beautifully simple and simply beautiful squarespace websites for…

 
 

Let me guess, you…

→ Hate tech?

→ Want a website that does your writing proud?

→ Tried to build your own author website but got completely stuck?

→ Set your website up in 2011 and haven’t touched it since?

→ Need a website that’s easy to update in the future?

→ Would rather be writing your next book than spending hours on (unhelpful) help chats trying to fix issues with your website?

You’ve come to the right place!

I’m Charlotte and I help authors get to grips with their websites so that they can focus on doing what they do best – writing… 🖊️

it’s time to take control of your author website!

my author website design services

for authors in need of a new website

AUTHOR WEBSITE IN A DAY

 

My flagship design service

Let me design a beautiful, fully bespoke, customisable website for you in just ONE day.

More info →

 

for authors with existing websites

AUTHOR VIP DESIGN DAY

 

Want some help with your existing site?

Book me to work on your author website for an entire day and I’ll power through your to-do list!

More info →

 

for authors who want to DIY

THE DIY AUTHOR WEBSITE COURSE

Will Staeger built this website himself, using my course!

 

Expert help with building your site

Build your own author website on Squarespace with my comprehensive step-by-step course.

More info →

 

guess what?

I’m an author too!

My psychological suspense novels are published by Quercus in the UK & the US.

I also write bookclub fiction under the name Charlotte Rixon, published by Head of Zeus (UK) and St Martin’s Press (US).

Before my first novel was published, I worked as an online journalist for more than a decade and also ran my own digital marketing agency.

I set up my web design business 5 years ago, and use all my experience of the web to design beautiful websites for fellow authors, to ensure their online presence reflects their unique creativity.

kind words from past clients

  • “I absolutely love my new website. It has exceeded my expectations and I've had lots of very positive feedback on it. Charlotte is well worth the investment. She is extremely responsive to your individual requirements and gives expert advice. She is skilled at interpreting your needs and creating the website you always wanted.”

    – LESLEY KARA, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE RUMOUR

  • “It's been great working with Charlotte and I'm delighted with the end result. It's an investment worth making as the websites that Charlotte produces look really professional and eye-catching, and are easy to navigate. I was particularly happy with the walkthrough of the site before it went live and it's great that I can be in touch in future if I have any problems.”

    – HARRIET TYCE, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLOOD ORANGE

  • "I love my new site! It's slick and professional but still feels like me. I was nervous about whether it would be worth the money but it was totally worth it - Charlotte made it all so easy and I know I've saved myself so much time in the long run by working with her. I feel so much more on top of my website and I'm now proud to show it to people!”

    – BETH O’LEARY, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE FLATSHARE

  • “I cannot tell you how much I LOVE my new website! I am so grateful to you for creating something even better than I'd imagined. I’m so happy with it – it all looks absolutely fab. Hurrah. Thank you thank you!”

    – CLARE POOLEY, AUTHOR OF THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT

  • “Charlotte is a total guru and creative genius. Her expertise gave me the confidence to switch from Wordpress to Squarespace, and helped me turn my ideas into something that looks gorgeous and represents my different brands/pen-names. She combines fantastic technical and artistic abilities with the knowledge of what a website really needs to work.”

    — KATE HARRISON, AUTHOR OF THE HOUSE SHARE & THE 5:2 DIET BOOKS

  • “Charlotte is super organised and thoughtful about the whole process. From the pre-design questionnaires and tips about content, to the process itself and the support afterwards, she makes the whole thing stress free and enjoyable. She is incredibly easy to work with, listens to what you want and finds solutions to accommodate you. She'll give advice if needed/asked for but is never prescriptive.”

    – GABRIELLA BRAUN, AUTHOR OF ALL THAT WE ARE

  • “Having seen Charlotte being recommended by so many authors when it came to creating a website, I knew there was only person I wanted to approach. And I am so glad I did! I particularly recommend Charlotte for her ease of communication, her organisation and the swiftness at which the site went up. I've worked with a few web designers, and it's never been as easy, as efficient or as pain-free as this.”

    — HANNAH GOLD, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE LAST BEAR

  • “I love my new site! It’s so impactful and reflects the book so well. Working with Charlotte was a dream. From the moment we engaged I could see she was an organised, meticulous detail person with a sound process complemented by a generous approach.”

    – ANNIE GARTHWAITE, AUTHOR OF CECILY

  • “I absolutely love my new site! Easy to navigate, clean and fresh - it’s everything I wanted and more. Charlotte is a marvel. Fast, intuitive, enthusiastic, supportive and a total website goddess to boot. Can’t recommend her highly enough.”

    – KATIE MARSH, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE REST OF ME

  • “The time it would have taken me to do what Charlotte has done would have cost me far more than the fee she charges. Charlotte was fully committed and invested in creating the website that I envisaged. The level of communication was very much appreciated and attention to detail second to none. I’m incredibly proud of my new site.”

    – SANDIE JONES, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE OTHER WOMAN

  • “The brilliant Charlotte Duckworth has just revitalised my much-neglected website and she has done it so efficiently and reasonably. I can’t recommend her more highly.”

    — SARAH VAUGHAN, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL

  • “I knew I needed a website but felt sheer panic about building it myself. Charlotte makes the whole process pain-free. I love my new website! It is modern and bright, but still shows that I write historical novels. Everything is easy to find for my readers and nothing has been missed. If you are on the fence about working with Charlotte, believe me, it’s the right thing to do.”

    – ELAINE EVEREST, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WOOLWORTHS GIRLS

  • "Charlotte's approach combines friendliness with a high level of professionalism which is ideal for anyone nervous about committing to a new website. She has an eye for design and a genuine desire to meet her client's needs which results in truly stunning work. She feeds back regularly through the process and she really did go over and above to make my website everything I'd hoped for - and more. It's been a wonderful experience. I cannot recommend Charlotte highly enough."

