by Christine WellsA friend of mine is in the process of revamping her website. I might well do the same very soon, so I've been contemplating my options.
For me, it's no easy thing to decide on a design for my home on the web. I'm much the same with designing the interior of my bricks and mortar home--I couldn't tell you specifically what I want but I have strong opinions on what I like (and don't like) when I see it.
Funnily enough, in the past this has frustrated my web designers. Ah, well, I'm a Libran, what can I say?
So the thing to do when you don't know what you want is to look at other sites to see what they do well, right? Here are some of the things I think about when I'm looking at an author webpage:
*Is the design pleasing to the eye?
*Does the design suit the tone of the writer's work? Flowers and hearts are not usually appropriate for an author who writes dark paranormals.
*Is there a well laid out home page with just enough information on it, but not too much?
When I go to an author home page I want to know what kind of book they write and the latest book they have released, maybe also the book that's 'coming soon' if the latest has been out a while. If the home page is cluttered with a thousand different messages and widgets and covers, my eyes simply glaze over and I don't read any of it.
Actually, I don't doubt some readers love that busy kind of page, especially if they're devoted fans who visit often, but my aim with a home page is to give the casual browser quick access to the information they're most likely to want. If they like bells and whistles, my guess is they'll click on a button called 'extras' or 'fun stuff' to find them.
*Like any reader, I love extra content -- this might be in the form of articles, news, a blog, facebook page, second epilogues, dossiers on characters and so forth. Blogs and social media feeds give the feeling of currency and the extra content means you're getting something special from the website that you can't get from reading the author's books. Those extras give readers a sense of the author's personality and a feeling of connection to the author.
*Book trailers -- If they're done well, they can enhance a website for me, as long as they don't take forever to load.
Here are some sites I like (not counting fabulous Bandita sites, of course!):We all know Jenny Crusie loves collaging and the header of this site has that eclectic feel to it, along with Jenny's signature cherry. I loved her previous site, too. This has a darker, more magical tone that suits the direction Crusie seems to be taking with her fiction these days.
Susan Holloway Scott. This is simply one of the most gorgeous sites on the web, in my opinion. Everything about it shouts historical opulence and Susan Holloway Scott writes about the mistresses of kings so the tone is just right for her books. I particularly love the botanical drawings on the borders. They're different on each page and add richness and colour as well as a sense of period to the site.
Julie Garwood Usually I wouldn't recommend a home page that takes a while to load, but this one is worth it for sheer novelty value.
Loretta Chase uses an old-fashioned letter with a seal as a background for her website. I like that she gives just enough information to help me decide whether to read further, but not an overwhelming amount. See the great tagline she has next to her latest release?
Kieran Kramer is a debut author who writes fresh, witty historicals and doesn't her website reflect that? I love that she has a nice welcome and salient points about her books with links to other fun stuff, too.So here are my questions for you, dear readers!
What is your favourite romance author website?
What do you like best about this website?
What do you dislike seeing on an author site?
I'm looking forward to hearing your answers! Thank you in advance for letting me do some important market research:)
58 comments:
send him down Helen
Congratulations, Barb! Hope you have fun with the Golden Rooster today!
Hey, Barb, looks like the chook's leaving Oz! Congrats!
Christine, I had to laugh. Um, this reminds me of a few emails we've swapped in the last few days.
Yes, I'm redesigning my website. Well, at least Paula Roe, my designer, is! And I'm being the horrible client who knows just what feeling she wants but doesn't quite know how to get there. Watch out for further bulletins - Paula's latest offering is really getting closer to the luscious, sensual feeling I want.
I love Susan's site you put up (just sent it to Paula!). I also love Lila DiPasqua's (www.liladipasqua.com) and Madeline Hunter's (www.madelinehunter.com).
Like you, I have very strong feelings about what I like and don't like in a website! I'm looking forward to what people say in response to your questions. The timing is extremely apt!
Haha, Foanna, I didn't like to take your name in vain without permission but you were, of course, the friend I was alluding to!
