book writer app

A powerful free writing tool from Reedsy Write and export a beautifully professionally typeset book

Write and typeset a beautiful book.

The Reedsy Book Editor - A powerful book production tool.

A beautiful production tool that takes care of the formatting and conversion, before you have even finished writing.

Simply, beautifully

With a professional

Export to PDF & ePub

“But I’m happy with MS word.” – is not an excuse

Do your book a favor and use a tool built for book production, a simpler way to write.

A beautiful interface built for distraction-free writing. Our formatting toolbar makes it easy to apply styles as you write. When it comes to typesetting, consistency is key. Learn more about how to format your book here .

Collaborative editing

Say goodbye to managing chapter revisions with your editor and co-authors by email. Work together on your manuscript in real-time, tracking changes, editing prose and making comments. (Coming soon)

Distribution ready

Exported files are ready for instant distribution to ebookstores, distributors and POD services such as Smashwords, IngramSpark, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple iBooks and Kobo Writing Life.

Professional assistance

Finished your draft and looking for an editor? Luckily, we have a marketplace for that! Bring in expert assistance, and work with them directly on your manuscript. Effortlessly.

Powerful features that will transform the author-editor relationship

Track changes

These advanced features are coming soon! For more information, check out our FAQ

Professional themes, perfect for ebooks and print

Authors and publishers no longer need to rely on expensive typesetting processes. Now you can produce a beautiful book in seconds, for free!

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Fiction writing for real people.

• Plot (if you’re that kinda writer)
• Write (focused and organized)
• Edit (we've got sticky notes)

‍ Online+off, computer+mobile, autosaved, organized, focused.

Huge features. Tiny learning curve.

(The entire Lord of the Rings series – including The Hobbit – has 576,789 words.)

Writing a book is challenging. Your writing tool shouldn't be.

Act on your inspiration with access anywhere.

Never lose a word with our cloud-based writing tool that lets you access (and save) your story anywhere.

Organize your ideas and plan plot points

Develop your characters, plot your novel, and setting with feature-rich plotting and notation tools.

Become the writer you want to be

You were made to create. Dabble was made to help you.

Do it all with Dabble.

Don't let your word processor drag your process down.

Ironically enough, traditional word processors weren’t designed for writers. Dabble’s book-writing software was developed for writers, by a writer.

Avoid plot twists with online/offline backup.

We love a good horror story, but our software for book writing ensures you don’t experience one. Cloud and local storage work double-duty to make sure you never lose a word.

Rely on your writing tool.

We believe that an app for writing a book should be fully equipped to support you at every stage of the writing process – from plotting storylines and character development to your daily word count.

Everything you need to love the process:

Backup and sync to the cloud, seamlessly.

Drag and drop scenes and characters.

View story notes while you write.

Set word count goals and deadlines.

See dabble in action.

Fiction without the friction.

Dabble is the best app for writing a book. Here’s why writers of all genres rely on Dabble to bring their story to life:

" I just felt something was missing in the set up of how I was writing. And I found Dabble and guess what? I have started writing again!!! It is like night and day for me. It is absolutely brilliant how they have designed this. " Tony

" i wanted to thank you again for providing the interface and functionality i wanted. scrivener was too complex and syncing was fraught with peril. novlr lost my stories. " lorene, " i just want you to know how awesome i think dabble is. this is a really worthwhile app for any writer and while it is geared towards the novel would be useful for any long form writing. this is a fantastic product." jessica, "i just want to let you guys know that i am in love with my experience with dabble. i look forward to writing just to see my stuff laid out in front of me." anna, "dabble remains my new favorite thing. i spent last night trying out every browser-based novel-writing tool in existence. and i'm back here with dabble this morning. :)" doug, "so far it has been wonderful it motivates me to take things one step at a time with creating my first novel" mariah, "i love what you are doing and have already signed up to continue past the free trial. this product gives me so much flexibility and peace of mind. just knowing if my computer goes belly up that my work is safe is an enormous thing. so thank you and i can't wait for the goal tracker" terri, ready to dabble.

