Ultimate List of Writing Software For Writers

We all need to write shit down on the computer, but sometimes we get tired of just Microsoft Word as the only option. Actually, it isn't.

What if I want to check my book stats? How do I get my book formatted?

BEHOLD...

A list of all the writing software your keyboard can clickety-clack to!

This list below is a cumulative collection of all that information. Will be constantly updating it.

Some are listed as FREE, but may become paid services in the future. Some that aren't labeled FREE may already be, so check the current developer's website.

 

Please note: 

 -None of these products are in any order of importance.       

        -I only find the services and add to this list, I do not vet them. I have no way of knowing their level of efficacy, compliance, excellence in customer service, and ethics. 

    -It is your responsibility to do an extensive background check.

                     -Try at your own peril.    

     -Do a Google search by typing "name-of-service scam complaints" and see if they come up clean. Also put their name into the Writer's Beware site to see if they're scammy.

-I have only tried a very small handful of these services, with decent results. Not sure about all the rest.

               -Though I do my very best to keep the list updated, and only recommend worthwhile products, it becomes impossible to keep up with how well companies do in the long term. If anybody notices dead links, old information, or a business that is no longer in service, please notify me through Twitter to make the necessary changes: @onyxtowers

 

             

 *At this time, I am not receiving compensation for any of these products or services mentioned. 

If you jibbery little monkeys pay any attention to my blog, you have realized that the Pinterest collection I have been curating for the last 3 years, is now a cache of wealth for writers.
Go check out my Pinterest!

Anyway! One of those nuggets of wisdom is a pearl that includes all the software EVER CREATED made specific to writers of all kinds.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask on my facebook, twitter or any of my social media.

 

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Updated:  March 09, 2022

 

Writing Scams - Watch out!

• Example of fake publishing house ripping off writers - karma included

•  How many units of books you need to sell to break even 

• Getting your publishing rights back from a publishing label going bankrupt

•  DO NOT GIVE YOUR PRODUCTION FILES TO ANY PUBLISHER/ Print-On-Demand paper mill, especially if they include it in an iron clad contract  

• Your actual RIGHTS as an author 

•  Literary Agency Contracts - What to watch out for

• Preditors And Editors - consumer advocacy
• Writers Beware - consumer advocacy

 

How and Where to Submit Your Query for a Literary Agency

1. Query Shark
   
2. Query Tracker 
3. Query Manager
4.  Why Manuscripts Get Rejected
5.  What unprofessional query letters to literary agents look like 
6. Query etiquette
   

 

 

Writing Software for Checking Book Stats, Book Analytics 

and Book Sales

1. eBookTracker (offered by Kindlenationdaily.com)
2. NovelRank
3. TrackerBox (for Windows & OSX)
4. Book Report
5. WriterStat BookStats
6. Sales Rank Express
7. Magic Bake Shop
8. BookCore
9. Nisus Writer Pro (for Mac OSX only) 
10. Bublish 
11. AdExpresso Facebook Ads analyzer 
12. Scribe Count
    

Writing Software for Writing Screenplays

1. WriterDuet - FREE (backs up to cloud or computer; use on devices; Premium version avail.)
2. StoryBoard Quick (Mac & PC)
3. ScriptStudio (Mac & PC)
4. MasterWriter 3.0
5. Final Draft 11 (Mac & PC)
6. Mariner Writer's Suite (Mac only)
7. Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 (Mac & PC)
8. Streamline (plugin for the above mentioned MMS 6) 
9. Movie Magic Budgeting If you've ever looked at the budget on a music video, (or indie film) trust me when I say you will DEFINITELY need this!
10. Movie Forms Pro Interactive (sets of standard business forms for movie filming)

 

Web Browsers for looking up stuff on the internet

1. Microsoft Edge (PC only)
2. Firefox (Mac & PC)
3. Chrome (Mac & PC)
4. Safari (Mac only)
5. Opera (Mac & PC)
6. Netscape (PC only)
7. Slimjet Browser (PC only)

