As a reader, when I find a new author that blows me away with a new book, one that I tell anyone and everyone about, I get excited and have to head over to their website to check out their backlist, find out a little about them. I’ve got every intention of glomming every book listed on their site. You know what I mean. That feeling of wow, this book was so great, I can’t wait to read another book of hers that has me flipping pages and staying up until all hours just to finish it. You wait for that homepage to load at the website and things are looking pretty darned good as it’s all revealed. But then, #^$)@+%(&!!!!!!!! Everything screeches to a resounding halt.
WTF? Where’s the Books link? 2007? It’s mid 2008, where’s the latest info on those books I know have been released recently? Crap, that link is dead. Geez, I don’t have time for 97 million graphics to load! Does the music have to blast me out of the darned room? That’s the book I’m interested in, but there’s no info on it except date released and publisher, no link for an excerpt. Even older books should be given a little something for readers to pick up some info. And a Coming Soon is a must as far as I’m concerned! You really have got to be kidding me. In this day and age of technology, an author can’t keep up better than this? And what about those authors who don’t have a website at all? That’s super irritating.
Yes, the majority of authors do have sites and they’re well maintained. You’re in and out and have all the information you wanted with no problem at all. Nice ‘n easy. My gripe isn’t about them. It’s that one in ten, two in twenty, however many it is, who don’t buck up and do what it takes to keep their sites updated. Or there’s just too much going on you can’t find anything or make heads or tails out of what is popping up. There’s help out there, all kinds of it, that will keep an author’s site up to date and running smoothly so that readers like you and me have an enjoyable and easy time navigating around. Yeah, yeah, you’re not Nora Roberts and don’t make bookoo bucks to pay for site maintenance, but, please. The ‘net has anything and everything for everybody. You’re used to research. Shouldn’t be hard to find. Right? And there’s plenty of hosts who help you cheat by giving you page editors nowadays. Can’t be easier than that.
So why chance irritating a reader who’s come looking to buy your books? Check those links to make sure they work. Add an extra page for excerpts. Give a blurb on each book to generate new interest. Or that further step, why would an author not even have a website for readers to peruse with the hope of purchasing books?
So, Readers, what gets your dander up when you’re visiting authors’ websites? What makes you hiss and spit when you’ve wandered around page after page at a new author’s home? Do you scratch and claw at the screen over something in particular or does it take several things to get your fur up?
Authors, am I crying over spilt milk?
Should I just sit back and lick my wounds when I happen upon a website that does a disservice to both author and reader? What are your thoughts on if an author should have a site, how much information should be available there, and how well maintained it should be? Is it as important as I’m making it out to be?
Those of you who do have sites and tinker and play to keep them updated and fresh, you are definitely the cat’s meow.
Those cats are CUTE! And no I don’t think you’re crying over spilt milk.
With the ever-increasing number of on-line sites at which it’s recommended that authors maintain a “presence” (esp time-suckers like myspace and shelfari,) I can sympathize with authors on the difficulties of trying to keep everything updated and still get books written. But I would (and do) sacrifice updating at the social sites in favor of keeping the author website current.
I’m thrilled if a reader “discovers” me and wants to find out more about me and my books. I absolutely want her/him to be able to quickly find info about my current and upcoming releases, my backlist and a little about me. If an author has time and expertise to add more–games, research info, etc–that’s great, but I think it should be available by link so only the essential info is on the home page.
Thanks, Sandy, for reminding us authors of how important a website can be in attracting (or turning off) new readers.
Why is the top cat missing an ear? What did you do to the cat???
I agree every author should have a basic-information web site, and I really think most do. But–ahem–it is a fair amount of work to keep a site updated. Readers want excerpts, booklists, sneak peeks…it’s pretty easy to get behind, especially if there’s a book deadline breathing down your neck.
(But automatic music is just wrong)
Readers do WANT excerpt, booklists, sneak peeks as well as more if possible, but what there are certain things that they NEED more than anything – at the very top of that list is details of upcoming releases, and a book list. There are probably some other things that you need as well but those two are top of the list for me.
The only thing that bugs me more than an out of date website is no website at all.
Julia, I agree with you, places like MySpace and Shelfari should be secondary to an author’s website. Those places are like going to a bar to have a drink with a friend and catch up, as you said, social places. Update her site first and then head over to the bar. Especially when, as you say, a reader has just discovered a new author. All the games and etc. don’t mean anything when you’re trying to find out info for the first time – I definitely agree with you there!
