 | 23 Sep 09 |
I’m in the middle of completely redesigning my website. Okay, I’m not the one doing the design–I hired someone for that–but I am working on content. I’ve been going through my website and deciding what should stay and what should go.
The first thing I’ve doing is dumping my personal blog. I never really had anything to say there, and rarely post. I post here and at Murderati bi-weekly, and at Romancing the Blog bi-monthly, and that’s enough for me. Probably too much–but right now it’s manageable most of the time.
I’m adding a connecting characters chart or page of some sort. I have something like it on my blog, but I need to rework it to make it more user friendly and understanding. This will also include a booklist, which I have on the site now but it’s kind of hidden! I pretty much know what I’m going to keep and what I’m going to cut–for example, my “about” section is sorely out-of-date, and I need to completely update and rewrite my bio–but there are a couple of things I’m undecided on.
First, the section I currently call FOR WRITERS.
I never–or rarely–update this section. I intended to post articles related to writing here (duh) but the blogs that would make good articles I don’t want to spend the time editing to work. I don’t know if I have the time to create new content for this section, but I remember reading the For Writers area on Lisa Gardner’s website and learning so much, plus a few other authors who posted some great information that helped me understand this or that before I sold.
Yet, I could post some of my motivational emails or even the speech I’m writing for the New Jersey RWA Conference I’m speaking at next month. (Yes, Rocki, I’m actually WRITING A SPEECH. Don’t know if I’ll stick to it, but I’m going to have something in print before I walk up and embarrass myself in front of a couple hundred people . . . )
Is this an area that you visit on author’s websites? What kind of information would you like to see on a For Writers page? Or is this something you never check out or find useful?
My second big unknown is whether to keep the Author Q&A. I’ve been told these are great to have–and I know that my publicist (my first one at Ballantine, Gilly,) loved that I had it–but it doesn’t get a lot of click-throughs, even though the “about” page that’s off of is second only to the books page for click throughs off the main index page. That might be because it’s kind of hidden.
Do you like Author Q&A’s? Why or why not? What kinds of questions to you like to see answered? What would you ask me that you think the answer would be good to post to my website?
Book trailers. I love them. I will probably do one for the Seven Deadly Sins series. But like I did for the FBI trilogy, it’ll be short to give the reader a feeling for the series instead of details about specific titles. I think. 
Do you like book trailers? If so, which are your favorites and why? If not, why not?
And finally, excerpts. My excerpts get a good number of click-throughs–not out of this world, but high enough that they’re definitely worth keeping up. Do you read excerpts on author’s websites? What about in the back of books?
Thanks for your input! Because you’re all helping me, I’ll randomly pick three people to win books for yourself or a friend. (I’ll post the winners over the weekend!)
OTHER THINGS . . . .
ORIGINAL SIN is in production! Yeah! I’ll be getting the copyedits in a couple weeks. Now I’ve started writing CARNAL SIN. Why are the beginnings so hard? LOL.
I wrote the brief, very rough synopsis for the first Lucy Kincaid book. The working title is NO WAY OUT. Don’t know if they’ll keep it, but they seem to like it . . . and it fits the book; I love it when that happens.
I’ll be out of town next week with some members of my FBI Citizens Academy Alumni group. We’re going to Washington to tour Quantico and FBI Headquarters. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a year!
And I’m turning 40 next Tuesday. This one is harder than when I turned 30 . . .
© 2009, Allison Brennan. All rights reserved.
Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of seventeen romantic thrillers and several short stories. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. Recently, RT Book Reviews called Allison "A master of suspense." And Lee Child said of her Kincaid series launch, "A world-class nail-biter ... Brennan is in the groove with this one." For fun Allison enjoys wine tasting, swimming, kids sports, playing video games, and "of course" reading. Her most recent release is IF I SHOULD DIE, book three in the Lucy Kincaid series. Watch for SILENCED coming on 4.24.12.
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Hi Allison,
by Jessica Scott September 24th, 2009 at 1:08 amVery excited to hear Sin is in production. Congrats and I’m really looking forward to it (I’ll be home from Iraq so I can get my own copy on time, rather than weeks after the fact).
I really like excerpts on author pages. If it’s an author I’ve never read, it gives me an idea of whether or not their story is going to pull me in. I’ve bought books based on excerpts. Plus, if its an author I know and love, it gives me a sneak peak at the upcoming project. And the back cover is a must for me b/c it makes me feel like I”m really exploring the book as opposed to judging the cover.
You’ve got such great advice on the business of publishing and other pointers, I for one would love to see a for writer’s page. It wouldn’t require lots of updates, especially if you pull from your classes/lectures you’ve given.
Good luck with the new site. I’m sure it’s going to rock!
Thanks Jessica, and I’m praying for your safe return!