Writing Software for Writing Books (text editing software)

1. Open Office by Apache
2. Byword 
   
3. Papyrus Author
4. MasterWriter
5. Typora
6. StyleWriter
7. ProWritingAid
8. Scrivener (Mac, OSX & PC)
9. WriterStat
10. yWriter
11. The Novel Factory
12. Dabble (for Mac & Windows) 

 

 

Writer Software & Apps for Writing Faster

1. Writer Sprints 
2. Byword
   
3. Fighter's Block
4. GingkoApp
5. Write Or Die
6. Freedom (Mac, iOS & PC, coming soon to Android)
7. Toggl
8. Self Control (Mac only)
9. News Feed Eradicator for FB (Chrome applet)

 

 

Writer Software for Playing Ambient Music in Background

 *Take with a grain of salt. :-)

1. Ambient-Mixer.com
2. Focus At Will 
3. Ommwriter 
4. Noisli 
5. Tabletop Audio
6.  Song that reduces anxiety*
7.  iChillMusic
8. Free-Binaural-Beats
9.  Halloween Radio
10.  Nox Arcana
11.  Videvo.net
12.  Calmy Leon
13.  Orange Free Sounds
14.  The Brainwave Hub
15. Magnetic Minds
    

 

 

  Writing Software for Keywords/ Analytics / Categories / SEO / Google ranking

1. K-Lytics
2. KDP Spy
3. KDP Rocket
4. KDROI
5. Amazon Book Description Generator by Dave Chesson 
6. Neil Patel keyword finder (FREE) 
7. Publisher Rocket 
8.  SEO Powersuite
9.  Jasper (formerly Jarvis)
10.  Soovle
11. LongtailPro 
12. Ubersuggest (formerly Kissmetrics)
    

 

 

  Writing Software for Editing Grammar

1. After The Deadline
2. WriteWords - Phrase Frequency Counter
3. Grammar Monster (website)
4. Ginger
5. Slick Write
6. yWriter (for Mac, Linux & PC)
7. NounPlus
8. Grammarly
9. MasterEdit (PC only)
10. Hemingway Editor (for Mac & PC)
11. ProWritingAid Grammar Checking
12. WebSpellChecker (Proofreader, Cloud, Server)
13. AutoCrit Online Editing
14. PaperRater
15. Smart Edit (an MSWord add-in)
16. Perfectit (an MSWord add-in)
17. WordRake  (an MSWord add-in) (for Mac & PC)

 

 

Writing Software for Dictating (text to speech)

1. GoogleDocs Voice Typing: Go to Google Docs but use the Chrome browser > open one of your documents there, OR, create a new one and paste your content into it > go to Tools at the top > select Voice Typing)
2. Use Voice Typing with the Gboard (Google's keyboard) on any iOs or Android device
3. iPhone: Settings > Keyboard or, Language and Input > Dictation. The little microphone icon shows up, so tap it to begin.
4. Mac computer: Go to System Preferences > turn on Dictation and Speech. (could also be found under 'Keyboard' depending which iOS version you have)
5. Dragon Software
6. Speechify

 

 

Writing Software for Conversion To Ebook

1. Draft2Digital (offers FREE formatting conversion)
2. Calibre - FREE (PC, Mac, Linux) (epub, mobi, PDF)
3. Sigil (epub) 
4. InDesign  (Mac & PC) (epub, mobi, indd)
5. PressBooks (epub, mobi, PDF, XML)
6. Bookow  
7. Reedsy Book Editor - FREE (epub, mobi, PDF)
8. Creatavist (enrollment period is temp. closed)
9. Jutoh (Linux, Mac & PC) (epub, mobi, PDF, HTML)
10. Book Design Templates 
11. Vellum (Mac only) (epub, mobi, PDF)
12. iTunes Connect (Mac only)
13. iBooks Author- FREE (epub, PDF, iBooks)
14. Scrivener (Windows, OS X, iOS) (epub, mobi, PDF, HTML & more)
15. Flip Book Maker (epub, mobi, PDF)
16. Epubor - (PC, Mac, Linux)
17. DocsPal - FREE (file converter & viewer)
18. FoxyUtils (for PDFing)
19. Any Ebook Converter
20. Convert Files  

