This is a question more than an actual post.
I've been thinking lately about what would be necessary in an author site. In part, this is because I am designing one for my sister-in-law, whose non-fiction book on wedding etiquette comes out in February. (Just in time for those planning summer weddings.) Why is it so much easier to concentrate on other people's work than your own?
But still, even though non-fiction sites are very different from fiction ones, putting hers together has me thinking about my own. What's necessary in an author site? A couple of things she and I discussed (and this assumes it's your first book; if you have more books, you'll want the front page to reflect that):
About the book:
- media and reviews
- a buy it now link
- excerpts (should these be in the media section?)
About the author:
- bio
- contact information
- schedule/appearances
Blog, if you have one. (And it's easy enough to put a link to a group blog, if that's what you participate in. And if you only want your blog link to go to *your* posts, that's fairly easy, too.)
How about you guys? What do you think a site should have or should not have?
Friday, September 28, 2007
Author Site
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7 comments:
I'm not going to be much help but to note that I have seen that as authors move from unpublished to published, their websites narrow down sharply and focus on providing basic information about the book and a brief bio.
Robert Dugoni seems to have such a site, for instance,
The only author I have found who had a blog is George Pelicanos. But he seems to have stopped blogging in 2006.
Probably, this is a calculation. Blogs are fun but the more stuff you put out, the more chance you have of stepping in it.
Today, I had some fun at Tom Cruise's expense. If I had a book out, then I would probably lose all of Tom Cruises fans. You could probably put innocuous blog entries up, but then, who'd want to read them?
So this is one of those weird issues in publishing. You're told blogs are important, but then no author maintains one. So how important can it be?
Yes, sadly, I will probably take down my personal blog once I am published for exactly that reason. Actually, for that reason and because it is *too* personal! There is something about a reader, a reader of your book, that puts them in an odd space--not quite friends, but not quite strangers, either. Friends and strangers can read about my medical issues, my pet peeves, etc. Those weird, nebulous, in-between people, I am not so comfortable with. Plus, I tend to get political on my blog, which would not be good at all for my book sales!
Most of the authors whose blogs I read maintain blogs like this one, where they can be in groups and don't feel the pressure to post so often. The Cozy Chicks, The Lipstick Chronicles, Poe's Deadly Daughters...you see where I am going with that! The few I know who do try to maintain their own often end up not posting enough.
I think you've hit on the important stuff for an author's website. But I've seen a few very cool mini-videos (I suppose they're Flash videos) on book-specific sites...as if the story has been partially filmed...and when these are well done they take a visitor right into the world of the book. Also...again on book sites (or on an author site when you're author of a particular series) there's the idea that I blogged about (Potter Fans Make Creative Use of Wikipedia) that some of your site content could serve to explain features of the series world. Site pages would link from one feature definition to the next. This would be especially nifty for fantasy, but I think any series could make use of it.
I think a bit of insihgt inot the author's mindset would be nice.
Whay made them write this boook?
How long did they work on it?
Where did the original idea spring from?
I think most readers would find this kind of information fun and intriguing.
Once published, you'll want to also include things like downloadable files of the cover and author pics, as well as press kits for both media and bookstores. This is very helpful for promotional purposes. I provide a large and small downloadable file for each depending on their need.
I maintain a traditional author site (www.feliciadonovan) as well as a site specific to THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY series and its characters (www.blackwidowagency.com). This may seem like a lot of work, but I think it's important for branding and marketing's sake (and it's a lot of fun). Because the four female characters in BWA are so distinct and humorous, they lend themselves well to having their own site and their own separate blog.
Hope this helps,
Felicia Donovan
Thanks, Felicia! I never would have thought of the press kit stuff.
Be sure to proofread the site.
I should have followed that advice before hitting enter on that last comment.
Keyboards are not my friend.
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