TimeSplash Takes Another Step Forward
What will it look like?
150 days to go until TimeSplash hits the virtual streets and the edits are still progressing. Behind the scenes, other things are going on out of sight. I’ve heard that the cover art should be ready sometime next week. I really can’t wait to see that. I’ve been very impressed by the cover art Lyrical Press has done over its wide range of genres and I fully expect the cover of TimeSplash to be awesome.
The other good news for me is that the title isn’t going to change. That means I can get on with producing the website for the book. As you know, dear reader, I have registered the domain name timesplash.co.uk. I would rather have had a .com domain but somebody is squatting on timesplash.com and I’d rather be eaten alive by zombie rabbits than pay money to a cybersquatter. It may work out for the best, however. Much of the action in TimeSplash takes place in the UK, the two protagonists are English, and I’m hoping a lot of UK readers will take it to their bosoms.
We’ll see.
Meanwhile, I have set up hosting for my new domain and I can start building the website. That means deciding what should go into the TimeSplash book website. I’m pretty certain I’ll have:
- A front page with the cover art, the blurb, and a big “buy it here” button prominently displayed.
- A blog – yes, the blog of the book! (Then I can stop pestering you good folk with my TimeSplash progress reports. At least I can tone it down a bit. Aw, c’mon, I’ve got to do some. It’s my first book and I’m really excited!)
- A forum. I’m not sure this is a great idea. There are few things quite as forlorn as an empty forum. But I live in hope.
- An author bio (much like the one on this site.)
- A press kit. You know the kind of thing; who the publisher is, ISBNs, where to find the book, low, medium, and hi-res pictures of the book cover and of me (cripes, better have a photo taken in which I don’t look like a hairy country yokel!), contact emails, blurbs, quotes from the Pope and President Obama saying how the book changed their lives, and so on.)
I can’t actually think of anything else useful to put there. If anyone has any suggestions at all, please, please tell me within the next 150 days!
I’m going to attempt to do the design and coding myself. If it looks too embarrassing when I’ve finished, I may ask my daughter to help out (she being a brilliant artist and all.)
Exciting times!
And distracting too. I need to stay focused on writing my next book and not disappear for weeks into building websites. Maybe a female reader could explain to me how that multi-tasking thing you do works.
Woohoo! I’m getting excited about your launch date!!
Other ideas for the site – fan competition? Or some additional story/character goodies – ie the mythology of the book?
Kim Falconer, who was an astrologer long before her novels were published, provides the (made up) astrology for characters from her created world, lots of fun. Or think Tolkein’s Appendices from LOTR? I don’t know much about your book’s narrative or setting so I’m stabbing in the dark a bit!
LOVE the countdown clock, BTW – very appropriate
Thanks, Janette. I had thought about doing some of this background stuff too. I’ve got a very nice little short story (just 1000 words) wherein two of the characters from the book meet again fifty years later. It would be nice to include that – but maybe after a few people have actually read the book!
I must say I read every word of every one of the LOTR appendices.
There’s a certain amount of technical background I could include on things that were simply mentioned in the book – lots of research I did in areas like focus fusion power generation that most people will assume was just stuff I made up otherwise. It could be fun.
Oh, definitely do the techie stuff! Even if you couch in a fictional framework with references at the end – you could have heaps of fun with that.
Did you ever read the works of Dorothy L Sayers? I love love love how she begins the novel “Busman’s Honeymoon”! She relates the events leading up to (and including) the wedding which precedes said honeymoon, through a series of letters and diary entries written by a handful of otherwise minor characters, who don’t appear again for the rest of the novel. Maybe that’s how you could have some fun and add some texture at the same time.
I’d read that! But then I’m a nerd. And have also read all the LOTR Appendices. More than once…