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Writers winning online

02.04.07

The Times explores how the role of writers' websites has changed over the years. Taking the example of Jasper Fforde, Tom Cox argues that a new world is opening up online for writers. He writes: "Ask a fan of Jasper Fforde what reading one of his books is like, and they will frequently talk of getting lost in another world. For a newcomer, a visit to his website has a not dissimilar effect. Like the parallel universe in which Thursday Next, Fforde’s literary detective, solves her crimes, www.jasperfforde.com is a place where time loses its normal meaning.

"By reading about Fforde’s latest book and his promotional T-shirts, and the posts on the forum (84,771 at last count), one barely scratches the surface. There is still the option of perusing the photographs of Fforde’s surreal, alternative Swindon, or competing to win a trophy by photographing yourself with one of Fforde’s books, or visiting one of the affiliated sites for The Goliath Corporation and Specops — two fictional organisations that appear in Fforde’s books. It goes on seemingly infinitely. Most website designs begin with a tree; this one is a jungle.

One might be forgiven for imagining that the hugely popular Fforde, who has written seven Thursday Next novels in as many years, might have delegated the construction of such a labyrinthine site to his publishers. Not so. He set it up in 2001 with his girlfriend, Mari, to coincide with his debut novel, The Eyre Affair, and the pair have been working on it every day, without help, ever since."

Cox goes on to argue that for the writer of nonfiction, the scope for web activity is arguably even greater, although he adds that "it is yet to be seen how more literary publishing will react to the internet age".

Times

Media online Jasper Fforde

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