Author Website Design for Highland Poet Sam Steele

Designing a clean, editorial web platform and audio-integrated online store for Highland poet and children’s author Sam Steele.

Executing an effective author website design requires balancing distinct literary audiences without creating cluttered navigation. Sam Steele writes reflective poetry for adults alongside rhyming children’s stories. Most author platforms fail here, collapsing into crowded menus or outdated store pages that confuse visitors. Sam needed a digital home quiet and spacious enough for his poetry, warm enough for parents buying children’s books, and built to handle direct sales with embedded audio previews.

Designing a platform for a writer with two different genres requires clear visual hierarchy. We avoided pushing visitors straight into an aggressive sales pitch. Instead, the homepage opens with generous breathing room, allowing Sarah-Leigh Wills’ vibrant illustrations and Sam’s landscape photography to guide the visual tone.

The architecture separates adult poetry collections from children’s picture books while maintaining a single, unified brand style. This approach keeps navigation simple, allowing different reader groups to find relevant titles without friction.

Because poetry and spoken word rely heavily on cadence, static text on a screen only tells half the story. To solve this, I integrated custom, native audio players directly onto individual book pages so visitors can listen to Sam perform excerpts of his work before making a purchase.

Rather than relying on heavy third-party media plugins that slow down mobile performance, the audio player uses lightweight code to ensure fast loading times and smooth playback across all devices.

Relying entirely on third-party marketplaces limits an author’s connection with their readership and cuts into profit margins. The bookstore layout gives every title its own dedicated showcase with audio samples, reader reviews, and a clear checkout process.

By opting for a bespoke author website design built with custom WordPress fields, the platform avoids plugin bloat. The result is a fast, responsive site that keeps inventory control, reader engagement, and digital publishing under the author’s direct ownership.

Author websites do not need to be noisy. Combining clean typography, spacious layout, and integrated audio creates a calm space where the work takes centre stage.

You can view the live site and explore Sam’s world at samsteelepoet.co.uk.