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No matter what type of writing you do, your website is a crucial chance for you to stand out. Squarespace is a great option for building your site thanks to its large collection of quality templates, but not all of them are suitable for writers. If you pick the wrong website template, your writing may not get a chance to shine.
An ideal template will have a good balance of text and visual elements, with the right features for your writing career. That could mean an expansive, snazzy online bookstore or a simple, polished blog. You shouldn’t pick something just because the color scheme fits your writing style; your site needs to be functional as well.
If you’re not sure what features you need, or you’re overwhelmed with all the choices, don’t worry. I went through all of Squarespace’s templates and handpicked the ones that are ideal for your writer or author website.
The product preview page shows not just your book cover, but pages from the book
This may be the simplest template on my list but that’s intentional. Manual has just one purpose: to get people to read your book. The entire template consists of a homepage and a page for people to preview your book and add it to their cart.
The homepage consists of a large call to action, a picture of your book cover alongside a ‘Buy’ button, and large testimonial quotes endorsing your book. The homepage also has a brief ‘About’ section that displays your picture and a short blurb. At the bottom of the homepage, visitors can sign up to get email updates.
If the template is too simple for you, don’t worry. You can always add more books to your store, make your book a free download, or add a blog. But as is, the simplicityis great for authors. It’s hard to get people to read your book, so making the prospect as simple and exciting as possible is essential.
Suhama is simple, yet bold
What I love most about the Suhama template is that it manages to be simple and bold all at once. This template doesn’t include any images or video sections, but its simplicity is what makes it visually striking.
Suhama doesn’t hide anything – it’s all on one page. A bold typeface set against a clean background greets visitors. And as they scroll, all the information they need is organized clearly in a minimalist design.
There are different sections for your work and portfolio links. You’ll also get a short section to detail your experience, an About Me section, and a large contact button so your visitors can get in touch with you easily. The social links at the top of this template do a good job of highlighting your online presence – something that might be important to new clients.
Suhama is ideal if you’re looking to showcase your education, professional writing experience, and portfolio in a captivating but straightforward style.
Stanton comes with a built-in storeStanton’s a great template if your focus is blogging and selling books. It uses a lot more images than Suhama, but don’t let that scare you away. The visuals here help draw visitors to your site and keep them there.
The second homepage section is for your recent writing, giving your visitors a good understanding of who you are just from browsing your latest blog posts. Scroll down further, and you’ll find a section to promote your most recent book.
Stanton comes with a built-in online store, and I like how simple and uncluttered it is. Even if you only have one or two books to include here, the product boxes are situated on the page so that your shop doesn’t look empty.
The last section on the homepage is a newsletter sign-up block. If you don’t have a newsletter, you can replace this with a contact form. But if you’re feeling bold, you can take advantage of Squarespace’s built-in email marketing tool to start your first newsletter.
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Almar’s homepage design looks great on any deviceThe Almar template homepage design is perfect for writers who want to attract more clients.
The banner image and title are the first things a visitor sees with this template. I recommend adding a professional picture of yourself with an engaging title that explains who you are and what you do. Think “New York-based Content Writer,” or “Your Name: Bestselling Author.”
The top sections on the homepage are great for adding a brief introduction about yourself, and the built-in buttons are ideal for linking your portfolio.
I love the addition of the logo section, giving you the ability to brand your website in your own unique way. You can also add icons for quick access to your notable publications. Finally, the testimonial section is perfect for placing your shining references from editors who have worked with you.
Amal is great for writers doing book toursThe minimalist, text-based style of Amal is similar to Suhama, just with a few key differences.
This template is very simple. The menu includes only a few options: a contact button on the homepage that takes visitors to a detailed contact form, a space for a blog, and a page for upcoming speaking engagements. If you’ve recently launched a book and you’re planning a book tour, then this template is a great choice.
This template is ideal for writers who don’t really need a portfolio but do need a website to promote their work. There’s enough space with Amal for you to highlight your writing with recent or top posts from your blog.
I like how the store is professional, but has a human touch with the ‘staff picks’ sectionJotter Press is a simple template dedicated to e-commerce – and specifically for selling written work. The homepage displays large images of your latest book or magazine covers, interspersed with “Shop Now” buttons.
Site visitors can check out previews of your written work before adding them to the cart, and related products are recommended below the product previews. Jotter Press doesn’t have a blog already built in, but it’d be very easy to add one.
This template works best if you have a lot of written material to showcase. Magazines, or any regular publication, are a great fit, but you could just as easily make use of this template with books.
The black background makes images pop, and the splashes of red keep things excitingOtroquest may be oriented towards streamers and gaming, but it’s also perfect for anyone running an entertainment blog or news site. Otroquest heavily emphasizes embedded video, but your most important pieces of writing get prioritized at the top of the homepage.
If they scroll down the homepage, visitors will see a gallery of video thumbnails – but this can be easily replaced with podcast episodes or blog posts. Aside from the dedicated blog page, Otroquest has two pages to monetize your brand: a merchandise store, and a ‘support’ page that lets visitors subscribe to your content or make donations.
The overall effect of Otroquest is to be a large repository of information. This template is best if you produce a lot of writing or use your writing alongside other mediums, like podcasts.
