Best author web pages

[Nateskate]

Eventually if you get published, you'll have to face the question about web pages. I always thought this would be my problem alone, not realizing the Publisher takes an active role (at least in my case).

They've talked about layout and such, and sent links to their suggestions.

1) Now here's my question, who has the best author web sites you've seen?

2) What do you like about the format

3) What kinds of formats do you dislike? Flash/scrolling/whatever?

It would be great if you can add a link as well.

Also, feel free to link your own websites to this thread and if you're willing, explain why you went with a specific kind of format. Much appreciated.

Nate

[Garpy]

Well since you ask....Linky (http://www.scarrow.co.uk/)

A simple portal leading to a fan forum, an online shop, and a peer-review site for aspiring writers, all linked by a visual theme. Simple...not too flashy.

[JamieFord]

This one is quirky and original: http://www.noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/

And this is one of the best myspace pages of any author I've seen: http://www.myspace.com/barryeisler

[amber_grosjean]

JamieFord;

Very interesting site. It was very creative. Mine wasn't so much as so, it's just packed with information on mine, starting with the first page. I have one of those free webs for now until we get our finances straightened out. My hubby likes the idea of getting my own domain after I explained to him what one was lol. He isn't very computer literate lol.

Anyways, here's mine http://rigbyamber.bravehost.com

Amber

[Prawn]

Orson Scott Card. He offers tips for writers, and a forum where fans of his books can role-play being in the universe of Card's books.

http://www.hatrack.com/

[Spiny Norman]

Neil Gaiman's blog is pretty great. It gets voted up all the time for best blog.

[nessam]

Actually Garpy has one of my favorite sites as well as Lisa Gardner and Roger J Carlson.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I don't visit author websites.

[badducky]

Thomas Pynchon's is the best.

He doesn't have one. He doesn't need one. He doesn't want to see yours.

[veinglory]

I must say I don't visit author websites either, unless they are people I know socially.

[Judg]

There was quite an extensive discussion on this a while back, I think in the AW Roundtable.

[Gillhoughly]

Keep it simple. Not everyone will have the same cool and fast computer that you've got. Some of us still have land lines, and our machines are older than some of your favorite T-shirts.

Spring for a real website that's all about YOUR work, and doesn't have Google / Yahoo ads on the side to help pay for things. Those just look tacky and distract from what you're trying to sell--which is yourself. Shell out some dollars and look prosperous.

I have clear pictures of the book covers, links to where people can buy them, and lengthy excerpts to get 'em hooked. Each book has a TV-Guide synopsis. On another page I give background (if it's interesting) on the writing of the book, locations I used, what inspired the story or a character--fun stuff.

I've got photos up of real-world places that I've been to that were used in the books. It's kind of cool to see the actual street where the hero kicked the bad guy's ass.

Keep your bio SIMPLE. Less is more. Anything over 100 words and my eyes glaze over.

I also have a writer's FAQ help page--with links to this site and others--so neos can get help. Keep it short and sweet.

If it's your first novel don't assume--as I did with my first novel and I was a moron back then--that you know everything about writing now and can hand out the wisdom of the sages.

That's Uncle Jim's job.



Things to leave out:

Cute sparkly things that follow the cursor.

Annoying sound effects.

Pop up ads--even for your own stuff.

Music. You have to pay a royalty to the recording company. Some people won't share your taste and will be annoyed by the noise.

Fancy transitions from one page to another.

Long downloads. (Caused by music, sound effects, fancy transitions, etc.)

NO pictures of your cute kids. You love 'em but so do certain creepy-types you don't want coming over.

If you're shy you don't even need a pic of yourself.

Leave politics and religion out, unless that's what you write. I've lost respect for a couple of fav writers because they rant about this and that. If it's not to do with your books leave it out.

Fancy fonts. If another computer doesn't have the same font you're using it will change it to something else. Stick with Arial or Times Roman.

Unreadable fonts. This is an ad, not performance art. Make sure Great Aunt Murgatroyd with the glass eye can read your wordage.

Busy backgrounds. Too much crap in the background distracts from your copy. I have my bookcovers as backgrounds--but Photoshopped so they're ghostly-faded almost to white and thus don't compete with the words. Otherwise, a blank background in a neutral color is best.

