3 Fun Websites for Fiction Writers

Fiction writers and the Internet--terrific combination! I Google things often when I'm writing a first draft. The spelling of a word, a grammar question, pictures of my characters, job details, you name it--I'm checking it!

I bookmark the sites I like and organize them in folders in my bookmarks toolbar. Here are three fun websites that fiction writers will find helpful.

1. Behind the Name: Random Name Generator 

This site is awesome! If you're stuck on choosing a name for your character or want a name specific to a culture or country, start here. Simply select if you want the first name and middle name or only the first name, the gender, and any filters that apply to your character. The generator will spit out a name for you.

Example:
a. I chose first name only, female, Russian and got Rufina.
b. I chose first and middle name, male, Hillbilly and got Joey Ray Hoghauler.
c. I chose first and middle name, female, French and got Ariane Rosette.

This site also allows you to browse names and their meanings and check the etymology.

2. 100 People Doing Extraordinary Things

When I'm in a plotting rut, the characters I'm brainstorming tend to act similarly to characters I've written in the past. Instead of moaning and searching my brain for fresh ideas, I read lists like this. Seeing the unique things real people have done in their lives always sparks a way to make my characters fresh.

Warning, offensive language blasts you in the first sentence; however, the list itself inspires me when I'm plotting. 

3. Writers Helping Writers

This site was formerly The Bookshelf Muse. I own The Emotion Thesaurus, and I've used many tools on the site itself. There are articles and charts and tips for just about everything a fiction writer deals with. Scroll down the site, look to the right sidebar, and find Categories. Have fun! You could read through the articles for hours.

What fun websites have you found lately? 

Have a terrific weekend!

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Do You Need a Website?

Websites.

Do unpublished authors need them? Do published authors need them?

In my opinion, published authors absolutely need a website. Readers like me love learning about our favorite authors, and we need a way to find their back-lists, new releases, and scheduled appearances. We also devour author biographies, and we e-mail authors to let them know we loved their books. Readers are flocking to the Internet to purchase e-books, so it makes sense for authors to make it easy to find information about them and their books.

I also believe unpublished authors can benefit from having a website, but it's not essential. Unpublished authors who want a website can either hire a designer, design their own site, or they can use a blogging service to create a website. When I started blogging over two years ago, Blogger didn't have many of the exciting features it currently does. One fabulous improvement is the ability to create static pages to make your blog look and function like a website. You can also direct your blogspot URL to a custom domain. (Wordpress offered both of these features long before Blogger, but I chose Blogger for a variety of reasons, one being the ease of following, finding, and linking to other blogs.)

Anyone can simply set up a blog, create static pages, and have an instant website--for free.

The drawbacks to creating a simulated website through a blog service include less freedom with overall look and design, and less support. Most web-hosting services offer 24 hour support, e-mail addresses, protection from hackers, and tons of online storage, whereas your blog account can get hacked and deleted, support exists only in forums, and you won't have access to many features a web-hosting service offers.

Still, I think creating the look of a website through a blog service is a terrific way for aspiring authors to promote themselves and their writing.



Here are essentials for an unpublished author's website (in no particular order):

1. Easy navigation.

There should be links to every page in the site and the navigation bar should be in the same spot on every page.

2. A biography with a good picture.

Keep the biography engaging, list your credentials, tell why and what you write. The picture does not have to be professional, but do wear a tasteful outfit and have someone take the best picture possible.

3. A page about what you write.

This could be as simple as stating the titles, genre, and word counts of completed books, a short story or article, or back-cover-like blurbs for each book. I don't recommend putting up sample chapters. Sample chapters belong in a requested submission, not on an unpublished author's website.

4. Links to your social networks.

Only include those you're active on. Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Goodreads, and so forth.

5. An e-mail address to contact you.

I understand wanting to maintain privacy and block spam, but there is no good reason for an author to withhold a contact method. Create a dedicated e-mail under your author name. I regularly e-mail authors of blogs, but if there isn't any way to contact them, I can't.

