Aue Sobol Squarespace Template Review
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Aue Sobol is a Squarespace template for cookbook authors and food photographers.
The design uses huge bold blue typography for the site name, clean white backgrounds, and lets the food photos be the starring attraction. If you're a cookbook author, food photographer, or recipe developer looking to sell books and build your brand, Aue Sobol probably caught your eye for good reason.
This review covers what Aue Sobol includes, where it shines, and where you might hit limitations.
The goal: help you figure out if this Squarespace template is the right fit for your food business, or if you should keep looking.
Who the Aue Sobol Template Works Best For
Aue Sobol works GREAT if you create cookbooks and need a site that sells books while showcasing your food photography and philosophy.
Cookbook Authors Selling Their Own Books
If you've written one or more cookbooks and want to sell them directly from your website, Aue Sobol gives you shop functionality plus space to explain your approach to food and cooking.
Food Photographers Building a Portfolio
The gallery section showcases food photography beautifully. If you shoot for restaurants, food brands, or editorial clients, you can display your work alongside cookbook sales.
Recipe Developers with Products
If you develop recipes and also sell cookbooks, meal plans, or cooking guides, Aue Sobol supports both content (your philosophy and style) and commerce (actual sales).
Food Writers with Books
Food journalists, bloggers, or writers who've published cookbooks can use this to establish credibility and sell books while sharing their perspective on food culture.
Chef-Authors
If you're a chef who's written cookbooks and wants a professional web presence that sells books and attracts collaborations, Aue Sobol's clean design works well.
Who the Aue Sobol Template Is Not Best For
The Aue Sobol template probably isn't the best fit if you:
Run a restaurant or catering business (this is built for authors and photographers, not foodservice operations)
Are looking for more of a food blog (in that case, check out my favorite food blog template Brower)
Don't have books or products to sell (the shop is a main feature, without products, it might be best to choose another template)
What You Get with the Aue Sobol Template
Aue Sobol comes with pages for selling and showcasing:
Home Page
The homepage introduces you and your work:
Large site name header - in huge bold blue letters.
Bio/Philosophy section - Centered text explaining your approach.
Cookbook display - Show your cookbooks
Shop Cookbooks button - Clear call-to-action linking to the shop.
Gallery preview - Three food photography images in an asymmetric layout.
Gallery button - Links to full photo gallery.
Newsletter signup section - Email capture form
Footer - Large branding repeated, Instagram and email icons
Shop Page
E-commerce page for selling cookbooks, prints, or related products. Squarespace's standard shop functionality with product listings, cart, and checkout.
About Page
Dedicated page for deeper bio, background, and your food philosophy or approach.
Gallery Page
Full food photography portfolio. Displays images in a grid layout for browsing your complete body of work.
Contact Page
Standard contact form for inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or press requests.
Extras:
Bold typography (striking blue brand name)
E-commerce functionality for selling books
Food photography gallery
Newsletter signup with clear benefits
Shopping cart icon in header
Mobile-responsive design
Clean, minimal aesthetic
Instagram integration
Getting Started with the Aue Sobol Template is Easy:
Once you pick Aue Sobol in the Squarespace 7.1 template library, here's what to do:
Replace the site name with yours. Update "AUE SOBOL" to your actual name or brand.
Write your bio/philosophy section. Replace the demo text with your actual story and approach to food. Explain what drives your work, your background, and what makes your cookbooks unique.
Upload your cookbook images. Add professional product photos of your actual books.
Set up your Shop page. Add your cookbooks as products. Include prices, descriptions, shipping information, and high-quality images. Configure Squarespace's e-commerce settings: payment processing, shipping zones, tax settings.
Build your Gallery. Upload your best food photography images. Choose shots that show your range and style. Make sure images are optimized.
Write your About page. Go deeper than the homepage bio. Share your journey to becoming a cookbook author, your culinary influences, notable clients or publications, and what you're working on now.
Configure newsletter signup. Connect your email service (Mailchimp, Kit, etc.) to the newsletter form. Make sure the subscription process works smoothly. Consider offering a discount code for first-time buyers.
Customize Site Styles. Go to Design > Site Styles.
Double-check everything, connect your domain, choose your plan, and go live. Test the entire shopping experience: add book to cart, go through checkout, make sure confirmation emails send. Preview on mobile. Then publish.
Aue Sobol Squarespace Template FAQs
Is the Aue Sobol template specifically designed for cookbook authors?
Yes, Aue Sobol is perfectly suited for cookbook authors, food photographers, recipe developers, and culinary creatives who want to showcase their work AND sell their cookbooks. With dedicated Shop, Gallery, and About pages, it's built for authors who need both portfolio display and e-commerce functionality. The template beautifully balances stunning food photography with clear paths to purchase your books.
Can I sell both physical cookbooks and digital recipe e-books using Aue Sobol?
Absolutely! The Shop page supports both physical products (printed cookbooks with shipping) and digital downloads (PDF recipe books, meal plans). You can sell hardcover books, e-books, signed copies, recipe bundles, and even cooking classes or workshops. Squarespace's e-commerce tools make it easy to manage everything together.
Does Aue Sobol work well if I'm a food photographer who doesn't have a cookbook yet?
Yes! While designed with cookbook authors in mind, Aue Sobol is excellent for food photographers, food stylists, and recipe developers. Use the Gallery page to showcase your food photography portfolio, the Shop page to sell prints or offer photography services/packages, and the About page to share your story and credentials. You can easily adapt it as your career evolves; start with portfolio, add cookbook sales later.
Can I include recipes on my Aue Sobol website, or is it just for selling cookbooks?
You can definitely include recipes. Many cookbook authors use a smart strategy: share some recipes for free on a blog (great for SEO and building audience) while selling complete collections in your cookbooks. You can add a Blog page to Aue Sobol for recipe content, cooking tips, and culinary stories. This builds trust with readers, drives traffic from Google searches, grows your email list, and ultimately leads to more cookbook sales. The template's flexibility lets you balance free content marketing with paid products beautifully.
Is the Aue Sobol template good for SEO?
Yes, like all Squarespace templates, it’s built with strong basics. But you’ll need to optimize page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text yourself.
How do I attract cookbook buyers to my site?
Build your email list through the newsletter signup, share food photography on Instagram and link to your site, write guest posts or get featured in food media, run targeted ads for your books, collaborate with food bloggers or influencers. The template gives you the infrastructure; you handle marketing.
Aue Sobol vs Stanton: Which is better for a cookbook author?
It depends on your business model. Aue Sobol is specifically designed for cookbook authors who want to sell their books with a dedicated Shop page, professional Gallery for food photography, and strong author branding. It's perfect if you're an established author or photographer with products to sell. Stanton is a food blog template with shop integration, better if your primary focus is recipe blogging with occasional product sales.
Choose Aue Sobol if you're a published cookbook author, food photographer selling services/prints, or serious about e-commerce. Choose Stanton if you're a food blogger who wants to monetize through ads, affiliates, and maybe sell a few digital products on the side.
