How much does an author website cost?

An author website can play a large role in increasing your visibility, marketing your books, and establishing credibility in your field. But how much does an author website cost? Authors can expect to pay around $100 to $350 per year to maintain a professional website, plus any costs for web design services. However, depending on your platform and whether you build the website yourself, costs can range from free to $5,000 or more.

Expense	Typical Cost
Domain Name	$10-40/year
Website platform and hosting	$100-350/year
Web design	Free-$5,000+
*Typical DIY total	*$110-390/year
*Typical total with web design	*$450-$5,000+

While launching a website for free (free domain and hosting) may work for some, particularly new or unpublished authors, those services have significant limitations, and this article will focus on paid options.

Website launch costs fall into three main categories, and we'll cover each in turn.

1. Domain costs: registration, renewals, privacy protection. (typically $10 to $40 per year)

2. Website platform and hosting. (usually $100 to $350 per year)

3. Web design (costs vary)

*Note that all references to WordPress in this article refer to wordpress.org, not wordpress.com.

Domain Name

A domain name is a unique web address that people can type into a web browser to visit your website, such as jamesclear.com. You can buy a domain through your web host or a dedicated domain registrar.

Domain Privacy Protection

When you buy a domain name, you will need to provide details such as your name, address, email, and phone number. Depending on your registrar and domain extension, that information may be publicly available in an online database unless you opt into privacy protection for that domain.

Most individuals opt for domain privacy protection to reduce the risk of spam, identity theft, scams, and phishing attempts. Some service providers include privacy protection in the listed price while others charge extra for it–keep that in mind when comparing prices. If it is not included in the price, privacy protection ranges in price from $5 to $15 per year.

Money-saving tips for domain costs:

You can save quite a bit of money over time (especially if you own multiple domains) if you use a low-cost registrar such as Cloudflare (lowest long-term cost), Dynadot (good all-around value), or Namecheap (good for beginners).

However, purchasing the domain from your web host (e.g., Wix, Squarespace, Bluehost) is often a good fit for those with less technical experience or who value simplicity, as it is the easiest way to buy a domain and connect it to your website. Many hosts offer a free domain for the first year. And it’s often easier to deal with one company rather than two for services like tech support.

Website Platform and Hosting (usually $90 to $350 per year)

The services you will need for your website will depend on whether you choose an all-in-one website platform like Wix or Squarespace, or a CMS such as WordPress. With an all-in-one platform, you select a plan, and the hosting, builder, and other services you need are included, installed, and ready to go.

WordPress takes a modular approach. You install the services you want from a variety of software providers. I'll cover the costs associated with all-in-one builders and WordPress separately.

All-in-one builders (often $150 to $250 per year for a basic plan)

All-in-one builders include Wix, Squarespace, and there are many others to choose from. You just need to select the plan, and the most basic plan is usually sufficient for most authors. If you want e-commerce, you'll usually need to choose one of the higher-tier options. The basic plans of Wix and Squarespace are in the range of $15 to $20 per month as of the time of writing.

Author-centric platforms ($96 per year for a basic plan)

Two website platforms geared specifically for authors have launched in recent years: Tertulia and Author Websites by BookBub. These platforms offer the features that most authors will need, including the ability to collect email addresses and offer reader magnets. Because these platforms are designed for authors, they can also speed up the building process by downloading book information when you submit your ISBNs.

However, these author-centric platforms do not have a large library of plugins, apps and integrations that can add functionality to your website, like you can find on platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace. And while author-centric platforms offer a variety of templates, the ability to customize the design of your website is generally more limited than what you'll find on a more robust platform.

WordPress (usually $80 to $350 per year for shared hosting + any premium software)

WordPress is free, open-source software, and most hosts offer one-click installation, which makes it easy to set up. Hosting costs typically range from $5 to $15 per month for shared hosting, which is sufficient for most authors.

Don't forget to budget for additional products you may want for your website, such as a premium theme, builder, and perhaps one or more premium plugins. Most plugins you'll need are available for free, but many authors opt for at least some premium software to enhance their website and make the building process easier.

WordPress may be especially economical if you are planning to launch multiple websites. Most all-in-one builders like Wix and Squarespace charge per website, whereas many WordPress hosting companies let you host multiple websites under one account, and adding another website often costs little to nothing.

Summary chart of platform prices

Prices for plans including e-commerce

Website platforms usually charge more for plans that include e-commerce. The following graphic shows e-commerce plan prices for selected platforms. Keep in mind that these prices do not include transaction fees, which are often 2.9% + $ 0.30 per transaction.

Tips to save money on a website platform.

You can usually save money by purchasing a longer-term (e.g., 3-year) plan upfront.

Also, look out for upcoming sales on the platform of your choice, as some platforms regularly offer sales windows with large discounts.

Consider lighter, lower-cost platforms, such as author-centric options, if your author website will not need features beyond what they offer.

While sign-up bonuses and discounts are helpful, keep in mind that the price will increase at renewal.

Website design (costs vary)

Hiring a designer can cost anywhere from under $1,000 to $5,000 and up. A Reedsy blog article stated that authors can expect to spend, on average, around $1,740 for the design of an author website (Reedsy, "How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book in 2026?").

Website design is often the biggest cost associated with launching an author website. You can save a lot of money by designing your own website, and modern drag-and-drop builders make it doable for most authors to go the DIY route. If you are going to build your own website, I wrote a book, Launch Your Author Website, that will guide you through the process from planning to publishing.

On the other hand, there's a lot to know about building an author website, and it may save you a chunk of time and some stress to pay someone else to design and build it. A good website designer can deliver a website that looks good, works well, and addresses SEO, security, and accessibility issues you may not be aware of. Consulting with your website designer can also be valuable for strategizing ways to optimize your website's visibility and drive traffic.

Ideas to save money on web design services

Consider building your own website. Perhaps you have a family member or friend who could help.

Shop around. There is a lot of variation in how much designers charge.

Final thoughts

I hope this article has helped you get a better sense of how much to budget for your author website. The cost of a website is recurring (and often increases after initial discounts), and I want you to take this into consideration before you purchase. Once you have selected a builder, the real work of design begins. If you’d like assistance with your project, I'm always available to book a call. Best of luck in your author journey!

FAQ Section

Are there any other costs besides a domain, the platform, and web design?

There can be. For example, for visual appeal, an author might want to hire a graphic designer to create unique art for their website. You may want to purchase a plugin with a subscription to extend your website's functionality. Or an author might need technical support if something breaks and they can’t figure it out. So, there may be miscellaneous expenses, but I’ve tried to cover the main ones authors will encounter.

Is WordPress cheaper than Squarespace or Wix?

It definitely can be. But make sure to include the cost of any premium WordPress theme, builder, or plugins you may need. Also, Wix and Squarespace include customer support for platform-related issues, while WordPress is often more of a DIY endeavor.