Published authors should publish a website before their first book is published. Good author websites make the reader want to buy an author's books. They also give numerous options for the reader to connect with the author through signing up for a newsletter, following the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks, and by clearly stating upcoming appearances and when the next book will be released. Book covers should be linked for easy purchasing.

Here are essentials for a published author's website (in no particular order):

1. Easy navigation.

There should be links to every page in the site and the navigation bar should be in the same spot on every page.

2. A detailed author biography with professional picture.

Readers want to connect with the author, so include a picture. Franchises such as Portait Innovations offer business packages for around $70.oo and this includes copyright releases of certain poses to use online. The biography should be engaging--less business-like, more friendly.
3. Clearly stated achievements.

If the author won a prestigious award, made it on a best-seller's list or any other fabulous achievement--this should be prominently shown throughout the site. You're not bragging--you're simply informing anyone who stops by that other people like your books. The implied message: this author's books are good so buy one.

4. An updated appearance schedule.

Speaking at a library? Having a booksigning? Include the place, date and time. This shows you're actively promoting your books and that you encourage readers to interact with you.

5. A page dedicated to your books.

Feature book jackets, reviews, blurbs, and a link to purchase the book. Include a complete backlist. Readers like me are salivating to read every book by the author, and we do buy backlists.

6. Contact button.

A pop-up to e-mail the author should appear. A page with other contact information such as a P.O. Box can be included if desired.

7. Newsletter sign-up.

There are many great newsletter services. It's up to the author how often to send a newsletter, but most of the authors I sign up with produce them quarterly.

8. Blog.

If the author blogs, this should be either incorporated into the site or linked on every page.

9. Social media links.

Every page should have buttons for readers to connect with the author on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Linked-In, Shelfari, or whatever sites the author is active on.

10. Press kit.

This is for members of the media to easily access information about you and your writing in the event they want to interview you. Need an example? Check out Alley Blake's Press Release Page.
I only touched on the basics of websites today. I'm full of opinions, right or wrong, on them and will gladly share my thoughts if you have any questions.

Is there anything you would like to know about author websites?


Have a terrific Friday!

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Author Websites

Don't click away! I know the term "author websites" is scary, scary, scary!

I used to get wobbly knees, icy fingers, and a bad case of the shakes at the thought of setting up an author website.

What is it about websites that terrify us so? I don't know about you, but I felt completely inadequate. I couldn't even figure out how to research various ways of obtaining a website without getting nauseous.



I've written on this topic before. You can check out my article Five Things to Consider Before You Design Your Website for information on getting prepared to have your own site.

For those of you who are interested in designing your own custom website using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) design program, I've written a Basic Website Design Guide. All of my articles are available at my website http://www.jillkemerer.com/. They are also linked in the sidebar of my blog for easy access.

Every day, more website templates crop up, so writers don't even have to customize to have a professional looking site. I, however, wanted complete control over the colors, the layout, and the pictures in mine, so I learned the basics.

My biggest fear was that I'd design a site and it would end up looking cheesy and unprofessional. My first website design was very simple. It had a Home page, a Biography page, a link to my blog, and a Contact button for anyone to e-mail me. About six months after I published the site, I decided it could look better. I changed the background and the layout and I added a few more web pages.

Why am I telling you this? Because I don't want you to feel your site has to be perfect, especially if you aren't published yet. You can tweak it and upgrade it as you learn more. I would never recommend anyone putting up a sloppy, unusable site, but I think many authors are so intimidated about having a great site, they don't have any site.

Please keep in mind that editors expect published authors to have a website. It's a terrific promotion tool. It's okay to have a free, template-style website as an unpublished author, but when you get "the call" your editor will probably suggest you get a professional site. I can think of a few reasons for this: many free websites do not utilize a http://www.com/ domain name, and many free websites do not have a function for readers to e-mail and contact the author.

If you're the do-it-yourself type on a tight budget, hold off on spending big bucks to hire a professional website designer. Ask your editor or agent for examples of author sites they feel are appropriate. Spend time planning your site based on their suggestions. Study the layout, content, and appropriate web pages.

