Hi, I’m Simon Appleby
If you need help creating or evolving a website… you’re in the right place!
I run the only digital agency in the UK dedicated to delivering website and e-commerce projects for publishers, authors, literary agents and other book-related businesses. I’ve been doing this for ages, and have worked with loads of great publishers and amazing authors during that time.
I really understand publishing (I spent several years working in-house for a publisher you’ve probably heard of), so you don’t have to educate me about ONIX feeds, AI sheets, ARCs, TCM figures or ISBNs. This means we can spend more time talking about what you actually want to achieve with your project.
Although we’re based in the UK, we have worked with clients all around the world.
"Simon has an almost psychic ability to understand exactly what you need. If you’re an author or a publishing company and need a new website, Simon is your man!”
Justine Solomons, founder, Byte The Book
How Bookswarm can help you
Website design and build
We design and build beautiful, bespoke websites for publishers, authors, literary agencies and other organisations and individuals in the worlds of books and publishing.
We use WordPress to make our sites easy for clients to manage, capable of evolving over time and good value. As of 2024, WordPress has over 60% market share in the global Content Management System market.
Branding and design
We develop brand identities for publishing startups and self-published authors, and we can design all of the supporting marketing materials required for any campaign, including print and social media.
Training and support
All of our clients receive a hands-on training session and as much remote support as they require to feel comfortable with their new website.
Our ‘Ninja Support’ plugin gives all clients the ability to ask for help from directly within their website – for the full life of the website.
Read our full, detailed proposals
Author websites
We’ve put everything you need to know about creating an author website with Bookswarm into this online proposal – including details of scope, process, timing and cost. Explore our portfolio, hear from past clients and decide if we’re the web agency for you.
Divi microsites
We’ve put everything you need to know about creating easy microsites with Bookswarm into this online proposal – including details of scope, process, timing and cost. Explore our portfolio, hear from past clients and decide if we’re the web agency for you.
“I am absolutely thrilled with the website that Simon designed for me. I didn't really know what I wanted or needed from a website but Simon's expertise in creating sites for authors lit the way.”
Anna Kemp, children's author
Recent projects
We’re proud of our body of work. Here are some of our recent projects.
Don’t take our word for it…
At Bookswarm we value our reputation for delivering great work that makes clients happy. Here’s what some of them have to say about the experience of working with us.
“It was so fantastic to work with the Bookswarm team as they were both collaborative and creative but also transparent about everything they were doing, including the costs. So we got a website that we are really pleased with and it all came in on time and within budget.”
“Working with Bookswarm has been an absolute pleasure. Simon and Susie have been brilliant, fully understanding the brief both on what I needed from the website, and on branding and design. They’ve been able to make really helpful suggestions and their experience working with publishing sites mean they already fully understood what was required. They made the whole process really easy and I feel confident keeping my website updated.”
“Right from the very first phone conversation I felt I had an ally in Simon. He wanted to understand what we were about, how our market worked, what the priorities were, how quickly we wanted to be up and running, and he created a plan to deliver it on time and cost-effectively.”
“Designing a new site and keeping continuity with my old one was a seamless process with Bookswarm from start to finish. Simon and his team were incredibly clear, responsive and inventive as they kept pace with my many questions and challenges. They immediately understood my brief and fulfilled it to the letter, and the result is I now have a website completely fit for purpose, with a lovely welcoming design, that is also very simple for me to manage and update. The support has been great too. I would recommend without reservation.”
“I’ve had a complicated career that’s involved multiple projects and many publications on a wide variety of themes. In the past, I’ve commissioned personal websites but never been satisfied with the results. Until now, no one has ever managed to build something that strikes the right balance between breadth and depth. I’m delighted to say that Simon and Bookswarm have managed to build me a website that allows me to publicise my books while also housing my personal archive. I was hugely impressed with the patience with which Simon discussed my needs with me and then developed a website that reflected my idiosyncrasies.”
“I was bowled over by Simon and his team at Bookswarm. They were efficient, creative and incredibly helpful. I couldn’t recommend them more.”
Fun Bookswarm Facts
Some things you might like to know about us
"Simon and his team have been superb to work with and we’re delighted with the final website – it really does look better than we could have hoped for.”
Sara Hunt, Publisher, SarabandNews from Bookswarm Towers
Merry Christmas from all at Bookswarm
Wishing all our clients and collaborators best wishes for the holiday season!As a bit of fun, the image you see above was generated by Google's Gemini AI with this prompt: Create a cartoon-style image of a web developer hard at work, coding a website. It's late at...
