diff --git a/cookiecutter.json b/cookiecutter.json
index 4b4858fc4..e2125ebc3 100644
--- a/cookiecutter.json
+++ b/cookiecutter.json
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
     "project_name": "project_name is the title of the project.",
     "repo_name":"repo_name is used for describing the directory structure.",
     "author_name": "Your Name",
+    "github_username": "your username",
     "email": "Your email",
     "description": "A short description of the project.",
     "year": "2014",
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/CONTRIBUTORS.txt b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/AUTHORS.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/CONTRIBUTORS.txt
rename to {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/AUTHORS.txt
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/CONTRIBUTING.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bcb3ce5f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+============
+Contributing
+============
+
+Contributions are welcome, and they are greatly appreciated! Every
+little bit helps, and credit will always be given.
+
+You can contribute in many ways:
+
+Types of Contributions
+----------------------
+
+Report Bugs
+~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Report bugs at https://github.com/{{ cookiecutter.github_username }}/{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}/issues.
+
+If you are reporting a bug, please include:
+
+* Your operating system name and version.
+* Any details about your local setup that might be helpful in troubleshooting.
+* Detailed steps to reproduce the bug.
+
+Fix Bugs
+~~~~~~~~
+
+Look through the GitHub issues for bugs. Anything tagged with "bug"
+is open to whoever wants to implement it.
+
+Implement Features
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Look through the GitHub issues for features. Anything tagged with "feature"
+is open to whoever wants to implement it.
+
+Write Documentation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+{{ cookiecutter.project_name }} could always use more documentation, whether as part of the
+official {{ cookiecutter.project_name }} docs, in docstrings, or even on the web in blog posts,
+articles, and such.
+
+Submit Feedback
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The best way to send feedback is to file an issue at https://github.com/{{ cookiecutter.github_username }}/{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}/issues.
+
+If you are proposing a feature:
+
+* Explain in detail how it would work.
+* Keep the scope as narrow as possible, to make it easier to implement.
+* Remember that this is a volunteer-driven project, and that contributions
+  are welcome :)
+
+Get Started!
+------------
+
+Ready to contribute? Here's how to set up `{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}` for local development.
+
+1. Fork the `{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}` repo on GitHub.
+2. Clone your fork locally::
+
+    $ git clone git@github.com:your_name_here/{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}.git
+
+3. Install your local copy into a virtualenv. Assuming you have virtualenvwrapper installed, this is how you set up your fork for local development::
+
+    $ mkvirtualenv {{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}
+    $ cd {{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}/
+    $ python setup.py develop
+
+4. Create a branch for local development::
+
+    $ git checkout -b name-of-your-bugfix-or-feature
+
+   Now you can make your changes locally.
+
+5. When you're done making changes, check that your changes pass flake8 and the tests, including testing other Python versions with tox::
+
+    $ flake8 {{ cookiecutter.repo_name }} tests
+    $ python setup.py test
+    $ tox
+
+   To get flake8 and tox, just pip install them into your virtualenv.
+
+6. Commit your changes and push your branch to GitHub::
+
+    $ git add .
+    $ git commit -m "Your detailed description of your changes."
+    $ git push origin name-of-your-bugfix-or-feature
+
+7. Submit a pull request through the GitHub website.
+
+Pull Request Guidelines
+-----------------------
+
+Before you submit a pull request, check that it meets these guidelines:
+
+1. The pull request should include tests.
+2. If the pull request adds functionality, the docs should be updated. Put
+   your new functionality into a function with a docstring, and add the
+   feature to the list in README.rst.
+3. The pull request should work for Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.3, and 3.4, and for PyPy. Check
+   https://travis-ci.org/{{ cookiecutter.github_username }}/{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}/pull_requests
+   and make sure that the tests pass for all supported Python versions.
+
+Tips
+----
+
+To run a subset of tests::
+
+    $ python -m unittest tests.test_{{ cookiecutter.repo_name }}
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/authors.rst b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/authors.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e122f914a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/authors.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.. include:: ../AUTHORS.rst
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/contributing.rst b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/contributing.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e582053ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/contributing.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.. include:: ../CONTRIBUTING.rst
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/index.rst b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/index.rst
index 3ae55a137..f145b12af 100644
--- a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/index.rst
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/index.rst
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ Contents:
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2
 
+   readme
    install
    deploy
    tests
+   contributing
+   authors
 
 
 
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/readme.rst b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/readme.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..72a335581
--- /dev/null
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/docs/readme.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.. include:: ../README.rst