Stand out from the Crowd With a Premium Theme
You love themes, I love themes, we all love themes. With millions of sites running on the state-of-the-art WordPress software and over a half-billion people visiting the Automattic network every month, there is a now a need more than ever for unique themes. Themes that make your site, your content, and your voice stand out from the crowd.
Along with this extraordinary growth we’ve been thrilled to watch a thriving marketplace of commercial themes drive innovation and quality in theme design while producing an amazing variety of theme choices for self-hosted WordPress sites.
Now we want to bring the same level of theme choices to the WordPress.com community—it’s time to give you a chance at not only more themes, but a chance to showcase your site with beautiful designs that will blow you away with their style and quality.
I am proud to introduce the very first two premium themes on WordPress.com: Headlines and Shelf.
Example of the news-oriented Headlines front page layout.
Headlines is a sophisticated magazine theme from WooThemes with a Featured Post slideshow, multiple menus, and 15 beautiful color schemes. It’s available now for a one-time price of $45.
Example of Shelf
Shelf, from The Theme Foundry, is a unique tumblelog style theme featuring a fluid and responsive design. It’s available now for a one-time price of $68.
Learn all about these two themes by visiting our Theme Showcase, or purchase and activate a theme by going to Appearance → Themes in your dashboard—look for the “Premium” link next to “Recently Added.”
Along with the distinctive features and a gorgeous design purchasing a premium theme like Shelf or Headlines for your WordPress.com site also gives you full access to dedicated support on the WordPress.com forums. The premium themes forum there will be accessible only to site owners who’ve purchased a theme.
We hope to expand the collection of themes on WordPress.com in a big way in 2011. Look for a significant number of both free and premium themes coming your way this year. And, thank you to our WordPress.com community for helping the Automattic network reach the mark of 500 million unique visitors per month. We couldn’t do it without you!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Yay! love it!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Quite brilliant! Well done Woo!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Those are some truly impressive themes. And certainly worth the money if you want to enhance your blog to such an extent. Shelf is simply genius.
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I’m glad you decided to do this, along with adding new themes, having paid ones just gives us all more choice. I love the variety of Tumblr themes available but that site is just class-less, the only thing WP was missing was theme variety, and hopefully this move will meet that need!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:38 pm
This is an excellent idea.
Are these “per user” prices or “per blog” prices?
If the fee is for one theme on a single blog — will there an option for a multiple blog license per theme?
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:51 pm
The cost is for a single theme on a single site. We don’t have plans for multiple licenses at this time.
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I have no money.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:53 pm
That’s okay we’ve all been there — there are over a 100 super-high-quality no-cost themes for you to use, and we’re adding more all the time. (29 of them last year.)
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:40 pm
It’s great to see you expanding your themes and being adventurous like this. Thank you.
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:40 pm
I want to be able to add my own!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:43 pm
I’m hoping you come out with more colorful themes in the future, but as always I’m proud of you WP!
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
I don’t like the idea of premium themes like this to be honest. You should rather let us install themes from the database.
February 3rd, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Clean and easy to navigate layout.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Awesome! I was waiting for it to come!
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Great idea and some good themes, but the prices are a bit steep.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Lovely!
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:31 pm
We cannot afford that cost. That is the very reason why we stick with subdomains. We are a poor country. Poor Filipinos. There are rich people here but they belong to the government.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Wow! Amazing themes. Thank you.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Woo! Hoo! Exciting. I have hoped for this for so long. I can’t wait to see what else is coming.
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:56 pm
They look fine, but if I paid I’d still be dissatisfied. And I’d be poorer.
February 3rd, 2011 at 7:50 pm
If you don’t want to buy a premium theme, that’s OK. There are over 100 amazing free themes available now and more on the way! We’ve got you covered.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:05 pm
It’s nice to see we’ll be getting more choice! As my site has been growing I’m certainly considering getting Headlines: it’s simple and striking.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:06 pm
This is a great offering and great opening for your first two themes. I think I like Headlines the best. I do however think in today’s economic climate that they are too pricey for most.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Yay! I’ll be saving up. In the near future, hopefully I’ll be able to use this.
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:17 pm
They both look snazzy! (That’s a good thing.)
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Great theme, the Headlines theme. Love it!
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Amazing job guys!
February 3rd, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Your themes rock. Seriously. Can’t wait to play with these!
February 3rd, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Not bad. I likey!
February 3rd, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Love the new concept!
The would perfectly suit my blog on world textile trade, alas it is a tad too expensive
February 3rd, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I love these themes. They are great.
