Before Hiring a Web Developer or Designer — These are four very good questions to ask. “The differences in website quality out there are almost unbelievable, yet from the surface, the part you see, they are equally imperceptible.”

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JacketFlap — social networking for children’s and YA authors and illustrators

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17 Tips For Getting Bloggers To Write About You

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Agent Rachel Vater has just posted a long, informative discussion on websites for authors, both published and unpublished. She is absolutely correct. Bookmark this post! (UPDATE: She has a follow-up, answering many of the questions that came up in the comments.)

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Typetester is a handy tool that lets you compare fonts and see how they’ll look on screen. Its drop-down menus let you know which fonts are standard on PCs and Macs, but you can also compare other fonts from your own collection.

CSS Type Set is similar tool that generates CSS for you once you’ve made your selections.

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Building a website? Ask yourself these questions first.

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How should authors use MySpace? We’ve rounded up several opinions, some contradictory:

• MySpace Addict
• Using MySpace as an Author Promotional Tool
• How Many Friends Does Your Book Have?
• The Author Trap
• Making MySpace Work for You (RWA members only; registration required)

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Over on Deep Genre, a group blog of fantasy authors, there’s a great discussion on what readers want on authors’ sites. We see the same discussion pop up pretty regularly elsewhere, but this group is unusually detailed and articulate. They describe what they look for at different stages of their relationships with authors: as prospective buyers, as returning fans, and as fellow writers.

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Two perspectives on book trailers at Romancing the Blog.

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