I can see you go for the rich, dark and passionate type of site. Goes perfectly with your books. I can't wait to see what Paula comes up with for your new 'look'!
Whoo Hoo Barbara I will be down for a cuppa later LOL Anna he isn't leaving Oz Barbara lives 3 houses down the street from me so we kinda share him when he is at either ones place.
Christine
I would hate to design anything I just don't have that sort of flair I checked out all the websites you mentioned and I gotta say Julie Garwood's is awesome I have been there a few times, I am not sure that there are any that I would call my favourites I enjoy visiting web pages. Lisa Hendrix has a good one and you can turn it into night or day.
For me as long as I can "get to know" the author and I can read about their past releases and find out when the next book is out I am happy.
Good luck with the design and you as well Anna Paula is so good at designing web pages she did the ARRA one as well
Have Fun
Helen
Aloha, Christine! I really enjoyed Susanna Fraser's first website she debuted with her ebook (created quickly by her hubby). But she has updated it with graphics (and a link to the original).
As long as the website has the author's bio, book list, and contact info, I'm happy. I spend some time reading websites for guest interviews on my blog. And sometimes I grow frustrated when I cannot find this basic info. As a reader, I do advise authors to write a creative bio that tells us more than "My mother gave me my first book at age 2" ... I want to know something different. For example, Christine, have you pinched a blinking light from Buckingham Palace like your fellow Bandit whose initials are AC?
I recently "met" Kieren Kramer after picking up her book marks at RWA (very cute) and reading her website bio (very clever). It turns out that she has a Navy connection and will be featured this week during Fleet Week at SOS Aloha.
Hi Christine
I like web sites that don't take too long to load, are bright and cheerful but have all the links to blogs and about the author and books and anything else relevant
Anna, I think you left a word out as GR only has to walk past 3 houses and over a side street to get from Helen... so no teleporting today he will be really rested as long as Helen didn't feed him too many tim tams... he might need the walk LOL
This was exactly the post I needed to read today as I contemplated doing *something* to my tiny site.
I loved Jenny Crusie's site. So clever and fun. As for Susanna's experience...well, lots of free publicity ;)
Many thanks for all the inspiration and good luck!
Ha, really? I had no idea you two lived so close together! Wow, nice and close to share books!
Helen, Paula did a beautiful job for ARRA, didn't she? I think she's extremely talented!
Kim, it always surprises me what people find interesting in a bio. My childhood on an avocado farm, for example, REALLY fascinated the Germans!
LOL close enough to share books AND the rooster.
Timely post, Christine. Something must be in the air. I'm not all that difficult to please as for as design goes, I'm just not sure what to do - so I'll be watching the responses and taking notes.
One thing that I want in the new design, though, is the ability to update the website welcome myself without waiting for a designer to load up my changes. My designer is very prompt, but I just don't like the feeling of dependence on someone else. So I'll be watching.
Helen, how great that Barb lives down the road from you! That must be a cool neighbourhood:)
You wrote: For me as long as I can "get to know" the author and I can read about their past releases and find out when the next book is out I am happy.
I think that just about sums up my feeling too. Sometimes it's hard for we writers to remember what's most important.
Oh, and I love what Paula did for the ARRA site. It's beautiful! Must look at Lisa Hendrix's site now.
Hi Kim! Kieran's lovely, isn't she? I'm sure you'll have a great time with her on the blog.
Hmm, no I can't say I've ever pinched anything from Buck House! But you've given me an idea. My next bio is going to be totally apocryphal because I really have never done anything too outrageous. Or at least nothing I can put in print...:)
Thanks for giving your opinion!
Barb, the GR is going to need a longer walk than that to work off the Tim Tams! I think you might need him to do some of your household chores.
Jenny, glad you've gained some inspiration today! I like your 'tiny' site. Especially the swirly arty bits. It's different and interesting.
Hi Donna! What a coincidence. We're all getting itchy feet. If you convert to a wordpress site it's easy to update yourself. I don't like having to instruct someone the way I want it, I'd rather do it myself. However, I don't want to waste a lot of time on updates, fiddling with formatting etc. Hopefully the wordpress site will be the answer.
