What Should an Author Portfolio Look Like?

If you’re an author trying to sell books, pitch agents, or build a readership, you’ve probably been told you “need a website” or “need a portfolio.” But what should an author portfolio actually look like? How many pages do you need? Where do your books go? What about your newsletter, events, or media kit?

After 15+ years helping writers and authors build portfolios through Writer’s Residence, I can tell you this: a good author portfolio doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to be intentional, especially if your goal is to sell books and grow a loyal audience.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Quick answer: what should an author portfolio look like?
• Key difference: debut author vs published author portfolios
• Must-have pages and sections for authors
• Layout examples: how your author portfolio can be structured
• Branding: how your portfolio should feel for your genre
• How your portfolio should look at different stages of your career
• Common author portfolio mistakes to avoid
• Practical tools, templates, and next steps
• Suggested images for this post

Quick Answer: What Should an Author Portfolio Look Like?

In plain terms, an effective author portfolio should look like a clear, focused author website with:

• a clean homepage that says who you are and what you write
• prominent space for your book(s) — ideally on the homepage and a dedicated Books page
• a warm, concise About the author page
• a Newsletter / Reader Freebie section (even if you’re just starting)
• a simple Contact page (and links to socials)
• optional extras like a Media Kit, Events, or Writing Samples page if you also publish essays or articles

Visually, it should be:

• simple and uncluttered (no chaotic layouts or tiny fonts)
• mobile-friendly (many readers will find you on their phone)
• genre-appropriate (a romance author site should feel different from a crime novelist’s)

You don’t need elaborate animations or clever menus. You need a website where someone can land, understand you within seconds, and either buy a book or sign up to hear from you again.

Key Difference: Debut Author vs Published Author Portfolios

The overall structure is similar, but the emphasis shifts depending on whether you have books out in the world yet.

For Debut Authors (No Book Yet or Coming Soon)

Your portfolio’s main job is to:

• show that you’re a real, committed author
• start building a readership before launch
• make it easy for agents, editors, or festival programmers to find information about you

For you, the homepage should highlight:

• your name, genre, and vibe (e.g. “Speculative fiction with a queer, cosmic bend”)
• a strong author bio
• a clear newsletter sign-up (with a simple reader magnet if you can manage it)
• optionally, a short section for published short fiction, essays, or prize listings

For Published Authors (One Book or Many)

Your portfolio’s main job is to:

• help readers choose and buy your books
• build and nurture a long-term audience (newsletter + social)
• provide practical info for media and event organisers (bio, headshot, topics, contact)

For you, the homepage should push people toward:

• a featured Book of the Moment (newest release or the one you most want to promote)
• a Books page that lists all titles, series, and formats
• a clearly signposted Newsletter or “Join my reader community” section
• a straightforward Media / Press or “For organisers” link in the navigation

In both cases, think of your author portfolio as your professional home base online.

Must-Have Pages and Sections for Author Portfolios

Here’s what your site should include, whether you’re a debut or a seasoned pro.

1. Homepage: Your Author “Front Window”

Your homepage is where most people will land, so it needs to quickly answer three questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you write?
3. What should visitors do next? (Buy a book? Join your list? Learn more?)

A simple homepage layout for authors might include:

• a clear headline: “Crime novelist based in Scotland” or “Nonfiction author writing about climate and community”
• a short intro paragraph about you and your books
• a feature area:
  • Debut: “Novel coming in 2026 — join my list to get the first chapter.”
  • Published: “New release: [Title] — out now from [Publisher].”
• a visible newsletter signup box or section
• a few reader-friendly links: Books · About · Events · Contact

If you want your homepage to look instantly more polished without hiring a designer, you can use the free header templates and colour palettes in this resource: Writing Portfolio Header Templates (with Canva designs).

