Are you interested in learning everything on how to write a novel? Do you want to become the next bestselling author? Or self-publish a book? Then it's time to start writing your novel with a novel writing software.
Scrivener for MAC: The Best Writing Software Ever! Scrivener for MAC: Made for OS X Bigots First off, I'm going to be right up front with you—I'm a Scrivener for MAC bigot, I'm an affiliate for their software, and even if you don't buy MAC Scrivener via this site, if you're a serious author, go buy it please.
- PERRLA's software takes the stress out of writing and formatting your APA 7th & MLA 8th Edition papers. See PERRLA in action. Subscribe today. Available for Windows & Mac. PERRLA Online lets you write your papers from anywhere with our web-based editor. Then, download them as.
- AutoCrit is a fiction writing app that helps you spot issues with word choice, repetitive phrasing, and more. That makes it perfect for book writing and novelists. This software goes beyond the basics of just a readability analysis and a spell checker. So it’s got a little bit for everyone.
- You can find creative writing apps, grammar checking apps, word processors, mind maps, index cards, book writing programs, and productivity tools. All of them will help you get on with what you do best, which is writing, of course.
- Bibisco is an application designed to help you write stories, mainly novels. Where it shines.
If you are one of those writers who look at the famous published authors and fantasize about having the same life. Their books in the flesh and on bookstore shelves. People falling in love with the world they have created.
To make it happen for yourself, you'll need passion, suitable environment, resources, time, tools, and a lot of other things that will help you craft an amazing novel. Most importantly, you will need access to the best novel writing software.
A novel writing software will help you organize your research, create outline, develop characters, edit your manuscript, and help with publishing.
A great tool can help you become a better writer without any learning curve. It automates the process. It makes your life easier. It gives you time to focus on more strategic aspects of your creative writing that deserve your time.
But what novel writing tool is right for you? How do you find the one that will help you?
If you are not sure on where to begin, this article is for you. It covers 9 leading novel writing software in detail with their features, pros, cons, pricing details, and more.
By the time you finish reading this article, you will know what writing software you need and why. Trust me on this one.
1. Squibler: Best Novel Writing Software for Speed and Simplicity
As a new novel writer, you need two things: Simplicity and speed.
A simple yet effective book writing software will help you get used to using software for writing. Speed will make you write fast without losing focus.
Squibler is the best novel writing software that is simple and speedy at the same time that helps you complete your novel fast. It works for non-fiction books, too.
It's free to use Squibler. Not sure if it is right for you? Give it a try.
The major features and benefits of using Squibler are discussed below.
Notes
Squibler allows you to take and store notes for your writing project.
Notes can be anything from random brainstorming to character sketches. Whatever it is you want to have around, it will be organized for you within your Squibler project. You can add tags to your notes for better organization and management.
Outlining
Learning how to outline a novel with Squibler is is easy. Whether you like to keep things minimal or go full detail, you can do it with Squibler. Organizing outline files in your project is fairly simple. They will be kept out of the way but will be easily accessible when needed.
Writing
Once the research and outlining are done, it’s time to get writing. This is where Squibler really shines.
It allows you to divide your chapters into different documents while keeping them together in your project. This allows you to move around and make changes as per need without running the sequence. There is no pressure to keep things in chronological order because you can just drag and drop to rearrange later. No scrolling, copying, or pasting is ever needed.
You can also create separate documents for scenes. Scenes can be moved between chapters or they can be written but kept out of place for a while until you decide a suitable place for them.
Efficiency
Squibler’s entire design is centred on the idea of efficiency. The goal is to help you write you fast.
I am sure you know how hard it is to write your first draft as a writer. It can sometimes take months or even years to get through it.
Squibler eliminates this writing challenge by making everything easier for you. With an efficient and user-friendly design, you can spend all your time on writing without worrying about the organization, management, editing, ordering, outlining, research, etc. Squibler handles everything for you.
Squibler Pricing
Squibler offers the following plans:
- Free trial – enjoy the 14-day trial period which provides basic features (creating drafts, customizing templates, sharing options, etc) for free.