Start writing now with a 14-day free trial that comes with access to all Premium features. Lifetime plans and student discounts available.

Start writing and stay organized. Save 20% with an annual subscription.

Fully develop your plot and story. Save 20% with an annual subscription.

The choice of writers on a publishing track. Save 20% with an annual subscription.

Let your story unfold.

Our latest articles:.

Google Docs is easy to use and great for collaboration, but is it the best program for authors? Here are some great Google Docs alternatives if your old go-to just isn't cutting it anymore.

Want to try your hand at writing a movie? Learn how to get started with this quick guide to screenwriting.

In self-publishing, the author holds all the power. Here's how to wield yours to sell more books and build a sustainable career.

A quick look at Dabble's latest update and the many splendid new features.

Book Writing Software (2024): Top 10 for Writers

by Joe Bunting | 21 comments

Writing a book is hard. I've written fifteen 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 it easier to reach my writing goals.”

The good news is there  is  book writing software that can make the writing process and meeting your daily goals easier!

(The better news is that once you've found the right software, we have the best resources to help you finish your book, like this book idea worksheet , which will get you started on your book in just a few minutes. Get your free copy here. )

In this article, 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

• Google Docs
• Google Sheets OR Microsoft Excel
• ProWritingAid
• Publisher Rocket
• Microsoft Word
• Bonus: Note Taking Apps
• Bonus: Google Drive OR Dropbox

Worst Pieces of Software for Writing a Book

Before we discuss writing software that will help you write a beautiful book, it's important to understand (and eliminate) what will hurt your writing progress. At least while you're writing a book:

• Video Games.  Especially World of Warcraft (always, always, always!) but also Solitaire, Sudoku, Angry Birds, Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, and Wild Rift/League of Legends.

• Facebook, TikTok, 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). You can't write a book if you spend you writing time publishing social media posts.
• 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. Now let's talk about some book software for authors that can help you with your book writing process.

The 10 Best Pieces of Book Writing Software

First, there is no such thing as the perfect book writing software. No amount of key features or book writing templates or editing features will write a book for you. Still, these ten book writing software options can help. Take a look at the pros and cons of each:

1. Scrivener (Word Processor)

Scrivener  is the premier book writing app made by writers  for  writers. Scrivener's “binder” view allows you to break up your book into chapters and sections and easily reorganize it with drag and drop interface.

You can also get a high-level view of your book using the corkboard and outliner modes, allowing you to view book chapters, sections, or individual scenes as index cards. 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.

Scrivener has formatting features for publishing (e.g. on Amazon or Barnes & Noble), as well as basic features for distraction-free writing, and has templates for novels, nonfiction books, screenplays, and more.

You can read our  full Scrivener review here .

To be fair, Scrivener also has its weaknesses. 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 (we recommend Google Docs for collaborating).

You can sync with your iPhone/iPad, but only through Dropbox, making it not as easy as it should be. It also has something of a learning curve, especially for its advanced features. But it more than makes up for that by being so helpful in the early stages of the writing process. Again, here are the pros and cons for Scrivener.

Pros of Scrivener:

• Easily manage a large book writing project (or screenplay) in the binder view
• Get a high-level view of your book's structure using corkboard and outliner views
• Manage your writing productivity with project targets and deadlines
• iPhone and iPad app

Cons of Scrivener: 

• Formatting can be overly complicated
• Learning curve
• ​Syncing with Dropbox isn't always easy
• No Android app

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 a tutorial to save yourself time as you learn how to use it for your creative writing, you can  get Scrivener Superpowers here . You can also learn more about how to use the software with one of these resources:

• Scrivener Superpowers  by M.G. Herron
• 3 Reasons I Love Scrivener
• Microsoft Word vs. Scrivener

Cost: $59.99 for Windows, Mac

Scrivener  is the premier book writing app made by writers  for  writers. It's powerful set of tools allow you to write, organize, edit, and publish books.