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 1:33 pmArgh. I am using NO WAY OUT as a working title for the first book in the Guardian Angelino series! But I doubt it will last – not sexy enough for my books, and perfect for yours, Allison.
I’ll be following these responses closely as I will probably be redesigning a whole new web site myself for the new series. My most popular clicks are excerpts, contest and the brief bios & pics of my characters. I am not a believer in trailers, myself, but I might give one a shot next time.
I think readers love the Q&A sections, and MOST IMPORTANT, a printable backlist and all series titles in order. I keep that on my home page because it’s the most commonly asked question.
Can’t wait to see the final product!
by Roxanne St. Claire September 24th, 2009 at 5:45 amHey Rocki, I think I have a less than 50% chance of keeping the title. It’s an Oct 2010 book. But it’s a place holder title and Ballantine wanted something. But I DO like it and it fits the story really well
I agree about the printable list. I have one on my page, and I have connecting characters on another page (non-printable) but I need to find an easy, non-cluttered way to integrate them.
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 1:49 pmAllison, I think you’re right to ditch the blog. Group blogs seem to be much more effective, and when I re-do my site, my blog will go.
I agree with everyone excerpts are a must. It’s the best selling tool there is. I think shorter is better, and leave them wanting the next line.
Re. “For Writers,” I’m thinking of starting a section like that. One of the problems I see is that it’s easy to get bogged down with a ton of details. It’s a huge subject, and you’re speaking to several audiences at once–unpublished writers, newbies still glowing from the first sale, midlist authors who may or may not feel like going on a shooting rampage, and up-and-comers on the brink of…something really good.
It would probably be smart to do some kind of a series, starting with the unpubs and aiming specifically for them–after all, every published author was once unpublished. It’s good to inspire them, too, with stories about authors who got there.
The nice thing about a “For Writers” section? At the end, you’ll have a ready-made book on writing.
by J. JCarson Black September 24th, 2009 at 6:21 amHi Jake! I completely agree about excerpts, I get a decent number of hits on them so it’s worth it to post them.
I like the idea of a for writers area, but it’s gathering the material and getting it ready for posting. And it’s not like I’ve said anything different than anyone else! And no way am I going to write a book about writing–I sometimes don’t even know how I write. I couldn’t tell anyone else how to do it! Besides, the definitive book out there is ON WRITING by Stephen King. It says it all
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 2:01 pmHappy birthday, and don’t sweat it. I thought 40 was easier than 39, because that sounded so ‘fake’. And there are still plenty more to come. I’ve stopped being bothered when I move into a new decade.
FWIW, I have ‘behind the scenes’ section on my website which gives little snippets of what inspired me to write a book or story, or some pitfall, or something I discovered along the way. It seems to be popular. And I like seeing the personal touch from other authors.
If I click anywhere on an author site, it’ll be to the books/excerpts. That’s where I decide if I want to read the book.
by Terry Odell September 24th, 2009 at 8:18 amI like 39.
I like your behind the scenes idea–I have something similar that I just called “ideas” and how each book came to be, but it’s LONG and incomplete. I need to edit it down to the core points. And that takes time.
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 2:06 pmAllison, my behind the scenes bits are short. I don’t really have a web designer; my son set up the basic template when I had a contract for one short story, and it just grew. We did set up a link for ‘behind the scenes’ from the start, and I just add a brief page with each new project. Kind of down and dirty, but feel free to take a look.
by Terry Odell September 24th, 2009 at 2:22 pmFor your website you need it set up so it works for you w/ the time you have available. You’re very busy and it should not be something too time consuming.
Now for the problem w/ the # of candles on the b-day cake. I turned 41 this year and I figure I’ll just be damn glad for each year I get to celebrate and not worry about the number. It sure as hell beats the alternative.
A little early but, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
by HollyD September 24th, 2009 at 8:21 amExactly! You get it! I have no time! Thanks for the birthday wishes. I think I feel older because my daughter is on the verge of getting her license . . .
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 2:27 pmAllison, you’ve already written so many writer-related articles. Why not just link them on your “For Writers” page? Be sure to have your web person make the link the kind that “opens in a new window”, so your potential customers don’t get dumped out of your site and never come back to you.
A lot of readers are potential writers, or at least we think we are.
It’s probably worth your while to keep this feature, along with the Author Q&A. I personally enjoy reading about authors, as well as what they were thinking when they wrote their books.
My two cents’ worth!
by Karen in Ohio September 24th, 2009 at 12:31 pmThanks Karen! I have articles, but I don’t have them in a central place . . . I think I need to hire someone to find them all for me, LOL!
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 2:37 pmAllison
by Jessica Scott September 25th, 2009 at 4:16 amYou said you don’t have your notes in a central place. I kept all your comments and notes from the class you gave for NINC last fall on publishing. I can compile them into separated documents and shoot them back to you if you want.
