There’s a certain mystique that follows writers around. The idea that they sit hunched over antique typewriters while sipping cup after cup of coffee is a part of the writer legend that is pervasive in pop culture. And while the coffee part might be true, the rest is hype. The writer’s life is hardly glamorous.
However, the writer’s website can be. It can be lush and full of dreamy photography, quill and ink icons, and distinct fonts. It can look and feel the part of what writers are supposed to be. All of that is contingent on getting the right design for your site, of course. What follows is a list of seven premium WordPress themes that all exude writerly-ness from every pore. One is certain to appeal to the budding screenwriter or professional blogger in all of us.
1. Sydney
Ideally, your author website should reflect the genre and ethos of your writing. If you write romcoms or have a large female following, Sydney may be the right theme for your site.
Sydney’s Author starter site has a feminine design, with pastel colors and floral decorations. However, Sydney is a very customizable theme, so you can play around with the design and color palette, and choose from different header and footer styles. You can also customize the layout of your blog and online shop.
Since Sydney gives you full e-commerce functionality, you can even sell your books on your site. With the Pro version, you’ll get extra WooCommerce features like wishlists, multistep checkout, and advanced reviews. You’ll also have a variety of Elementor widgets to choose from, including timelines and animated headings.
Sydney enables you to build a truly custom author site and start selling your books.
2. Auteur
If you’re looking for an elegant theme for writers, look no further than Autuer. This theme was designed with authors, writers, and bloggers who focus on publishing book and literary reviews. The theme comes with several premade page templates and a powerful page builder so you can easily modify the pages and create a new layout completely from scratch without ever touching a single line of code. You can also choose from 4 different homepage layouts so you can showcase your books, reviews and even sell your books directly from your site.
The theme is responsive and includes more than 30 shortcodes so you can easily add various elements such as tabs, accordions, and more. The Auteur theme also supports 1-click import so you can easily import demo content and you can use the powerful theme options panel to customize colors, fonts, and other visual styles. On top of that, you’ll find integration with MailChimp, Contact Form 7, and Revolution Slider.
3. Divi
Do you want full customization control over your website? Divi isn’t just a theme – it’s also a page builder.
Divi has over 200 website packs, including options for creatives like writers. For instance, the Writer layout includes pages for showcasing your published books and upcoming events. There’s also a neat About page and a contact form where visitors can reach out to your agent or make press inquiries. Every aspect of the site can be customized with the Divi builder.
With Divi, you’ll get access to a huge library of website elements. These include calls to action, sliders, blogs, and more. You’ll also have access to marketing and ecommerce tools so you can promote and sell your books.
Thanks to Divi, you can build a unique site or portfolio that makes you stand out.
4. ChapterOne
The ChapterOne theme is a great choice if you want to use your site to sell your books. The theme has a well-organized layout that makes it easy to feature some of your books and you can easily insert reader reviews and share a brief bio. The theme offers several premade layouts to choose from. You can import them with a single click and speed up your website setup process.
The ChapterOne theme offers plenty of customization options. You can customize colors and fonts, add your own background images, upload your logo, and more. The theme is also fully responsive. You can even easily share audiobooks and translate your entire site into a different language. In addition to that, the theme is compatible with WooCommerce and offers integrated Mikado search.
5. Odrin
Try the Odrin theme if you want a versatile and modern theme that will help you sell your books. The theme comes with several premade demos and complete WooCommerce integration so you can start selling books as quickly as possible. It also comes with many shortcodes and premade templates designed with book writers and authors in mind. For example, it includes a unique coming soon template that allows you to build hype around your upcoming book launch. You can also easily create events to announce and promote workshops and book signings.
When it comes to visual styles, Odrin features elegant typography that’s easy to customize using the theme customizer. You can also customize colors, add your own logo, and more. In addition to that, you’ll find custom popular posts widget, social media icons, Twitter feed widget, MailChimp integration, and more.
6. Daniel Green
The Daniel Green WordPress theme features a classic design that would suit a wide number of writers, from professional novelists to bloggers to copywriters. This theme can be used by journalists and bookstores as well, making a truly well-rounded offering for lovers of the literary arts. It comes with six different blog styles, which include a variety of menu positions and menu options. It’s also compatible with a wide variety of plugins that can aid you in its customization. So, if any of the pre-built templates aren’t working for you, it’s possible to go in with WPBakery Page Builder, Revolution Slider, or Essential Grid to make changes to various aspects of your site’s layout.
This theme is also compatible with WooCommerce, so you can setup an online shop and sell books directly from your website. Who needs Amazon, right? A few other notable features include contact forms, video and photo gallery, and an about page template. Use it as a portfolio. Use it as a store. Use it as a writing blog. No matter what writerly website needs you have, the Daniel Green theme will fulfill it.
7. Elegant
The Elegant theme, from the folks at Themify, presents a full-width title page with social components and menu buttons included. Upon scrolling downwards, each blog post is presented in a striking manner, with huge photos, an author image and stylized titles. This theme removes all of the clutter, such as animations and special effects, to get to the stuff that truly matters–your writing. Publish your content and know that everyone can view it on any device.
The primary advantage to using this theme is the drag and drop builder. It doesn’t matter which part of your site you plan on making changes to, because you never have to modify any code. Just go into the editor and move modules to where you want them to show up. This merges well with the stunning typography, adding sufficient white space and appeal to the beginning of your articles.
Built-in image filters allow you to add grayscale, blur and sephia effects without opening Photoshop or any other photo editing platform. Present your favorite works in a portfolio, and modify the header by incorporating interesting fonts, backgrounds and colors. The customization options are endless with this theme, ranging from team post types, WooCommerce integration and color skins.