• Easily manage writing projects
• Made by writers for writers
• Corkboard and outliner views
• Project targets and deadlines
• iPhone and iPad app
• Complicated formatting
• Steep learning curve
• ​Syncing isn't always easy

2. Dabble (Word Processor)

Similar to Scrivener, Dabble is a word processor that gives you the power to organize and rearrange scenes and chapters using drag and drop, manage your word count goals to keep to a deadline, and plot like a pro. (Screenshots seen here are in the optional dark mode.)

Dabble has a plot grid that allows you to easily see a macro view of your story. You can rearrange as needed, find plot holes easily, and make notes on each plot point as detailed as you like. 

Collaboration is easy. You simply add a co-author and they will be sent an invitation. They must also have a subscription or they will only be able to read the document. 

You can insert images in any scene or note, or add title images to chapters or full page images within or between chapters. You can even set cover art for the manuscript. 

Focus mode in Dabble is automatic. Simply start typing and everything else fades away. No need to worry about saving every few minutes either.

Dabble is cloud-based and automatically saves as you go. You can access your manuscripts everywhere: in your browser, on your phone, or in the desktop app. As you're writing, you can make notes and comments.

Don’t want to type? You can dictate. And when you’re done writing, there’s a Read to Me feature that reads your manuscript to you!

Cost : Subscription plans range from $10/month to $20/month; Lifetime access cost is $499; 14-day free trial 

Dabble is a word processor designed specifically for books. It gives you the power to organize and rearrange scenes and chapters using drag and drop, manage your word count goals to keep to a deadline, and plot like a pro. 

• Easy Learning Curve
• Streamlined collaboration
• Cloud-based syncing
• Built-in Dictation
• Easy Exporting
• Word count targets and deadlines
• Plotting tool
• Subscription service
• Lifetime access cost is high
• Only simple formatting options

3. Google Docs (Word Processing)

While Scrivener and Dabble are a great book  writing  software, once you get to editing and getting feedback, it begins to fall short. That's why Google Docs has become my go-to piece of book writing software for collaborating with editors, beta readers, and other writers.

It's free, 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 they make changes, which are tracked in suggestion mode, and leave comments on your story (see screenshot below).

I also like the outline feature in the left sidebar. You can display it by clicking View > Show Outline. Then format the chapters and main sections of your manuscript as headings to make them appear in the document. You can then easily visualize and even click through your book to navigate it. This feature isn't as useful as Scrivener and Dabble's binder, but it makes navigating your book much easier.

While not the best for brainstorming, writing, or organizing your book, Google Docs, the free word processor available in Google Drive, is the single best word processor for collaborating with co-writers, beta readers, or editors.

• Real-time collaboration with editors, beta readers, or other writers
• Suggestion mode
• Outline View
• Few large-document organization features
• No productivity features
• Usually requires an internet connection

4. Google Sheets OR Microsoft Excel (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 fifteenth book, I realize that I use 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
• Breakdown of scenes
• A Foolscap/Beat sheet

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 Excel lacks the real-time editing with other users and is overall lacking in the collaboration functions. Still, if you already have Excel, it's a great way to quickly get started plotting your book or managing your project.

• Real-time Collaboration : Work with editors, beta readers, or co-authors in real-time.
• Speed : It's fast and responsive, which is useful for quickly developing an outline or managing a project.
• Cost-effective : It's so cost-effective it's free!
• Handling External Spreadsheets : Managing spreadsheets from other sources like Excel can be annoying.
• Internet Dependency : Although there's an offline mode, the overall experience is better with an internet connection.

• Familiar : If you already own or have used Microsoft Office, it should be familiar to you.
• Advanced Feature : Excel is slightly more powerful than Google Sheets (although for most writing related tasks, you will likely not need advanced features).
• Offline Access : Unlike Google Sheets, Excel doesn't require an internet connection, which is handy for working on-the-go.
• Cost : Unlike Google Sheets which is free, Excel comes with a cost as part of the Microsoft 365 Office Suite.
• Collaboration : Although Excel has collaborative features, they're more streamlined in Google Sheets.

5. Vellum (Book Formatting/Word Processing)

If you want to turn your book into an eBook, it's not that hard. Scrivener, Word, Pages, they all can format eBooks and print books. But that doesn't mean they'll look good. In fact, it takes a lot of skill and effort to format a printed book that looks good on any of those word processors.