- Squibler Pro (monthly plan) – use its advanced features by upgrading to Squibler Pro for $9.99 per month (billed monthly).
Claim your free trial today.
2. Scrivener: An All-Round Novel Writing Software
There is book writing software for almost everything from the broadest of categories to the most specific tasks. If you are looking for a versatile and not a specific writing software like Squibler, Scrivener is your best bet.
Scrivener can do a lot of things and it has a special set of advantages for writers of long-form fiction. You can buy it at a one-time price of $45.
Is Scrivener really the best novel writing software for you? Let’s find out.
Organization
Scrivener is a master at keeping you organized.
If you work on multiple writing projects at a given time (I’m sure you do), you will love this writing tool. Each project will involve outlines, research, notes, brainstorming, etc. Scrivener keeps all files and documents associated with a project in the same folder. One place for everything.
This is sure to keep your “projects” file clean, lean, and organized.
Research
Good novels require some level of research.
The level of research may vary, but you will definitely need to do research for your novel. Readers will relate better to your story when things are logical and believable. You need your readers to trust you if you want them to enjoy your novels.
Scrivener gives you a space within your project for all your research, then let's your organize it with index cards. It is kept out of the way but still accessible. Each project has a “binder” which lays out all sections in an organized and easy to follow way. You can create multiple documents for different areas of research.
Scrivener also allows you to import existing files for research and reference purposes. You can also keep track of links, images, and notes.
Outlining
Once you know how to write a novel, the next thing that you should know is how to outline a novel. And that’s where Scrivener fits.
You can create and manage your novel outline hassle-free.
Everyone has a different outlining style so it can be hard to pinpoint a process that will work. If you don’t know what you like to do, you will just have to go through some trial and error. Regardless of how you end up doing your outline though, Scrivener is there to help.
Plain Outlines
Outlining becomes easy with Scrivener.
You can store your outline like research by using documents and keeping them under an “outline” section within the binder. If you like seeing things in list form, this will work best for you.
It is also helpful if you like to keep everything in one central place. You can create a new document for each chapter outline, or each character, whatever works for you.
Cork Board
It is a digital cork board that functions and appears much like a real cork board. You can pin virtual note cards to a screen that looks like a cork board.
Each note card is a small rectangle that has a scroll feature. This means you can include as much information as you want on one card while keeping it small and compact.
The cork board is great for those who are more visual. You can lay out your entire novel right in front of you with the cork board. A popular way to do this is to create a note card for each chapter and set them in proper order. They can be rearranged easily by dragging and dropping.
You can create note cards for characters, scenes, settings – anything really. The cork board is extremely versatile and will suit the needs of almost everyone in one way or another.
Create Targets
Scrivener allows you to set goals and targets for your novel.
This is a great motivator for those who struggle with writer’s block or procrastination. There are two types of goals you can create with Scrivener:
1. Project Targets
This is a word count goal for your entire project. It is hard to know exactly how long a novel will turn out to be. But you can predict a general ballpark and set the goal.
For instance, 80,000 words is a common novel length. You can make a more educated guess if you already have a detailed outline created.
2. Session Targets
This is a small goal that you can set each time you sit down to write. Maybe you have a couple of hours and you want to bang out 1500 words. You can create a session target with that number and Scrivener will start tracking you.
The targets are tracked in a small box that can be kept on the screen in a corner and out of the way. A progress bar will slowly start to fill up as you will work. As you will get closer to completion the bar will go from red to green.
Watching your progress increase and seeing that bar go green is a satisfying reward for your efforts. It keeps you going if you get stuck or lost.
Novel Templates
There are several Scrivener templates available to choose from. A lot of these templates are creates for novelists.
Scrivener comes loaded with a few basic templates. If you need more templates, you can download them free and upload to your dashboard. There are tons of high-quality free templates available out there.
I have covered numerous Scrivener templates in this post.
A fully comprehensive template will have everything you need to write your novel seamlessly. Others will focus on one area. If you have a certain weakness that needs improvement, there is a template that will allow you to work on it while offering assistance.