    – MARION TODD, AUTHOR OF THE DI CLARE MACKAY CRIME SERIES

  • “If you're looking for a web designer, look no further than Charlotte. She comes highly recommended, complete not only with excellent tech and design skills, but perhaps more importantly, a high level of tech-phobia associated hand-holding. If she can talk me through it, she can handle anyone.”

    – ELEANOR ANSTRUTHER, AUTHOR OF DESMOND ELLIOT LONGLISTED A PERFECT EXPLANATION

  • “If you are worried about the technical side, have no fear, because Charlotte sets out everything logically and clearly. I absolutely love my new site. Charlotte's approach to gleaning as much information from me before we started meant that she knew exactly what I wanted. It has been a lovely creative project to work on and I highly recommend Charlotte’s services!”

    – CATHERINE LAW, AUTHOR OF THE FIRST DANCE

  • “I’m very happy with my new site and think it looks amazing! Easy to navigate and very easy on the eye. You’ve done a really good job. Thank you, Charlotte! It looks brilliant.”

    – CELIA REES, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF WITCH CHILD

  • “Knowing Charlotte was an author herself, I felt I could totally trust her. Nothing was too much trouble and all queries were quickly answered. Where you don't know what you want, Charlotte has the expertise to advise you, both as an author and as an experienced web-designer. It is definitely worth the investment.”

    – LOUISE FEIN, AUTHOR OF PEOPLE LIKE US

  • “I'd highly recommend Charlotte for lots of reasons. From the very first phone call, I felt looked after and listened to. During the construction of the website Charlotte was incredibly quick to respond and also extremely calm despite the fact I made multiple changes, experimenting with different colours and layouts. I love my new site! It's exactly what I hoped for.”

    – EMMA CHRISTIE, AUTHOR OF THE SILENT DAUGHTER

  • "I am delighted with my new website. I would have no hesitation in recommending Charlotte. She is very responsive, good at what she does and makes helpful suggestions. But she is also flexible and generally helpful."

    ANNIE MURRAY, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MORE THAN 30 NOVELS

  • “I am VERY PLEASED with my new site. Now, if anyone looks me up, they will see a professional "shop front" and I'm confident I can capture some readers and provide beautifully presented information for anyone else searching for me. Working with Charlotte will save you time and energy. You will be confident in the end result and the money is well worth it.”

    – LOUISE MUMFORD, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SLEEPLESS

  • “I’m so delighted with my new site. I love the fact that it retains the quirk of my old site, but feels much more up-to-date and user-friendly. I would never have thought of using the dark blue as a background but I love it - it makes it striking and different and very modern. Now that I know it works properly on all platforms and can be updated whenever needed, I can be much more proactive in the way that I use it."

    – CARI ROSEN, AUTHOR OF THE SECRET DIARY OF A NEW MUM (AGED 43 ¼)

  • "Charlotte's an author so she gets it. That's important. As a debut author, there can be a lot of fear of the unknown, not being sure in the space and it's reassuring to know that you don't have to explain that to Charlotte and that she is going to get what you are trying to achieve and even provide a bit of a guide as to what can be achieved. I'd say as an author looking to create a website, what Charlotte offers is so unique."

    – MEL PENNANT, AUTHOR OF A MURDER FOR MISS HORTENSE

 want to see my portfolio?

the latest advice on author website design, newsletters and life as a writer…

Blog
Do I need a website before I get a book deal?
What is your author website for?
Project spotlight: willrdean.com
 
 

want to hear all my secrets from my own publishing career?

 
 

curious about my books?

click the covers to find out more

 fun stuff for writers

Fun stuff
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frequently asked questions

  • An author website is a website created by a writer to showcase their books, themselves and to connect with their readers. It's one of the most powerful marketing tools an author has to build an author brand and grow their audience.

  • Squarespace is the perfect web platform for author websites! It's easy to use, super secure, looks beautiful and provides the perfect platform to help you grow your author career.

    Find out more about why I recommend Squarespace for your author website >

  • Some essentials for your author website include: an engaging homepage, showcasing your latest book; an About page with some information about you and your writing journey; a Books page with links for readers to easily click through and buy your books; and a Contact page so that readers can easily get in touch. I also highly recommend setting up an author mailing list.

    I have a free Author Website Content Guide you can download that has more tips on what to include on your author website.

  • Yes! You can take a look at my Author Website Design Portfolio here >

    I also share recent author website designs on my blog >

  • Do you take your writing seriously? If so, then you need an author website!

    I've written extensively about why authors need websites here >

  • This can really vary! If you are building your author website yourself, then there are plenty of cost-effective options.

    I've blogged about 5 tips for creating an author website on a budget here >

    My author website designs start from £1800. Find out more about my Author Website in a Day package.

  • This depends on three things: 1) your budget, 2) your time and 3) how much you enjoy technology!

    These days, it's more than possible to build your own author website. I even offer a self-paced course, the DIY Author Website Course, to help with this.

    However, if you hate technology and would prefer to hand over the project over to a professional then using a website designer for your author website will ensure your website is created quickly and efficiently and works as hard as possible for you and your books.

  • I promise this is not a trick answer - there isn't one!

    If you want to find out why, I've written about how Squarespace templates work here >

  • I offer three services for authors looking for help with their websites:

    1) DIY Author Website Course - my self-paced course to help you build your own author website

    2) Author VIP Design Day - expert help for authors who already have websites

    3) Author Website in a Day - a brand new, fully bespoke author website designed for you in just one day

  • Take a look at my Author Web Design Services page to determine which offering would work best for you, then fill in my contact form and I'll be in touch!