 

 

Book Interior Design Templates

1. Book Design Templates
   
2. DIY Book Formats
3. Vellum (Mac only)
   

 

 

Writing Software for Newsletters, Automation of Messages, and Leadcapture of Email Addresses

1. Sendlane 
   
2. Active Campaign
3. Infusionsoft
4. Klaviyo 
5. Drip
6. Infusionsoft 
7. Sendinblue
8. Mailerlite
9. Mail Tester ( neat tool to check if your newsletter ad copy seems spammy)
10. MadMimi
11. Mailchimp
    

 

 

Writing Software for Sales Funnels

1. GetUplift 
   
2.  Groove
3.  Bookfunnel
4.  Prolificworks
5. Upviral
6. Clickfunnels 
7. Ontraport
8. Groove
   

 

Hiring Virtual Assistants

1. Fancy Hands
   
2. 
   

 

Book Advertising Places

(please purchase a book, or a course on how to use these, as it is very easy to get lost, and easy to overspend more than you intend)

1. Instagram Ads
   
2. Amazon Ads
3. Facebook Ads
4. Tiktok Ads
5. Bookbub Ads
6. Kirkus
7. https://adespresso.com/ads-examples/

 

 Writing Software for Book Submitting

1. eBook Submission Tool (submits your book to multiple sites in one go)

   

Writing Software for Trending (your book)

1. Hashtagify  
2. HARO
3. Answer the Public
4. Google Trends (needs an active Google acct. login)
5. Add Me Fast
6. Tweepi
7. Twiends
   

Writing Courses and Coaching

1. Using social media to grow your email list
   
2. Kotobee
3. Self Publishing by Chandler Bolt
4. Self Publishing Formula by Mark Dawson
   
5.  Adespresso coaching 
6. Author's Publish (variety of courses)
   

 Writing Software for Checking Plagiarism

1. PaperRater Plagiarism Checker 
2. ProWritingAid Plagiarism Checks
3. WCopyfind
4. The Plagiarism Resource Site

 

 

Creating Websites For Your Author Platform 

Please note: Some are "drag & drop" that you can customize yourselves. Some are already made for you, ready to go. 

 

It's a lot of work to customize, so ask yourself: "Do I want to spend hours on this?" "Would I rather spend hours writing my novel instead?"

1. iGloo
2. Thrivecart
3. Wix
4. Universe
5. ModFarm
6. Divi
7. Genesis 
8. Clockpunk Studios
9. Authorwebsiteinabox
10.  
    

 

Web Hosting For Your (Wordpress) Author Platform 

1. GoDaddy
2. Bluehost
3. Easy WP
4. SiteGround
5. Squarespace
6.  Laughing Squid
   

 

 

 Wordpress Plugins for Writer's Wordpress websites

Please note: Whatever Wordpress hosting service you use, check to see the availble plugins they let you use for FREE with their service, BEFORE buying these separately.

 

Please note: Some hosting services do not use all Wordpress plugins, as some cause conflicting issues. Check with them if they have a similarly compatible plugin that they offer, and if the ones on this list cause any issues.

