People go to social media for lots of thing. They go to your website for you.

While you have to meet your readers where they are, you have no control over how your account looks or who sees that account and/or content. And if the powers that be change something for their benefit and not yours, you’re out of luck.

a phone with social media apps: facebook, messenger, instagram, Whatsapp, and X

Stand Out From the Crowd With a Custom Design

Using a free design, an existing theme, or somebody else’s template will let you look exactly like everyone else. We provide custom designs that are unique to you, your preferences, and your readers’s needs.

mockup of a design for a book

Meet Your Readers’ Needs With a Custom Built Site

Want a blog? Don’t want a blog? Want a single page for just one book? Or a multi-page extravaganza? Want forms? Want your site to look great on any device? Get what works best for you.

web development code

You’re in Good Hands

Our designer and developer, John Rhea, has been designing and building websites for more than fifteen years. Take a look at his portfolio to see how he’s helped other clients in the past. (And check out some testimonials below ↓)

John's portfolio

Plus: Sell Your Own Digital Books Without Amazon Taking a Cut

Add an ebook store where readers can get your books and you get the maximum possible royalty. We help you set up your very own ebook shop (novel package and above).

mockup of a book available for sale

Testimonials

My work with John to create a new website can best be summed up by the way he signs every email: ‘At Your Service.’ He truly is committed to giving his clients what they want, rather quickly, and is also open and pliable about any changes or new developments that arise in the process. John is very knowledgeable and has the skills to deal with all aspects that go into creating a new website.

Eliezer Sobel

John is not only knowledgeable in his area but also a problem solver who thinks outside the box. He creates a relaxed environment with clients that, to the novice, can otherwise be really stressful. I recommend John without hesitation!

Leslie Boren

John is an exceptional web programmer. I am always impressed with his intelligence, creativity, sense of humor, and attention to detail. I appreciate his collaborative approach to projects and his ability to deliver excellent results. John is a joy to work with.

Peter Hedlund

John redesigned the website for our interactive academic journal, and we’ve heard nothing but praise for the new look from our readers. We especially love the responsive design and well-planned, easy-to-navigate architecture!

Lynn Bell Pechuekonis

Why You Shouldn’t Hire Us

We’re not for everyone. Our humor has been called “an acquired taste” and “malodorously cheesy”1 after all. Here’s a few reasons you shouldn’t work with us:

You don’t need a website

If no website or a free/cheap website is working for you, then you shouldn’t hire us. You’ve got it covered. You don’t need to stand out from the crowd or have a unique spot to engage with your readers on the web and so we can’t help you. If your current solution ever stops meeting your needs, though, you know where to find us.

You thrive on meanness

If your book or resulting website will disparage people, exploit people, or otherwise hurt someone, that’s not our jam and we’re not interested in working with you. We do make a very small exception when it comes to zombies, though.

You want AI to build your site

AI is great for giving non-programmers programming abilities and if it has built you a website that meets your needs, don’t hire us. However, we’ve all had responses from AI that were less than ideal or heard news stories of people trusting AI and having it backfire. If AI backfires on you, though, we’ll put that fire out, you know… the one on your back…

You already have a trusted web professional

If that’s true, why are you here? Go hire them to build your site. If it isn’t true, we have someone to suggest… *hint* *hint* who has two thumbs and built this site? …sorry, I should have been clearer. It’s John, okay, we would recommend John. (and yes, “we” are using the royal “we”)

You want the cheapest option

We’re not interested in a race to the bottom. We base our pricing on talent, expertise, and the value we provide to authors. If you want someone to spit out a site for fives of dollars, please hire someone else. But if you want a partner to customize design and code to your needs at reasonable rates, that’s what we do.

You hate fun

We know these people exist and have no desire to ever work with them. If you’re hard to work with, embody the phrase “buzz kill” or are concerned about the ROI of making the reader smile, then move along there’s nothing to see here. Also find some professional help, that sounds like an awful way to live.

How the Process Works

(Note: the timeline does not apply to our website audits. These typically happen within a week of ordering)

  • As John is in demand and (annoyingly) needs both sleep and bathroom breaks, he can’t immediately take on every project.
  • Thus, reserve your spot with a 10% deposit (fully refundable until we sign a contract).
  • You’ll then receive a questionnaire to help John create an awesome site for you. The sooner you get to answerin’, the sooner John can get to designin’.
  • When your number comes up in the queue, John’ll send over a contract.
  • Once John gets your John Hancock on that contract (and he has the answers to your questionnaire), John’ll start up the hamster wheel in his head and design your site.
  • John’ll pump out two to three versions of a page and slide it over to you for feedback.
  • Typically, after two-three rounds of feedback, we’ll have settled on a design for that page, and John’ll finish up the other designs (sub-pages etc).
  • Once you thumbs up the design, about half of John’s work will be done-zo and a 40% payment will be due-zo (okay, that was funnier in John’s head).
  • Upon payment, John will switch on the cyborg side of his brain and start programming your site.
  • After John builds a site of beauty and wonder that will bring grown men to tears (but not John, he never, ever cries… ever), he’ll run it through a battery of tests to ensure everything is shipshape.
  • If you’re hosting with us, we’ll set it up for you to try it out and so you can add content at your leisure; if not, we’ll hand over a WordPress theme and you can take it wherever your little heart desires.
  • With all work checked off the list, the remaining 50% payment will be due.
  • Then it’s time to party like it’s your birthday… errr… your website’s birthday.
  • How long this process takes depends on many things including how often John’s allowed bathroom breaks and how quickly you respond/provide feedback on designs etc.
  • A typical timeframe will be 4-6 weeks from when John begins on your project.