Here is a list of types of templates that you can choose from:
- Story structure templates
- Outlining templates
- Plot Point templates
- World building templates
- Character sketching templates
- Instructional templates
- And many more
Scrivener Pricing
Here are the plans offered by Scrivener:
- Free trial – you can download this version if you don’t have the license for Scrivener and use it for 30 days.
- Full version – purchase the standard ($49) and educational license ($41) for your Mac and Windows. You can buy Scrivener for your iOS devices for $19.99.
You can also purchase discounted bundle plans for MacOS and Windows priced at $80.
3. Scapple: Novel Writing Software Aid for Brainstorming
Are you more interested in a book writing software with a narrower and focused approach that lets you brainstorm and manage your novel easily?
Scapple is the novel writing tool you need.
It is a special-purpose novel writing software that helps you brainstorm and manage your notes and ideas in a clean interface.
It comes with a free trial so you can try it for free. It will cost you $14.99 should you need to purchase its full version with all the features.
Mind Maps
Are you a fan of mind maps? If so, you will love Scapple.
You can create mind maps easily with this amazing writing software that will help you how to write a novel and how to finish it quickly.
Scapple allows you to create digital mind maps and brainstorming notes. You can then store these notes on your computer to import elsewhere.
You can use mind maps to bring ideas and themes together in a cohesive way visually. It helps you get rid of the chaos during the ideation and writing process.
Here is an example of how your mind map will look like:
Scapple is an easy-to-use tool. Once you open the program, you can click anywhere on the blank document to create a note. You can create unlimited notes and put them wherever you want.
Notes can be connected to each other by dragging them around. You can customize shape and structure of the notes easily.
No hiccups. It’s fun and interesting.
Scapple Pricing
Scapple offers the following plans:
- Free trial – download Scapple for free and enjoy a 30-day free trial.
- Paid version – buy the standard license ($18) and educational license ($14.40) for your MacOS and Windows systems.
4. ProWritingAid: Novel Writing Software Aid for Editing
Knowing how to write a novel is one thing and having it edited is something else. You cannot go without editing your novel.
And when it comes to editing your novel, the best software is none other than ProWritingAid.
It is an editor that provides both grammar and style corrections and suggestions. It has a free version with limited features. You can only check 500 words at a time with the free version. This can be tedious and annoying if you are trying to edit a long project. The premium plan starts at $60 per year. You can get lifetime access for as low as $210.
Upgrading to the premium version has several additional benefits such as:
- A downloadable desktop app to work offline.
- No word limit.
- Real-time grammar and style checking.
- Integrates with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Chrome, and Scrivener.
- It provides 25 different writing reports on each piece of analyzed writing.
Writing Reports
This is one of the best features of ProWritingAid. It looks at your writing from 25 different perspectives which cover all styles of writing – including fiction.
The reports you will get once your writing has been analyzed are discussed below.
1. Writing style: This will highlight instances of passive voice, adverbs, and repetition.
2. Grammar: Misuse of commas, sentence fragments, and incorrect use of tense are some of the grammar issues it will pick up.
3. Overused words: It finds words that are overused and ineffective.
4. Clichés and redundancies: Finds clichés within your text and suggests how they can be removed. Redundancies are things like “She clapped her hands.” The mention of hands is unnecessary as hands are (most likely) the only thing anyone would be clapping.
5. Sticky sentences: Identifies sentences that may feel or sound awkward due to unnecessary words. These sentences can interrupt the flow and make readers feel stuck.
6. Repeats: Highlights words or phrases that are used often throughout the text.
7. Sentence length: Gives you an overall view of how long your sentences are. This allows you to see where you might want to add some variety. Changing sentence length provide a good flow whereas multiple long or short sentences in a row can start to sound redundant and boring.
8. Pronouns: Gives you a pronoun percentage. Too many can make things feel repetitive.
9. Transitions: This gives you the percentage of sentences that contain a transition. ProWritingAid suggests that at least 25% of sentences should have them.