LOL, Caroline, I think losing that ear is what gave that cat his surprised look! And I didn’t do it, I promise! Oh, I agree with you it’s difficult to keep a site updated, especially if you’re on a deadline. But if a site it’s updated for a few weeks or months, I don’t have a problem with that. It’s when they’re not updated for months on end (I just visited a site the other day that hadn’t been updated since Nov ’07! That’s one of the things that triggered this Pondering.) or no pages like a Coming Soon page or Series or Related Books pages. Things like that are what’s frustrating. I would rather have those things than even excerpts all the time of what-have-you. I think when an author updates or brainstorms with the person who’s doing it for them, she should think like a reader at that point and that will let her know how frustrating it can sometimes be! But I understand how stressful deadlines are, so I would never bark — er, meow at something like that!
As a reader, I certainly hate it when I go to an author’s site to find it years out of date. What’s the point then? LOL
I think if you have a decent structure in place, it’s not a huge deal to update the site with new information or book news. It is easy, at least for me, to use working on the website(s) to procrastinate from what I’m supposed to be doing.
And I hate blaring audio, too. 🙂
Years out of date is bad. Of course, sometimes there is simply nothing to update. I do my own website and know exactly how long it takes to format an excerpt, resize and add the book cover, redo the booklist page, make sure there are links to amazon and B&N which work, make sure all the links to the new book page work, add any updates to the FAQ page like how the books are related any why I am not writing such-and-such secondary character’s story yet… It really adds up! Some authors put their energy elsewhere. And as for MySpace and Bebo and Facebook and all those, THERE are some serious time-suckers. I can say that just from the time I spend surfing those sites without actually adding anything of my own. There are also other places to learn what’s up with an author; Amazon will show you her books in print, sites like AAR and Borders post lists of New Releases coming soon, and some publishers have mini-sites for their authors.
And while I do try to think of my readers and what would be useful and interesting to them, there are also readers who will send you email saying “send send SEND new book to Sybil!” (cough cough) even before the darn book is finished.
The only thing that really irritates me is when the author doesn’t show how books are related. For most of us who have to read them in order, that’s die hard important.
You may think they’re stand alone but it makes a big difference in understanding the progression of a character throughout a sequence of books.
What is Myspace for? I am not even being a smartass. Whenever I find an author only has a myspace page and go there… I find jackshit to help me as a reader.
Is this because I am not a myspace user so I don’t see some kind of super skert stuff? Other than the glittery ‘friends’ and the hi, hi, HI!, Thanks for friending me, HEY!, hi, whatever shit.
How is myspace suppose to do anything other than annoy with music, flashy things and keel computers while it tries to download that stupid shit (and I am on cable or wireless and it hangs me up).
Is it the blog part? I mean how in the hell is that better than going and opening a free blogspot? And ohhhhhhhh updating it. I have yet to find a myspace page with info on it that is new or nifty. So what am I missing? What is the skert password to get into the greatness that is myspace? Hmmm I have a 14 year old sister… I should ask her.
I agree Sandy but really too many books, too little time.
Can’t find a website or it isn’t update I would assume the author isn’t writing anymore and move on to the next book. If the author can’t take the time to inform her readers, should readers waste their time tracking it down?
Of course I am still thinking of doing a VH1ish Where Are they Now type thing…
MySpace is just for fun, Sybil. At least for me. You keep in touch with friends and give them something to look at while they’re visiting. Heck, my nephew’s last girlfriend was found on MySpace. Those younsters love that place. But I even let that one and Shelfari go when I don’t have time. I think those that really utilize it stay there and surf all the time and that’ the appeal for them. I’m not surprised you don’t care for it. It’s not huge for me even though I have a page there.
And I agree, Caroline, all that updating does add up. Shoot, the time I spend here at TGTBTU putting a review together takes time and as short as those Duck Flashes are, they take time too! I don’t even want to know how much time Sybil, Gwen, Ericka and the others put into getting everything posted. Readers can be demanding, but give’em the basics that gives them info and they’ll be happy. All that other stuff is gravy and very appreciated, but it shouldn’t overshadow the important things! LOL, Sybil stop sending those gimme emails to Caroline! She has writing to do!
Keishon I see the question as ‘what is a good story’? Sandy M, I think, is very much your typical reader. I don’t think most are as hard to please as many of your typical net readers are. And at first it was very hard for me because I would see her give an A to something that just made me go WTF?
Where as you, I see on the other end of that line. I don’t think your ‘typical reader’ would identify with your A’s as much but I think ‘net’ readers would. And even then I think you are harder to please ;).
lol it is why I see ‘reviews’ themselves as nothing to get upset about. And I would never buy off a ‘review grade’ I think reader find a ‘reviewer’ they identify with and THOSE grades mean something to them. And the rest is all summary.
Bad grade or Good grade… doesn’t matter… the aim as I see it for any author is to just get reviews OUT there. Because there is no spoon, there is no right or wrong – only opinion.
I don’t know, can we even say there is such a thing as a universal ‘good book’?
I hate it when I go to an authors site and there’s no book list or excerpts – by the way I buy 99% of the time FROM reading the excerpts!
As for MySpace, Facebook, etc., I never go there, and I do mean NEVER!