Great topic, Christine! I like a website that isn't too awfully cluttered. Like you said, when that happens my eyes glaze over and I just move on to the next one. Most important for me though, is that the author keep the site updated. That's critical.
I love Christina Dodd's website. It has all the info I like plus some extras. It incorporates scenes from her house and the incredible view from same plus it gives me the ability to change the color scheme, sub-genre and views with one click: Night to day, spring to summer, historical to romantic-suspense, etc. I like that it incorporates touches of her personal life (her beloved dogs)with her "writerly" life. I guess what I like most about it is that it gives me a sense of who she is and the flavor of her books.
PJ, wonderful to see you! I've been in the writing cave and I've missed a lot of my friends lately. Thank you for dropping in.
Actually, Christina's really impressed me, too. I should have included her in this blog. If only we all had such amazing work spaces! Isn't that view out of this world?
Good morning!
Lauren Willig's site is gorgeous and easy to navigate. Marissa Doyle's site http://www.marissadoyle.com/ is awesome, too.
I was going to specifically mention Anna's site as delivering what it visually "promises". The tone of the first page, that first impression, I really want to carry through to their work. That's why I think Kieran's site works so well, too.
If it's a toss-up between including something cool or having it load quickly, please--let it load quickly. :)
No instant music.
Make the newsletter link very easy to find.
Good morning, Christine! I love thinking about re-dos! I just don't love actually doing the re-do. :-)
I love the site you have but how fun to explore options. Now, I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of Jenny Crusie's new site. I find it too cluttered & chaotic. I love Jennifer Weiner's site because it's clean & fresh & simple. I love the colors of Jane Porter's site, but again there's a lot going on there for a girl like me. (I'm easily overwhelmed.)
I love Inara's site (inarascott.net) of course, and I like Wendy Wax's site just because it's so clean & easy to find everything you want.
Good luck! Let us know what you decide on!
Great post, Christine, and timely for me as I'm considering revamping my website too.
Foremost I want a website that's easy to navigate, where I don't have to search forever to find the specific topic I'm interested in because the website it too busy.
I love excerpts too. I can usually tell from that if the author is one I want to buy.
I seem to visit mostly these author blogs these days, but one author web page I visit is this one:
http://www.vickilewisthompson.com/index.html
Vicki's page is easy to navigate, it doesn't take an eternity to open and there isn't any loud music that might suddenly blast from the page -I really hate those kind of pages.
Here's one more favorite, although Suzanne doesn't write books any more:
http://chickensintheroad.com/dailyfarm/a-little-annoying/#comments
Free ebooks from Mills and Boon:
http://www.everyonesreading.com/
And for those of you in the States: free ebooks from Borders:
http://www.borders.com/online/store/ListView_freebooksfor105?cmpid=SA_20101010
4R - Loving the alien
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im8ymPR98to
Hey Christine! Can't wait to see what your new website looks like. I checked out the links you provided and love Jennifer Crusie's the best. But the new author site for Kieran Kramer comes in a close second. Both are super easy to navigate.
I definitely avoid sites that take time to load or that contain too many widgets. They totally get on my nerves. I only have so much time in the day - if I have to waste precious seconds while a page attempts to load, I get very aggravated.
So what are some good ones that I enjoy?
Julianne MacLean (new design)
Pamela Callow
Taylor Keating
Stella MacLean
Shelley Munro
Ah Christine!
A topic so near and dear to my heart! and Fo, redesigning huh? Almost like remodeling your home, isn't it?
So here's my dislikes first:
1. Flash on the opening page. I can't get it to run on my ancient computer, (despite asking my IT guy...my hubby...to get me a new video card so I can) and it's outlawed on the computers at work. So any flash and videos on the opening page won't intrigue me or drag me in, so a lost opportunity for the author to get me, the reader, to see the content.
2. Bells and Whistles.
Floaty hearts and confetti as I scroll down the opening page, just plain irritates me. I come to the site to see what new books are out, no to have silly stuff thrown at me.