Horror writers -- avoid the cliche of black with red letters or red with black. Everyone's done that one to--well--death. It's hard on the eyes, so people won't stay to read.

Not enough contrast between background and font color. Try reading muddy blue against a black background. You won't, so you leave the site.

Don't clone another writer's website.

It's okay to use a similar format, but make up your own words.

Some years back a "writer" (1 self-pubbed disaster that PublishAmerica would have rejected) copied my FAQ pages and pasted it on her site as her own. There were minor changes, but it was clearly my stuff. I complained, the host server made her behave. She said her web designer did it, wasn't HER, nope, not at all. Tacky and no manners. Tsk-tsk.

-----------------

Once it's up, view your website on other computers. What looked great on your home machine is a dog's breakfast on another. Then you find your Java Applet (or whatever I used) doesn't work at all and is the reason why no one comes to visit for more than a minute.

KEEP IT UPDATED and mention that on the opening page. Once a month is good.

PROOFREAD--GET FRIENDS TO PROOFREAD.

THEN PROOF IT AGAIN!

USE THE EFFING SPELLCHECKER! If you're sloppy on the site, readers might think you're sloppy at writing and won't buy your books.

Larf a minnit--be funny. Angst-ridden *Authors* are a dime a gross. Cheerful persons who clearly love their craft are more approachable.

The first time my green and unpublished self met an Angster I was ready to run away--he was just scary. He seemed put out by having to appear in public, and acted as though I should be hugely grateful he allowed me in the store.

I don't make enough money at this job to be anything less than pleasant in public--which includes the website. :D

[spacejock2]

I not only have an author website, I also posted an article on my author website suggesting what you need for a successful author website:

http://www.spacejock.com.au/AuthorWebsites.html

Hopefully I complied with my own suggestions!

[Doodlebug]

Wow, this thread is great. I, too, am looking to create a site and everyone's input has been very thought provoking.

But here's a snag I'm running into. I'd like to include some fantasy artwork on my site but (a) I am not an artist and (b) I am on a tight budget. Does anyone know of some art resources I might look into (clip art, etc.)?

Many thanks in advance!!

[veinglory]

A lot of stock sites will sell art as well, for a few dollars. e.g. istockphoto.com

[Gillhoughly]

For writers the best art will be the book covers.

Anything else you put up can confuse people. They'll think it's from a book they've not read yet.

[Carrie R.]

I too am in the middle of this process! Whenever I find a site I like, I check to see who designed it and then look at their portfolio -- generally that's a really quick way to see a ton of sites and get a sense of what you like/don't like (and that's how I found my designer -- actually from someone pointing out Barry Eisler's myspace page here a while back). I also just sat down with a pen and paper and a writer's forum and clicked on every link, writing down what I liked and didn't like as I went.

As for what I like: make it easy for me to buy your books. Put the covers up front with links to stores, excerpts, etc. Don't make me click through a ton of links to get info -- I hate that. And if you have a splash page, let me bypass it. Oh and NEVER sound. I hate sound because I surf a lot at work :)

Amber -- if I were you I'd go ahead and buy your domain name. You can do so for less than $10 and do nothing except sit on it. To me it's imperative that your domain be your author name and if I couldn't get my domain name (I've sat on it for the last 8 years), then I'd write under a different name.

[Gillhoughly]

Oh, yeah--

Pretension is your enemy. You may feel like the biggest celeb in the world when the book comes out, but don't assume others have the memo.

I've seen a laughable site where the writer fully expected to be asked for autographed pictures and get marriage proposals. She seemed to look forward to getting at least one stalker and was disappointed that never happened.

I did see another woman with her pics up for sale, but she was a failed centerfold (didn't quite make the cut). Guys with no life were buying pics of her lounging on a pool table in a gold bikini. My impression is she sold more of those than she did of her (bloody dreadful) prose.

Then another Anne Rice wannabe has shots of her zaftig self swathed in white muslin and draped over grave markers at the local Forest Lawn. She missed the memo that Rice is now talking to Jesus, and shots like that are just disrespectful anyway. I'd have rather seen her sipping mocha at 'Bucks, pretending to be working on the next book.

And ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. The self-pubbed Goth princess mentioned above says she's a "critically acclaimed bestseller."

