add this as a new page linked from the book page."
Swipe File
Book menu page title options:
"What Is Inside [Book Title]"
"Your Guide to [Book Title]"
"Every Chapter at a Glance"
"Find the Chapter You Need Right Now"
Chapter description templates:
"Learn how to [specific skill] so you can [specific outcome]."
"Discover why [common assumption] is wrong and what to do instead."
"A step-by-step guide to [specific process], with real examples you can follow."
"The [framework/story] that changed how I approach [topic]."
Page layout structure:
Page title: "What Is Inside [Book Title]"
Brief intro (2 to 3 sentences): "This book is organized into [number] chapters, each designed to help you [core promise]. Here is what you will find inside."
Chapter listing: bold chapter title plus one-line benefit description for each
Closing CTA: "Ready to dive in?" with a buy button or link
Optional: add a "Start Here" recommendation for visitors who do not know which chapter to read first
Website platforms with easy page builders:
WordPress: use Elementor or the block editor for drag-and-drop layout
Squarespace: built-in page builder with clean, modern templates
Wix: visual editor, easy for non-technical users
Carrd: single-page site builder, perfect for a standalone book menu page at minimal cost
This is Issue #5 of The Author's Edge, our weekly newsletter for authors who want their book to do real work instead of gathering dust. Every issue gives you one tactic and a 15-minute action step. Want each new issue, plus a community of published authors to trade launch support and cross-promotion with? Join the free Jetlaunch Author Network at jetlaunch.net/network.