10. Consistency: Checks for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
11. Dialogue tags: Excessive use of dialogue tags can slow the pace of your story. (Lucy shouted and Cassie said are examples of dialogue tags).
12. Readability: This report provides a score for your piece in 4 different ways based on certain guidelines. You can compare it to the specific guidelines and see how it stacks up.
13. Vague and abstract words: Identifies words that are abstract, vague, or otherwise ineffective. Depending on your intended audience, it may be better to stick to simpler words that are easily identified and understood by all.
14. Thesaurus: A report that will suggest possible replacement words – it is only programmed for shorter pieces, however.
15. Diction: Identifies complicated writing and suggests ways to fix it.
16. Alliteration: Alliteration is when multiple words in a row begin with the same letter. It can be effective in some instances but it should not be used excessively. This report highlights all uses of alliteration.
17. Homonyms: Checks for words like break and brake – they sound the same but actually spelled differently.
18. Corporate wording: Language that is complex and fancy… too much of this can sound pretentious and unnecessary.
19. Complex words: It identifies words that contain three or more syllables. You can then decide if any should be simplified or replaced.
20. Eloquence: Identifies some stylistic techniques.
21. Combo: This simply allows you to pick which of the reports are most helpful and relevant to you so you can more easily utilize them.
22. House style: This is a feature that allows you to create your own rules within ProWritingAid. For example, you can tell it to check for a word you know you have a habit of overusing.
23. Plagiarism: Points out any duplicated material so you can change it or properly credit the information to the source.
This list of reports may seem long and tedious – and that’s because it is. However, if you take the time to pay proper attention to each one, it will benefit you in many ways. You will be able to optimize your novel and improve it to a great extent.
If you make a habit of using and reading these reports, you will improve and become a better writer. You will begin to take notice of the mistakes you make repeatedly. You will learn what makes your writing sound great and what makes it sound clunky.
Eventually, this will become second nature and you’ll be writing it correctly the first time around.
ProWritingAid Pricing
ProWritingAid has the following subscription offers:
- Monthly – $20/ month
- Yearly – $79/ year
- Lifetime – $299 (one-time payment)
Monthly users can switch to yearly subscription and save 67%.
5. AutoCrit: Word Processor for Better Writing
AutoCrit is an incredibly useful editing software with a unique purpose. This novel writing software analyzes your writing for originality. It begin by checking for simple grammatical errors that are crucial for great writing:
- Repetition
- Pacing
- Vague dialogue
- Weak sentences
- Poor grammar
AutoCrit is special in the sense that it goes beyond these basics and focuses on the overall success of your book. It takes your genre into consideration and compares your work to that of professional authors who are already published. It tells you how to stack up while ensuring you aren’t copying anyone.
If you have a particular well-known author whose writing style you really enjoy and wish to emulate, AutoCrit will help you with this too. Select from a list of highly recognized authors and receive customized recommendations for your writing.
This is an amazing tool if you’re pursuing self-publishing. Even if you’re interested in going the traditional route, it is still helpful as it shows you how your writing stacks up to the professionals.
AutoCrit Pricing
AutoCrit offers the following plans:
- Free – don't pay a dime to get access to the basic features.
- Professional – $30/month
- Annual Professional – $297/year
Join AutoCrit for free.
6. Evernote: Writing Program for Note Taking
Do you like taking notes during the writing process? Do you like to keep things organized? If so, you need to use Evernote.
Evernote isn’t essentially a novel or book writing software rather it is an app to create, manage, and organize your notes across multiple devices.
It helps you take notes on the go. It is simple, feature-rich, easy-to-use, and an effective note taking app.
You can keep multiple notes in a single notebook with Evernote. This is ideal for novelists as you can create multiple notebooks each for a different writing project. You can create a separate notebook for each novel that you are working on.
Evernote comes with a free version that allows you to create awesome notes but you can also subscribe to the premium service for $9.99/month.
The notes you can create with Evernote have a lot of different options and capabilities. In addition to all the usual formatting options (font, bold, italics, bullet lists, etc.) a note can do a lot of cool things:
- Include direct links to anywhere on the web.