February 3rd, 2011 at 7:43 pm
The dot.communist in me says thanks, but no thanks!
February 3rd, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Great idea and I love having access to more in the future. These two are great, but not quite right for my look. I’m looking forward to seeing more in 2011. Hurry please!
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:08 pm
I like the idea of premium themes…must agree with Tom Baker regarding pricing.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:29 pm
The Headlines is friggin’ awesome! That’s the thing I was looking for. Maybe except for the columns – I’d love a theme like that one, but with the possibility to display front page post as in Inuit Type (side by side).
Seriously considering buying it! Cost is not that big (at least in my country), but I won’t be happy if you release a better one in a week or two. I’d rather pay some more for a lifetime subscription with limitation of using 1, but freely choosable, premium theme for 1 blog per account.
My 3 cents. Hope to see more of options soon
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:39 pm
I would be interested to learn how the theme Headlines was created in the first place. Anybody any ideas?
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:17 pm
That’s a great question—I’d suggest heading over to the WooThemes site and ask see if there is a writeup of the theme’s inner workings.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Love this, hope a lot of premium themes are coming to WP.com.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Shelf made me smile. May you keep thinking beyond the conventional in theme designs!
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:35 pm
I’ve been waiting for this. These two premium themes look great! I’d like to see more though. See, it’s never enough. We’re never truly happy, are we? Thanks.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Premium themes is a great idea, and since the prices are one-time, not annual, they seem very reasonable. The “Shelf” theme puts a whole new spin on blogging. I thought WordPress was great when I started using it in 2007, but it just keeps getting better.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:26 pm
I am totally amazed by these two new themes. As John Hayden just said, since they are just one-time fees and not annual, the price is very reasonable. I just wonder if we will have a whole bunch of Headlines them, for instance, all looking the same, except for different blog names. I also wonder if there is a way to make them unique?
I also noticed when I tried it out, that “Featuring” blocks the headline title of each section as it passes through.
I am seriously thinking of getting Headlines for my new blog, News, Views, and Gurus.
Many heartfelt thanks to WP and the staff. The WP blogs are interesting, the theme designs are fabulous, and it’s relatively easy to operate one of these blogs. AND it’s all free. Your efforts are appreciated!
February 4th, 2011 at 5:55 am
What makes your site unique, is you. Your content, your voice. In addition, Headlines comes with options to change the menus, color scheme, and more. See http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/headlines/ for all the details.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I’m glad to see something like Shelf here – can’t wait to see more unique themes!
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:17 pm
LOVE the featured post on Headlines. Wish it was three columns though. Probably will hold out for something a little bit more like what I am looking for.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:23 pm
I totally love the title.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Can we customise a premium theme using a pre-existing CSS upgrade?
February 4th, 2011 at 5:52 am
Yes, you can.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Nice. BTW, it would be nice if themes could be previewed without custom css messing up the display of a theme it wasn’t written for.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:18 am
I’m not sure how the themes would make my blog better but doesn’t really matter since I can’t spend the cash!
February 4th, 2011 at 1:25 am
Clear post with super shots of the websites. Job well done.
February 4th, 2011 at 1:49 am
Yeah, the first two paid themes. $68? It’s a crazy price! How about $6?
February 4th, 2011 at 2:13 am
The Headlines theme is one theme design that I’ve been waiting for a long time, a magazine style that suits my blog. Unfortunately, when this theme finally show up, I must pay 45 USD for this. I know lot of free themes are available, but they can’t be compared with this Headlines theme. If I buy this theme, and in the future there is newer one, I cannot switch unless I pay again. What a waste.
February 4th, 2011 at 2:14 am
I think paying for designs as a one off fee is a great idea, I like it.
February 4th, 2011 at 2:16 am
I wish there was a “try-before-you-buy” option so that I could check out the theme in detail (especially the CSS coding). I love the look of the Headlines theme, just not the color options.
Think I’ll hold out for a 3-column version, anyway.
February 4th, 2011 at 2:29 am
Ah…now we go high end! Kewl.
February 4th, 2011 at 3:14 am
I know Shelf supports custom menus, but does anyone know where they appear on the site when they’re enabled? Anyone seen an example? That’s the one big hangup I have before pulling the trigger. Thanks.
February 4th, 2011 at 5:42 am
If you head to the Showcase page: http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/shelf/ and click See it in Action you can view the demo site, which uses a custom menu at the top.