Build your own custom website using a web-hosting service such as Yahoo! Web-Hosting or GoDaddy. They offer easy to use design programs. Beware of less prominent web-hosting sites. Their design programs can be difficult to use. You can also purchase design programs, but they are expensive.

If you set up a site and your editor is still not loving it, or maybe you feel updating it is too time-intensive, you may have to pay a professional. If this happens, don't consider the effort of designing your own site wasted. You have to determine a clear vision for your website whether you design it or someone else does. Why not do it now?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Website Week: Visuals and Professionalism

Earlier this week, I posted the first two sections of my article titled "5 Things to Consider Before Starting a Website." Today, we'll look at the final installment, including items 4 and 5: Visuals and Professionalism.

4. VISUALS

What colors are you drawn to? What colors represent your writing? When you look at other author’s sites, do the colors please you? Try to come up with a palette of several complementary colors, or, if you prefer to stay with one or two, find several shades and depths. Look at home magazines for ideas. They often give suggestions of what colors go well together.



What theme represents you as a writer? Do you have a brand? Do you know what genre of books you write? Spend time analyzing what elements are always present in your books (even if you write more than one genre) and play with these to come up with a brand. If coming up with a brand is beyond you at this point, simply describe the books you write. “Sally Susy writes contemporary women’s fiction.”

What about visuals? Do you want a picture or your head shot in your header? Do you like sites that have buttons for links or just words for links? Do you like the navigation bars at the top, bottom, or one of the sides? Look at other websites to narrow down the layouts you like. Model your site after the one you like best. I’m not saying to copy it; analyze what you like about the site and incorporate those features into yours.

5. PROFESSIONALISM
A website is a key promotional tool for you as an author whether you’re published or not. When you have a website as a pre-published author, you can include your domain name in your contact information when you’re querying agents and editors. They may look at your site; they may not; either way they know you have a website.

Let’s say they do look at your site. You want them to be impressed. If you decide to update regularly, follow through. Also, you might want to put a small line at the bottom of the page that tells when you update the site. Design the site to be easy to navigate. Be honest with yourself and ask for input from friends: does it look as if it were slapped together by a third grader? Edit before you update to insure there are no grammatical errors. Verify every link works (it only takes one wrong character to have a broken link).



A website can impress an editor or agent--or it can underwhelm. A good website doesn't have to be fancy. It does have to be clear, well-done, and professional looking.

In conclusion, a website doesn't have to cost a fortune to do the job right. If you don't want to update it very often, you can put up a basic information page. If you do update it regularly, you'll attract more visitors. The website should clearly state who you are, what you write, and your writing background. The visuals should reflect who you are as a writer. If you write thrillers, an editor will be confused if the website is mint green and pink with flowers spattered everywhere. Above all, strive to make the site as professional as possible. This means no broken links, no confusing content, no grammatical errors.

I hope this helps anyone who dreads the thought of putting together a website. Yes, it’s a lot of work whether you design it yourself or hire it out, but publishers expect authors to have websites as soon as they’re published. Do you really want to deal with the stress of starting a website when you’re knee-deep in contracts, edits, and art department forms? I don’t think so!

The bulk of the work involved with a website takes place in the design stage. Once your site is up and running, it requires much less time and effort. And what an accomplishment to see your own website on the Internet!

What are you waiting for? Start designing your website!

Enjoy your weekend!

The entire article is posted on my website. Click HERE if you'd like to read the article in its entirety.

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Website Week: Updates and Content

On Monday, I posted the first section of my article titled "5 Things to Consider Before You Design Your Website." Today, we'll look at items 2 and 3: Updates and Content.

2. UPDATES
How often will you update your site? Do you want to create it and leave it as-is? Or do you plan on updating it sporadically as you think of things to add? Would you feel comfortable with updating it on a monthly basis? A weekly basis?



