There are so many different directions to go when choosing to browse a handful of publisher's websites: The big ones? The small literary presses? Local presses? Comic/graphic novel sites? I decided to check out a smattering of each.
The big ones (Peguin, Simon & Schuster, Random House, etc.) all seemed to have a similar aesthetic, with Simon & Schuster having a bit more of an edge: simple, professional-looking layouts designed to appeal to the widest possible denominator. The menus were comprehensive and straightforward, making the search for a certain genre of book fairly easy. There were plentiful graphics, balanced with text and links; there was a range of media (videos, RSS feeds, book trailers) for that high-tech, cutting-edge feel; there was a little something for everybody (author Q&As, news, bestseller lists, reading guides, teacher guides). The overall impression I got was of very competent and comprehensive, if rather bland, websites.
I definitely preferred the brighter colors, bigger images and graphics, and more artistic feel of the small press sites, such as Top Shelf, Exact Change, and (especially) Tin House. They had a more creative and personal touch that drew me in and made me want to spend more time perusing the sites. Although there isn't nearly the same amount of information, there really doesn't need to be. Tin House stood out for me with it's nice opening graphic and easy layout.
And then there was Grove/Atlantic, a site so astoundingly horrifying that I hardly know where to begin. With the early-90s neon-blue-and-mustard yellow theme colors? Or the scrolling-on-their-own sidebars that change direction and scroll toward one another if you drag your mouse in the vicinity? Even the left-hand sidebar, stating such basic (yet somehow vague) options as "Bookseller/Library" and "Review/Media" have additional pop-up menus for you to navigate. Try clicking on "Ordering Information" and see what parallel universe it takes you to; I was afraid I would never make it back. There was just too much going on in all the wrong ways, from the rapidly changing "notice board" at the top of the page that kept dragging my eyes away from other sections; to the excess of text (that was also in Times New Roman. I repeat: Times New Roman-which I actually noticed on other publisher websites and am astounded by) and dearth of graphics; to the difficulty in even scrolling down the page; to the confusion between similar options in the left-hand sidebar and the main menu bar (I think) toward the top of the screen. In summary, the site was everything I would think a viewer and reader would not want: ugly, wordy, confusing, complicated, and unorganized.
P.S. I love hyphenated compound adjectives.
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I'm glad you didn't get trapped in the toy-blue-and-yellow wormhole of Grove/Atlantic. Surely, they're just biding their time until the new site is rolled out..? I know they got some money because they pay their interns ($500 p/month!).
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