That's why I love Vellum so much.

Vellum makes beautiful books.

Vellum picks up where Scrivener, Word, and Pages leave off, giving you a tool to make great looking eBooks and print books, usually in under an hour. 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 both eBooks and print books. I really love this writing app!

Vellum is a book formatting tool to quickly and easily create beautiful eBooks and print books, often within an hour. It features a book previewer which allows you to see how your book will look on various eReaders and in print, and offers a simplified, option-based formatting to format beautiful books faster.

• Ease of Use: Easy to navigate and use, even for inexperienced writers.
• Quick Formatting: The simplified, option-based formatting lets you create books in as little as an hour.
• High-Quality Aesthetics: Delivers visually beautiful books.
• Book Previewer Tool: View how your book will appear on various eReaders as you work.
• Platform Limitation: Restricted to Mac users.
• Style Restrictions: Limited design and styling options can be a drawback for some.
• Cost: Higher price point compared to some other formatting software.

6. ProWritingAid (Grammar/Spell Check)

Can a grammar checker replace an editor?

Definitely not. But if you ask Alice Sudlow, our in-house editor, she'll 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), software that performs grammar checks like  ProWritingAid  is an accessible, affordable alternative.”

If you struggle with grammar mistakes, sentence structure, spelling, or even writing style, ProWritingAid can help. It goes far beyond your built-in spellcheck. 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 $96 a year with our discount link (33 percent less than Grammarly ‘s price), gives you additional support on sentence structure, style, and vocabulary. Learn more about how writers can get the most out of ProWritingAid here .

• Grammar and Style Correction: Gives "as-you-type" grammar corrections as well as comprehensive style analysis to help you write clearer, more engaging prose.
• Writing Insights: You can learn a lot about your writing style with their detailed reports on readability, sentence structure, and more.
• Integration: You can integrate it with nearly any other writing tool or word processor..
• Subscription Cost: While more affordable than other options, there is a subscription cost for for full access.
• Overwhelming Feedback: Not all the feedback is useful, and without knowledge of the book writing process, you may get distracted by the amount of feedback.
• Internet Requirement: You must have an internet connection for most types of feedback.

• Easy to Use: User-friendly design (slightly more easy to use than ProWritingAid in my opinion).
• Spell-Check and Grammar Check: Detailed spelling and grammar check functionality.
• Goal-Setting Feature: It can help you tailor suggestions based on writing goals.
• Broad Integration: Works with many platforms (the Google Docs integration isn't very good though).
• Cost: While the free plan is robust, the premium plan is more expensive compared to ProWritingAid.
• Google Docs Integration: Lacks a fully functional integration.
• Big Picture Feedback: Does not provide as much overarching edits and style-based feedback as ProWritingAid.

7. Publisher Rocket (Book Marketing App)

How do you know if your book will sell? Wouldn't it be nice to know if there is a market for your book  before  you start writing? How do you find the most readers on Amazon for your published book? For all of these questions, Publisher Rocket has an answer.

Read our  full Publisher Rocket review here .

Publisher Rocket a book marketing research tool that helps you understand what readers actually want  and  how to connect with them with your books. Here are some things you can discover in Publisher Rocket:

• What phrases Amazon buyers are actually searching for.
• The psychology of how readers choose to buy books.
• How much money readers are spending on certain niches and topics.
• How much money specific books are making per month (for example, books that might be competing with yours).

I've personally used Publisher Rocket to take mid-list books to #1 bestseller status on Amazon. It's an amazing tool, perfect for anyone working on a book.

We also like KD Spy, another Amazon research tool (check out our review here ). You can compare and contrast the two tools below:

• Target Popular Keywords: Helps writers find specific phrases readers are using on Amazon to discover books.
• Market Understanding: Offers a clear view of what books are competing with yours (and how many sales they make, historically).
• Category Identification: Find the most relevant Amazon categories for your book.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works on both PCs and Macs.
• Learning Curve: May require some time and education to fully utilize all features.
• Cost: One-time purchase required.
• Amazon-Centric: Tailored for Amazon, may not be as effective for other platforms.