 

1. Pixel Caffeine (Facebook Pixel plugin)
   
2. MyBookTable
3. MyBookProgress  
4. Imperfect Quotes 
5.  Pinterest Pro for WordPress by TylerQuinn | CodeCanyon
6.  Post Gopher WordPress Plugin POST GOPHER – PKS - Post Gopher WordPress Plugin
7.  Jetpack by WordPress.com
8.  Wordfence Security
9. WP Super Cache  
10. Akismet
11. Copyright Proof  (protect your works from site scrapers)
    
12. WP-Optimize 
    
13. Broken Link Checker 
14. Dark Mode 
    
15. Hide My WP Ghost
     
    
    
       
    
    
       
    

Writing Software for Scheduling Posts, or Announcements to 

Social Media At A Later Date (Automation)

1. Tailwind FREE/Premium
   
2. Hootsuite 
3. Meet Edgar 
4. Pin Pinterest 
5. Chirpify
6. Buffer
7. CoSchedule 
8. Asana
9. Post Dynamo
10. Smarter Queue (some free tools)
    
11.  Social Oomph (some free tools)

Writing Software for Creating Book Links

1. ReaderLinks 
2. Affiliatly 
3. Genius Link
4. BookCore 
5. Broken Link Checker 
   

Writing Software for Creating Forms

1. JotForm
2. Google Forms

Writing Software for ISBN (International Standard Book Number)

(Note: Each book format needs it's own separate ISBN; example: the epub, mobi, and print version of same book needs 3 different ISBN'S. An ISBN made within CreateSpace is not acceptable in brick and mortar stores, as they are widely considered an Amazon published entity, you must purchase your own.)

1. My Identifiers (United States)
2. Canadian ISBN Service System (CISS)
3. Nielsen Book Data (UK)
4. Check to see if your ISBN is being resold, or already exists

Writing Software for Bar Codes

1. Bookow 
2. bar code generator
3. Adazing bar code generator 
4. Axicon Auto ID Ltd (UK)

 

Writing Software for Business Accounting

1. Xero software
2. Mint
3. Quickbooks  
4. Sage (formerly PeachTree) 
5. Freshbooks
6. Personal Capital
7. GoDaddy Bookkeeping

 

 

Writing Software forEcommerce Shopping Carts

These are in no particular order; please do your own research, I cannot guarantee their functionality.

Payment processors (a.k.a. POP = Point of Purchase) at the time of sale of your own books on your own website, or at your table at any conventions. 

• Paypal 
• eJunkie
  
• Stripe
•  QIWI "QIWI plc is a Russian company that provides payment and financial services in Russia and CIS countries." QIWI Google app
• Amazon Payments 
• Zelle
• Clickbank
• ebookJunkie
  
• CashApp
• Payhip
• Square
• WebMoney
• Unitypay (for payments between English and Russian speaking countries)
  
• Cydec 
• Infusionsoft 
•  JCB
• Skrill  
•  Sage
• Google Wallet
• Payoneer  - "great service for people who live outside the United States to get their payments as direct deposits"- www.lifemastery.com 
  
• Patreon ( https://patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204606125-How-do-you-calculate-fees- )
• Authorize.net 
• Braintree 
• Ko-Fi (donations)
• Ogone
• DocData
• Payments Gateway
• Shop2Mobi (QR codes; popup stores)
• JotForm (for payment purchase forms)
• WePay
• BluePay  
• Chargify
• Square
• DWOLLA
• Klarna (Klarna is mostly for southeast Asia, AUS, Scandinavia)
• Azlo  

 

  Writing Software for World Building

1. See my post on Map Building (a lengthy list of FREE & paid softwares)

 

 

Writing Software for Making or Uploading Videos

1. Wideo
2. OpenShot (PC, Mac, Linux)
3. Magisto video editor 
4. Wistia 
5. Openshot
6. Youtube
   

 

Writing Software for Storing Passwords

1. Roboform - FREE
2. 1Password

 

 

Writing Apps for Backing Up To Cloud 

1. Evernote
2. Dropbox
3. Box
4. Google Drive
5. SugarSync   
6. Microsoft OneDrive (usually bundled FREE with Windows 10)
7. iCloud (usually comes bundled FREE with Mac)

 

 

Writing Apps for Writing

1. Hemingway App- FREE & paid
   
2. Simplenote - FREE (syncs with Scrivener)
3. Wunderlist (Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Chromebook)
4. yWriter (for iOS & Android)
5. Gingko App