Fonts included, nothing external
Inter for headings and interface and Newsreader for reading text are bundled with the theme, so there is no request to a font service and nothing extra to cover in your privacy policy.
Author & essayist theme
Blyton
A refined Ghost theme for authors, essayists and nonfiction writers — a calm long-form reading page, a featured book at the centre of your homepage, and a clear path from first-time visitor to subscriber and supporter.
US$149Single site · One-time · Tax may apply
Need more than one site? Choose the five-site agency licence — US$349. Or get Ghost All Access — every Ghost theme, now and in the future, for US$549.
14-day money-back guaranteeLifetime product updatesSupport from the builder
Version 1.0.0 · released 9 October 2026 · see the changelog
Needs a Ghost plan that allows custom themes — Ghost(Pro) Starter does not. Publisher or self-hosted is the right fit. More on plans · Compare all eleven themes
The theme, in full
An author's website, set for every screen.
Every screen below is the real rendered theme on the live demo — no mockups. The author, the essays and the book are fictional and illustrative. Select any one to view it full size.
The demo runs in light mode with a gold accent. Your brand colour comes from Ghost's own Accent colour setting, and one theme setting switches the whole site to Dark, System or a visitor toggle.
Ghost 6Current major version
GScan verifiedChecked before release
No frameworksNo jQuery or runtime libraries
Fonts includedNo third-party font requests
Plain, fast and private
Light on the page, kind to your readers.
Blyton is plain Handlebars, one hand-written stylesheet and a small deferred script. There is no build step and no framework between your writing and the person reading it on a phone.
Works without JavaScript
JavaScript only enhances the mobile menu, reading progress, the contents list and copy-link. The core site stays navigable and readable without it.
Ghost-native features
Memberships, newsletter signup, search, comments and recommendations work through Ghost itself rather than plugin layers. Signup forms hide on their own when signups are off or the reader is already a member.
Built for the writing life
Everything an author's site is asked to do, in one theme.
Blyton is designed around what your readers actually do: find the best of your work, read it comfortably, meet your book and decide to follow you.
A homepage built around you
Choose a Book First, Author Portrait or Newsletter First hero, with your own headline and button label. If you have not set a book, Blyton falls back to the portrait hero, so there is never a placeholder.
Your book, properly shown
Add a title, subtitle and cover and the homepage gains a full-width book showcase with a button to a retailer, your shop or any link. Create Book pages and a Books page lists them all.
Start here, Now and Archive
A Start here page is a numbered reading path for new readers, a Now page shows what you are focused on with an automatic last-updated date, and an Archive page lists up to 100 posts chronologically.
Essays that read well
A generous long-form layout with a slim reading progress bar, a contents list built from your headings, share buttons, related posts, comments and, on desktop, select-to-share quotes.
Essential essays and topics
Feature up to four posts and they become the homepage's Essential essays. Your most-used tags become a topic directory, and each tag page is a topic hub with a description and post count.
Three feed layouts
Show the latest writing as an Essay List, an Editorial Grid or a Magazine layout with a lead story. Pagination, empty states and dark mode are handled for every layout.
Reader-supported publishing
Native Ghost signup forms, a themed paywall for members-only and paid posts, and a Support the work section built from your public paid tiers, with monthly and yearly prices and each tier's benefits.
Light, dark or both
Light, Dark, System or a visitor toggle in the header. The choice is applied before first paint, so there is no flash of the wrong colours, and a reader's own choice is remembered on their device.
Your look, your language
Your brand colour comes from Ghost's Accent colour, and Blyton adjusts text colours on top of it so contrast holds even for light accents. Pick Literary Serif, Modern Editorial or Clean Sans, and translate every string from one locale file.
Fit check
Is Blyton right for you?
- Authors with a book, a forthcoming book or a back catalogue
- Essayists, columnists and independent thinkers publishing long-form
- Nonfiction experts, consultants and coaches who write to build trust
- Writers growing a free newsletter or a paid, reader-supported membership
Not the right fit: Ghost(Pro) Starter sites; multi-author magazines and newsrooms, where Society, Manifesto, Broadsheet or Columnist fit better; or publishers who need advertising slots, podcast pages or a section builder.
Technical details
| Ghost | Designed for Ghost 6.x |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Ghost(Pro) Publisher or higher, or self-hosted Ghost |
| Licence | Single site: one live Ghost site (US$149). Agency: up to five live sites using this theme (US$349). Staging and local copies included for each licensed site. |
| Updates | Included for the lifetime of the product |
| Support | Email support from the builder; target response within two business days |
| Dependencies | No jQuery, page builder or frontend framework |
| Fonts | Inter and Newsreader bundled; no third-party font requests |
| Languages | Every string is translatable from a single locale file |
| JavaScript | Pages and navigation work without it; the mobile menu, reading progress, contents list, copy-link and Portal need it |
Ghost(Pro) Starter does not support custom themes. Read the compatibility FAQ.
Explore the working demo
Walk through it yourself.
These links open the real Ghost demo, populated for a fictional author: essays, a featured book, a reading path and topics.
What you receive
A theme licence, not a mystery ZIP.
- Production-ready Blyton theme download
- Perpetual usage licence for one or five live sites, according to the option purchased
- A README, changelog and setup guide, plus a public settings guide
- Page templates for Archive, Books, Book, Start here and Now
- All future Blyton compatibility updates
After purchase
Gumroad sends the theme straight away.
After checkout, Gumroad emails your download link. You receive the production theme ZIP, setup documentation, lifetime product updates and support from the person who built it. If Blyton is not a fit, the 14-day refund policy applies.
Buyer questions
A few things worth knowing before you choose Blyton.
Quick answers to the questions that usually decide whether a Ghost theme is the right fit.
Will Blyton work on my Ghost plan?
Blyton is designed for Ghost 6.x and requires a Ghost plan that supports custom themes. Ghost(Pro) Starter does not support custom themes; Ghost(Pro) Publisher or a self-hosted Ghost install is the right fit.
Can I set it up without coding?
Yes. Twenty documented theme settings cover typography, the colour scheme, the homepage hero, your featured book, newsletter wording and placement, membership tiers, reading tools and the feed layout, as set out in the settings guide. Books, Start here, Now and Archive are ordinary Ghost pages with a template chosen in the editor.
Do I have to write a book to use Blyton?
No. The book showcase and the Book First hero appear only when you set a Featured Book Title. Leave it empty and Blyton falls back to the Author Portrait hero, so an unconfigured site never shows a placeholder book.
Does it support paid memberships?
Yes, through Ghost's own memberships. Signup forms, a themed paywall for members-only and paid posts, and a Support the work section built from your public paid tiers all work natively. The tiers section needs Stripe connected and signup open, and can be turned off.
Is Blyton right for a magazine or a group blog?
Blyton is designed around one author or a small byline. For magazines and newsrooms, Society, Manifesto, Broadsheet or Columnist fit better.
What support do I get, and what if it is not right?
You get email support from the person who built the theme for installation, documented settings and confirmed defects, with a target response within two business days. Your purchase is covered by the 14-day refund policy.
Blyton · US$149
Give your writing a home as considered as the writing.
One-time purchase, lifetime product updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Free Ghost launch checklist
Still planning your Ghost site?
Work through the free Ghost Publication Launch Checklist before you publish. You can also get three short emails about choosing a theme and launching your site, followed by occasional theme news.