Thursday, May 07, 2009

Author Websites

So, I've got a book out at the end of the month and I'm realizing I really need to update my webpage. Things I need to do include putting up sample chapters and previously published stories linked to a separate page for fiction samples, linking the recommended reading list to buy pages, a bibliography update, and an aknowledements page that thanks all the folks who need thankage. I've already got a bio, book links, contact form, and a (seriously incomplete) set of research links. I'm considering putting in a wordpress or other blog and reposting all of my bloggage from all over, so that I have it in one place and I'd have a personal blog. But I'm not wholly sold on that yet. What else do I need? Anybody got any suggestions or comments?

7 comments:

lydamorehouse said...

I think a wordpress blog of your own would be kind of cool. Then you don't always have to write about writing, you know? I know I was surprised how many people like the stupid fish posts I make on mine....

Otherwise, it sounds good. It's funny how we seem to parallel each other though. I was just updating my webpages this morning too.

Stephanie Zvan said...

Including the political bloggage? That could be very brave of you.

Paul Lamb said...

Sounds like you're off to a great start. The only thing I can think to add is to be sure to have sections or features or whatever that need updating often. Seriously. I've gone to some author pages that don't change from month to month because they don't report news or update photos or have new contests or whatever. So I stop going to those sites. It seems to me that you want to have something new happening as often as you can to keep people coming back.

Eleanor said...

Cat photos. A blog. A sense of who you are.

Shawn Enderlin said...

you need a widget for your Twitter feed! ;-)

Erik Buchanan said...

Only thing I can think of is a good content authoring tool, which will allow you to upload information to your website whenever you want it. I'm looking in to this for re-designing my website. Joomla and Drupal are two free ones, but I don't know what their limiitations are. I'm still in the research stages of it.

Kelly McCullough said...

Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. Much to mull here. Not sure I want to go for a twitter feed, but a facebook widget would make me very happy.