Not long ago, I took an informal poll of readers’ favorite features of authors’ websites and found it very interesting. To that end, I’d love to know what you like best about authors’ sites. What information you appreciate seeing when you visit an author’s online home.
In response to reader feedback, I added a “Bonus Features” page to my site which includes a slew of icons that lead to other pages of requested information.
Here are a few of those bonus features:
- Monthly Giveaways
- A link to connect on BookBub (so readers never miss a new release or an ebook sale)
- A page especially for Book Clubs
- A page with excerpts from every novel
- A page containing recipes from all my novels
- A page with videos shot on location at the various mansions that serve as backdrops for my Southern novels
- A “Truth or Fiction” page that tells readers what was “real” in the novel and what wasn’t (complete with images of all the real stuff!)
- I even have a page listing a ton of my favorite low carb gluten free recipes
At the beginning of every year, I take a week or so and do a “deep dive” on my website updating old information I might have missed and also adding new features. This is where you come in!
I’d love to know your favorite feature(s) on an author’s website!
Or if something drives you nuts, tell me that too! For instance, sites that have music automatically start to play make me want to run screaming and never come back. #petpeeve #slightovereaction #getoveritAlexander
Speaking of bonus features, I picked up two cute little “spoon bookmarks” on our trip to Hilton Head over Christmas, and they’re January’s giveaway!
Whoever first looked at a spoon and thought, “If I flattened the snot out of this, it would make a really great bookmark,” is someone I’d like to meet. Then to print this phrase on it… So funny.
Seriously though, please share what you LOVE (or loathe) about your favorite authors’ websites. But if you’re loathin’, please don’t mention names. Just the somewhat loathsome feature. : )
Blessings to you in 2020, friends, and I’m so glad God ordained us to be on this journey together!
Tammy
Tamera Alexander
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The bigger the book, the better!Ha!
One thing I like to see on an author’s website is the ability to “Pin” each of their books to Pinterest. It’s a little icon usually in the top corner of a book cover that will link my Pin directly to their website (Becky Wade does this and I use it with each new book). I also like to see books listed by series so it’s very clear that they are in fact part of a series and in which order they should be read (even if they can technically be read as stand-alones). One author listed her series in reverse order and I nearly read them backwards! OY! Bonus Features are the best so I’m off to your site to see what’s new there!
I enjoy complete book lists that show the series together and in order with standalones labeled as such. Blessings
I enjoy the personal stuff.
Those are so cute!! Thanks for the give away and Happy New Year to you, too!
I agree with Lucy–but please make it printable with no pictures–maybe a pdf?
I love all of your extra features! And they are organized in a way that makes it easier to find what interests me. I also appreciate book series lists and pinterest pins that show ideas for the book, like locations and period clothing.
I like when authors have pictures of their main characters to see if they resemble how I picture them. Dani Pettrey’s dossier on her characters is always so fun to see and read. I also enjoy any ‘extra’ research that went into the book that may not have been included.
I LOVE it when author websites are fun and there’s lots to check out. I don’t like it when the focus is on sales ONLY with none of the fun thrown in. I get it, books need to be sold, but I desire the relationship with the author first. If I like the books, I will be purchasing them anyway. 🙂 Up-to-date websites are the most awesome, not ones that haven’t been checked in years. But who am I to talk? I don’t even know how to make and update a website! Yours looks fantastic and I love all the extras. 🙂
I love all those features! And I agree with Lucy: if an author has a series (or several series), it’s very helpful to have a list of which books are in which series in order. Sometimes I’ll find a particular book on a Kindle sale and want to read the rest of the series, but Amazon isn’t always good about labeling a series or which book comes when. It gets even more complicated when a novella comes out after the series was published–it’s not always labeled as part of a series.
In addition, I enjoy hearing about the writer’s personal journey in writing and what inspired them to write particular books.
But I don’t expect authors to employ all of these features–that would be a lot to do and might take away from the best part, their writing.
As to features I don’t like: yes, automatic-playing music and videos are annoying. So are pop-ups asking readers to join an email list or sign up for a newsletter that you have to click to close before you can read anything else.
My favorite feature on any author’s webpage is clearly and easily showing the correct order of their book series.
I have really enjoyed your videos from the plantations and plan to check out your Fact or Fiction section.
I definitely love the Mansion videos and page of truth vs fiction–anything related to the story gets me hooked! By far my biggest pet peeve is pop-ups, especially for something like a newsletter sign-up (a visitor only signs up once. Why keep covering up the good stuff?)
I like your website especially the videos, recipes and truth or fiction part. Thank you for the special love you put in these bonus features.
Sometimes I wonder how the author imagined the characters. I’m totally with Amy and love such as Danis dossiers and photos of the main characters as well as pins of the location, clothing or other stuff that inspired for the book.
I know this is probably silly, but I like to see all the books and the order they are published and especially the order of a series….so many books that are part of series don’t have the number on them including novellas and I like to read them in order!
As coordinator of a book group, I like to find discussion guides.
I really like the bonus info you have on your website. I especially enjoyed the photos and other supplemental info about With This Pledge, the Belmont Mansion books, and Belle Meade. Since those books were based on history and real persons, it was especially fun to see those photos.
I LOVE all this, friends. So much. Thanks for sharing. As I dive into my website update in a couple of weeks, I’m keeping all of this foremost in mind. Y’all are the best!
I like big books, and I like series. Also, when I was a teenager I wore a silver spoon ring. You’ve mentioned everything I like today.
Hilton Head? What a great place. Do you know HGTV’s home giveaway is a house they built at Hilton Head.
Thanks for sharing, Tamera! Happy 2020!