If you plan on creating the site and leaving it alone until some point in the future when you’ll have more to add (such as your first book cover!), concentrate on creating a professional looking Home page. A head shot, brief bio, and a method of contacting you should suffice. Do you blog? Include a link to it. Make your website an informational tool for anyone interested in your work. Don't include anything that will be obsolete in a few months. For example, "The piles of snow in my front yard..." or "My latest book will be finished in July 2007!" make it obvious that you aren't updating regularly.

If you plan on updating it sporadically, please reconsider. A poorly designed, rarely updated site will not impress editors or agents, nor will it attract repeat visitors. Either decide to put up a basic, leave-alone site, or update it on a regular basis. You don’t want your website to hurt your reputation.

If you do plan on updating it on a regular basis, decide how often. What day will you publish your updates? The first of the month? The first day of each week? How far in advance will you have to type in your updates in order to meet this? Give yourself a minimum of 24 hours from when you type in your updates to when you publish them so you will catch any mistakes. Editing is important when updating your website. Post your best work on it.

3. CONTENT

Content? What content? I’m not published yet!

Hold on there. Plenty of pre-published writers have websites. Check them out. Think about what you like about their sites.

Basic elements of an author's website:

The Home page. (If you’re not updating the site regularly, this will be your biography page also. If you are updating regularly, post your updates here.)

Your Home page will feature the header of your site. This should include your name, or pen name, and your brand if you have one. If you don’t have a brand, include the genre of books you write. Don’t make a visitor guess what your site is promoting. Spell it out for them!

The header of my site reads:

Jill Kemerer

sweet, emotional, sparkling romance

Jill Kemerer writes Christian contemporary romance novels.

If someone accidentally found my site, they would not think I'm selling bathrobes nor that I write dark paranormal books.

The Home page is the first page a visitor will see. Don’t expect readers to click through your site to find your updates—keep your fresh material here. Also, don’t make them guess how often you update; post the date front and center. If you update monthly, put the current month and year above your new material. If you’re updating more often, put the actual date above the information.

What will you update about? That’s up to you. You might want to discuss the progress of your latest book. You could write a personal essay, interview an author, or write a book review. The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to promote a published book to have a successful website.

If you're setting up your site as a promotional tool for future books, keep the content based on you, your writing, or writing in general. This isn't the place to include a photo album from last Christmas. However, don't be afraid to include a recipe if you're a fabulous cook or a play list of tunes if you adore music. It's okay to let your personality shine through, as long as it doesn't take away from the overall goal of promoting yourself as a writer.

A Biography page should be included (this can be called About Me, or any other name you prefer). It can be short or long, but include your writing history, any organizations you belong to, previous publishing history (if any), and the genres you write. If you haven’t posted a picture of yourself on your home page, post one here, and think twice before putting up the picture of you in your cut-offs last summer.

A Contact link or e-mail address will allow any visitor to contact you.

If you have a Blog, link it to your site and vice-versa.

You can have as many or as few pages as you want. Again, look at other author’s sites for ideas. Jot down any features you like; you can always add more pages later. It’s your website--do what you want! Mine started out with a Home page, a Biography page, a link to my Blog, and a Contact e-mail. A few months later, I decided to add a Links page. This month I added an Articles page and a Proposals page. I've seen other authors include a Fun Stuff page which lists their favorite books, television shows, candy, etc... I've also seen a My Place page with information about where the author lives. I've seen a Meet the Authors page featuring podcasts of interviews the author conducted.

Join me on Friday for the final installment of this article, which covers Visuals and Professionalism.

And...

Write Already! It's Wednesday!

The entire article is posted on my website. Click HERE if you'd like to read the article in its entirety.

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Website Week: Things to Consider Before Starting a Website

This week I'm tackling a topic I've long wanted to cover: websites. I've written a lengthy article titled "5 Things to Consider Before You Design Your Website" and have broken it down into smaller chunks for this week's posts. Enjoy!

5 Things to Consider Before You Design Your Website
Does the word “website” terrify you? Does the thought of researching website designers make you cringe? Does the thought of designing your own website seem laughable—impossible even?

