10+ Best WordPress Themes for Writers (Free and Premium)

Having a website is a must in this current digital world if you are a writer. It has lots of benefits, but most importantly, it creates a positive impression.

Now, the question is what type of design or theme would you choose while building your website. And what are the best WordPress themes for writers at present?

Just follow us. All of your answers lie down here.

Because, in this article, we will share with you a hand-picked list of some of the best WordPress themes, exclusively designed for writers, authors, and journalists. Also, let you know what to consider while choosing a theme and show some examples.

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Why Would You Need a Theme Specially Designed for Writers?

Necessity of a Theme Specially Designed for Writers

First of all, let us tell you what is the necessity of using a writer-focused theme.

Every industry has a distinct tone, set of products, and message to provide. And these have to be refelted on their websites as well to give the audience the right feeling. It means you cannot build an NGO website with an eCommerce theme and vice versa.

Therefore, as a writer, you have to choose a theme that is aligned with your industry and style, and has all the features you need – e.g. author bio, book landing page, and selling options.

Yeah, you can build your website using common or general-purpose themes, but they don’t have many of the necessary features which we have mentioned earlier.

Your thoughts will be clear if you check what you should consider while selecting a theme as a writer, which is coming up next.

Things to Consider While Choosing a WordPress Theme as a Writer

Choosing a theme would be easier if it was all about the look and aesthetics. Don’t get us wrong. Appearance is a crucial part, but at the same time, your site’s performance largely depends on the theme you use.

So, the things you should consider while choosing a theme are:

Clean and minimalistic design, but attractive too
Section for author bio or about me
Area to display your books and their landing pages
Easy to navigate, fast page loading, and responsive
Option to sell your books (eCommerce support)
User-friendly and adequate customization options
Regular updates with good customer support

It doesn’t matter whether you use a free or premium theme, you have to make sure of most of these things before installing and building your website. Even, a free theme can cover these areas, except for the support.

Read this article to know more about How to Choose a WordPress Theme.

Best WordPress Themes for Writers, Authors, and Journalists

It is tricky to select the perfect theme. But we have made things easy for you. Our top list contains some of the best and the most perfect WordPress themes for writers, authors, and journalists you can find now.

We have divided our listing into two segments –

One, the best free themes

Two, the best premium or paid themes

So that you can choose the most suitable one based on your need. We have prepared our list based on appearance, features, performance, user ratings, and price.

Let’s check them out.

5+ Best Free WordPress Themes for Writers, Authors, and Journalists

If you don’t want to spend much on a theme and care less about the premium features, then any of the free themes in our listing will be enough for you.

The following are the best free WordPress themes for writers currently available on the WordPress directory:

Katib Writers
Astra
Author Landing Page
Writee
Neve
OceanWP

Note: Since you would download a free theme from WordPress.org, you might not get a proper preview there before installing. But checking the preview is very necessary before using any theme.

So, we would recommend you visit the developer’s site for a preview or demo. We have also shared their links below. Each of them has premium plans. You can migrate to that later on if you like any of them.

1. Katib Writers

This theme is unique. Katib Writers provides some of the key features and the interface for free that a premium theme has. Whether you are a writer, author, journalist, or blogger, this theme will suit you very well.

Key Features:

Unique font and color selection
“About Me” on the homepage
Social media and contact info integration
Blog post, gallery, and review
Area to highlight books or write-ups
Fields for skills, CV, and achievements
WooCommerce compatibility

Active Installations: 100+

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from $39

2. Astra

You might already know that Astra is one of the most installed themes on WordPress. It is so popular because of its versatility. Astra is a multipurpose theme, but it has many pre-built templates to choose from, even for writers, bloggers, and so on.

Key Features:

Powerful design, color, and typography options
Blog with multiple layout options
Fast performance; loads in less than half a second
“About the Author” section
Link to multiple marketplaces or sell directly on your own site
Multiple site layouts, including boxed, full-width, fluid, and others
Page builder friendly

Active Installations: 1+ million

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from $49

3. Author Landing Page

Author Landing Page is one of the few exclusively designed free WordPress themes for writers and authors. You have the option to give special emphasis on your preferred books in this theme. Even, you can sell your book with it.

