It’s really hard to write query letters. And synopses, for that matter. Can you imagine putting together a website that effectively promotes your novel?
Author and website designer Julia Stoops did just that for her book PARTS PER MILLION. The result is beautiful, profound and captivating.
This is one of a series of works by author and visual artist Julia Stoops featuring Nelson, the protagonist of her novel PARTS PER MILLION.
Partspermillion.net incorporates character biographies, photographs of the story’s location, thoughtful FAQs about Julia’s creative process and more. The site background is a piece of Julia’s original art, and artist Ryan Alexander-Tanner rendered compelling black-and-white illustrations that make the novel’s characters come to life.
Julia is one of the most creative people I know. She’s a writer, an artist and a professional website designer and branding guru. You can learn more about her visual art and writing here. I interviewed her last spring about PARTS PER MILLION, her research process and using multiple point-of-view characters as part of the Seven Questions series.
Do you have an author or novel website? What are some of your favorite author sites and why?
Shortlink: http://wp.me/p1bhaB-yp
Laura Stanfill 
Unless an author has a blog, I don’t go to their sites very often. Just to see a quick list of other books they’ve written and then I’m gone. So far, I haven’t found much on an author site that makes me want to go and look. If I had read the beek then maybe I’d want some character info. But I’m not sure. You brought up a good question. It makes me wonder what the purpose is of an author site. Guess I better figure that out! Thanks, Laura.
Of course I meant book, not beek. Guess I need to edit before I push publish. oops.
Interesting point about readership of author sites/book sites. I have a lovely one, coincidentally designed by Julia back in 2002 or so, but it’s definitely pretty static in terms of content. All my new content is on my blog, which is linked to the site.
This is an awesome idea – I am inspired!
I love how much thought and detail Julia put into her site. Having read her manuscript I especially love the FAQs and character info, but if I hadn’t read it, I think all the content would make me put the book on my to-read list. I wonder how a top-notch creative site like this would drive sales of a self-published book. Getting this kind of view into the story and characters and prose would certainly get me interested in buying the book.
I had thought about doing something like that and linking it to my blog. But I’d also heard some agents and publishing firms frown on it. So it depends on which way I want to go, traditional or indie. I was thinking of trying traditional first, since my target audience is YA.
I started with an author site and later linked this blog to that.
I’m curious about your comment on agents and publishers. Do they frown on book-specific sites or author websites or both (from what you’ve heard)? I can see how a traditional publisher might want to control whatever publicity content is out there but on the other hand it seems like a strong web presence is almost mandatory these days.
Laura – I have awarded you the Kreative Blogger Award. http://wp.me/p1QtlR-xU
Oh wow! Thanks, Debra!
I can’t think offhand of any author websites that reel me in immediately. I prefer author blogs.
Blogs are way more interactive than most author sites. But I go to each for different reasons–author/book sites to learn more about someone who’s work I just discovered, and blogs to be part of a conversation about the craft, whether it’s as a listener or a participant.