An Editorial Squarespace Website Template for Authors
Marginalia
You know how to write the book. The website is a different story.
What goes on an author website when you're still in the query trenches? What changes during debut year? What happens when you’re A Bestselling Author™ with a stacked backlist?
Marginalia takes the guesswork out of it. The pages, structure, and example content are already there, with plenty of room to make it your own. It's designed to give your work a home without making your website another full-time job.
Your website will never be finished.
That sounds ominous, but it’s actually a good thing!
Marginalia is designed to grow alongside your writing career. Add, remove, and rearrange things as your needs change.
The included Career Transition Guide shows you what to rethink as you move from querying to publication.
This is just the beginning.
What’s inside
A complete Squarespace 7.1 website template that includes:
Home
About
Books (layouts for individual books + a full backlist)
Blog/Journal
Events
Press Kit
Contact
Plus a Section Library you can swap in and out as your needs change, example copy to help you figure out what to say, and built-in best-practice SEO.
SEO Foundations
Clear heading structure
Editable meta titles & descriptions
Mobile-friendly layout
Fast-loading design
Simple, logical navigation
Six free months to build
Your site is transferred through Front Matter's Squarespace Circle account, which gives you an extended six-month free trial before you need to purchase a Squarespace subscription.
A Note on Design
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A Note on Design 〰️
The design of this template is intentionally neutral, but don’t think of it as boring. Think of it as a canvas with guardrails.
Change the type, colors, photography, and details, and Marginalia can become something entirely different. A romance writer's site shouldn't look like a horror writer's site (unless you want it to 😈).
This is for you if…
you are an unpublished author who knows you probably need a website but you have no idea where to start.
you are a debut author who needs somewhere to send readers (and somewhere for all those very exciting announcements to live!).
you are a published author whose current website has become complicated, outdated, or way too hard to update.
Conversely, this is not for you if
you want flashy or trend-driven design, aggressive sales funnels, or a highly customized, one-off visual concept (for that, let’s chat about custom work).
You did the hardest thing—you wrote a book.
Building your website should be so, so much easier.
The Guides
A comprehensive PDF setup guide, written for beginners
A career transition guide showing how to shift your site as you move from unpublished to published
A self-portrait guide for taking simple, usable author photos yourself
You in?
Here’s what happens next
After purchase, you’ll need to create a (free) Squarespace account to receive the template. You don’t need a paid Squarespace plan until you’re ready to publish your site.
Squarespace templates aren’t downloaded like files, so delivery happens via site transfer:
The template site is duplicated.
Ownership is transferred to you via the email address you used to create your Squarespace account (make sure this is the same email you use to purchase the template).
You receive an email from Squarespace to accept the ownership transfer.
Once accepted, the full template appears in your account and is yours to edit and publish.
You can expect to receive your site transfer within 24 hours of purchase (often sooner). If you purchase during a weekend or holiday, delivery may happen the next business day.
A complete Squarespace website designed specifically for authors, with thoughtful page layouts for your books, your work, and everything around it.
Your template includes
Marginalia Squarespace template
Multiple homepage layouts
Book + series page layouts
Press kit page
Setup guide PDF
Six-month Squarespace trial
Canva press kit template
Self-portrait guide PDF
A few things to know
Built for Squarespace 7.1. A Squarespace subscription is required when you're ready to launch. Basic familiarity with Squarespace is helpful, but the setup guide walks you through getting Marginalia up and running.
Frequently Asked Questions
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ABSOLUTELY. Marginalia was intentionally built to work before you have a book to sell. Start with what you have now (even if it’s just a bio) and add your book pages later. The included career transition guide will walk you through what to add and change as you move toward publication.
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That’s A-okay! This template assumes you’re new to Squarespace.
You won’t have to worry about code, plugins, or third-party tools (unless you want to). The PDF guide I include with purchase will walk you through every little thing.
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No, and it shouldn’t!
Marginalia provides the underlying structure, but it’s easy to make the site yours. You can change colors and fonts, swap or remove sections, and skip any pages you don’t need.
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No. You’re encouraged to delete anything you don’t need.
The template includes what might be useful, and the rest is up to you! The PDF guide will help you decide what to keep based on your career stage and goals.
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Eventually, yes. Marginalia is built for Squarespace 7.1, so you'll need a Squarespace subscription when you're ready to publish. Because your template is transferred to you through Front Matter's Squarespace Circle account, you'll have a six-month free trial to customize your site before choosing a paid plan.
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Most people can customize and launch their site in just a few days, but that’s an average, not the expectation.
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No. This purchase includes a single-site license.
If you’re interested in using the template for multiple sites or client work, please reach out.
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No. Because this is a digital product delivered via site transfer, all sales are final.
If you’re unsure whether this is right for you, I recommend reading through this page and FAQs carefully to make the best decision for your situation.
Who’s behind this, anyway?
Hi, I’m Georgia.
I’m a designer, writer, and all-around creative type who just wants everyone to know that it’s possible to have a beautiful and effective website in The Year of Our Lord 2026.
