Project Spotlight: betholearyauthor.com
I’m excited today to be able to share my latest project - a brand new website for Sunday Times bestselling author Beth O’Leary. Beth and I share a publisher - the wonderful Quercus - and so it was extra lovely to be able to work with one of my stablemates! Beth had previously set up her own website on Wordpress but wanted something more professional that focused on her as a writer, rather than just her debut novel, The Flatshare.
Find out more about the project…
The Brief
Beth had set up her own simple website on Wordpress after she first got her book deal, but she hadn’t updated it for a while and wasn’t happy with how basic it looked.
She wanted a site that looked more professional, was less focused on The Flatshare and focused on her career as an author, rather than just her books. She also wanted something that would be easy to update herself.
She’s a great fan of Instagram - follow her here! - so she didn’t feel the need to start a blog as she uses Insta to keep in touch with readers. But she still wanted somewhere online that was truly ‘hers’ where she could direct readers to check out her backlist and upcoming events and make it easy for them to buy her books.
Style-wise she wanted the site to mirror the vibe she has on Instagram - warm, upbeat, positive and inclusive. She was also keen for the website to have a sleek and professional feel, with nothing too complicated or fussy.
The Details
Web design package: The Midlister
Template: Foster, Squarespace 7.0
Fonts used: Cabin, Arno Pro
View the site here: betholearyauthor.com
Beth’s Verdict
“I love my new site! It’s slick and professional but still feels like me. I was nervous about whether it would be worth the money but it was totally worth it - Charlotte made it all so easy and I know I’ve saved myself so much time in the long run by working with her. I feel so much more on top of my website and I’m now proud to show it to people!”
The Post-launch Q&A
Before working with Charlotte Duckworth Studio, when it came to my website I felt … Totally overwhelmed! I'd built a website myself (very badly) but I knew it needed work and I couldn't face tackling it when I had so much else on.
What fears or hesitations did you have before deciding to work with Charlotte Duckworth Studio? I guess I was nervous about whether it would be worth the money, and whether it would still be a lot of work for me.
How do you expect your new site to change things for you? I feel so much more on top of my website and how it all works, and I'm now proud to show it to people!
For someone on the fence about working with Charlotte Duckworth Studio, what would you say to them? It was totally worth it - Charlotte made it all so easy and I know I've saved myself so much time in the long run by working with her.
How do you feel about your completed website? I love it! It's slick and professional but still feels like me.
Is there anything you were really hoping would be included in your website design package? Not really. I like that Charlotte is now offering maintenance packages too, that's a great add-on.
Is there anything you feel could have been done to improve your experience? The forms I filled in at the start felt quite extensive, especially on style etc as those weren't things I was hugely fussed about. But to be honest it probably made me more invested and it meant I had to look around at the competition which ended up being useful.
Would you recommend Charlotte Duckworth Studio to a friend who also needed to build a site for their creative business? Absolutely!
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