Hi Allison,
by Toni Hingleton September 24th, 2009 at 2:27 pmCongrats on Original Sin–can’t wait to read it.
For Writers–Love this section and as a unpubbed I am always looking for a new take on things…plot, POV, promo, charactrizations, synopsis, query ect…Every pubbed writer has there own way of looking at and doing things–I never know if something might better than your own process…You know the saying’s–there is never one way to write a book and you never stop learning!
Q&A–The ones I have seen are more for readers and more on the personal side, not the writing side. I would keep it for the readers that are coming to your site…If I were looking at Q&A, I would want to ask writer ?’s–how many pages do you write a day, how do you face the blank page, what is the best promotional tool that gives you more bang for your buck. I think these are ?’s that you can write about in a blog or your For Writer’s section. Readers normally want to know when your next book is coming out, or ask about Lucy’s book for the 100th time ect…
Book Trailers–I like them and gives me a feel for the story. However if I had to pick between that and exerpts, I would go with exerpts. The exerpts pull the reader in and make them really want to read the book..This is especially good for the readers new to your site and haven’t read your books.
All the best,
~toni
Okay–meant to say excerpts not exerpts. Now you should really do a For Writers article on spelling
by Toni Hingleton September 24th, 2009 at 2:32 pm~toni
I knew what you meant, Toni
GREAT info BTW, and I’ll take it in account. I need to revamp my Q&A which I see more as a media tool than a writers tool. I might hire my daughter to surf the internet and find all the articles I’ve written. I have some on my computer, but not all . . . woe is me. Sigh.
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 2:45 pmI’ll miss your personal blog. I like viewing trailers, but it’s not a must for me and doesn’t influence me. I can’t wait for the new website to be completed so I can find out more about the Seven Deadly Sins series. Happy Birthday and have fun in DC.
by Jane September 24th, 2009 at 3:05 pmSorry Jane! I just had a hard time updating it. I’m going to work on updating the website regularly–my designer is going to make it easy for me. (I hope!)
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pmCUT OFF SCENES. You know, like… ummm… Thomas O’Brian and Nelia Kincaid going to the Kincaids. Seriously! We don’t care that’s out of the context and I truly doubt it’s badly written. Pretty please, Allison!!!
*couldn’t miss the opportunity of nagging you about this one again*
by Barbie September 24th, 2009 at 3:17 pmHa ha ha ha Barbie . . . I know, I guess I should post that somewhere. I’ll see if I can find it . . .
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 7:17 pmY’know, if you don’t want the whole world to see them, I mean, if you’re THAT self conscious, my email inbox is very discreet about what happens to appear in there! Just sayin’
by Barbie September 24th, 2009 at 7:39 pmI’m going to ditch my personal blog as well, since I blog here, at Murderati and now every month at Pop Culture Divas. I’d rather people sign up for the newsletter where I can give all the news that’s relevant in one spot.
What I do have is an “other writer” category, and I need to change that name, but it’s the spot where I link to any other blog posts or essays or short stories that have additional flavor of my writing. I think I’m going to eliminate the links and have them on my site.
I really like Q & As when I go read an author site, and I also like a FAQ which isn’t the same thing. (I love reading author trivia.)
While I loved book trailers (and y’all know I did one), I think that the time has come that they need to evolve to the next level, or else they’re not doing enough. What that “next level” is? Not entirely sure. Have some ideas, but I’ll need to experiment.
I will definitely keep my excerpts — they seem to be the thing people stay on the longest.
I’ve really got to go do a FAQ. And put up the interviews.
(And while I love my new design, I’m already itching to change it. Isn’t that sad? I wish I had those skills.)
OH, if you haven’t been to the Pioneer Woman site, go look. I think it’s beautifully done and very user-friendly and she’s got loads of information. She’s got a great backstory and her thing is her cooking (she’s written a cookbook) and photography (love the shots of her husband, the Marlboro Man cowboy, especially the ones holding their kids). Anyway, she’s got the right idea–build a world there for people to come visit with lots of takeaway ideas.
by toni mcgee causey September 24th, 2009 at 3:57 pmGreat ideas. I know I’ll be picking your brain, Toni
by Allison Brennan September 24th, 2009 at 7:29 pmForties are FABULOUS!, Allison. Welcome to the club!
by Karin Tabke September 25th, 2009 at 12:44 amAllison, I love the plans you have for your website! I hope to completely redo mine by the end of the year. Excellent ideas!
by Debra Webb September 25th, 2009 at 9:00 amHappy birthday! I read excerpts, so definitely leave those. And articles are great. Have fun re-designing.
by Edie September 25th, 2009 at 8:21 pm