Multi-author publications

How to run a publication with multiple contributors — setting up author profiles, assigning bylines, and managing the Git workflow for a team.

Project Broadsheet supports multiple authors out of the box. Each author gets a profile page, a byline on every article they write, and an archive of their published work. The system is driven by a single data file and requires no database.

Add an author

Open src/_data/authors.js and append an entry:

export default {
  "jane-doe": {
    name: "Jane Doe",
    role: "Staff Reporter",
    bio: "Jane covers city government and housing policy.",
    email: "jane@example.com",
    avatar: "/assets/img/authors/jane-doe.jpg"
  },
  "alex-kim": {
    name: "Alex Kim",
    role: "Editor",
    bio: "Alex edits the news desk and contributes analysis.",
    email: "alex@example.com",
    avatar: "/assets/img/authors/alex-kim.jpg"
  }
};

The key (jane-doe) is the slug used in article front matter and in the author's URL: /authors/jane-doe/.

Place avatar images in src/assets/img/authors/. Recommended size: 400×400px.

Assign a byline

In any article's front matter, set the author field to the author's slug:

---
title: City Council Approves Rezoning Plan
section: news
date: 2026-04-18
author: jane-doe
---

The author's name, role, and avatar appear in the article's byline. The byline links to the author's profile page.

Co-bylines

For articles with multiple contributors, use the authors array (plural):

---
title: Investigation: Water Quality Report
section: news
date: 2026-04-18
authors:
  - jane-doe
  - alex-kim
---

Both names appear in the byline, each linking to their own profile.

Author profile pages

Each entry in authors.js automatically generates a profile page at /authors/{slug}/ listing all published articles by that author. No template changes needed.

Git roles for a team

There's no permissions system built into the framework — access control lives entirely in GitHub:

Recommended setup for a small team:

1. Require pull request reviews before merging to main (Settings → Branches → Branch protection rules).
2. Assign at least one required reviewer (the editor or managing editor).
3. Reporters open PRs when articles are ready; editors approve and merge.

This mirrors the editorial workflow used at professional outlets and keeps a full revision history on every piece.

Contributor accounts

Each contributor needs a GitHub account. Invite them to the repository under Settings → Collaborators with Write access. They fork or clone the repo, create a branch for each article, and submit pull requests.

What to do next

• Editorial workflow — the full Git-based draft-to-publish cycle.
• Author front matter — all available fields for author profiles.
• Write an article — the per-article front matter reference.