- Insert the entire webpage or sections of a webpage with the web clipper extension.
- Tag notes for easy organization and searching.
- Import content from Microsoft OneNote.
- Export as HTML or webpage for use with other services and programs.
- Attach files from your computer right into the note.
- Print your note or convert it to PDF.
- View note history.
- Share a note with an individual or on social media
You can enjoy additional benefits if you upgrade to a paid plan:
- Monthly upload limit increase from 60MB to 10GB.
- Maximum note size increase from 25MB to 200MB.
- The number of devices that can be used goes from 2 to unlimited.
- Offline access is available on desktop and mobile (mobile not available with basic).
- Increased customer support access through email and live chat.
Evernote Pricing
Evernote offers the following plans:
- Basic – this is a free plan.
- Premium – $7.99/ month with a free 30-day trial period.
- Business – $14.99 per user per month with a free 30-day trial period.
Sign up for free.
7. Dramatica: Novel Writing Software for Character Development
Character development is a crucial element of any novel. Regardless of the story’s focus, characters are always important. It is generally recommended that you create your main character(s) well before you begin writing. Adding character sketch in the outline will help too.
But how you get better at character development? What software to use?
The simple answer is: Dramatica.
Dramatica is a novel writing software that focuses on characters and their development. It helps you stay consistent with your characters in terms of their personality, actions, and decisions.
The software allows you to map out the narrative for each individual character with in-depth detail. You can plot their milestones and crucial moments and keep track of how they relate to the theme of your story.
The idea is to let you create and follow your story from the perspective of your main character. These detailed but flexible character profiles help eliminate plot holes and inconsistencies as you are able to see the whole picture from all sides.
Dramatica doesn’t just help with character development and management rather it also suggests improvement based on your theme.
Perfect Your Structure
Dramatica has what they call a “Master Story Engine” which picks the exact structure of your story. This goes beyond the few basic or typical structures rather it is pulled from a database of over 30,000 unique variations of your story’s structure. Their algorithm can quickly identify what elements of the story and the structure are most important for the writer.
Dramatica Pricing
Dramatica offers the following plans:
- Dramatica Story Expert (for Mac) – starts at $139.95
- Dramatica Pro (for PC) – starts at $119.95
Visit Dramatica for details.
8. Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor that offers a suite of productivity features. Most writers are already familiar with this tool. That means the learning curve maybe non-existent for you.
In Word, you can use headers to organize your chapters and a navigation pane to go through them. Moreover, Microsoft Word offers many templates and basic grammar correction functionality. With the online version, you can collaborate with co-authors and editors, making this an exceptional tool to use for writing a novel.
Better yet, most writers and editors still prefer Microsoft Word. This means you're more likely to find an editor who will want to work with you if you started writing your novel on the platform.
Microsoft Word Pricing
Here is the pricing list for Microsoft Office:
- Family – $79.99/ year or $7.99/ month with a free 30-day trial period
- Personal – $59.99/ year or $5.99/ month
- Student – $119.99 one-time purchase.
- Business – starting from $5 to $8.25 per user per month
9. Grammarly
Grammarly is a grammar checker and one of the best writing programs for ensuring your grammar is mistake-free. It's free to use with unlimited documents. It works through a Chrome extension that enables these corrections anywhere you write on the web whether that be on another platform like Squibler or Google Docs.
Grammarly Pricing
Grammarly offers the following plans:
- Free – enjoy the basic features for free.
- Premium – upgrade to the premium version for $29.95/ month (billed monthly), $19.98/ month (billed quarterly), and $11.66/ month (billed annually).
10. Ulysses
Ulysses is a Mac-based writing program and word processor available in the Mac OS and iOS app store. It syncs files to Apple’s iCloud, which means it works with a good part of Apple's ecosystem.
Ulysses has one Library for all of your documents, full version history of revisions, and the ability to strip away menu options for distraction-free writing. Moreover, you can use Ulysses to export your work in Plain Text, PDF, HTML, Markdown, DOCX, and EPub.