Key Features:

Clean and sleek interface
“About Author” section
Blog and marketplace support
Direct selling options
Multiple payment method support
Sections for banners, features, testimonials, and reviews
Optimized for fast loading, and SEO-friendly

Active Installations: 1,000+

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from 59

4. Writee

If you are a writer or journalist who likes to publish blogs, then Writee will be the perfect theme for you. It has a minimal design yet looks very elegant and contains most of the necessary features.

Key Features:

Integration of blog posts and books on the homepage
Minimal design with options to highlight books or posts
Plenty of design and customization options
Post slider with many variations
Social media sharing options
WooCommerce compatible
Custom widgets

Active Installations: 9,000+ on WordPress

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on WordPress

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from $39.99

5. Neve

Neve is a popular free WordPress multipurpose theme. It is sleek, fast, and responsive. This theme has multiple templates to choose from, some of which are very suitable for writers, authors, journalists, bloggers, bookshops, and libraries.

Key Features:

Lightweight and reliable
Custom header and footer
Page Builder support
Importable demo sites
One-page layout
WooCommerce integration

Active Installations: 300,000+ on WordPress

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on WordPress

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from $69

6. OceanWP

OceanWP is another free popular WordPress multipurpose theme. It is easy to use and has plenty of customization options. This is a suitable free WordPress theme for writers and journalists who also like blogging.

Key Features:

Many pre-built websites templates with landing pages
Numerous customization options
Attractive design for blog posts
Fast page loading and responsive
eCommerce compatibility
1-click demo importer to launch a site

Active Installations: 700,000+ on WordPress

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars on WordPress

Price: Free | Premium plan starts from $43

Out of the list, Author or Inspiro are the free themes you may try as extra options. They are also popular.

Check out our top chart of premium themes below if none of the free ones match your expectation and taste.

5+ Best Premium WordPress Themes for Writers, Authors, and Journalists

If you want to get the best out of the box and make no compromises in terms of features, then you will be happy to use any of the premium themes from our list.

The best premium WordPress themes for writers you can buy right now are:

Bridge
Odrin
Auteur
Novela
Ultra
Leona
Cognio
Legend

Each of the themes here has a distinct design language and tone. You might find others somewhat similar to our listed ones. But we have hand-picked the best ones out of the bunch.

1. Bridge

Bridge, from Qode, is a unique piece of creation in the theme industry. Whether you are a writer, author, blogger, journalist, or something else, Bridge has a nice and suitable theme for you. All of its writer-focused templates have all the features you need.

Key Features:

610+ pre-built templates
Clean and appealing design
Fast loading time and responsive
Area to highlight your bio and work
eCommerce integration
Numerous customization options
Custom plugin support

Number of Sales: 183,600+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 4.78 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $59

Check out Bridge from here

2. Odrin

If you want to add a different vibe to your website, then Odrin from Subsolar is the theme for you. Its distinctive font and design language will attract visitors easily. Besides, it has all the necessary features that a writer’s site should have.

Key Features:

Elegant and unique design
Powerful customization, color, and typography options
Book review, blog, and events support
Fast loading time and responsive
Several pre-made demos to choose
Support for book preview
WooCommerce integration

Number of Sales: 1,500+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 4.74 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $64

Check out Odrin from here

3. Auteur

Not only writers; Auteur supports almost all kinds of websites in the publishing industry – from bookselling to author profiles. Its developers, G5Theme, managed to integrate numerous features while keeping the interface subtle.

Key Features:

Clean and simple design
Built-in mega menu, including blog, shop, event
Plenty of customization options
Multiple demos, and many page layouts to choose
Responsive and fast page loading time
eCommerce compatibility
One-click-install option

Number of Sales: 1,400+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 4.27 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $60

Check out Auteur from here

4. Novela

Novela, another product from Subsolar, is a beautiful theme specially designed for authors and writers. It is most suitable for the landing page of your book. It has all the features an author’s website should have, and everything is organized nicely.

