beingwicked.com

What It Is

Being Wicked is a boutique design studio for authors, publishers, and small businesses. Its core positioning is not general-purpose website building, but digital presentation for “author career platforms” and publishing brands. According to the site, its services cover custom author websites, publisher websites, brand identity, website refreshes, author site audits, and the upcoming Squarespace template service Novel Sites.

Core Capabilities

Its strength lies in understanding the information architecture of the publishing industry: author websites may include book and series pages, retailer links, media kit pages, and Newsletter integrations; publisher projects emphasize catalog pages, title templates, series and backlist organization, imprint pages, and event microsites. Technically, it can develop on WordPress or a client’s preferred CMS, with an emphasis on mobile-first design, fast loading, accessibility, SEO, security, and launch training. Its branding services are also fairly comprehensive, including logo systems, colors, typography hierarchy, brand guidelines, application examples, and multi-format file packages.

Pricing and Collaboration

The official website clearly uses a fixed-fee project model: a total-cost proposal is provided before each project is signed, with no hourly billing and no hidden fees. However, specific prices, payment methods, and timelines are not disclosed. The collaboration process is clear, covering research and discovery, strategy planning, design iteration, development, launch training, and ongoing support. The small team, Gordon and Lorissa, are directly involved, emphasizing that work is not outsourced and not relayed through account managers.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are strong vertical expertise, a portfolio that includes well-known authors and publishers, and a relatively complete service chain from branding to websites, audits, and maintenance. Fixed pricing also helps with budget control. The drawbacks are limited pricing transparency, and key commercial terms such as copyright ownership, font/asset licensing, and payment methods are not explained in the site copy. Its small-team model may also be unsuitable for very large-scale projects or projects requiring heavy time-zone coordination. The Novel Sites template service is still in waitlist status.

Best Fit and Access from China

Being Wicked is better suited to authors, literary organizations, independent publishers, and clients who need websites and branding grounded in an English-language publishing context. For Chinese users targeting overseas readers and using tools such as WordPress/Squarespace and Mailchimp, it can be considered a high-end custom option. However, access stability, cross-border payments, and Chinese-language content adaptation are not disclosed, so these should be confirmed before working together. Domestic alternatives may include local brand design studios, website teams familiar with publishing marketing, or tools such as 凡科, 上线了, Wix, Webflow, and Squarespace.