Come and say ‘Hi’ on Bluesky
With the exodus from X gathering pace (Bookswarm left a while ago), it seems like Bluesky is the new social network that people are joining to try and get the exerience they used to have on Twitter. So we've joined in! Please do follow us and say hello: Follow...
Bookswarm shortlisted for the IPG Services to Independent Publishers Award 2024
We are pleased and proud to have been nominated for the IPG Services to Independent Publishers Award at the IPG's Independent Publishing Awards 2024. We are one of four nominees for the award this year. Here's the full list of citations.Bookswarm is nominated for its...
Bookswarm and Byte The Book at the London Book Fair
Another year, another London Book Fair - and what a London Book Fair it was! Definitely the busiest I can remember for many years. While the compressed nature of the venue probably contributes to the level of buzz, there's no doubt that it felt very high-energy and...
Byte The Book – Audio Boom event report
Byte the Book's first live event of 2024, sponsored by Bookswarm, took place last week. A panel discussion explored the booming world of audiobooks and podcasts. Industry experts highlighted the increasing popularity of immersive storytelling and the potential of...
Is 2024 the year of “Enshittification”?
I've recently become fascinated by the concept of the "enshittification" of social media - because it puts a name on a process that I've intuitively understood was happening for a long time, even before Elon Musk bought Twitter and started running it into the ground....
“It has been an absolute pleasure working with Simon and Bookswarm. We’re delighted with our new website which really enhances the visibility and discoverability of our books and have already recommended Bookswarm to other publishers!”
Paula Kennedy, Head Of Publishing at University of London Press
Meet the Bookswarm Team
Simon Appleby
Director
Simon Appleby is the founder and Managing Director of Bookswarm, the only digital agency in the UK dedicated to delivering projects for publishers, authors and others in the world of books.
Simon has spoken at the Publishing Scotland conference and the Faber Factory conference, contributed to the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, and created and delivered a course on digital project development for the Publishing Training Centre.
Simon’s career in digital media started in 1998, and he gained experience of digital project delivery for a range of clients while working for a number of digital agencies. In 2009 he went ‘client-side’, where as Digital Projects Manager for Octopus Publishing Group, he gained invaluable inside experience of the publishing world.
Alex Knight
Technical Lead
Alex is a web developer. She has worked at digital media agencies in London and Birmingham and more recently has chosen to freelance. She is passionate about creating pixel perfect websites, being skilled in both back and frontend coding.
She enjoys reading a variety of genres, with sci-fi and fantasy being favourites, and tends to have a couple of books on the go at once. Despite being a bit of a geek when it comes to owning gadgets she still prefers a real book to a Kindle.
Alex loves the sea, and lives in south Devon where she grew up. When not in front of a computer she can be found kayaking, sailing or exploring Dartmoor.
Hazel Miles
Creative Lead
Hazel is a tea-fueled Graphic Designer of many years experience.
Hazel has experience in a range of design disciplines. Starting out in design for print, she moved into web design, and retail and packaging design before deciding that it was time to branch out on her own. Working for herself Hazel has found greater creative freedom and enjoys working with a purring cat inches from her keyboard.
Although Hazel feels the Kindle is “a marvellous invention” she is adamant that she will always read the printed word… unless it’s one of the many blogs she follows. Hazel has more books than time but when she does find time to read Hazel enjoys a wide range of genres with a particular fondness for the classics.
Susie McConnell
Designer / Developer
Susie is a graphic designer and front-end developer. After many years spent working for both print and digital agencies, she decided to take the leap and pursue life as a freelancer, focusing mainly on working with clients in the arts industries.
Susie is a big fan of non-fiction, enjoying the works of writers such as Mary Roach and Jon Ronson. In her spare time, she enjoys the cinema, playing music, binge-watching true crime documentaries, and a good cup of tea.
“Simon and Bookswarm are a joy to work with, providing a fantastic design, great support and clear communication, making it an extremely enjoyable and easy process, with the end result being a wonderful website.”
Ben Dunn, literary agent, DunnFogg
Contact Bookswarm
Want to get in touch? Use the option that suits you best. You can…
- E-mail us on [email protected]
- Call us on +44 (0) 7847 912989
- Fill in the contact form
We’d love to hear from you!
“Simon understood straightaway what I needed and we worked through the process creatively and efficiently. He understands books, and he understands publishing, so his insights and suggestions were absolutely spot-on.”
Martin Toseland, ghostwriter and editor
