the author website in a day experience

Get a beautiful, professional author website in just ONE DAY

SAY GOODBYE TO LONG, DRAWN-OUT TIMELINES & ENDLESS BACK AND FORTH EMAILS…

Let’s get your stunning new author website up and running in just ONE DAY!

I’ll show you how…

Author website fairy godmother, at your service!

Author Website in a Day is my signature website design offering, trusted by 40+ authors (many of whom are Sunday Times or NYT bestsellers!).

…did I mention I built Beth O’Leary’s website? You can see it here

My carefully tailored website design service for authors includes EVERYTHING YOU NEED to get your beautiful, professional author website launched on Squarespace.

Trust me, I’m an author! (and a web designer 😉)

 Best of all, we’ll get it done quickly.

 

I know you’re busy (you have a new book to write, right?!), and I know you don’t want to have to wait ages for your new author website to launch.

What you DO want:

… an impressive author website that feels like an authentic representation of your author persona as well as a worthy home for your writing career, that ticks all the necessary technical boxes, and attracts your ideal readers. All delivered in a timely fashion, without tons of extra work being added to your plate.

What you DON’T want:

… another mountainous task that takes your time away from writing and drags on for weeks; to have to answer endless emails, fill in cryptic questionnaires, create Pinterest boards of your ‘vision’ for your website, or attend multiple inconvenient Zoom meetings before anything gets done 🥴

When it comes to author websites, I like to keep things simple.

My streamlined yet personal approach, perfected over the past 6 years of building websites for ambitious authors just like you, means I can create your dream author website without overwhelming you with tech jargon or confusing decisions, supporting you throughout the whole process and gently guiding you with my expertise.

I’m also the USA Today bestselling author of seven novels myself, so I’ve literally been in your shoes.

The result of our work together?

 

A bespoke & beautiful author website that positions you as an author to watch and that can grow as your writing career grows.

Oh, and a creative partnership with a fellow author that’s smooth-sailing, enjoyable, educational and speedy (and even a little bit fun! 😉).

“Because Charlotte’s an author too she gets it. That’s important. As a debut author, there can be a lot of fear around the unknown and it’s reassuring to know that you don’t have to explain that to Charlotte. What she offers is so unique.”

– MEL PENNANT, AUTHOR OF A MURDER FOR MISS HORTENSE

 

 Simply pick from one of my custom packages below, or personalise your Author Website in a Day experience by adding extras from the à la carte menu.

author website in a day packages

Author Website in a Day

£2000


✓ Up to 4 pages
(eg: Home, About, Books, Contact)

✓ Fully responsive, personalised design

✓ Social media integration

✓ Contact form

✓ Newsletter sign up integration

✓ Integrated SEO (search engine optimisation)

✓ 20% off your first year’s Squarespace fees

✓ 2 weeks post-launch email support

✓ Privacy Notice page

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Website Course

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Newsletter Course

✓ The chance to pick my brains on life as an author! 😊

Author Website in a Day + Blog

£2500


✓ Up to 6 pages
(eg: Home; About; Books; News; Contact; PLUS either Blog or Events or Media - your choice)

✓ Fully responsive, personalised design

✓ Social media integration

✓ Contact form

✓ Newsletter sign up integration

✓ Integrated SEO (search engine optimisation)

✓ 20% off your first year’s Squarespace fees

✓ 2 weeks post-launch email support

✓ Privacy Notice page

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Website Course

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Newsletter Course

✓ The chance to pick my brains on life as an author! 😊

Most popular!

Author Website in a Day + Shop

£4000

✓ Up to 7 pages
(eg: Home; About; Books; News; Contact; Shop; PLUS either Blog or Events or Media - your choice)

✓ Fully responsive, personalised design

✓ Social media integration

✓ Contact form

✓ Newsletter sign up integration

✓ Integrated SEO (search engine optimisation)

✓ 20% off your first year’s Squarespace fees

✓ 2 weeks post-launch email support

✓ Privacy Notice page

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Website Course

✓ Lifetime access to the DIY Author Newsletter Course

✓ Bookshop set-up - sell copies of your book direct to readers

✓ The chance to pick my brains on life as an author! 😊

  • "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 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 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)

  • “I cannot express how simple, easy and enjoyable this website redesign has been. Charlotte was an absolute delight to work with. Her confidence and knowledge in design choices and Squarespace was invaluable. Don’t hesitate. Her services were more than worth the investment I spent. I now have a fully functioning website that is easy to update and exactly what I wanted from the start.”

    – KELLY RIMMER, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SECRET DAUGHTER

All packages include lifetime access to my DIY website & newsletter courses, so you can confidently manage your beautiful new website yourself & send newsletters too.

customise your author website in a day package

You can add any of these additional elements à la carte to your package to create your perfect author website.

 
 

Please note: some additional elements may add build time to the project.

 

  • You can have as many pages as you want on your Squarespace author website! The custom packages above come with a specific number of pages included, but extra pages can be added to any package as per your requirements.

  • I'm a big believer in author newsletters! All of my website packages include mailing list form set up to encourage visitors to sign up to a newsletter PLUS lifetime access to my DIY Author Newsletter Course.

    However, if you are not confident setting up your newsletter yourself, I can set up a beautiful template that's in keeping with your brand for you to populate easily time and time again.

    Included in the cost of your newsletter template set up is a personalised video to walk you through sending your first newsletter.

  • A pop-up is a form that pops up on your website after a certain amount of time/scrolling to encourage visitors to sign up to your mailing list.

