Best Ghost Themes for Writers & Authors

For writers on Ghost, Luno is our pick: careful typography, a table of contents on the posts you tag for it, an optional reading progress ring and six post templates, so long essays read comfortably. Shiro is the quieter alternative, with nine post layouts and color schemes that stay out of the way of the text.

A theme for writing should be hard to notice. The type has to be comfortable at length, the page has to stay clear of clutter, and the reader should always know where they are in a long piece. A theme can undo good writing by getting those wrong, which is why the ones here are chosen for their post pages first.

How the picks differ: Luno lets you choose how each post opens, from centered to inline image. Shiro lets a single essay carry its own color scheme through a tag. Senna is the most paper-like, with serif headings, warm tones and, on posts you tag for it, a table of contents that travels with the reader. Reru suits writers whose pieces lead with images. The rest of the list below covers the basics; these four are where we would start.

Personal essays, reporting, criticism or serialized fiction all fit the same templates, and Ghost's membership system means a free blog can become a paid publication later without changing themes.