hiring specialized author web designers compared to author platforms
custom author website design on Squarespace
Hiring a web designer for an author bio page
Hiring a web designer for an author bio page, a new book launch, or a full rebrand is a thought that crosses the mind of nearly every new author, self-published author, and publisher who works with authors across the United States. At Boxify Web Designs, our research team dug into what a strong author website actually needs to do, then compared it against the DIY platforms currently marketed to writers, so you have a clear picture before your next book launch. Below, we compare custom Squarespace author websites, built by a designer, against the platforms where authors can build a site themselves.
Author Website Features: What Most Authors Actually Need
Most of the authors we've worked with want a site that reflects their brand, their image, and their reputation, they have a vision. What a lot of authors don't have yet is a clear sense of which features actually help a launch or an author brand succeed. Based on the sites we've built, these are the ones that come up again and again:
Email newsletter signup — so you're building a list you own, no matter what happens to any single platform
Event calendar management — signings, readings, and appearances stay current without a developer
A reader incentive or "lead magnet" — a free chapter, novella, or downloadable extra that grows your list faster
Direct book sales or retailer links — Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, so readers can buy in one click
A contact form — for media requests, reviews, speaking inquiries, and reader messages
A press kit or media page — for podcast bookings, interviews, and speaking engagements
Mobile-first design — most readers will discover an author for the first time on their phone
author website event calendar feature on Squarespace.
Squarespace as a Platform for Author Websites
Squarespace isn't the cheapest platform out there, but from a web designer's perspective, it has the tools most self-published author websites need. Whether you're collecting emails for a newsletter, a lead magnet, or a direct email campaign, Squarespace has native options built for an author brand, and a custom Squarespace website can be built to do almost anything a launch needs without heavy custom code. The most-requested feature among the authors we work with is the event calendar section, since it lets a self-published author add or update an appearance the moment it's booked, without waiting on a developer.
Author Websites by BookBub: The DIY Alternative
BookBub, best known as a book discount and discovery platform, also offers Author Websites: a no-code, guided website builder built specifically for authors. It's a reasonable option if you want the basics live in an afternoon. In our experience testing the platform, it handles the fundamentals well, book pages, an events section, email collection, but the designs lean templated, with limited room for a distinct brand. Pricing is where it gets interesting: Author Websites offers a free plan with hosting and email collection built in, and a Pro plan at roughly $9.99/month for expanded design and email tools. For an author who just needs a placeholder site, that's hard to beat. For an author trying to stand out in a crowded genre, or build toward a full brand rather than a single book, it's a lot more limiting.
Do You Want to Write, or Do You Want to Build a Website Yourself?
Here's the real question: do you want to spend your time writing your next book and marketing the one you just released, or do you want to spend it worrying about how your website looks and performs? Most of the publishers and authors we talk to want to focus on marketing and building awareness for their book, and that effort tends to reward authors more directly than hours spent adjusting margins on a DIY builder.
Can Authors Build Their Own Websites in 2026?
With AI tools and platforms built around nontechnical workflows, the idea is that anyone can build a website, including writers, authors, and publishers. There are plenty of options, and the results vary a lot depending on the platform, the design choices made, and how much marketing effort goes into getting the site in front of readers. There are real limits to what most authors can build on their own, though. Most people don't have a background in how a page should be sectioned, designed, and displayed, in the psychology of buying, or in how much information to include before someone decides to buy your book or click through to Amazon. Color psychology and small animations both play a role in whether a visitor decides to buy, and that's usually not the first thing on a writer's mind while building their own site.
How Boxify Web Designs Builds Author Websites
We build author websites on Squarespace: professionally designed sections that leave you in control once we're finished. Adding or updating a page, a book cover, or an event is straightforward once it's set up correctly, no developer required for the day-to-day.
Depending on your plan and your goals, we can help you create a short audio preview of your book as a downloadable sample, build and train you on an event page so you can add appearances yourself, set up a store to sell your book directly or link out to Amazon for quick sales, and build a reader magnet in whatever format fits your brand, a PDF download, a checklist, a bonus chapter, or something else entirely. Every site we build is customized to the author, nothing is pulled from a template.
See it in action: our author website build for memoirist and speaker Salve Vargas includes an events calendar, a contact form for fans and press, and clear paths to her book on Amazon, all on Squarespace.
If you're getting ready for a launch and want a site built around your book instead of a template, get in touch with Boxify Web Designs to talk through what your author website needs.
Author Website FAQs
Do self-published authors really need a website?
Yes. Social platforms and retailer pages come and go, and their rules change without notice. A website is the one place your brand, your books, and your email list belong entirely to you.
Is Squarespace or BookBub better for an author website?
BookBub's Author Websites are a fast, low-cost way to get something live. A custom Squarespace site costs more upfront but gives you full control over branding, layout, and how your books, events, and reader incentives are presented, without being locked into one company's templates.
Can I sell my book directly from my author website?
Yes. Squarespace supports direct sales through its built-in store, or you can link straight to Amazon, Bookshop.org, or your retailer of choice.
What should be on an author's homepage?
At minimum: your current book (with a clear buy link), a short bio, a newsletter signup, and a way for readers, press, or event organizers to contact you.