The time for a new website has come.
About four months ago I started redesigning Terry’s website. It didn’t take me long to get the initial appearance down. I always start in Photoshop first and build what I see in my head there. It took maybe two weeks to finish it.
It wasn’t that easy though, for various reasons. Here is why, as well as the new features you all should take advantage of!
Unfortunately, we also needed a new host to support this website and its additions. That hunt took longer than expected. We have finally settled on a host and we are trying them out this month and only for a month if it goes poorly. Unfortunately the host has been quite buggy, producing ERROR message after ERROR message. In short, we may have to move again.
But the good news is I have 90% completed the WordPress upgrade. It still need some tweaking. The old site used Blogger, what I term a defunct piece of machinery. WordPress is far superior at many levels, and its power will allow Terry and I to better keep you all informed.
There are parts of the website that are not changed yet. It will be an ongoing project for the next month. I will get there though. I hope it benefits all of you!
Along with the new website, you’ll see icons for Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and a new RSS feed that actually works now. Use them as you see fit.
The Facebook presence for Terry is mostly brand new. A fan started a Terry Brooks Facebook page several years ago and many fans have joined it. It is NOT the official Facebook page for Terry Brooks though. If you want to be kept up to date, be sure to join The Official Terry Brooks Facebook Page.
The comments fields should be easier to use too. Definitely use them to comment on news and have discussions with others! A community is what we are; we might as well chat every once in a while, right?
On an ending note, thank you for your patience while this change occurs. It should be a great change for all of us!
36 responses to “A New Website”
More coming soon! Stay tuned!
Hey Shaun,
When I go to the homepage (feed://www.terrybrooks.net/) I’m getting a black page, the header image and two broken images, one of which has a working link to the news page (which looks good BTW ;). Still having issues or still coding?
Obviously that link should read https://terrybrooks.net 🙂
Yup, still coding. Just wanted to get something up. I’ll fix it today. 🙂 I hate cross-browser functionality. Works fine in Safari but not in IE or Firefox.
I got a list of recommended reading order for the Shannara series from the old website. Just finished the first recommended book – Sword of Shannara. The list is not at the new website! There is not even a list of books!!! I found a list of Terry Brooks books at another site and will start reading with the first published. Not the recommended order, since Sword of Shannara was not the first published! If you get this list back up on this site please let me know – I’ll be using the other site unless I hear back.
Thank you.
Tod, you who are very much in error here. If you click the NOVELS page there is a list of books right there. AND there is also a link on that page to the suggested recommended READING ORDER. Exactly as it was posted on the old website. Next time, take your time to find what you need before blaming the poor, under-appreciated webmaster.
Shawn, I have to agree with Tod. For some reason the top where I start to see HOME and I can only assume the rest of the links you have set up are hidden behind the frames of the page and end with BRARY, which I assume is Library. To get to the Novels link I had to click on the one you provided above. When I reduce my screen from 100% to 50% the end of Library disappears and instead I see FORUM. Please help. You are in no way not appreciated as a webmaster. Because without you where would we be?
Hi Melissa, thanks for the feedback. I’m pretty sure I made the font a specific size point-wise. Maybe if I change that point to a percentage, that will help change the bar back for everyone, not just a majority.
The new website looks pretty sweet, but do you really need a splash page? They seem to be rather outdated to me.
70% of Terry’s forum members voted for a splash page.
Go figure. I hate them too.
I may either get rid of it or simply make it more functional (adding links, a Twitter feed, etc.). We’ll see. What would you like on it?
Were it me I’d probably have the News page load as the home page, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll still visit the site with or without a splash page.
I’ll put it to another vote and see what people think now. The previous poll was back in February. Terry’s site has always had a splash page, for the most part, so it’s not a new thing but I want to do what is best for the majority of fans and having the NEWS page load first has always been my personal wish.
Cool I’ll definitely be voting on that one.
Oh, I might add the modified splash page you have is pretty nice looking, at least from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
Of course, it is a splash page, so from a functional standpoint I’d rather see it gone. 😛
Does that make sense or am I contradicting myself? Oh well…
I am glad you have decided to switch to WordPress! Using anything else is like using Papyrus instead of paper for writing a book, it is just silly.
