We offer branding, web design, and custom development, built specifically for the publishing world. From a debut author's first site to a major publisher's digital presence, we've handled it all.
Your full author website, designed from the ground up to capture your voice, your brand, and the world you’ve built on the page.
This isn’t a template slapped with your cover art. It’s a custom digital home built around your unique position as an author. We handle strategy, design, development, and launch. You focus on your manuscript.
Whether you’re a debut author building your first platform or an established name whose current site no longer does you justice, the process is the same: we get to know you, your books, and your readers, and then build something that earns its keep.
✦ Also works for small businesses. Same process, same standards, same results. If you’re not an author but you like what you see, reach out. We’d love to be wicked for you too.
Publishers have different needs than individual authors, and a generalist agency will feel that gap about five minutes into the first briefing.
We’ve worked with Abrams Books, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Steerforth Press, and others, so we understand how publishing organisations actually work: multiple titles, imprints, series, backlists, seasonal releases, and the need to surface the right book to the right reader without overwhelming them. Most generalist agencies have to learn all of that on your dime. We already know it.
Most publisher engagements involve a full site redesign, including rethinking structure, visual identity, and how titles are surfaced and sold. From there, we handle the ongoing work: new title pages, catalog updates, and the occasional imprint microsite when a new line warrants its own presence.
You’ve got a site, but you cringe a little every time you share your URL. We get it.
Maybe your cover branding evolved. Maybe you moved publishers. Maybe it was fine when it launched, but it has quietly become a bit of an embarrassment over time. A refresh brings your current site up to date with a full visual overhaul, improved structure, and refreshed copy direction, without starting from scratch. Faster, more focused, and often exactly what you need.
This is also the right approach for small businesses whose site was built quickly and has quietly fallen behind. The brand has grown, but the website hasn’t kept up. We see it constantly, and we know exactly how to fix it.
Before a website can work, you need to know what you stand for. A strong brand identity is the foundation everything else is built on.
Most businesses skip brand identity and then wonder why nothing quite meshes together. We design complete brand identities for authors, publishers, and small businesses, including logo systems, colour palettes, type hierarchies, and the guidelines that make sure everything you produce looks like it came from the same place.
For small businesses, this is often the most valuable investment you can make before you touch your website. A business with a coherent brand identity converts better, attracts the right clients, and frankly, looks like it deserves the work it’s asking for.
For authors, your brand identity is what connects your covers, your social presence, your bio, and your website into something readers recognise and trust.
Branding + Website together? That’s our favourite kind of project. One coherent vision, built from the ground up. Ask us about combined project pricing.
You’ve had a website for a while. But is it actually working?
A lot of author sites are quietly full of missed opportunities with unclear navigation, weak calls-to-action, newsletter sign-ups buried where no reader will ever find them, and branding that’s drifted out of step with where you are in your career. You may not see it anymore, because you’re too close to it.
The Being Wicked Site Audit is a deep, professional evaluation through the lens of people who build author sites every day. You’ll walk away with a clear, actionable roadmap. No jargon, no overwhelming tech-speak, just honest insight and practical priorities.
Perfect if you’re not ready for a full redesign, but you know something isn’t working. A smart first step before a full redesign
Audit fee credited toward a full redesign if you choose to proceed.
Launching soon!
Beautiful author websites at a price that makes sense for where you are right now.
Not every author is ready for a fully custom site, and that’s completely fine. Novel Sites is our Squarespace template service built specifically for debut and early-career authors who need a professional online presence without the custom price tag.
Here’s what makes it different from every other template shop: this isn’t a “buy a template and good luck to you” situation. You browse our curated library of author-focused templates, choose your design, share your content and cover art, and we do the rest. We’ll style it to your palette and brand, and hand you the keys ready to go. No code. No confusion. No DIY nightmare and Sunday afternoons crying into your laptop.
✦ Ideal for debut authors, authors between contracts, and anyone building their platform on a budget who still refuses to look like it.
So you’re thinking of working with us (yay!), but you’re not sure what to expect. We know that it can be a little scary to invest in a project when you don’t have any idea of what will happen next. Here’s how a custom website project actually unfolds, step by step, no surprises.
This outlines our custom website process. Our branding workflow is similar. Reach out if you have questions about a specific type of project.
We ask you about your goals, aesthetic preferences, target audience, and future plans. This is our time to get to know you deeply so we can put together a strategy that actually fits where you are and where you’re headed.
Via calls and emails, we put together a clear plan of action and project timeline. Goals, deliverables, and expectations are all set out before any design work begins so everyone knows exactly what we’re building and why.
We present custom design concepts for you to react to, then refine and perfect the direction you love. If your project includes branding, we start there first, then carry it through to the website. This is the really fun part!
We build your site on WordPress (or your preferred CMS), giving you full control over your content after launch. We ensure it adheres to SEO best practices, meets accessibility standards, and is secured against potential threats.
After launch, we walk you through your site so you’re comfortable managing your own content. We’ll also share tips on social media integration and marketing, tailored to what makes the most sense for your audience and your goals.
We set up renewal reminders for your domain and hosting so nothing lapses, and we check in on how the site is performing. We’re always just an email away, and we genuinely mean that. Long-term client relationships are what we’re built on.
We always send a total-cost proposal for every project. You’ll know the exact cost before signing anything, so no hourly rates, no hidden costs, no surprises. We’ve been building websites for decades, so there won’t be any guesswork on our end either.
“Being Wicked has ruined me forever working with any other web designers, ever. They were more literate than most writers I know, more responsive than 911, and more clever than anyone deserves to be. Miraculously, they also fail to overcharge.”
—STEPHEN J. DUBNER, CO-AUTHOR OF FREAKONOMICS
“Being Wicked transformed our website and exceeded our expectations. The design is beautiful and easy to navigate. Working with Lorissa was effortless. I highly recommend Being Wicked!”
—CAROL JOHNSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, FOREWORD RETREATS
“If only everybody I worked with was as easy as Lorissa! She's smart, she listens, she knows what you want, and if you don't know what you want she'll help you figure it out. And whatever it is, she'll get it done on time, on budget, with style. I would recommend her to anybody.”
—LEV GROSSMAN, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Being Wicked did an absolutely fantastic job on my website. They listened to all my ideas, delivered designs and changes in a timely manner, and responded to every question I had. A dream partner!”
—LAILA LALAMI, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR & ESSAYIST
“Being Wicked is one of those hidden design gems that just gets it. If you can imagine it, they can deliver it (and take it to the next level). They’ve raised the bar with our digital (and print for retail) content and have made my team look like super stars. They’re also quick, easy to work with and super responsive. One of the best I've worked with and I would highly recommend them without hesitation.”
—LARA DESIGNOR, DIRECTOR, MEDIA & MARKETING, DE’LONGHI GROUP NORTH AMERICA
“Being Wicked created my website and has managed its evolution for well over a decade. In addition to loving the company’s name, I have found working with Lorissa Shepstone always to be a pleasure. She’s obliging, and prompt, and happily doesn’t hit you with a barrage of obscure techie terms. I’d definitely recommend her to anyone interested in setting up a new site, or in zhuzhing up an old one, or anything in between.”
—ERIK LARSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Spoiler: yes, you do, and it’s more than just a matching color palette. Your author brand is the invisible thread that connects your books, your personality, and your readers’ expectations.
This free guide shows you exactly how to build one that works, even if you’re pre-published.
The Author Branding Starter Guide — delivered to your inbox.