Words No Author Wants to Hear: It’s Time for a New Website

author's website

This has been one of those weeks when my to-do list has been longer than the neck of a giraffe. And now it includes a new author’s website.

I won’t bore you with details, but I know all of you have had days or weeks when you have so many things to do you dabble in everything and complete very few. I’ve tried to avoid the worst of it by using Workflowy, which keeps my to-do list handy, and I’ve made sure I  have things to check off  at day’s end. Additionally I’ve broken up my garden chores into one a day to make them manageable. Documented and manageable. My keywords for the week.

Somewhere in the midst of getting back to work after 1) the holidays, 2) an annoying illness and 3) setting foot on the African continent for the first time, I realized that the time had arrived to overhaul my website. I update information frequently, but more was required. Websites had changed and now I had to change with them.

Six years have passed since I last overhauled my website. It has served me so well. I love the home page, with its gorgeous photo of a sunset over the Asheville mountains, shared with me by my talented son. I love all the fun things we included, like recipes, photo gallery, and the giveaway page.  But these days pretty websites with loads of content and photos, have faded in popularity.

What’s important for an author’s website now? How fast a site loads, how easy it is to find information about the author’s books, and how mobile friendly the site is.

These days many of us use our mobile phones or tablets to access websites. We want versions of a site that are easy and quick to load and scroll through. We want to find what we need without clicking links. And while I’ll confess I miss the more visually arresting websites I was used to, I have finally realized that this new way of doing things is not only here to stay, but has merit.

So here are my questions to you, since many of you check my website from time to time.

  • What the most important feature of an author’s website?
  • How do you usually access a site? Phone, tablet, computer?
  • What, if any, features on mine would you most miss?
  • What new features should we include?

I’m already in conversation with my web designer, and we hope to have the new site ready in the spring. What won’t disappear? This blog, my book pages, a brief bio. And since the fabulous tech guy at AuthorBytes, admitted that he’s tried at least one of my recipes, maybe not those, either.

I do know there will be another book video, since I spent the morning writing the script–and checked it off. So stay tuned and I’ll update you on the changes as time passes.

Meantime, if you have any feedback? We’d all love to hear it.

5 Comments

  1. Nancy Lepri on January 24, 2019 at 11:50 am

    I, for one, see no reason to change your website, but I guess I’m just old fashioned! I love everything about it, and hate to see things go missing. When I go in your site, I feel like I’m visiting an old friend. I love the pictures, articles, recipes, personal information, etc. Usually I access your site with a on my PC or Kindle, for I’m not that cell phone savvy. I don’t know what else I can say, so I’m sure it’s up to the general consensus! Lots of luck, and keep up the great work! ?

  2. Nita Voleski on January 24, 2019 at 8:59 pm

    I will say ‘ditto’ to everything Nancy said above.
    Call me old-fashioned also. I see no need for a new website. I like yours just the way it is.
    I know things can never stay the same so I wish you luck with the new one.

  3. Ken Wiesner on January 25, 2019 at 11:25 am

    Emilie, thanks for the kind words! We look forward to working with you to bring your site up to date to make sure your readers continue to get the best possible experience and to attract new readers to your works! Most computer techs survive on Mountain Dew and Pizza. We’re going to stay fueled on coffee and Hunt Breakfast Casserole!

    • Emilie Richards on January 26, 2019 at 12:32 pm

      Yum! Definitely an improvement, Ken. Thanks for commenting.

  4. Lisa Reigel on January 26, 2019 at 1:51 pm

    Your current website offers just what I look for when visiting an authors website. List of books, series, info on the author, your social links, etc. I can’t think of any one thing to add. When I go to an author website it’s generally to find out about their books (blurb, buy links, if it’s part of a series…). I usually check out websites on my laptop as I prefer that over using my phone. (I like the bigger screen). Good luck on your website renovation. I probably need to do mine one day soon 🙂

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