Thank you for reminding me to nag Mike about my website redesign, though mine is actually going from more to less -- I want a much simpler website that only really focuses on my books, and has a couple links and a bio, because it's a lot of updating and upkeep otherwise. In a way, I consider Cigars my website...and in that, have let my regular website kind of slip. But it is nice having my in-house designer and administrator, though I also need a more "grown up" look from the original...

To answer your question, though, the truth is, I never visit author's websites, or rarely. LOL I know, a contradiction, but I enjoy the blogs, group blogs, mostly and I may check a website of one of my favorites once in a long while to see if there's something new coming out (or, for instance, I'll check Charlaine Harris's website to see what's happening with True Blood -- is that EVER coming out? It's the reason I got cable in the first place, and it's never come to be), or if I find a new author I'm crazy about, I'll check them out on the web, but usually only once...

So, I'm interested to see how others answer your question...

Sam

About the only reason I visit and author's website is to check on books both old and new or to get their email address so I can send a message to them. Otherwise I much prefer blogs.

I prefer blogs -- websites are places to get information. Blogs are places to hang out. :)

M

Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com

I agree that I don't tend to check author sites too much except to get info on books and possibly excerpts. So I like Lori Foster and Jenny Crusie's sites--pretty good listing of their books, including backlists, and those lists are available different ways--chronologically, by series, by reissue, etc. They also have FAQs and I think they have links to their blogs or blogs they participate in.

And Sam, I like yours, too--good info on your books, but (poor Mike ;)), I'd love to see covers and blurbs if you have them for your upcoming stuff, too.

I think as long as your site is clean and easy to navigate, that would be most important to me. And it would be nice if you had a personal blog, but less important I think than maintaining a regular presence somewhere--like at Cigars, for instance. I mostly frequent group blogs, and find in general that they are a bit livelier. It totally of course depends on the personality of the author, but I think an individual blog is more pressure--blogs are more fun if they're pretty regular, and if there's a fair amount of interaction. It's much more fun if the bloggers write/comment back somewhat regularly. And that's just a lot of time to allocate when you also have writing to concentrate on! :)

A few individual blogs I enjoy are Alison Kent's, Lynn Viehl's, and Beth Ciotta's. I think they're all relatively regular bloggers, and Beth used to have a schedule she tried to stick to.

Sorry to have rambled so much! Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be fine for you! :)

Hey, Karen -

I've been to your website (after the Flyboy cover I had to know more, LOL) and I really like the simple design. I don't read blogs or participate in contests on individual author sites, but I do note if sections are out of date. In other words, I want the site to be tidy, but I'm not going to hang around more if it is or isn't. :) I'm not a Luddite by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying to reduce the amount of time I spend on the Internet...and probably fighting a losing battle, but oh well. I'm Quixotic like that. ;)

As I get closer to needing a site of my own, I've decided to pay someone to do my site because I'm just not interested in learning how to do it myself; that will likely make the content more static to keep costs down.

I think this is partially a question of time. How much time do you have, and what is the payoff for spending time on the site - either creating it yourself or blogging/updating? How do you want to spend your time? If guest blogging and Cigars improves your readership, is that enough? Will the time invested in your own site result in a bigger readership? Do you want to get more tech-savvy and therefore will have a personal payoff from messing around with your own site?

Sorry for all the questions - not very helpful at all, really. I guess what matters to me as a *reader* is that the author keep producing fabulous, memorable books. I remember that, not an author's website.

Margaret

Where you can just go and see what the authors next release is, and find a nice printable backlist. (Ha ha. Wish I had a site like that, but then my backlist isn't long enough to be called a "list" yet :-D)

I do my own using a mac program that makes it super easy for even a techno dunce like myself. They also do hosting so you can click to upload, but I don't use that. My DH set up the initial design for me (using one of their templates) and I just go in and make changes when I feel the need (ie when I have a new book coming out). For anything in between, ie if I feel like blogging, I use my Myspace. My site needs updating, but I'm waiting for my September cover (or at least that's today's excuse....)

It sounds like you'd enjoy maintaining your own site. If you have a mac, check out their site builder program.

Jen
http://www.jenlewis.com

I really like author sites for backlists, excerpts, upcoming releases and message boards and any fun extras they may want to have. The most important part for me is some type of their writing, either excerpt or free short story or a free book(as on Samanth Hunters site,Samantha-please keep that with your redesign that story is what got me reading your books)because that is what will get me reading a new to me author. Also if the excerpt is a full chapter from anywhere in the book whould be great. I find this gives a good idea of writing style. Blogs and message boards are great for find authors to discover that you may have not read before but the author site is best for what that author writes and how much money I have to put out to read everything they have ever writen.:)

I'm biased, since I have to believe that as an author I can do SOMETHING to promote myself *g* so I do believe in author websites.

I'm also a control freak, so while I did have mine built, I do all the updates and changes to it myself. I'd go nuts waiting for them, and too often I change something and then just want it tweaked a little this way or that (you know, like when you move furniture around and have to move it an inch or two this way, oh no, that way is better?) Unfortunately, I've been so buried this year that my site is sadly neglected. but... summer's here - that should change! yay :-)