DISCOVER SQUARESPACE WEBSITE DESIGN FOR EDITORS AND AUTHORS
Bring your BRAND and STORY TO LIFE so you can GET SEEN ONLINE and START MAKING SALES.
In just two weeks you’ll get a bespoke, standout website so you and your unique brand can stand out online and make sales to your ideal audience.
Here’s what you need to know about websites…
I know you may be wondering “do authors even need websites? Do people even check anything outside of Instagram?”
The answer is yes.
Socials are a great way to connect with audiences, but potential buyers need a real place to go to. They need a base. Your website — whether you’re an author or editor — is your slice of the Internet that is 100% yours and not at the whims of social media meltdowns. What’s more, your options are endless — you can have a blog, a newsletter, an about page, a sales page, a freebie download.
By having a website, you have a place to keep audiences informed and a professional base that is an extension of you, your personality, and your work. A good website informs visitors what you do and what to expect, but a great website builds hype and community.
Let’s build a great website together so you can find your people and sell to your ideal audience.
2-Week Website Design
If you’re an author (published or unpublished), editor, or industry professional wanting to build your online presence, this is for you. We’ll work closely to create your dream website. I believe in simple, elegant designs that are easy to navigate and easy on the eye. Plus, I’ll teach you how to update your website so you feel confident managing it solo (and don’t have to pay someone else to do it!).
Investment: £1,800 | 2-week turnaround
Payment plans available
Website design is best for:
☑ Writers who are about to launch their first book and need a platform to promote, sell, and attract an audience.
☑ Writers who have published a few books and now need to carve out their online space to showcase them.
☑ Freelance editors and industry professionals looking to promote their services and attract new clients.
The finer details:
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• 2-week turnaround
• Up to 6 pages (eg: home, about, blog, books, contact — with the option to add more)
• Blog functionality
• Branding (bespoke colour palette, fonts, and curated images)
• Integration to your existing social media accounts
• Integration with an existing email marketing platform
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to help you get found online
• Unlimited revisions and email support within the design timeframe
• Mobile design
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• Squarespace training post submission (recorded on Zoom for you to keep)
• 20% discount on your first annual Squarespace plan
• Free hosting while developing (up to 6 months)
• 2 weeks’ post submission email support
• 5 branded social media post templates (customisable in Canva)
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• Complimentary, no-pressure call to discuss your website
• Pre-build questionnaire
• Welcome workbook to explain the deliverables and process
• Access to our shared Google Drive folder
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• Domain name purchase
• Squarespace subscription
• eCommerce store and checkout
• Squarespace Scheduler
• Logo and favicon creation
• Copywriting
Design showcase
Why might I be the best website designer for you?
☑ Broad genre knowledge — including fantasy, crime, thriller, mystery, romance, historical fiction, YA and MG.
☑ 5+ years of Squarespace design experience.
☑ A solution-oriented approach that focuses on matching your vision as much as possible.
The process
This is a collaborative process in which we discover your brand and the story you want to tell online. We’ll find your best colours, fonts, and layout so I can custom create your website. You’ll be with me every step of the way through regular check-ins and reviews so we can create your best 2-Week Website.
STEP ONE
We get to know each other! We’ll jump on a free connection call to discuss your website vision and make sure we’re the right fit. Following the call, your place in my schedule will be booked in and I’ll send over the contract and first invoice for the 50% deposit.
STEP TWO
Time for some homework! In your welcome pack you’ll find a guide to the content you need to prepare beforehand, such as website copy, images, and fonts. We’ll have a shared Google Drive folder where you can gather ideas and write your website copy.
STEP THREE
I’ll start designing! I will start by creating your brand guide and mock-up homepage according to the stylistic choices we have decided on. You’ll have the chance to review and comment, letting me know what you love or don’t. Based on your feedback, I’ll start on the rest of your website.
STEP FOUR
Revising and launching! We will work back and forth sharing website updates and feedback until at the end of the two weeks we have a website you love. I’ll take you on a recorded walk-through of Squarespace. I’ll invoice you for the remaining 50% and transfer website ownership once that’s paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Honestly, you don’t really need anything. However, a website can make a huge difference to your business and brand.
Having a professionally designed website as an author or editor can:
• Improve your professionalism and credibility, as well as allow you to show off your personality in a different way.
• Make you feel more confident and proud in your work.
• Expand your advertising options by allowing for blog posts, newsletters, and more.
• Link more easily to books, interviews, and other external resources.
• Be an all-in-one place to direct potential readers and clients to.
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There is some homework for you to do beforehand so you can gather all your content and inspiration we need for the design. But don’t worry, this will all be explained in the welcome pack!
Colour palette Brainstorm potential colour palettes that you like. As part of our process, we’ll be using a joint Pinterest board where you can pin colour palettes and aesthetics you like.
Fonts Consider some font pairings and styles you like that might reflect your brand. If you have custom fonts (possibly from your cover designer) then you’ll need to have these files ready to send to me.
Images Prepare your headshots or any other images you would like to feature on your website. If you don’t have any, we can curate some free images as placeholders until you wish to change them.
Links Prepare any links (such as to your books, interviews you’ve done, etc.) as well as images and copy to accompany.
Copy Your website copy is super important. So make sure you’ve got yours prepared for when we start. If you aren’t sure how to write website copy, you’ll find a resource in your welcome pack to help you get started.
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Squarespace allows for sleek, beautiful, and fully-functional designs. Its drag-and-drop builder means it’s perfect for designers at all levels.
Blogging Squarespace is a leading website host when it comes to blogging functionality and ease of use.
SEO Squarespace has built-in SEO features perfect for optimising your website for Google.
Support Squarespace has numerous articles and tutorials to teach design. Plus, their email and live chats are extremely helpful and responsive.
All in one Domain, hosting, security, SEO and more are all included within your Squarespace subscription, so no need for additional plugins or extra subscriptions.
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While I take care of the design of your website, there are a few additional things you’ll require to get your website off the ground.
Subscription You’ll need a Squarespace subscription if you don’t have one already. You can enjoy a 14-day free trial (which is extended to 6 months thanks to my Squarespace Circle Membership). You can view their subscription options here. To get 20% off your first annual subscription, I will need to start the trial for you!
Domain You’ll need to purchase a domain name. This can be done through Squarespace, and you can often get your first year free as part of your subscription.
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It’s important that you give yourself (and me) plenty of time to prepare, design, and finalise the website before launching, so make sure you aren’t cutting it too fine!
Timeline Consider when you want to launch your website and work backwards. Allow yourself plenty of time for final tweaks and updates before launching.
Prep Before I start designing you’ll have to gather your images, copy, and consider brand fonts and colours.
Timeframe Our collaboration will be 4 weeks in total (2 weeks of design, 2 weeks of support).
The more time you give yourself, the better. I recommend reaching out at least 3 months before you plan to launch.
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You can absolutely ask if there is something you’d like to add. I am more than happy to discuss custom packages.