Top Authors Who Never Needed a Website — They Managed Without It

Spoiler: Success in writing hasn’t always required SEO or Squarespace

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

These days, it feels like every author is told they must have a website — or else risk fading into literary oblivion. So naturally, I started to wonder: do all successful authors have one? If not, who are these legends defying the marketing gods? I did a little digging, and let’s just say… the answer had me halfway between shocked and side-eyed amusement. You can be wildly successful without a custom domain or active social media. Who knew?

First up, is Cormac McCarthy, author of the super popular The Road.*

He has no website — Trust me, I checked.

There was a Twitter/X account floating around with his name, but it turns out it was a fake.

The next author without a website or social media profile is Elena Ferrante, bestselling author of My Brilliant Friend.

She avoids all public appearances, but her book is an international bestseller.

Thomas Pychon is known for Gravity’s Rainbow and Entropy.