I might be an author, but I’m also an avid reader. I constantly have a book going and can get through two to four books a month. Every once in awhile, I read a really great one. When that last page has ended, I stare off into space for a moment, transfixed as I begrudgingly return to reality. I scroll through the back matter, searching for that link that will keep me hooked to the author’s story world… And if I find it, then i’M off to check their website and see what other shenanigans they might have for me to get into.
Ha!
How about you? Do you ever check out an author’s website?
For this reason, I do try hard to keep my website updated and I’m always looking for things I can add to make my story world to make it more special to a reader. Like my Madison Creek series actually has a game page for those who like puzzles, crosswords, and other fun stuff. It’s not everyone’s forte, but I’m happy when I find things like this on other’s sites.
I also love it when an author gives a bit of background information, especially if they write fantasy or historical books. There’s nothing like getting a little peek into what a writer is seeing as they pen their stories, or what gave them inspiration. Pinterest is a great place for me to find inspiration and I try to collect pictures for every book I write.
So, since I decided to talk about author websites, I did a little visiting and picked out a few of our Inspy authors who have a killer website. I’m only including a very few in this post, but if you click the AUTHOR tab above, you can find links for all the authors who write for Inspy Romance. If you’re just browsing around the internet, why not give them a look-see. You just might be dazzled over what you find.
Sally Bayless has a cute page with lots of bright colors. Easy to navigate and enjoyable to look at.
You can click on the picture to check it out for yourself.
I thought 
Deb Kastner’s site was stunning. Look at the beautiful horse!
I also enjoyed looking around at her book collections.
Valerie 
Comer’s site is just stinkin’ cute. I’ve always loved the whimsical covers of her books and her website branding keeps the theme going.
Valerie also has some fun tidbits from her farm-fresh series and other articles about healthy living and farming.
Shannon Taylor Vannatter’s site was another stunningly beautiful place to look around. I loved the colors and pictures.
Of course, I was going to point you to my Story World site, as well.
Take a look around. Like I said, I try to keep it fun and offer things to read and do.
I wish I could have included everyone because picking just these few was really hard. But you can check out the Inspy Romance author’s page and browse around at your leisure.
So, I want to know…
What do you like to see when you visit an author’s website? Do you visit them at all, or very often? Share your thoughts below. We are always wanting to know how to improve your reading experiences and value your input.
Jackie Castle is the author of The White Road Chronicles a fantasy series, The Sentinel Archives for school-age readers, and newly released Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast romance series. She has also published articles and short stories in numerous magazines. She’s enjoyed many crazy adventures from working as a hairstylist, to her bravest quest: teaching children in daycare and elementary schools. Eventually, she settled down to a somewhat safer pursuit of being a Story-weaver. Now she lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins marvelous tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her husband Bob, their children and grandchild. She looks for the extraordinary in every ordinary day that she experiences.
I love to easily see a list of all the books on offer. I also like excerpts and background information.
Hi Jackie, thanks for sharing- I love the creativity of everyone here (and the castle for the l in your name is very cool!!).
I love to see what books the author has, any previews/news of books coming soon, any scenes that might have been deleted from a book, extra information about the stories/characters etc.
Blessings:)
Hi Jackie! As an avid reader, I enjoy checking out author’s websites to see what inspires them. I enjoy an updated site (I check the publishing date). In the author’s bio I want to know where they are from and where the author lives. The United States is big and each region has their own customs, cuisine, and dialects. How does where they live influence their stories. Knowing where they live gives credibility to their stories. I also enjoy a way to contact the author. Not just though Facebook, but to send an email to thank the author for an inspiring read or send a note of encouragement. A list of the author’s works, back stories, pictures are an added plus. While I do not always have time to read author’s websites, they are a go to spot to refresh one’s memory of books published. Thanks for an interesting blog. Best wishes.
Jackie,
Thank you so much for mentioning my website! I passed on a link to my friends from church who helped me create it so they can read your kind words!
As for me, when I go to an author’s website, I like to know more about the author and, if it’s not otherwise obvious, what order to read their books in. :)
I also like to see what books they have to offer. Since I judge a book by its cover, I like to see color graphics of their books. Puzzles, crosswords, and other games are a nice addition. I also judge a website by the cover! If it’s fun & whimsical I’ll stay longer. If it is boring, looks like a newspaper, I’ll usually move on without reading anything.