3. Clutter.
Too much stuff on the opening page, makes me nervous, like I'm sitting in my husbands clutter-filled cave-of-an-office. I need the negative space to keep my eyes from hurting and let me focus on what I do like.
So, that was what I don't like.
Here's what I do like!
1. A header and border that gives me the feel of the genre. NO hot pink or neon yellows, please.
2. Professional look, sort of like the opening page is straight out of a magazine.
3. The picture and blurb about the most recent release. Front and center! Show me what you're selling. But only the most recent. I'm a big girl and I can look for the back list on your books page.
4. A photo of the author. (It is the second thing you're selling, you know.) If the author wishes to put this on the bio page, that's cool for me. I can push that button, too!
5. Limited scroll on the home page. Why? I'm lazy. Don't make me scroll down on that page. If I want to read more content than is the new book for sale, I'll happily read all that on the subsequent pages.
See, I have no opinion on this topic what-so-ever!
Oh yeah....
Extra content
Character interviews
Day in the life of characters
Bios for upcoming heroes
Okay...that's it, for now! :)
Oh, Christine - I'm in the planning stages of revamping my website and am dreading it, but only because I hate change. I have a wonderful new web team who will make it easy, but I still have to figure out what I want. I like sites that are easy to navigate and entertaining to the eye. I'm not a fan of sites that take a long time to load. Let me at least get on the site "then" give me the option of animation and such.
I'll be checking out the ones you listed and love so many of the bandit sites - like yours! I will be back later to take notes from the comments. Thanks for opening up the discussion on this. I love hearing what readers think and want on the sites.
Gillian, I checked out those sites you mentioned - you're right, they're lovely! And thanks for mentioning mine. I think one of the reasons I'm changing is that the books aren't nearly as gothic as they used to be! From what I've seen so far, the new site is going to be gorgeous (even if I do say so myself!). We're still tweaking but I'll let you know when it's up and running. We're going for a more sensual, sexier look than the blue.
I 100% agree with you about no music and not taking too long to load. And ease of navigation is really paramount for me. I think everyone's time matters - I don't think anyone should have to spend half an hour working out how to get around to the information they want.
Wow, what a lot to think about. Thanks so much for the suggestions, everyone. And Christine, this is such a great topic!
I really don't give that much attention to websites except that
if it is too "crowded," I just turnabout and leave. I guess that
is what I like most about some
sites: easy navigability.(Is that
a real word?) Eloisa James seems
to be the one site that comes to
mind at the moment. I know there
are more, it's just that the post
lunch drowsies have just kicked in!
Pat Cochran
Barb, congrats on the bird! Have fun.
Christine, I love extras, too. The main thing for me, first, is not to be confused. If I look at site, can't figure out how to access, for example, the list of books or the author bio, then I give up quickly.
The links also need to work, and they need to take me where they say they will. The site has to be compatible with my browser, usually Firefox. If stuff doesn't show up, I'm not coming back.
Oh, Gillian I love Lauren Willig's site, too. I hadn't seen it before but I love the header and the button bar with the gorgeous pink seal on it. Marissa's has a very atmospheric feel and hers answers all my first questions about an author, right there on the home page.
Yes, Anna's is beautifully moody, isn't it? I think it suits her books down to the ground. But we all like a change, once in a while. The next site is going to be a cracker, I'm sure!
Yes, I'm inclined to agree about having things load quickly. I think a few people have mentioned this.
Great point about the newsletter link!
Susan and Kirsten, you certainly do love one another, don't you? Actually, I love both your sites because they're very clean, lots of white space, with not too much going on so that my eye is jumping around all over the place. Great work!
Oh, I love Wendy Wax's site, too! Thanks for pointing it out.
Thanks for the good luck too. I'll be spruiking it when it's done:)
Jo, you're so right about the excerpts. I won't buy a book unless I've read and liked and excerpt.
Hi Minna, thanks for your suggestions!
I think you're right that everyone wants it to be easy to navigate. When you're building a website, sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees on that. YOu think what you're building is easy in theory but maybe it doesn't work so well in practice.