2. Books Page: Clear, Browseable, and Action-Oriented

For published authors, the Books page is where the real work happens. It should be:

• easy to scan (one section per book or series)
• visually consistent (book covers the same size, aligned neatly)
• actionable (buy links, sample chapters, or “read more” buttons)

For each book, include:

• book cover
• short, hooky description (2–4 sentences)
• key details (genre, age category, series information)
• buy links (retailers, indie bookstores, your shop if you have one)
• optional: short review quotes, awards, or “as featured in” mentions

Some authors also like to separate by series or format (e.g. “Standalone novels,” “The [Series Name] trilogy,” “Non-fiction work”). That’s especially useful once you have more than three books.

3. About the Author Page

Your About page should help readers and industry people feel like they know you a little, without turning into a full autobiography.

Good things to include:

• a short, accessible bio (in your own voice)
• a longer, 150–200 word bio written in third person (useful for media and events)
• a professional-looking headshot (doesn’t have to be studio; clear and friendly is fine)
• a line or two about what you’re working on now
• links to your main social platforms

If you’re unsure how to structure it, my pillar guide has a helpful breakdown: The Complete Online Writing Portfolio Guide.

4. Newsletter / Reader Magnet Page or Section

Even if you only email readers once in a while, building a list is one of the best long-term assets you can create as an author.

At minimum, you want:

• a short explanation of what readers get (updates, behind-the-scenes, bonus scenes, deals)
• a simple signup form
• ideally, a small freebie:
  • a prequel short story
  • a deleted chapter
  • a first-chapter preview
  • a reading guide for book clubs

Think of this as a “Join my world” page more than a technical opt-in form.

5. Contact Page

Make it very easy for people to contact you for:

• author events
• school visits
• interviews and features
• rights and permissions

A simple contact form plus an email address works well. If you have an agent or publicist, list their details clearly with labels like “For rights and film/TV enquiries, contact…”

6. Media / Press Kit (Especially for Published Authors)

A dedicated Media or Press page makes life much easier for journalists, bloggers, podcasters, and event organisers.

Include:

• a downloadable author headshot (or two)
• short and long bios
• book cover images
• a brief list of speaking topics or themes you write about
• selected press coverage, interviews, or reviews

You can present this as a page and also offer a one-click downloadable kit (PDF or zip) if you’re comfortable doing that.

7. Optional: Writing Samples (for Authors Who Also Publish Short Work)

If you’ve written short stories, essays, journalism, or guest posts, it’s worth having a page for selected writing samples. This is particularly useful if you’re a nonfiction author or a novelist who also freelances.

If you want to go deeper on choosing those samples, here’s a separate guide: How to Choose the Best Writing Samples for Your Portfolio.

Layout Examples: How Your Author Portfolio Can Be Structured

Let’s turn this into something more concrete. Below are “wireframes in words” for two common scenarios.

Example 1: Debut Author Portfolio (No Book Yet / Book Coming Soon)

Homepage layout could look like:

• Hero section: Your name, genre, simple tagline (“Fantasy author writing about ordinary people with impossible choices”), and a friendly photo.
• Short intro: 2–3 sentences about who you are and what you’re writing.
• “My Work” section: Brief description of your current project (no spoilers needed), plus links to any published short work.
• Newsletter signup: “Want to know when my first novel launches? Join my list and I’ll send you sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes updates.”
• Selected writing / awards: A few links to short fiction, essays, or prizes.

Navigation might be: Home · About · Writing · Newsletter · Contact

Example 2: Published Author Portfolio (Books Out Now)

Homepage layout could look like:

• Hero section: Newest book cover, 1–2 line hook, and a clear “Buy now” / “Read an extract” button.
• About strip: Small photo + 2–3 sentences about you, with a link to the full About page.
• Books section: Row or grid of your key titles with covers and “View book” buttons.
• Newsletter section: Invite readers to join your mailing list (“Be the first to hear about new releases and events”).
• Social / media bar: Icons for your main platforms and a subtle link to your media kit.

