What is a writing portfolio?

A writing portfolio is a single place that holds a writer's published and selected work, with enough context around each piece to show what it was for and who it was written for. It replaces a folder of PDFs and a list of links, most of which stop working within a couple of years.

What does a writing portfolio look like?

Most working writers run a short index page: name, one line on what they write, then a list of pieces with the title, the outlet and the date. Some open on a single featured piece instead. The design stays quiet because the reader is there to read, and the whole thing usually fits in one or two scrolls.

How many writing samples should a writing portfolio show?

The portfolios that read well tend to show between six and twelve pieces. Below six the range is hard to judge, and above twelve an editor stops reading and starts skimming. Writers with a long back catalogue usually keep a short front page and put the full archive one click behind it.

Do writers need a portfolio website, or is a PDF enough?

A PDF works for a single application. It does not work as a permanent address, it cannot be updated after it is sent, and it does not appear when somebody searches a writer's name. A portfolio website does all three, which is why most writers keep the PDF for submissions and the site for everything else.

How do I get inspiration for my writing portfolio?

Look at writers working in the same field rather than at design galleries. A copywriter's portfolio and a novelist's portfolio solve different problems, and the useful details are things like how the index is ordered and where the contact link sits. The examples on this page can each be previewed in full.

7 Writing Portfolio Examples from Real Writers

Templates

Examples

Pricing

Writing portfolio ideas worth stealing

Seven principles that hold across every site the strongest writers run.

Show fewer pieces than you want to

Every extra sample lowers the average, and the reader judges you on the weakest one they open.

Lead with one strong thing, not a menu

A visitor who lands on a list of options has to make a decision before they see any work.

Put contact one click from everywhere

The moment someone decides to get in touch is not the moment to make them hunt for a form.

Own the domain

A name you control keeps working when a platform changes its URL structure or a publication takes its archive offline.

Let the writing lead

A plain index of titles and outlets reads faster than a designed menu, and it puts the by-line in front of the reader before the design gets a say.

Lead with the by-line that carries the most weight

Chronology is a filing system, not an argument for hiring you.

Long-form is fine here

Writers get judged on whether the page is readable, so set a comfortable measure, generous line height, and let a piece run.

Portfolio examples that sell, deliver and book

Sell your own work, at zero commission

The store is built in and Pixpa takes no commission on anything sold through it. Physical products and digital downloads run through the same checkout, with Stripe and PayPal connected straight to your own account.

Everything on one page

Some of the sites here run as a single scrolling page with anchor navigation. It loads once, it reads in one pass, and nothing sits behind a menu.

A blog on the same site

The blog runs on the same domain as the portfolio, so posts build the same address rather than a second one. Available from the Creator plan up.

Writing portfolio examples

Browse writing portfolio examples

Writing portfolio ideas worth stealing

Portfolio examples that sell, deliver and book

More art portfolio examples

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Questions about writing portfolios

What is a writing portfolio?

What does a writing portfolio look like?

How many writing samples should a writing portfolio show?

Do writers need a portfolio website, or is a PDF enough?

How do I get inspiration for my writing portfolio?

Start your writing portfolio today