Inara (sorry I called you Kirsten before), love your site and I know what you mean. It's not full of bubblegum colours and so on. It's for the sophisticated teen.
Thanks for the good luck and the hugs! I love Susan's site, too:) And yeah, I know you're not doing this deliberately. You're like Siamese twins separated at birth or something!
Hi Julia, how lovely to see you here!
Thanks for your list of favourites. I actually like the way Shelley Munro has just her book covers and links to more on her site. I think that gives her home page a really uncluttered look that has a lot of impact. Love the edgy banner on Pam's site. I used to critique with Pam way back when. Thanks, I'll check out the others, too. My internet seems to be very slow today for some reason and it's getting frustrating!
Suz, how did I know you would have opinions on this?LOL
You are so savvy, if you weren't such a great writer, I'd beg you to be my publicist:)
Print these comments out and keep them, people! Suz knows what she's talking about here.
Must say, the author photo thing always gives me pause. Should it be on the home page? Or should the home page focus on the books? Thoughts? I think I like to see the author, personally. Maybe in the banner?
Hi Dianna, I can't wait to see your new site. I know it's going to be awesome!
You wrote: Let me at least get on the site "then" give me the option of animation and such.
I think that's so true. My aim is going to be to give all the necessary information that a non-fan would want up front, and then maybe put some fun stuff on a password only page for readers who want some bells and whistles. Page loading quickly is vital, IMO.
Thanks for the compliment on my site. There are some things I want to do differently, but it's going to take time. My designer is a busy woman! I hope you get a lot of good information here today.
Anna, from what I've seen, your site is shaping up to be fantastic!
Looks like ease of navigation is turning out to be the number one priority for most people. Interesting!
Well, as you said, Anna, you're my inspiration! LOL I'm getting a lot out of this discussion, too.
Pat, Eloisa's is a gorgeous site, isn't it. It has a *lot* of content because she is wonderful about adding new things constantly but it doesn't feel too cluttered or overwhelming. Thanks for mentioning that one. Oh, and I love the background design, too.
Hi Nancy! Congrats on finishing your ms, that's fantastic!
Yes, I think we are all impatient of things that aren't instant on the internet so that we need to be invested in something before we'll go to extra trouble to find it. But if you don't care too much, one extra click or waiting a few extra seconds for something to load can turn you off completely.
Woooot Barb!
Congrats on the rooster!
Hey, Christine, I was poking around Eloisa's site and found your Dangerous Duke featured as books that Eloisa loves. Congratulations! http://eloisajames.com/pillow/index.php/page/4/
Good on you, Barb. Maybe he can run around the block a few times before he stops at your place!
Christine, great post! I probably won't update my website until I sell, but I am definitely taking notes from all of these great suggestions. My website is quite simple and basic. A dear friend put it up for me and I think she captured me pretty well.
Joanna Bourne's site has some great extras, especially if you are a writer. Her writer's tips are worth their weight in gold. And the site is easy to navigate as well.
I too agree - No blasting music and please don't make it so complicated it takes a week to load over my dial-up connection. (Yes, I am so far out in the country I can only get dial up!)
Give me a look that tells me immediately what you write. And don't make it too dark (color scheme-wise) or too cluttered.
I love Kandy Shepherd's site mostly because she includes photos of writers' and readers' pets. It is a neat little draw, especially as her books always include dogs as matchmakers!
I love Candice Hern's site but then again it IS a Regency writer's dream site for research.
Wow Christine, what a great question!
I like extra content, as well. I like excerpts from EVERY book, not just the one coming out or the latest one. Because I can get a feel of the voice that way, and I can make a decision about which book to start with if I haven't read any and there isn't a definite reading order.
I particularly like extra content about characters, and follow up content about characters I already know--ones from older books I've loved. It makes the world seem as though it's actually real, and keeps me wanting to return. Of course, this sort of hinges upon it being a series or connected books--so there's more than one story per world already. The connected books or series books are the ones which create this world I want to return to.
