How much does an author website cost?
Short answer
Building it yourself costs about $60–$500 a year for the domain, website builder and newsletter, according to Reedsy's 2026 guide. Hiring a web designer to build one from scratch averages around $1,740 on Reedsy, plus the same yearly running costs.
What it costs with me, Jooneyd: My one-book site is $899, a 5-page author website $1,449, and a custom motion site of up to 8 pages $2,449.
Yearly running costs
These figures are from Reedsy's guide (Aug 2026), in US dollars a year.
- Domain: $8–$12 (for example Namecheap or GoDaddy).
- Website builder or hosting: $48–$300 (for example WordPress or Squarespace).
- Email newsletter: $0–$300. Mailchimp is free up to 500 contacts.
- Squarespace's yearly plans include the domain free for the first year on new sites.
Builder or designer?
A builder suits a first book. You pick a template and add your cover, blurb and store links yourself, so the main cost is your time plus the yearly fees.
A designer makes more sense when you have several books or a series, want the site to match your covers, or don't want to learn the tool. Reedsy puts the average designer-built author site at about $1,740.
What every author site needs
- Each book, with links to every store that sells it.
- An about page.
- A newsletter sign-up.
- A contact page.
- Pages that load fast on phones.
- A domain registered in your own name, so you keep it if you change designer.
My prices
A one-book site, one long page for your book and its launch, is $899. An author website with 5 pages (home, books, about, newsletter, contact) is $1,449. A custom motion site with up to 8 pages, custom design and motion is $2,449.
The rules at a glance
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | $8–$12 a year | reedsy.com |
| Website builder | $48–$300 a year | reedsy.com |
| Email newsletter | $0–$300 a year | reedsy.com |
| Do it yourself, total | $60–$500 a year | reedsy.com |
| Designer-built site (average) | About $1,740 | reedsy.com |
| Squarespace yearly plans | Domain free for the first year on new sites | squarespace.com |
Checked 27 October 2026 on the stores’ own help pages.
Letting the designer register the domain in their own name, so moving the site later means asking for it back.
Need it done?
I design and build author websites, from a one-page book site to a full site with custom motion. Author websites from $899.
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