A creative writer portfolio (or author website) is one of the most essential tools for a creative writer. It’s where you showcase your skills, attract new audiences, and build communities. Whether you’re trying to land agents, publishers, freelance work, or book sales, creating a portfolio is beneficial. However, many writers can get so stressed out trying to learn what even to put on their portfolio that they put it off completely. Don’t worry! I’m here to guide you through the essential elements of an author website. Once you understand the essentials, you can tailor it to fit your style. I will include some examples below as well as some tools and resources to create your portfolio.

How To Create a Creative Writer Portfolio: Essential Elements pinterest graphic

Creative Writer Portfolio Essentials

Introduce Yourself

The first thing people should understand when they view your portfolio is who you are and what you do. You want to introduce viewers to your work and a little about you as a person. A good introduction is short, personalized, and to the point.

When people read your introduction they should know who you are (i.e. your name, your services, what makes you unique). Introductions should be short—just a few sentences. This is your chance to market yourself as an author/writer and to impress.

Include Your Specialties

What niches/genres do you specialize in? Do you prefer certain styles, genres, or mediums? Do you write a bit of everything? These are all questions that should be obvious to viewers. People may or may not care if you specialize in certain areas, but this should be made clear on your website. This information could be added to your introduction (ex. I’m Ashley, a fantasy writer who takes magic to the next level.), or it could be a separate section.

Writing Samples

Your portfolio is your place to showcase your best work, so make it count! Choose a few of your best stories and include them in your portfolio. You can include samples, and you can include a call-to-action directing viewers to where they can read the full story.

To bring your portfolio to the next level, include a little information about each sample such as word count, genre, what inspired you to write it, etc.

If you specialize in a particular genre be sure to include work from that genre. If you write a little of everything, your portfolio should include writing in a variety of genres.

Publications and Awards

Showcase your talent by sharing any publications and awards you have received. If you are just starting out, and don’t have any published writing or awards you’ve won, don’t worry about this section. However, getting some of your work published is a great way to raise credibility, so I recommend submitting some stories to places like online magazines. Here are some resources to use:

Testimonials and Reviews

Getting testimonials and reviews can be challenging, but I promise it is well worth the effort. Just think about it: when you go to buy something online, what do you do before buying? Look at the reviews! Reviews and testimonials are to verify to potential clients, viewers, or agents that your work is legit. I know it can be challenging to get them, but don’t worry. They will come with time, and as more people read your work, you’ll collect more reviews to add to your portfolio. Just remember: always ask for permission before using feedback as a testimonial. Ask readers to leave reviews and ask if you can use them as testimonials. Ask previous clients if they could write a testimonial for you to use.

Contact

Potentially the most crucial element of any portfolio or author website is the contact section. This is like a call to action for viewers to engage with you further. Depending on your goals for your portfolio, you may change the contact section. You may have a newsletter to keep your audience informed on future story releases. You may have a contact section for potential clients to get in touch with you. Or, you may include a way for agents to contact you. Whatever your goal, you should include a contact section with at least two ways of getting in touch with you.

Including an email address, PO Box, or phone number will allow those interested to get in touch with you on a one-on-one level.

Ideas

Here are some creative writer portfolios for ideas and inspiration:

Resources and Tools for a Creative Writer Portfolio

Creating your own portfolio or author website doesn’t have to be super expensive or complicated. Here are some of my favorite tools I used to create my website as well as some free options you can use.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase using them. This is at no extra cost to you and it helps me keep this blog up and running!