February 4th, 2011 at 4:19 am
Now you have created a dilemma for me WordPress: Headlines or new hoodie? Hm – Headlines looks swanky and is tantalizing me with those clean lines…
February 4th, 2011 at 4:56 am
Cool themes!
February 4th, 2011 at 7:23 am
Those are awesome themes! Unfortunately they’re not free.
February 4th, 2011 at 7:59 am
The WooThemes site says the theme is circa 2009… I hope it’s up to date.
February 4th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
It is up-to-date and ready for action.
February 4th, 2011 at 8:23 am
That’s something unexpected for me…awesome!
February 4th, 2011 at 8:24 am
It’s a little bit expensive… you can pay one year hosting with $68.
February 4th, 2011 at 8:32 am
One of these days I will. But for now, still leeching off the free services because I have no money to spare.
February 4th, 2011 at 8:35 am
Nice. It might be time for a new look.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Wow! LOVE these. Might have to raid the piggy bank, Headlines would fit the theme of my blog really well but I love the styling of Shelf.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:58 am
I have the Headlines theme since 3 February.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:18 am
They are pretty and elegant certainly, but not worth the price for me. I’d stick with Twenty Ten I think.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I’d have to agree with those who have commented that the price seems a bit out of line…expensive software (themes) for “free” sites doesn’t exactly make sense to my brain… For not much more money one could have a self-hosted site with lots more options and control. This also raises a question about what sort of support commitment is being offered to those who buy one of these themes. I’ve experienced the frustration of putting a lot of work into a blog only to have the theme (or plug-in) developer disappear or decide to stop supporting it… I accept that as part of the system, but I would not be happy if I spent $68 for something that became useless in a year or two.
February 4th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Support is provided by the theme authors in a dedicated support forum.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Shelf is cool, this format opens up a lot of possibilities… Keep up the great work!
February 4th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
I’ve been waiting so long for this!
February 4th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Quite brilliant! Well done Woo!
February 4th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
At last, long overdue!
February 4th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
Reading the backstory on ThemeShaper also helped me to understand why this idea, which has actually been brewing for quite some time, is now finally possible. Awesome! Looking forward to seeing lots more new themes, both premium and free.
February 4th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
These new themes are great. As someone who manages multiple blogs and authors all posts across multiple industries of my clients, I am anxiously awaiting more themes with author anonymity and plug in availibilty. Consider adding author info as a search term, or a highlighted feature and of course, consider adding the use of plug-ins
February 4th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
If there’s any plugin feature you ever feel like you’re missing, let us know in the forums! We love hearing about new ideas and features.
February 4th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Some fantastic themes there.
February 4th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Very good, it’s good for my pictures.
February 4th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Very nice premium themes! Unfortunately, I still don’t have budget to purchase one.
February 4th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Sweet! I am totally getting Shelf for my blog ASAP!
February 5th, 2011 at 1:38 am
Can you create a theme for the content of technology? I want the most expensive.
February 5th, 2011 at 5:00 am
Love them!
February 5th, 2011 at 5:08 am
I like the new themes but what about something really cool for those of us who like black background themes? I would love to see more themes that rotate your featured or newest posts with a photo on the front page. I love that feature but can’t find it in themes. I would also love to see a widget that rotates the photos in the image widget. Thanks WordPress Today’s Truffles loves you guys.
February 5th, 2011 at 6:17 am
Love it! Keep on doing it!
February 5th, 2011 at 6:28 am
Impressive!
February 5th, 2011 at 9:46 am
What a great idea. Keep the free ones coming though!
February 5th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
These themes are really cool! The only thing is they are so expensive. May I ask why?
February 5th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Great job! I still love my Twenty Ten though.
February 5th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Really lame… why would we pay for these themes (they aren’t that good).
February 5th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
These are very nice.
February 5th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Shelf looks super cool but I hope we still get free themes as well – I love to browse through those and that’s what themes I use for my blog!
February 5th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
I keep meaning to look at the new themes out there, they look awesome! (I hope to soon, I’d like to cross that off my to do list!)
February 6th, 2011 at 5:12 am
Very nice, but don’t you think more color may be more appealing?
February 6th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Great job, I’d love to have one of these themes, but for now, I’ll stick to what I am using. Maybe next month.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Oh my gosh. Headlines is professional, but Shelf is just beautiful. Love it to bits!
Would it be possible to lower the price a little, though? Please?
February 6th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
I wish I was able to buy this, but unfortunately I cannot. Thank you for the free themes, though. :-/