I like it clean and obvious. I don't like to have to hunt for stuff--like the newsletter sign up. If I go looking for something, I want it to be clear where it is from the homepage. I don't want to have to hunt through a bunch of other menus to get to whatever it was I came there for. If there's a contest, I want a button for it right on the home page. So I don't have to hunt it down.
What I don't like?
Sites which are never updated. If I've heard that the author has a new book coming out in February, but I go to his/her site and that book is not on the site yet, I get very frustrated. I honestly don't care if it's there with "cover coming soon" as long as it's THERE. So I know it's on the way.
Sites where the font in the headers is so fancy it's hard to read.
Sites which have so much animation that they take forever to load, or stall the computer and make it buffer before it moves ahead. I don't have time for that.
Sites which have music which begins without my asking. If I want music, I'll ask for it.
Sites which assume I'm on facebook or other social media. And which attempt to force me to join that to participate in whatever it is they're doing. (gggrrrrrrrrr--that's how mad this one makes me)
Gosh, I'm a hard case, aren't I? :0/
This is a wonderful subject. I hear authors angsting about their sites all the time, wondering what to do or not do.
Hi Anna, yes, wasn't that lovely of Eloisa? She's so generous to other writers. I was overwhelmed, getting that review.
Louisa, I love reading Joanna's musings on writing, too. They're entertaining in their own right.
Kandy has a lovely thing going with the pet pics, doesn't she? Love her books and the covers are to die for!
Oh, and Candice Hern--I am soooo jealous of all her wonderful collections! Her site is a great resource for writers and Regency enthusiasts.
Must go and check out your site!
Cassondra, those are all great points and particularly the one about forcing people to join facebook or other social media to participate. I've never done a contest like that but it hadn't occurred to me that readers might get upset about it if they're not on facebook or whatever. However, I listened to Jayne Ann Krentz's workshop from Orlando and she said that what she does is offer the same thing to everyone, but you get to enter once for every medium you enter by. So that's encouraging readers to join your fb page if they want to, but they don't miss out completely if they don't want to be on fb.
Thanks for your input! I know you have a lot of experience in this area:)
I'm a fan of Jenny Crusie's website as well and also love Alice Hoffman's website.
What I love about this website, apart from the great blog posts is the wealth of information about upcoming books, discovering new authors (debut and new to me) and the camaraderie you all have developed.
Hi Danielle! Great to see you here. I'm so thrilled you enjoy Romance Bandits (sorry, I wasn't fishing for compliments there, I actually meant to ask what you liked about your *favourite* site, but hey, we soak up compliments like happy little sponges, so thank you for that!)
Oh, I really love Alice Hoffman's site, too. If you're going to have your photo as the focus it helps if you're as pretty as Alice, doesn't it? But I like the way the home page looks like a magazine page. Very professional, uncluttered and easy to navigate. Thanks for showing us that one!
Hi. One of my favorite websites is Candice Hern's. She has so many links to Regency information and fashion. Purses, netted purses, her own collection of hanging perfume bottles, famous people, famous buildings - it's a treasure trove. It's the kind of site I go to periodically to read for a while and see the pictures. I'd need days to do it justice. I can take it in a little at a time much better.
If you haven't been there, do it soon - as a present to yourself.
I love Eloisa James' site, too. There's all the little pop-ups and special things for regular readers. I feel good after I've been on a visit there. She has fun contests - not that I felt creative enough to design a Georgian dress or find a spectacular shoe, but I love viewing the results. It's an "upper".
Elaine, I think both Eloisa and Candice do a wonderful job of providing extra content that their readers are interested in. Candice's collections are truly amazing. She brought some of her pieces to the Beau Monde conference one year and I'm sure she was lucky to escape being mugged by all of the green-eyed Regency writers that surrounded her. Thanks for commenting!
I really like Julie Garwood's site because it is interactive and "fun" hanging out in. I also like it cuts to the chase and if you are looking for her back list you can find it right away. Blogs are fun and I enjoy reading them, but sometimes you just don't have time to visit for very long.
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