Navigation might be: Home · Books · About · Events · Media · Contact

Both layouts are simple and achievable with minimal tech skills — especially if you use a portfolio-focused tool rather than a from-scratch website builder.

Branding: How Your Author Portfolio Should Feel

Most high-performing author sites have one thing in common: the design quietly reinforces the mood of the books.

Genre and Visual Tone

• Romance: softer colour palettes, rounded fonts, warm photography; a sense of intimacy and emotional connection.
• Crime / Thriller: darker accents, strong contrast, bolder type; a feeling of tension and pace.
• Fantasy / Sci-fi: more atmospheric imagery, hints of world-building in your colours and textures.
• Literary / Memoir: restrained design, lots of white space, typography doing most of the work.
• Non-fiction (business / self-help): clean lines, clear hierarchy, call-to-action buttons that make it obvious where to click.

If you’d like some plug-and-play colour palettes and header layouts that already feel “bookish” and professional, you can borrow from: Writing Portfolio Header Templates — they’re built in Canva so you can tweak them without needing a designer.

Accessibility and “Good Enough” Design

You don’t need perfect design. You do need:

• good contrast between text and background
• decent font size (16px or more for body text)
• clear headings and short paragraphs
• a layout that works on mobile as well as desktop

Think of your portfolio as “minimum polished and easy to read.” Anything beyond that is a nice-to-have.

How Your Author Portfolio Should Look at Different Stages

Stage 1: No Book Yet, Building Credibility

Your portfolio can be very simple:

• Home (intro + newsletter)
• About
• Writing (selected short work, essays, or competition placements)
• Contact

Focus on:

• showing you’re serious and actively writing
• collecting email addresses ahead of your first book

Stage 2: One Book (Debut Published)

Now your job is to make it incredibly easy for readers and industry people to find and buy that book.

Your portfolio should now include:

• Home featuring your debut prominently
• Books (even if there’s just one, you’re building the framework)
• About
• Newsletter
• Media / Press
• Contact

Stage 3: Multi-book / Series Author

At this stage, the biggest risk is clutter. Your portfolio should help readers navigate your backlist without getting lost.

Helpful tweaks:

• group books by series or type (e.g. “Standalone novels,” “[Series Name] series,” “Non-fiction work”)
• feature one “Start here” recommendation for new readers
• add a simple Events or “Where to find me” page if you do festivals, signings, or school visits

Common Author Portfolio Mistakes to Avoid

After looking at hundreds of author sites, here are the patterns that come up again and again:

• Hiding the books. If your novels are only visible after multiple clicks, you’re making readers work too hard.
• No clear next step. A beautiful homepage that doesn’t ask readers to do anything will quietly underperform.
• Out-of-date information. Old event listings and “coming soon in 2021” messages erode trust quickly.
• Overcomplicated navigation. Too many menu items make it harder to find what matters.
• PDF-heavy portfolios. PDFs of book extracts can be fine, but they’re slower and less friendly than on-page text.
• Unclear positioning. If it’s not obvious what you write (or for whom), readers and festival programmers will move on.

Practical Tools, Templates, and Next Steps

You can build an author portfolio with almost any website tool, but some will make your life much easier than others.

Author-Friendly Platforms

• Writer’s Residence: Built specifically for writers and authors. You can create pages for books, add writing samples, connect a custom domain, and use clean, text-first layouts without messing around with plugins or code. I also personally handle support, so if you’re stuck, you’re talking to a fellow writer, not a random helpdesk. You can start a free trial here.
• JournoPortfolio (examples): Great for visual inspiration, especially their author examples gallery.
• SmartBlogger’s writing portfolio guide: Helpful if you’re also doing freelance work alongside your books: How to Create a Writing Portfolio.
• Blurb’s portfolio guide: Nice on structure and thinking about audience when you organise your work: How to Create a Writing Portfolio.

If you want more detail on portfolio strategy in general (including domain names, examples, and sample curation), this guide ties everything together: The Complete Guide to Online Writing Portfolios.