if you want something done, you'd best do it your own damn self...

[lagilman]

Lord knows, the web people at Penguin have their hands full. I'm sure of this, although I've never actually seen any benefit from what they're doing -- it's all bestsellers and Imprints with Clout. They're far too busy to make it easy to find a genre imprint. Or even update it on time.

So I've taken matters into my own hands. It's small, it's simple, but it works. I hope. And acknowledging that it's still in the building phases.

But I'm still proud of it.

http://www.sff.net/people/lauraanne.gilman/Roc_Books.htm

Feedback not only welcome but requested. And hey, if anyone comes up with a really good idea or feedback, I can reward them with bookses.... *grin*

Comments

[kathlaw.livejournal.com]

Nice job! *waving hello* Like the background color with the dark blue text a lot, and that it works well at various screen resolutions.

A couple of minor suggestions: I personally would change the black text to blue, or go with all all black on non-link text. The combination looks a little confusing, as if I should be able to link on all the blue.

Put jump points on the Current Newsletter, perhaps listing the authors up front, so one can jump down the page to that author's blurb? For example, I'd click instantly on Anne Bishop's name, and am thrilled about the Black Jewel omnibus so I don't completely wear out my existing copies. :-) Perfect for trips too.

If legalities permit, cover art in small thumbnails that can be clicked upon to larger versions are wonderful too.

[lagilman]

Kath,

Yeah, there will be jump links. Soonish. Page majorly still under construction. And inter-page links for the website page, as soon as I can remember how to do them with my EZ-for-Dummies software. This would be a lot easier (and faster) if I had a clue what I was doing. *grin*

I'm holding off on graphics right now, until I have the text up. Part of the problem (IMGDO) with the Penguin site is that they're so busy making things look prreeeeeety that they're not getting to the updated information.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Nice work.

However... (you knew there was a however!), I second the comment on jump links and raise a request for a left-side menu bar. Not frames, but a nice little table with an unchanging menu bar to the left and a proportional block to the right with the info du click.

And add art, of course. I know you've got a beef against Amazon, but their cover art/read a few pages model is a good one, it allows for virtual leafing.

Want someone to write reviews/blurbs? Not that I'm trying to ride coattails or anything...

[lagilman]

Some more updates made.

However... (you knew there was a however!), I second the comment on jump links and raise a request for a left-side menu bar. Not frames, but a nice little table with an unchanging menu bar to the left and a proportional block to the right with the info du click.

Jump links will come in time. Tables, probably not. I have very limited time and energy to do this in/with, so it's gonna stay simple. Likewise adding pages, even if I didn't think that was a slippery slope (their recent "search" program violates a whole bunch of electronic display right clauses...)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

With the tables, I was thinking a template - 1 row, 2 columns, with the leftmost column being unchanging navigational links. So all you'd have to do to update any page is plug the new stuff into the rightmost cell.

[house-draven.livejournal.com]

Will go look.

When I was running the reviews for ZENtertainment, I must confess that the penguin web site drove both me and my reviewers bonkers -- we had one hell of a time finding books. They were great about *sending* them to me once I knew what we wanted to ask for, but finding that out was more than a bit of a chore.

Simon & Schuster have the best site, I think -- for both casual readers and press. Amongst other things, they've got a review request form that makes life very easy. It'd probably be way too much work for just your little chunk of the kingdom, though.