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Writers and Editors (RSS feed)

Author websites that pull you in (in different ways)

Authors looking for role models: Some of these author websites are well-designed, some have great content, some have both. What do you think of them? Do they make you want to a) buy the book? b) read the book? c) hire the writer? d) watch for his next book?

Marcel Theroux (elegantly understated, with black and white drawings)

Sarah Barbour. Aeroplane Media (an editor/proofreader of genre fiction posts her prices, which is one reason she gets hired, according to her handy ebook, The Copy Editor's Guide to Working with Indie Authors: How to Find Clients, Market Yourself & Build Your Business

Camden Writers (click on the photos--a process of discovery)

Scott Saul, for his book Becoming Richard Pryor , created an extensive website about the first part of the five-part book, as a lure to the book itself: Richard Pryor's Peoria

Smashing Magazine has excellent material on website design (including 10 Useful Usability Findings and Guidelines, tutorials, navigation, typography and free fonts.

The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel (multimedia, with photos, music, and story, all tugging on the heartstrings and making you wonder)

Common Craft "Videos that enlighten. Our product is explanation." A good example: their video on Net Neutrality. (You can hire them!)

Jennifer Baljko (visually compelling, about travel writing)

Lawrence Block

Judy Blume (don't love the graphics but the content is great)

Book trailers (VidLits, video book promotions)

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (slick Random House site)

Picking Cotton, a dynamic site for Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton

Amanda Jones (visually irresistible)

Kevin Daum's website for Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle: A Business Fable hype that somehow sells, including a "negative" review on Amazon.

Grants As You Go (Sally Stanton, Write Now! Consulting)

Malcolm Gladwell (perfect minimalism)

Barry Eisler (thriller writer, who got his rights back), with an interesting FAQ page.

Robin Marantz Henig (that photo alone makes you like her)

Chris Bohjalian (many ways to promote his popular books, including Skypes with book groups)

Susan Ireland Resumes (well-targeted selection of copy--and lots of examples)

Miranda July's clever (irritating) site, a performance artist with a book

Leslie Larson (straightforward and likeable)

More time to travel (Irene S. Levine's advice on travel after 50) Great photos and note the color ad$).

Doug McInnis (simple, but with lots of samples, categorized)

Stephenie Meyer this simple site of the bestselling author of the Twilight series gets heavy traffic because of her daily blog and links to fan sites, says If You Build It, They Won’t Come: A Guide to Author Websites (Laura Hazard Owen, Publishing Trends, 12-1-08)

Brian Jay Jones Writer. Biographer. Pop Culture Junkie. Good blog talk.

WriteInc. (Peter Bowerman's copywriting site -- click on Portfolio for an example of how to display your samples)

SciWrite (biomedical writing & editing services, a site with flair and humor) "You do the science. We'll do the English."

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Ten Author Websites That Really Do the Business (with analysis, The Writing Platform)

J.K. Rowling (when less is more--oh what those flags convey)

Tom Wolfe (more "less is more")

Author Websites: 7 Of The Best Writers' Sites (photos, Huffington Post, 11/18-10)

8 Great Author Websites

Bottom line: Which websites made you want to read the author's books? Which great author websites did I overlook?
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