The downside is there are no templates and collaboration features. As a result, many writers may favorite it for note taking over using it as a book writing software.
Ulysses Pricing
Ulysses offers the following plans:
- Student license – $10.99 for six months ($1.83/ month)
- Monthly plan – $5.99/ month
- Yearly plan – $49.99 ($4.17/ month)
Try Ulysses for free.
Choose the Best Novel Writing Software Today
These are a list of the best writing software which are sure to help you write your first novel that readers will fall in love with.
It should be noted that a writing software or a book writing tool doesn’t write for you rather it helps you write better. The purpose of using these software and tools is to get organized, improve writing speed, and get things professionally.
These tools simplify novel writing which is a complicated and complex task.
Download your favorite novel writing software form the list above, sign up for a free trial, explore software and its features, figure out how it will help you in the writing process, and if it turns out to be a decent match, switch to premium plan.
Good luck.
Writing a book is hard. I’ve written seven books and at some point during each one I had the thought, “There has to be a tool, a piece of book writing software, that would make this easier.”
Bad news/good news: writing a book will always be hard, and the best piece of writing software in the world won’t write your book for you. But the good news is there is book writing software that can make the process a little easier.
In this post, we will cover the ten best pieces of software for writing a book and look at the pros and cons of each.
Click the links below to get our review on the best writing software.
Best Writing Software: Contents
Worst Pieces of Software for Writing a Book
First, though, let’s cover software you should avoid, at least while you’re writing a book:
- Video Games. Especially World of Warcraft (always always always!) but also Solitaire, Sudoku, Angry Birds, and, for me right now, Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.
- Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Media Software. Do I really need to say more? Fortunately there’s a piece of book writing software for avoiding this very distracting software (see Freedom below).
- Other Productive Software Not Directly Associated With Your Writing. Yes, it’s good to reconcile your bank account on Quickbooks or make sure you’re up to date on your calendar app, but responsible, well-meaning work can easily be an excuse for a quick distraction that turns into a major distraction from writing your book.
Set aside time for your writing every day and then stay focused!
If you need a game, make writing your daily word count your game.
If you want more “likes” on social media, imagine how great getting five-star reviews on your book will be.
If you need to check your bank balance several times a day, think about what your bank balance will be when you stop checking it constantly, finish your book, and become a successful author.
The 10 Best Pieces of Book Writing Software
No piece of writing software will write your book for you, but these ten will help. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each.
1. Scrivener (Word Processor)
Scrivener is the premier book writing software. It is made by writers for writers. Scrivener’s “binder” view allows you to break up your book into chapters and sections and easily reorganize it. Project targets let you create word count goals and then track your progress daily. Its composition mode can help you stay focused by removing all the clutter. Plus, it allows you to format for publishing (e.g. on Amazon or Barnes & Noble).
There are some problems with Scrivener. Formatting is more complicated than it needs to be and collaborating isn’t easy, meaning it loses its effectiveness as soon as you bring on an editor. But it more than makes up for that by being so helpful in the early stages of the writing process.
In fact, we believe in Scrivener so much, we published a book about how creative writers can write more, faster using it. It’s called Scrivener Superpowers. If you’re using Scrivener or want to save yourself time as you learn how to use it for your creative writing, you can get Scrivener Superpowers here. The next edition comes out on Tuesday!
Cost: $49 for Mac, $45 for Windows
You can get a copy of Scrivener here, or learn more about how to use the software with one of these resources:
- Scrivener Superpowers by M.G. Herron
2. Google Docs (Word Processor)
While Scrivener is the best book writing software, once you get to editing and getting feedback, it begins to fall short.
That’s why Google Docs has become my second go-to piece of book writing software. It’s free, very easy to use, and requires no backups since everything is in the cloud.
Best of all are its collaboration abilities, which allow you to invite your editor to the document and then watch as he or she makes changes, tracked in suggestion mode, and leave comments on your story (see screenshot below).
Cost: Free!
3. Google Sheets (Spreadsheet)
If you’d told me when I was first trying to become a writer that one of my most-used tools in my book writing software toolkit would be a spreadsheet, I would have told you I didn’t major in English to have to use a spreadsheet.