  • Have questions that aren’t answered here like “why is John so handsome?2” Contact John

Bring all your fans together in one awesome place: Your very own Website

Story Package

Includes:

  • Custom design3
  • Custom website build4
  • Host with us or take it elsewhere
  • 2 months free hosting5
  • Bring your own domain or use yourname.authorwebsolutions.com5

$1999

Reserve your spot with a 10% deposit

(Deposit is fully refundable until work begins on your site)

Novel Package

Great Value!

Includes:

  • Everything in the Short Story Package
  • Additional design template for book sales
  • e-commerce setup, template and build out
  • An additional free month of hosting (3 total)3

$2999

Reserve your spot with a 10% deposit.

(Deposit is fully refundable until work begins on your site)

Trilogy Package

Includes:

  • Everything in the Novel Package
  • 2 additional custom layouts
  • builds of both additional layouts
  • An additional free month of hosting (4 total)5

$4999

Reserve your spot with a 10% deposit

(Deposit is fully refundable until work begins on your site)

Add ons and Custom Packages

Blog Add on

Need an author blog or a place to regularly update your fans? Add it on to any package.

Includes:

  • Additional design for blog and blog pages
  • Build out of blog

$499 add on

(10% Deposit is fully refundable until work begins on your site)

Training Add on

Need some training to understand how your site works? Add it on to any package.

Includes:

  • An hour of live training on your site
  • A manual on your site for reference

$499 add on

(10% Deposit is fully refundable until work begins on your site)

Custom Package

Need more flexibility? More interaction? Integration with other services? Web application? Something else?

Reach out to John to discuss your needs and he’ll put together a proposal.

Custom package pricing starts at $3999.

Request Proposal

Website Audits

Not ready for a full site overhaul, but want to improve what you’ve got? Our audits take a thorough look at your website and diagnose any issues, suggest ways to improvement them and pat you on the back for all the things you’re already doing right. Let us help you put your best web foot forward:

Website Audit – Email Report

Includes evaluation of your site’s:

  • Design
  • Coding
  • Accessibility
  • User Experience
  • and more

Our advice is never, “burn it all down,” (even if we think you should). We provide clear, actionable steps on how to improve your site and make it better serve your needs.

$199

Website Audit – Video Call

The same email report plus we go over it with you in a one hour video call. Get answers to questions like: “Why should I remove this completely unrelated picture of my Aunt Bertha?” or “Readers cannot buy my book. Is that bad?” plus any other questions you (actually) have about implementing any of the audit’s recommendations.

Forget to ask something on the call or have more questions come up? Ask us by email.

$399

Hosting

Managed WordPress Hosting Basic

We provide hosting to take your mind off the technical stuff and let you get back to writing.

Includes:

  • WordPress site hosting (other hosting types not supported)
  • Bring your own domain
  • All security and plugin updates
  • All server and other maintenance
  • Friendly email support (by John himself) for any issues
  • Exclusively available to Author Web Solution customers

$20/month

$200/year

Managed WordPress Hosting Plus

There’s more to running a website than technical support

Includes:

  • Everything in the basic hosting plan
  • Priority technical support
  • Website strategy support. Beyond technical support this lets you ask questions about the running of your website: Will repeating the same content hurt SEO? (it will) Is it a good idea to have every link open in a new tab? (it’s not) All those “it depends” questions that come along when you’re working on a website.

$50/month

$500/year

Notes

1 If we knew what “malodorous” meant we might be offended. But cheese is awesome so we’ll assume it’s a compliment. Nothing bad ever happens when you assume, right? (back)

2 Okay… we admit, no one (other than John’s Mom) has asked that question (not even his wife), but John still (desperately) hopes one day they will… Also… it’s the “royal we” John’s the only one here… anyway… Here’s the contact form for those non-handsome questions. (back)

3 Custom designs include: (back)

  • a home page template
  • a subpage template
  • desktop and mobile versions of each template
  • WordPress default block designs (allows you to mix and match content types) 

4 All custom builds are built for WordPress and include: (back)

  • Responsive design i.e. Optimization for all devices (mobile and desktop)
  • Accessibility compatible code (WCAG 2.2 AA Compliant)
  • Search Engine Optimization ready
  • Consistent look and feel across all major browsers

5 Free months of hosting, helping you set up your own domain name, and an authorwebsolutions.com address are only valid when hosting with us. (back)