You’ve come to the right place. As a pre-published author, I knew a website could help my career, but I wasn’t sure how, considering I didn’t have a book to promote. Plus, every time I thought of websites, nausea would bubble up, and I’d slam the door shut to the anxiety-producing thoughts whirling around in my head.

But it bothered me that I didn’t have a website when so many pre-published authors had terrific ones. I decided it was time to swallow my fears, grab a barf bag, and make some decisions. I knew I wanted my site to work for the long-term. I asked myself what I wanted it to accomplish. The answer? I wanted my site to promote me as a writer and, eventually, promote the books I write.

After following my own advice and studying the five areas below, I decided to design my own website. The process both terrified and excited me. It’s not for everyone, but if you have average computer skills and are willing to update your own site, you should consider it.

If you’re wondering what is involved with starting a website, here are a few things to consider before making any decisions.

1. COST

A website can range anywhere from free (yes, there are ways to get a free website) to several thousand dollars. One free option is to use WordPress (a blog tool) to create your site. A quick search on the Internet will bring up a slew of articles on the subject. One drawback: your url will not include www, thus making it less easy for people to find your site when typing it into a search engine. There may be ways to get around this. Again, an Internet search would provide the answer.

Another no-expense option is to use a free web-hosting service. An Internet search will bring up plenty of companies offering free service. Research them and pay attention to the following. Will your domain name be an extension of the web-hosting company’s? For example:(www.webcompany/yourname.com) Will your site display ads from the web-hosting company? Do the features include e-mail? Are the file-types restricted?

You want to have a professional-looking site, and you want visitors to find you. Both will be difficult if your domain name includes another company in it, and you don't want ads selling diapers on your site for obvious reasons.

Are you writing under a pen name? Register the domain name and design your website to reflect it. Make sure your domain name is structured like this: (http://www.yourname.com/). This isn't the time to register a cute or vague name like (http://www.lovetowrite.com/) or (www.icecreamsurprise.com). After all, how do readers find their favorite authors? By typing the author’s name into a search engine.

***A note on domain names. The most desirable domain name includes www. When you have www in front of your name, search engines will be more likely to find you.

Also, don't waste your time setting up a site that will have to be completely gutted when you're published. Set it up correctly now to save time later.



A mildly expensive option is to design your own site using a web-hosting service such as Yahoo! GeoCities, GoDaddy, etc… They offer similar plans in terms of expense and features, so it’s really a personal preference on what service to use. Expect to pay between $75/year and $150/year. For this expense, you will get a domain name (http://www.yourname.com/), a WYSIWYG design program, 24 hour customer support, more e-mail addresses and storage than you’ll probably ever need, statistic tools to track your visitors, and a nifty button to submit your site to the top search engines on a daily basis.

I would not recommend trying to design your site using only html code unless you're a master at it. WYSIWYG stands for What You See Is What You Get, meaning you just point and click, and these programs take the pain out of design.

A more expensive way to go is to purchase a WYSIWYG design program such as DreamWeaver, design the site yourself, and pay a minimal fee for your domain name. Drawback? These programs aren't cheap. The latest version of DreamWeaver lists for $399. Also, check the requirements needed to publish your site. Will you need to pay for a web-hosting service in addition to the domain name and program?

If you hire someone to design your site, the expense varies. If you know someone, you may be able to get a fabulous deal on a site design. A college student might be interested in setting up your site for very little money. However, if you hire a professional designer, expect to pay anywhere between $500 and several thousand dollars.

There are things to consider if you go this route. Do you want to update your own site or do you want to pay someone to update it for you? Keep in mind--you’ll still have to get the information to them. Will there be additional charges if you decide to add pages later? What will happen if you decide to terminate your service with them? Research several companies to determine what each offers, and ask your friends for recommendations.

Join me on Wednesday, when we'll look at 2. Updates and 3. Content. The final installment of the article will be posted on Friday.

And...

Get Motivated! It's Monday!

The entire article is posted on my website. Click HERE if you'd like to read the article in its entirety.

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