But now, as I’m finishing my twelth book, I realize that I’m using spreadsheets almost daily.
Spreadsheets allow you to get a sense of the elements of your book at a glance, and when you’re working on a 300-page document, distilling it down to useable information becomes very necessary.
You might use spreadsheets for:
- Character tracking
- Scene lists
- Outlines
Google Sheets is perfect for this because it’s free and you can quickly share your documents with your writing partners, editors, or beta readers to get feedback. Microsoft Excel is another great option, but for writers, I suggest Google Sheets.
Cost: Free!
4. Vellum (Book Formatting/Word Processor)
If you want to turn your book into an eBook, it’s not that hard. Scrivener, Word, Pages, they all can make eBooks. But that doesn’t mean they’ll look good. In fact, it takes a lot of skill and effort to make an eBook look good on any of those word processors. That’s why I love Vellum so much.
Vellum makes beautiful eBooks.
Vellum picks up where Scrivener, Word, and Pages leave off, giving you a tool to make great looking eBooks every time.
The most important part of this is the previewer (see the image below), which lets you see how each formatting change or book edit you make will appear on Kindle, Fire, iPhone, Nook, and other eReaders.
It also has stripped-down, option-based formatting, which is perfect for designing eBooks.
I really love this app!
UPDATE: Vellum recently expanded into formatting for paperback books! I haven’t tried it yet but it looks awesome!
Cost: $199 for eBook generation, $249 for Paperback Formatting
5. Freedom (Productivity App)
One question writers always ask me is, “How can I stay focused enough to finish what I write?”
I have too many thoughts on this for this article, but as far as writing software to encourage focus, I recommend Freedom.
Freedom allows you to block your biggest distractions online, including both websites and mobile apps, for a set period of time. So when you mindlessly escape your book to scroll through Facebook, you’ll find the site won’t load.
You can also schedule recurring sessions, so that at a scheduled time (e.g. Mondays from 6 am to 10 am), you won’t be able to access the sites on your blocklist, even if you try.
There are other apps like this that we’ve written about before, notably Self-Control for Mac and StayFocused for Windows. But Freedom goes further, allowing you to block sites on both your computer and your phone, and enabling recurring sessions.
You can learn more about how writers can get the most out of Freedom on our review here.
Cost: $29 / year for Pro version, which I use and recommend (Free trial available)
6. Microsoft Word (Word Processor)
Again: no piece of book writing software is going to write your book for you. If you’re looking for the next “shiny new toy” to help you write your book, it might be an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of writing.
Most of us learned how to use computers by using Microsoft Word, or a program like it. Word gets the job done. Sure, Scrivener is a little better for books, but I wrote my first book on Word and it’s fine.
I wrote a long review of the pros and cons of using Word to write books—the main problem is that as your document grows, it becomes more and more difficult to work with, whereas with Scrivener, it becomes easier—but the point is, if Word is what you have, don’t let that stop you from finishing your book.
As Jeff Elkins said in his review of Word, “If you aren’t already putting in the hard work to be the kind of writer you want to be, it doesn’t matter what new writing software you invest in. It is not going to help.”
Cost: $69 / year from Amazon (includes Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and other Microsoft software)
7. Ulysses (Word Processor)
When I’m writing for a long time, I like to get up and go for a walk. Sometimes, I wish I could continue writing while I walk. Other times, I come up with an idea while I’m walking, type it up on my phone, and then want to easily move what I wrote to my laptop without having to go through the hassle of emailing it back and forth to myself.
That’s where Ulysses comes in.
Ulysses is a word processor for Mac that allows you to sync between all your devices, so you have what you need wherever you are. Scrivener recently released their iOS app which allows you to do this as well, but the process is clunky and requires you to purchase both the desktop and iOS apps. Ulysses’ sync makes the process much more seamless.
Like Scrivener, it has a binder-like sidebar that allows you to move documents around. Ulysses is not designed specifically for books so it takes a little configuring to make it work for you, but once you have it set up the way you want it’s very intuitive.