Key Features:

Attractive and clean design
Book description with the preview option
Book character highlights
Fast and responsive
Specific area for author bio
Journal and blog support
eCommerce support to sell directly

Number of Sales: 800+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 4.73 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $59

Check out Novela from here

5. Ultra

It is one of the most popular WordPress themes for writers, authors, or any kind of professional. The interface of Ultra – designed by Themify – is simple, clean, and professional-looking. It is very customizable and has plenty of pre-built templates.

Key Features:

Simple and professional-looking design
Many pre-made demos and templates
Fast page loading, and responsive
Book review and eBook support
Area for “About the Author”
WooCommerce support
Bonus builder add-ons

Number of Sales: N/A

Rating: N/A

Price: Starts from $59

Check out Ultra from here

6. Leona

You will just fall in love with the design of this theme. Isn’t it cute? Leona, another creation of Subsolar, is a unique WordPress theme for the writers. Apart from the design, this theme is feature-packed, responsive, and customizable.

Key Features:

Cute and attractive design
Plenty of built-in menus
Area to highlight books
Section for best-sellers and featured books
Fast and responsive
Sell directly from the website with WooCommerce
Blog, author bio, and events support

Number of Sales: 200+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 5 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $64

Check out Leona from here

7. Cognio

Cognio is a simple and beautiful theme designed for authors and writers, particularly who prioritize eBooks. It has several pre-built pages and menus. The theme, designed by WPRollers, contains all the necessary features but costs less than the rest of the competition.

Key Features:

Simple and nice design
Many functionalities for eBooks
Book preview and presentation support
Sections for testimonials and blogs
Separate areas for “About me” and “About book”
eCommerce support

Number of Sales: 100+ on ThemeForest

Rating: 5 out of 5 on ThemeForest

Price: Starts from $49

Check out Cognio from here

8. Legend

If you want to highlight your portfolio the most on a simple and clean design, then this will be the perfect theme for you. Legend, from Zemez, has the simplest design but its distinct presentation will give you a different taste.

Key Features:

Cleanest and simplest design
Extra emphasis on portfolio
Area to highlight books
Responsive and fast loading
Sections for testimonials and timeline
Blog support

Number of Sales: 300+ on Template Monster

Rating: 5 out of 5 on Template Monster

Price: Starts from $59

Check out Legend from here

Examples of the Best Website for Writers, Authors, and Journalists

You have learned what you should consider while choosing a theme as a writer, and come to know about the best free and premium themes at present so far.

Now, it’s time to show you some examples so that you can understand how do the websites of popular writers actually look like. It will help you relate your learnings.

Leigh Bardugo

Just look at the website of Leigh Bardugo! From its logo to the images, everything is well-designed and organized. And the site is very fast. Leigh is a noted Israeli-American fantasy author, best known for her young adult novel series called Grishaverse.

Malcolm Gladwell

Simplicity is beauty. British-Canadian journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell’s website has proved it again. Despite being so simple, this website contains almost all the design elements and features you need to have.

Lois Lowry

The website of eminent American writer Lois Lowry, the creator of The Giver and The Willoughbys, is crafted very nicely and organized. Even its texts are also interesting to read. These characteristics make it a good example to follow.

Sarah J. Maas

The website of young American author Sarah J. Maas, best known for her Throne of Glass series, is unique. It has rich design elements yet is very fast and responsive. Besides, this site’s navigation system is excellent.

Also Read: 10 Best WordPress Themes for Selling eBooks in 2024

Choose the Perfect Theme and Design Your Website Now

You wanted to know what are the best WordPress themes for writers, authors, and journalists. We have shown you a selective list of some exclusive items from both free and premium categories. Even we covered all the additional topics.

Now, it’s your turn to choose the perfect theme for you and start building your website right away to stand out from the crowd.

If you already have a website built using a theme outside our list and want to change it, then you should read this article before getting started: How to Change WordPress Themes Without Losing Content- Step by Step Guide.

We hope our efforts will help you a lot. Please feel free to let us know in the comment section if you have any queries or suggestions.

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