"Critically acclaimed" means you got a thumbs up from MidWest Review and the NYTimes. Quotes from Amazon sock puppet reviews don't count.

And "bestseller" means you're on the NYTimes radar.

I pass prints of her website around at workshops as examples of what not to do!

Professional behavior?

Don't do this. (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1045920#post1045920)

[amber_grosjean]

I have a question really quick? Is Homestead a good place to get a domain and website? Has anyone dealt with them before or have a website through them? Thank you!

Amber

[jst5150]

Well since you ask....Linky (http://www.scarrow.co.uk/).

WOW. One of the Scarrow Brothers is a DEAD-FREAKING RINGER for Steve Jobs. I thought he was going to hand me an iPod.

[jst5150]

Oh ... heh: http://www.jasontudor.com/

[JJ Cooper]

I think the Lee Child (http://www.leechild.com/) website is a very good one - easy to follow and has a forum where fans can mingle and talk about his books etc. The author also gets involved in the forum every so often.

JJ

[Doodlebug]

Okay, I'm just going ahead and asking this straight out...

Is an author's website really necessary?

[tammieofmi]

I'm amazed at those who don't visit authors websites - I guess I thought everyone who writes or is a big reader does it? Oh well.

I did a post on my blog a few postings back where I listed a few author websites such as Jane Porter, Meg Cabot and other women writers. Each one kept it simple, fresh and in the fashion of either their book or voice.

Seems a lot are adding message boards lately.

Alas, I am not published (yet) so I have only given time to a blog but even blogs should try to capture your voice/tone.

You've got some great links here to compare genres in.

Great question!

[Gillhoughly]

Okay, I'm just going ahead and asking this straight out...
Is an author's website really necessary?

Yes, it's a hell of a promotional tool.

Every writer I know has one.

I can't count the times I'll go to a writer's website first before deciding on buying a book or not.

Or I will check to see when the next book is to be released.

Mine provides a contact address.

Because of it I've landed invitations to anthologies, editing jobs on others, and to make guest appearances at workshops and conventions. People found it easier to e-mail me direct than to track down my agent's name.

If it's something my agent needs to handle I forward it to her. This year I've forwarded mail from two different publishers in Europe wanting to acquire printing rights. They didn't know my agent, but they found my website.

And I get fan mail--which is ALWAYS appreciated!

:snoopy:

[Will Lavender]

I'm amazed at those who don't visit authors websites - I guess I thought everyone who writes or is a big reader does it? Oh well.

I've never visited one except to get a template for the one I was making. (And, I confess, to play Michael Connelly's quiz after one of his books came out.)

I'm just not that interested in authors' lives. I read the books (and I buy and read a crapload of books), and for me there is a separation between writer and work.

That said, a website is important for a variety of reasons, many of which Gillhougly mentioned above. In a meeting I had with the folks at Crown for my book, the two most important things they wanted out of a site were (1) a method of capturing e-mail addresses and building a fanbase, and (2) giving pretty straightforward information about me. With the exception of the obvious things like putting the book on the front page, they seemed to not be very interested in doing anything else with the website except those two things.

[Judg]

So, Mr. Gillhoughly, are you going to tell us where it is?

[Death Wizard]

Stephen Donaldson (http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/) has a very good site, but the best thing about it is his gradual interview. Go to From The Author / Gradual Interview. Some very interesting stuff.

[Doodlebug]

Stephen Donaldson (http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/) has a very good site, but the best thing about it is his gradual interview. Go to From The Author / Gradual Interview. Some very interesting stuff.

You're right; it's a great site. I see that he's posted some of his chapters as well. I've also seen other writers post stories, etc. on their sites. Do you guys think that putting a sample of your writing on the site is a good idea?

[Judg]

I bought a book because of reading an excerpt on an author's site. And I'm a cheapskate. But I really, really wanted to know what happened next.

ETA: This was an author I had never heard of before. I'd stumbled across his blog and followed the links to his author's page. It wasn't a great page, but I liked the excerpt.

[arodriguez]

Oh, yeah--

Pretension is your enemy. You may feel like the biggest celeb in the world when the book comes out, but don't assume others have the memo.