And while I hate Markdown, I actually like the paired-down formatting options Ulysses gives. Overall, I’m not going to convert from Scrivener to Ulysses any time soon, but I think it’s a great option for most writers.
Cost: $45
8. Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheets)
As Jeff Elkins says in his review of Microsoft Excel, it’s great, but “it’s a little like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight. You will need only a small fraction of its capability.”
If you have Excel and love it, great. Otherwise, use Google Sheets, especially if you’re sharing your sheet with a collaborator or editor.
Cost: $69 / year from Amazon (includes Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, and other Microsoft software)
9. ProWritingAid (Grammar/Spell Check)
Can book writing software replace an editor?
Definitely not. But if you ask Alice Sudlow, our in-house editor, she’s tell you, “If you don’t have access to an editor (or if you do, but you don’t want to hire them to edit your emails or Facebook posts), grammar checking software like ProWritingAid is an accessible, affordable alternative.
If you struggle with grammar, sentence structure, spelling, or even writing style, ProwritingAid can help. It goes far beyond your built-in spell-check.
You should still learn grammar skills, but ProWritingAid can help you start to see the patterns and grow as a writer.
There’s a free version that’s very good. It can even be installed into your browser or Word processor, so you can check your grammar wherever you write. The paid version, just $60 a year (less than half of what Grammarly costs), gives you additional support on sentence structure, style, and vocabulary.
Learn more about how writers can get the most out of ProWritingAid here.
Cost: Free! (Premium version is $60 / year)
10. Hemingway App (Grammar/Style Checker)
Most writers think their sentences are easier to read than they are. You think you’re coming across clearly, that your writing makes sense, but then someone reads it and comes away with something totally different.
Hemingway App helps with that.
Hemingway App is a free website that checks readability. You can copy and paste your writing into the website’s input box. Then it will grade your writing based on your used of adverbs, passive voice, and sentences as units.
Hemingway App is useful, but even the best book writing software can’t replace a good editor.
Cost: Free!
The 7 Tools Every Writer Needs
Every professional has a set of tools at their disposal that not only makes their job possible, but makes them better at doing it. Writing is no different, and while the right software is important, it’s just one of the many tools you need as a writer.
That’s why we published a free 22-page eBook, 7 Tools to Help You Write a Novel. In this short guide, we’ll cover some of the basic tools that form the foundation of a writing life.
You can download it for free here. Enjoy!
The Most Essential Book Writing Software
Imagine it’s three thousand years ago. You’re sitting around a campfire with some of your family and friends, tired from the day’s work. You begin to tell a story. It’s one you’ve told before, told a hundred times. You can see faces around the fire, the children with their eyes wide, the men and women who have heard the story before but still enjoy it because it brings meaning to their lives.
Best Writing Tools For Mac
Storytellers—writers—have existed since the beginning of humanity. They didn’t always have book writing software. They didn’t have the printing press or the internet. They didn’t always even have the alphabet to write their stories down.
Instead, storytellers had their imaginations, their voices, and a rapt audience.
You don’t need book writing software to write a great story. Book writing software can make the process a little faster or easier, but the truth is great stories will always exist, no matter what kind of software we have.
The only three things essential to writing a great book:
- Your imagination
- Your words
- A desire to tell your story
That’s all you need. Do you want to write your book? If you do, then do it. Write it. Nothing is stopping you except you. So go get writing.
What pieces of book writing software do you use? Let us know in the comments.
PRACTICE
The world is full of powerful software to help you write your book. In the end, though, all these tools are just that—tools. The stories you imagine and your discipline to put the words on the page are far more important.
So for this practice, set aside all the fancy software. Eliminate all the bells and whistles and open up your computer’s native text editor (TextEdit for Mac or Notepad for Windows). Take fifteen minutes to write without any distractions. Continue your work in progress, or start a new story based on this prompt:
A student discovers one of their teachers is not what they appear to be.
Mac Tools Jobs
When you’re done, share your writing practice in the comments. And if you share, be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!
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