Top 10 Best Author Websites
For inspiration, motivation, and some fun.
I’ve talked a lot about the importance of having a website in prior blogs but, as you begin designing your own website, sometimes having a visual of what constitutes a really good author website is more helpful than anything.
In general, you want a website that has a clean design, is easy to navigate, and keeps the reader engaged through its copy.
Here are my top 10 best author websites, in no particular order, and what I think makes them so engaging.
Top 10 Best Author Websites
# 1- Corinne Michaels
Corinne Michaels is a contemporary romance writer and her website is one of the best out there.
First off, the color palette and the images are very feminine and the design is modern–even if you don’t know who Corrine Michaels is, you can easily guess that she writes contemporary romance.
Her site is also uber informative and keeps you moving within the site. One of my favorite parts of her copy is the multiple options to sign up for her newsletters.
#2 - Melanie Harlow
Melanie Harlow is known for having super girly books and brands–and her website is the perfect fit. Filled with soft pinks, high heels, and lots of frills, this website makes it to my top 10 list because it is a great example of branding.
Every detail is well-thought out and significant–from the fonts to the images to the colors.
Oh, and she offers a lot of great content too, like reading orders, series maps, and even an online merchandise store.
#3 - Meghan Quinn
Sometimes a clean, simple website is the best route to take.
Meghan Quinn’s website is just that - simple and clean, yet colorful and very functional.
It does exactly what a website should do. It is very thorough but not over-the-top with details,
which I think is just fine.
#4 - Kandi Steiner
If you want to talk about branding, the first author I would think of is romance author, Kandi Steiner. Kandi has a very specific color palette and vibe that spans across her book covers, Instagram and, of course, her website.
Her actual website design is super simple and easy to navigate, but it honestly just makes her brand details pop even more. Her scrolling hero section gives a nice interactive touch and she has all of the appropriate calls to action (newsletters, social media, etc).
Also, a nice touch? Steiner calls her blog “ramblings” which gives it a nice quirky touch.
#5 - Willow Winters
I love Willow Winter’s website because it stands out with its smoky blue color palette and its very professional design. Both the fonts and the colors, although unexpected, work well with her genre as a contemporary romance novelist.
Winters does a great job of making her website feel personal without an overwhelming amount of information.
#6 - Christina Lauren
The writing duo Christina Lauren is well known for their colorful and bold book covers, and its website follows suit but in a way that is not overwhelming or gimmick feeling.
The website design is super simple but works really well; the information is easy to find and very user friendly. Being that Christina Lauren is, in fact, a pen name for this writing duo, the brandidng is not as strong as with some other authors but they still do well in making it work well.
#7 - Staci Hart
I love anything that Staci Hart creates - whether it be her books or her website. Hart is a graphic designer by trade so everything she does is on-point.
Her website is very trendy and in-line with what is current today. It flows very well, is not too cluttered at all, and is very organized. Hart is another writer with strong branding that she carries well through out her entire public persona. And make sure you check out her fun logo. Love!
#8 - Karina Halle
I like this website design for the exact opposite reasons I like Staci Hart’s. While Hart’s website is very contemporary, Halle’s is more of a traditional blog layout. The good thing about using a blog-like layout is that it is familiar and easy to find things. Her website has a lot of information which is nice.
#9 - Lana Percherczyk
Modern and image-focused, Lana Pecherczyk has a site that is clearly professionally made. It is flawless. Everything flows together so well nd there is no disconnect between sections.
Imagery plays a huge part of the site. The photography is big and bold with lots of black and white images (or black and white with pops of color). It is definitely a unique and well throught out approach to an author page.
One of my favorite parts of her website is the author section about halfway down the scroll. I love how classic, but still friendly, the black and white image makes that section.
#10 - Helena Hunting
Helena Hunting is a contemporary romance author whose website closes out my top ten list. I love the purple color–it still is obvious she writes romance but the purple really differentiates her from other romance writers.
She has a great tagline–stories to get in bed with–to really peak interest and her site is very inviting and entertaining for readers.
The Best Author Website Commonalities
As you look through the best author websites, there are several commonalities that run through each of the websites. And as you begin designing your own site, you should keep these similarities in mind.
All of the websites are easy to navigate and keep the attention of the readers with multiple pages and options to click through. They are choked full of personality and intentional branding but they still all stay true to their genres.
The majority also have calls to action scattered through out the site. Having a newsletter to keep your readers up to date or asking them to follow you on social media are wonderful calls-to-action.
What are your favorite author websites?
Drop me a comment below and let me know! I always love to see new and inventive ideas!