    They can be annoying but they really work - they massively help increase sign ups and are a great idea if building your author mailing list is a key focus for you.

    Please note, to implement a pop-up on your website, you will need to be on the Business plan of Squarespace or higher.

  • An announcement bar is a bar at the top of your website (usually in a bold colour to draw attention) that aims to highlight/promote something specific.

    These are great when you have a new book recently released and want to draw attention to it. They can also be used to encourage people to sign up to your mailing list.

    Please note to implement the announcement bar on your website, you need to be on the Business plan of Squarespace or higher.

  • A links or landing page is used to drive a specific marketing aim - whether that's sign ups to your newsletter or drumming up interest in a new book. These are simple, standalone pages that you can promote via social media or ads, in order to encourage a specific goal. They can also be used for competitions and giveaways.

  • Minor edits to the design are included, but the ethos of the Website in a Day service is that you are outsourcing the design and build of your site to an expert, and in return I promise to build a site that works for both you and your readers!

    You’ll get the chance to share your design preferences with me before I begin through the questionnaire I send. But if you have strong opinions on design and want the ability to make edits, then I’ll be happy to refine the design after your Author Website in a Day at my hourly rate.

HOW IT WORKS

four simple steps to your brand new author website…

01

You choose the package that’s right for you, find a date that works and pay a 50% deposit to secure your Author Website in a Day experience!

02

I send you a quick (fun!) design questionnaire plus a link to a Google folder in which you drop all your content.

03

I build the site, & send it back by the end of your Author Website in a Day, along with a video walkthrough on how to set it live.

04

You pay the final 50%, set up your account with Squarespace and shout about your stunning new site to the world!

 

recent author website in a day clients

  • “I love my new author website! It looks exactly how I had hoped. I’d definitely recommend Charlotte. Thanks so much for everything.”

    — MATT GRAYDON, MATTGRAYDON.COM

  • “Thank you Charlotte, I am SO happy with my new website! It’s exactly what I wanted. Simple, clean and elegant. You nailed the brief!”

    – VANESSA MCCAUSLAND, VANESSAMCCAUSLAND.COM.AU

  • "Thanks very much Charlotte! I love the look of the website and your support videos etc. It's all very exciting… Fantastic!"

    STEPHEN BARRETT, STEPHENBARRETWRITER.COM

  • "It’s fantastic, I’m really pleased, thank you! Thanks so much for listening so carefully to what I wanted – and for making it a very easy process."

    JOANNA MILLER, JOANNAMILLERAUTHOR.COM

  • "This was a truly fantastic experience. The site Charlotte built was just what I needed to be able to move forward and start building an audience. Charlotte really rocked it across the board!”

    — RACHEL VAN'T LAND, RACHELVANTLAND.COM

  • "The website is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and so well done. It exceeded even what I had hoped. Thank you SO MUCH! Each page captures that simple, dreamy element I was hoping for."

    REBECCA LOUICK, REBECCALOUICK.COM

frequently asked questions

 

  • Author Website in a Day packages start from £2000. This is split into two payments - eg: £1000 to secure your date in my calendar and £1000 once the website is completed.

    Please note, website packages do not include Squarespace hosting fees or custom domain name which are purchased separately by you. You can see a list of all Squarespace pricing plans here. As a CDS customer, you will receive 20% off your first year’s hosting with Squarespace.

  • I am not currently VAT registered so no!

  • Lifetime access to my DIY Author Website Course and DIY Author Newsletter Course is included in all packages. These offer more than 5 hours of video tutorials to help you get to grips with the basics of Squarespace.

    There are also tons of free videos on Squarespace’s own website that will walk you through how to update your site in the future (and it’s easy peasy, I promise!).

    You can also book a Squarespace training session with me afterwards for an additional fee, or if you’d prefer to outsource your website completely, I can make changes to it in the future at my standard hourly rate.

  • Absolutely! Squarespace websites are fully responsive and look amazing on mobile.

  • If required, minor changes to the design are included during the two-week post-launch support period.

    Plus you’ll get the chance to share your design preferences with me before I begin through the questionnaire I send. Don’t worry - you’ll end up with a website you love!

  • Before embarking on your project, you will need to have ready: all content, including photography and site copy. This takes most people at least two weeks to complete, so please take this into consideration when choosing your design date!

  • You don't need to be around on the day, but you will need to have all your content ready a week beforehand so that I can check through it and make sure I have everything I need. 

  • Ideally an author’s website should go live around 3 months before their book is released, so it’s best to get in early and secure your slot in my design calendar as soon as you think you need a site. I am usually booked 3-4 months in advance.

  • I’ll be straight with you: Author Website in a Day is a little bit of a misnomer as the work really starts from the second you book me!

    Once your questionnaires and content are sent over, I’ll spend the week before your design date going through your content & getting everything ready in the back-end so that I can focus on spending the day itself actually building the site.

    That way, we can get your shiny new author website launched in just one day!

 

about me

Hi! I’m Charlotte Duckworth, and I’ve been designing beautiful Squarespace websites for authors for 6 years now, making a name as the UK’s leading author website designer.

I’ve built more than 50 author websites, many for Sunday Times bestselling authors. I love sharing my knowledge to help my fellow authors harness the power of technology to build their career dreams.

Oh and I’m also an author myself! I’ve had 7 novels traditionally published (one was a USA Today bestseller!), and my eighth is coming out in 2026.

So I know exactly what you need on your author website to make sure it does your writing career justice!