I've seen a laughable site where the writer fully expected to be asked for autographed pictures and get marriage proposals. She seemed to look forward to getting at least one stalker and was disappointed that never happened.

I did see another woman with her pics up for sale, but she was a failed centerfold (didn't quite make the cut). Guys with no life were buying pics of her lounging on a pool table in a gold bikini. My impression is she sold more of those than she did of her (bloody dreadful) prose.

Then another Anne Rice wannabe has shots of her zaftig self swathed in white muslin and draped over grave markers at the local Forest Lawn. She missed the memo that Rice is now talking to Jesus, and shots like that are just disrespectful anyway. I'd have rather seen her sipping mocha at 'Bucks, pretending to be working on the next book.

And ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. The self-pubbed Goth princess mentioned above says she's a "critically acclaimed bestseller."

"Critically acclaimed" means you got a thumbs up from MidWest Review and the NYTimes. Quotes from Amazon sock puppet reviews don't count.

And "bestseller" means you're on the NYTimes radar.

I pass prints of her website around at workshops as examples of what not to do!

Professional behavior?

Don't do this. (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1045920#post1045920)

Holy shit, this had me in tears. can i see the website?

[Stuart Clark]

I used to like F Paul Wilson's site but he changed it recently. It's still not half bad though:

http://www.repairmanjack.com (http://www.repairmanjack.com/)

John Connolly has a good site too http://www.johnconnollybooks.com (http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/) and an interesting blog. It's just simple and easily navigated around.

You can also check out my site at http://www.stuartclark.net (http://www.stuartclark.net/) Not the greatest but seeing as how I know nothing about web design, it at least gets the basic job done!

[Stuart Clark]

You're right; it's a great site. I see that he's posted some of his chapters as well. I've also seen other writers post stories, etc. on their sites. Do you guys think that putting a sample of your writing on the site is a good idea?

Absolutely, everyone likes a freebie and the way I see it, a free chapter from my website is no different to you standing in the book store and reading it before you buy it. How else are potentially interested readers going to get a feel for your writing style?

[Robyn]

I have to say.. doing the webpage was fun but not easy. I know for mine i went around and looked at many other authors to get ideas of what i thought looked good and what felt too.... off. For me what i ended up with works for me. There are still tweeks that I want to do to it but for the most part i've gotten a decent amount of compliments thus far. I know between my webpage and myspace.... they are both a challange to keep up but well worth it in the end.

[amber_grosjean]

Yea but how do you find the right host? I spent all day yesterday looking at them all and I can't believe how much I fon't understand. Its like a whole new language. I did find one that I liked the template for though and I played around a little with the demo version and felt it fit me to a tee so it might be the one I go with professionally. The site I have now works but it doesn't have that professional work and I really want people to take me seriously. My husband agrees but it will have to take a short while cause they don't take payments on a monthly basis.

I'm hoping in the first of the year it will be up, keep your fingers crossed! That will give me time to keep looking to see if I can find something better. How do you all do it?

Amber

[sadron]

http://www.katherinelangrish.co.uk/

She's on my faves. ^^

[Nateskate]

Keep it simple. Not everyone will have the same cool and fast computer that you've got. Some of us still have land lines, and our machines are older than some of your favorite T-shirts.

Spring for a real website that's all about YOUR work, and doesn't have Google / Yahoo ads on the side to help pay for things. Those just look tacky and distract from what you're trying to sell--which is yourself. Shell out some dollars and look prosperous.

I have clear pictures of the book covers, links to where people can buy them, and lengthy excerpts to get 'em hooked. Each book has a TV-Guide synopsis. On another page I give background (if it's interesting) on the writing of the book, locations I used, what inspired the story or a character--fun stuff.

I've got photos up of real-world places that I've been to that were used in the books. It's kind of cool to see the actual street where the hero kicked the bad guy's ass.

Keep your bio SIMPLE. Less is more. Anything over 100 words and my eyes glaze over.

I also have a writer's FAQ help page--with links to this site and others--so neos can get help. Keep it short and sweet.

If it's your first novel don't assume--as I did with my first novel and I was a moron back then--that you know everything about writing now and can hand out the wisdom of the sages.

That's Uncle Jim's job.



Things to leave out:

Cute sparkly things that follow the cursor.

Annoying sound effects.