Didn’t Find What You Were Looking For? Check Out These Templates From Our Favorite Site Builders
If none of the templates above clicked with you, don’t worry. I only showed you a fraction of what Squarespace has to offer, so I still recommend checking out its other templates.
But it never hurts to see options from other website builders. Scroll down to see more templates for writers.
You can’t tell here, but the homepage image is actually animatedWix’s Read Over template has a lot more than what my images show. Just below an animated graphic of two people reading, the homepage has a list of ‘What I’m Reading Now,’ alongside an elegant display of book covers. Below that is a preview of blog posts and an email sign-up form.
The template also has dedicated about, contact, and blog pages, all of which can be accessed by a handy menu that pops up on the right side. Read Over is geared towards book reviews, but frankly, the template style could benefit a lot of writers. Poems and magazines would look particularly good with the color scheme.
Above all, Read Over stands out because it exudes warmth and coziness – and encourages visitors to join your community. From the color and font to the friendly contact page, this template makes your writing welcoming.
SITE123’s templates are not very flashy, but that’s perfect for this template’s style
You may notice that this template looks less modern than the Squarespace templates above. That’s actually advantageous here. While it’s less flashy and sleek, Site123’s Chronicles & Heritage template has a thoughtful look that pairs well with academic writing.
The background is a light gray rather than a stark white, and instead of using vibrant reds for the highlight colors, this template has earthier tones. If your site visitors are like me, the more muted color scheme will make them excited to nerd out and learn about something new.
Aside from the design, Chronicles & Heritage has great features already built in. There’s an email sign-up form to get people to read your latest newsletters or blog posts, and the blog posts come with comment sections to encourage discussion. When you scroll down, a small arrow will appear in the bottom right corner to return you to the top of the page.
IONOS used AI to generate this template for me
IONOS does actually have pre-made templates, which could be converted to meet the needs of writers pretty quickly. But I’ve found IONOS’ AI builder to be more effective for writers than its pre-made templates.
IONOS’ AI generator tends to follow a common pattern for the homepage’s structure, but it also adds unique elements based on what you ask for. For example, the map at the bottom of the homepage comes with most generated sites, but the AI also added a list of writing accomplishments just for my site.
I liked that the AI builder used cooler color tones because I asked for a site for an independent journalist. If you ask for a lifestyle blog, it will suggest a warmer color scheme, which is more appropriate for the niche. This is one advantage AI has over pre-made templates: your site’s structure might be more basic, but you don’t have to edit the colors as much.
What about third-party Squarespace templates? Third-party Squarespace templates are absolutely a viable option! Squarespace encourages outside developers to create websites on its platform. Not only can you use a third-party template that works with Squarespace’s editing interface, but Squarespace makes it easy for you to hire a developer. Just bear in mind that this route can be more costly than a pre-made template.
How To Choose the Best Squarespace Templates for Writers
If you feel overwhelmed by all the options, don’t worry. Think about your priorities in having a website, and how many there are. If you have one top priority like trying to get people to buy your latest book, a simple template like Manual is great. If you have many goals (like putting out regular blog content and making sales), templates like Stanton or Otroquest are probably better.
Squarespace’s editor is versatile, so you can always add or remove features, or even change templates. However, it saves time to figure out how simple your site should befirst. After that, worrying about colors, fonts, and the like is much easier.
FAQ
Is Squarespace good for writers?
In addition to having polished templates for writers, Squarespace has some features that are particularly convenient for authors and bloggers. You can customize individual posts in terms of fonts and colors and organize them according to categories or tags. You have the option of enabling or disabling reader comments, displaying the author’s profile, and even setting posts to be reviewed by colleagues before publishing. You also have access to basic SEO and social media sharing functions to grow your audience.
To read more about all that Squarespace has to offer, check out our expert review.
Can you customize Squarespace templates?
You can fully customize Squarespace templates and make both subtle and drastic design changes according to your preference. It’s easy to modify colors, fonts, and layouts, allowing you to alter the overall look and feel of your website without losing any content. Additionally, if you’re willing to invest extra, you have the option to have a customized template created specifically for you. Squarespace also has an AI template builder, just like IONOS.
What should I look for in a template for writers?
It depends entirely on your needs. Amaland Jotter Press, for example, are both good templates for writers but have different functions.
All templates will have an ‘About’ section, but if you’re trying to sell your image to publishers, you should look for templates with a more prominent one. If you plan to write regularly, look for templates with blogs. While you can always add a blog later, it may not look as good as one already designed for the template.
Is Wix or Squarespace better?
It all depends on your needs and preferences. Squarespace is a bit easier to use and has more polished templates, whereas Wix offers more design flexibility and features. Wix also has a free plan and templates that are specifically designed for literary arts, with preset sections for books, an author’s bio, press reviews, and upcoming events. You can display your books for sale through the Amazon app and allow visitors to download files from your site, such as free excerpts.
To make a better sense of your options, check out our review of the 10 best website builders in 2024.
Alex specializes in website-building services. Before joining Website Planet in 2021, he spent four years testing and writing reviews of website builders, web hosts, and VPNs. He also spent a few years as the editorial lead for a news startup. He earned his BA from Soka University of America in 2018. If he’s not reviewing website builders, he’s working on one of several hobby blogs he’s built on WordPress.
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