It has been a few years since I last read a book by Terry Brooks and I remember many elves etc. but now reading Genesis of Shannara it seems completely different! I believe this is set before (or is it after?) the other books? Ah well it is a good book and looking forward to seeing where it is going!
WordPress is a Godsend! 🙂 I’m still tweaking it though, so definitely pay attention and make sure I don’t screw anything up.
The Genesis series is set before all of the other Shannara books Terry has written except the Word/Void books, which precede Genesis by 80 years or so. By writing Genesis and now Legends, Terry is connecting the Word/Void series and its destruction of civilization to First King of Shannara and the events before it in the First Druid Council. Good reading!
Just reached the elves, feels more like Terry Brooks now! Haha. Am going to have to remember what happened in the First King, read thousands of books since then!!
Hmm… avatars are a pain. 🙂
Indeed they are luckily I already had mine set up
Why? Just register to http://www.gravatar.com and upload your avatar as usual, then whenever you use your email address, your avatar will work!
I hate 3rd party systems. But I’ll probably give in. 🙂
Hello can you please re-add the reading order link. I just started reading and now I am thrown off I should have written the list down or printed it. But it would be most appreciated if you will please add that back to the site.
It will be replaced. The site is under major construction and you’ll just have to be patient with me. If you have a question about what to read next, just ask me here. I’ll help. )
Where did the name Findo Gask come from.? It is the name of a small
Scottish village.Any connection.? J.C.
I am curious
Yup, Terry often gets names from the places he visits. Sometimes he keeps them as is, sometimes he alters them a bit. With that one he didn’t have to change it. Terry visited Findo Gask in the mid-90’s and it stuck with him until he wrote Angel Fire East.
I think you should of waited until the entire site was ready to go before posting just a portion of it. Not having the site where you see all the books is sad. The forum is now missing like it used to be.
Unfortunately, Patrick, we live in the real world. I was given such a small window to launch the site this time but we also needed the new site to reflect the new book. As for your comment about the Forum, not sure what you mean. The forum is exactly where it has always been and has been since this site launched.
I am a big Terry Brooks fan and came to visit his website. I read about your problems with your web host. I offer web hosting to authors (and web design but clearly you have that covered!) If you need reliable web hosting, contact me and I can help you. I work with many bestselling authors and a list of my clients are on my website. I came to the site looking for a list of order of books but I see you will add that soon.
Thanks!
Tara Green
tara@authorwebdesignsbytara.com
http://www.authorwebdesignsbytara.com/
Thanks for the offer, Tara. The list of order of books is posted on the site. Click the NOVELS link and read that page for the link to Terry’s Suggested Reading Order.
Thanks Shawn. I found the link in one of your other posts, but the link for “Novels” is not on this page. https://terrybrooks.net/news/?p=23 In any case, I understand the frustrations of trying to please so many as you develop a new website. 🙂 Take care.
I’m having the same problem as Tara. I don’t since a “Novels” link anywhere on the site. I also don’t see the “Library” link mentioned above. Is my browser funky? Or just a known issue that’s being worked on? 🙂
What browser are you guys using? I’ve tested the new site in Firefox and Safari and the links show up just fine on Mac and PC both. Perhaps you guys have javascript off or something?
Hi Shawn,
I’m having the same problem as several others. I use Internet Explorer and there are no links when I pull up the website. If I pull it up in Firefox they are all there.
Yeah, I had it fixed then WordPress sent out an update that nullified my work. Will have to redo it this weekend some time.
I think since you are having to constantly answers about the reading order I would Highlight/Make Bigger the word here on the Novels page. Also, I would think that there could be a place on the home page telling people how to get to the list through the Novels page or just make a link to the reading order. Might cut down on the confusion. I had the same problem my first time here, but I finally figured it out.
Have a good day.
Beth
Absolutely. I need to highlight it better and on the version that disappeared a few weeks ago, the reading order was highlighted in the above links. 🙂 Thanks for the time and suggestion!