Pop up ads--even for your own stuff.

Music. You have to pay a royalty to the recording company. Some people won't share your taste and will be annoyed by the noise.

Fancy transitions from one page to another.

Long downloads. (Caused by music, sound effects, fancy transitions, etc.)

NO pictures of your cute kids. You love 'em but so do certain creepy-types you don't want coming over.

If you're shy you don't even need a pic of yourself.

Leave politics and religion out, unless that's what you write. I've lost respect for a couple of fav writers because they rant about this and that. If it's not to do with your books leave it out.

Fancy fonts. If another computer doesn't have the same font you're using it will change it to something else. Stick with Arial or Times Roman.

Unreadable fonts. This is an ad, not performance art. Make sure Great Aunt Murgatroyd with the glass eye can read your wordage.

Busy backgrounds. Too much crap in the background distracts from your copy. I have my bookcovers as backgrounds--but Photoshopped so they're ghostly-faded almost to white and thus don't compete with the words. Otherwise, a blank background in a neutral color is best.

Horror writers -- avoid the cliche of black with red letters or red with black. Everyone's done that one to--well--death. It's hard on the eyes, so people won't stay to read.

Not enough contrast between background and font color. Try reading muddy blue against a black background. You won't, so you leave the site.

Don't clone another writer's website.

It's okay to use a similar format, but make up your own words.

Some years back a "writer" (1 self-pubbed disaster that PublishAmerica would have rejected) copied my FAQ pages and pasted it on her site as her own. There were minor changes, but it was clearly my stuff. I complained, the host server made her behave. She said her web designer did it, wasn't HER, nope, not at all. Tacky and no manners. Tsk-tsk.

-----------------

Once it's up, view your website on other computers. What looked great on your home machine is a dog's breakfast on another. Then you find your Java Applet (or whatever I used) doesn't work at all and is the reason why no one comes to visit for more than a minute.

KEEP IT UPDATED and mention that on the opening page. Once a month is good.

PROOFREAD--GET FRIENDS TO PROOFREAD.

THEN PROOF IT AGAIN!

USE THE EFFING SPELLCHECKER! If you're sloppy on the site, readers might think you're sloppy at writing and won't buy your books.

Larf a minnit--be funny. Angst-ridden *Authors* are a dime a gross. Cheerful persons who clearly love their craft are more approachable.

The first time my green and unpublished self met an Angster I was ready to run away--he was just scary. He seemed put out by having to appear in public, and acted as though I should be hugely grateful he allowed me in the store.

I don't make enough money at this job to be anything less than pleasant in public--which includes the website. :D

This advice was so fantastic, I think it should be linked permanently to these boards. It was funny too. Great read.

Nate

[Nateskate]

I have to say.. doing the webpage was fun but not easy. I know for mine i went around and looked at many other authors to get ideas of what i thought looked good and what felt too.... off. For me what i ended up with works for me. There are still tweeks that I want to do to it but for the most part i've gotten a decent amount of compliments thus far. I know between my webpage and myspace.... they are both a challange to keep up but well worth it in the end.

Normally I'll see someone I know from AW on Myspace. It's rarer when I see someone I knew from Myspace and see them on the AW sites. Hi Robyn!

[maxmordon]

I always thought that R.L. Stein's website was quite cool:

http://www.rlstine.com/#nav/home

[Nateskate]

Stephen Donaldson (http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/) has a very good site, but the best thing about it is his gradual interview. Go to From The Author / Gradual Interview. Some very interesting stuff.

Thanks for sharing the Stephen Donaldson site. I'd recommend bookmarking it to others, not necessarily for the format- which is pretty good, but it just contains some really great information, such as the story of Stephen's rejection by 47 publishers, and a number of interesting interviews. In a sense, it offers hope to the talented, yet, unconventional writer who dares to do something different. Pretty cool.

[WriterGirl2007]

Mine! :)

But since I can't post that one, I like www.teddekker.com.

[choppersmom]

Keep it simple. Not everyone will have the same cool and fast computer that you've got. Some of us still have land lines, and our machines are older than some of your favorite T-shirts.

My parents have a Hewlett Packard that's older than my 12-year-old. It loads nothing at all, ever.

Trish

[Judg]

WriterGirl, why can't you post yours?