I like to see background info especially for historical fiction. I also like to see the order , if there is one, to best read their books. I also enjoy bits about the authors life.
I love going to author sites, it is so much fun to learn more about the people I enjoy reading so much! Thank you for such a great post!
I’ve been a reader far longer than an author, but I have to admit I’ve never really used author’s websites much. I prefer to find what I’m looking for on social media when I can. I like the element of surprise when I see an announcement. But I’m weird, so…. 🤪
Wow, thank you for the shout-out! I love tweaking my website — it’s one of my favorite procrastination techniques.
Three things I really want to see at an author’s website are 1) a concise but interesting bio , 2) simplicity of navigation, 3) an up-to-date book list. There’s nothing worse than reading that Book X is coming soon (with five exclamation points) only to realize that was two or three years ago…
The rest is gravy. I might poke around a bit to see if there’s a blog or pages/links other than the typical.
Good points Valerie, especially ease of navigation with an up to date workable site map. Nothing is more frustrating than clicking on 10 tabs and none are correct for bio, list of books, or how to contact author.
I enjoy looking at authors websites but I wish I had more time to browse them.
leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
I enjoy going to author’s websites to see their books, especially for their series order, and background information on the books. I also like some personal goings on.
Thank you.
Thanks, that’s very helpful. I have a lot of fun with my last name. =) Especially since I also write fantasy books.
I really need to update my bio. It’s on my list of things to do. lol
I enjoy going to The Authors website’s to see about their upcoming books and them sharing about different things going on Thank you for sharing!
I have visited author websites. That’s usually the best place to get a list of all of the books in a series in order!! I’d rather do that than try to find them on Amazon or somewhere else! Also, then I find out what other books they’ve written, all in a nice place, and all with the blurbs. I also like to read about the authors and if they have blogs I sometimes look at those, too.
My pleasure! Thanks for the feedback.
Great points
Yes! I enjoy a bit of background info, too.
You’re welcome. =)
I’ll check out their social media sites, too.
I enjoying seeing what other authors are doing on their social media pages, too.
Those are great points. I enjoy tweaking my site in the evenings while watching tv. It can also be a great procrastination tool, I’ll give you that. ha!
I can waste a lot of time browsing author sites. lol
That’s fantastic. Me too.
You’re welcome.
Same here. Sometimes, the book order isn’t clear in a book, especially if it’s an older print book.
When I discover a new book/ author I like, I usually (1) check their other books on Amazon and add them to my kindle wishlist, (2) go to their website and subscribe to their newsletter so I’m up to date on their upcoming books… So the website per se doesn’t usually captivate me but I’ll look around if interesting.
I do visit their websites because I want to see what books they have written or find out what books are in a series. I also like to find out about new books.
I like visiting author websites mostly to get a bit more personal bio and to find their books. I love those websites that categorize the author’s books in chronological order of publication separated into appropriate genres.
I look at authors websites to find out what books they have written and where they live. Other comments have been things I would say too.
An up to date book and books in progress list are key things I’m interested in on an author’s website. I know that’s not very exciting, but if I can’t find that information easily I tend to get frustrated and leave the page all together.
I’m late been a busy day for me. When I read a book and really want to contact the author (if I don’t already know) I search for their website and have to say if they don’t have one or an easy way to contact them I feel disappointed. In this day and age it’s easy to use a blog for a website and even if its only got a limited amount of info a way to contact is really good.
I will go and search for them. I love the idea of a game and puzzle page. (am going to check it out.) I like learning about the author. I like finding out what books they have out.
I also like a website that’s easy to navigate. Nothing worse than trying to find things that are hidden or having a tab going to the wrong place.
Thanks for your feedback. =) I’ve begun saving the sites that captivate me so I can study what they did.
Me too. =) Even if I’m a writer, I still love a great book series.
Great tips. Thank you.
I used to post those, then would forget to keep them up to date. Ha. But they are fun to watch, aren’t they? I need to go look around and see what’s out there. Maybe the trackers have improved a little over the years.
I found myself reading more the newsletters than going out to the websites…
I like to see the authors books. I admit I am drawn by the cover as to whether I looks inside and read a preview. Also, I like to read a little about the personal life of the author and what area they live in.
I usually visit an author’s website to find a list of their books and it’s nice when they are grouped by series and/or in chronological order.
I’m a book reviewer, so I’m often visiting to find things like an author bio or photo or social media links I can add to my review. I also like sites that reflect the author’s style, like Valerie Comer’s site.