• Amazon Category Research : Analyze Amazon book categories to understand competition and profitability.
• Keyword Tools : Provides niche and seed keywords to help in market understanding.
• Competition Snapshot : Ability to get an overview of your competitors.
• Traffic Light System : Visual cues to understand keyword difficulty and category competitiveness.
• Limited Keyword Data : Doesn't provide Amazon search numbers.
• Browser Extension : Limited to browser usage, not a standalone software.
• Basic Keyword Tools: Keyword functionalities are quite basic compared to Publisher Rocket.
• Dependent on Amazon : Insights are tailored for Amazon, may not apply to other platforms.

8. Atticus (Book Formatting/Word Processing)

Once you've  written  your book, how do you turn it into something people can actually  read ? If you're self-publishing, you need a tool like Atticus.

Atticus is a book formatting and word processing tool that allows you to take your manuscript and quickly and easily format it for publishing, including print and eBook formats.

But Atticus is more that just a formatter. It's an all-in-one solution for writers, giving you the organization features of Scrivener, the cloud collaboration features of Google Docs,  and  the book formatting abilities of Vellum. Yes, that's just as cool as it sounds!

It also works on all platforms, whether you're working on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or even Linux. While I still love and use Vellum (see below), the benefit of Atticus is that it works for everyone, not just Mac users. Learn more about Atticus in my full review.

• All-in-One Solution : Combines writing and formatting capabilities seamlessly.
• Multi-Platform Availability : Available on PC, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook.
• Cost-Effective : Priced lower than some competitors like Vellum while offering similar capabilities

Cons: 

• Learning Curve : While intuitive, mastering advanced features may require some time.
• New Software : Being relatively new, it might have fewer features compared to established software, with some desired features planned for future updates.
• Crude Formatting : Out of the box formatting options aren't as refined as Vellum and will require more tweaking.

Atticus is a complete book writing and formatting tool that merges the capabilities of an online word processor with plug-and-play book formatting features. It can function as a one-stop solution for authors, with collaboration tools between authors, editors, and book designers, to take your book from idea to finished, publishable product.

9. 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 that for this article, but as far as using writing software to encourage focus goes, I recommend Freedom. It's my favorite writing tool for a distraction-free writing experience.

Freedom allows you to enter focus mode, blocking your biggest distractions, 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 .

Freedom is a productivity app that can help writers in stay focused by blocking distracting websites and mobile apps for a designated period or during specific schedules, like during your morning writing time.

• Distraction Blocking : Helps you concentrate on writing by blocking distractions.
• Scheduled Focus Sessions : Schedule your focus mode in advance for recurring undistracted writing sessions.
• Mobile Device Syncing : Getting it working with mobile devices can be a bit challenging.
• Bypass Possibility : It's possible to find ways around its blockers if one tries hard enough.

Cost: $29 / year for Pro version, which I use and recommend (there's also a free trial available)

10. 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.

You don't need a fancy tool to plan a book in the early stages, like if you draft a character description for your protagonist, or in the editing stages, like if you want to make comments on scene details.

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.”

Microsoft Word is the industry standard word processing software. While limited in its features for writing books, it provides a familiar platform for writers to create, share, and review their work.

• Familiar Interface : Known and used by many, making collaboration easier.
• Extensive Features : Provides a wide range of writing and formatting tools.
• Cost : Requires a subscription to Microsoft 365.
• Lack of Book Writing Features : Despite its extensive feature set, it lacks specialized tools for book writing included with applications like Scrivener or Dabble.
• Lack of Real-Time Collaboration : While it offers some collaboration features, it falls short in real-time collaborative editing compared to some cloud-native applications like Google Docs.

Cost: $69 / year with Microsoft 365 (includes Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and other Microsoft software)

Note:  Another word processor we can't recommend is yWriter, which while it has a cult following and was designed by a fellow novelist, seems to be out of development and has no support for Mac/OSX.

BONUS #1: Google Drive OR Dropbox (Cloud Backup)

There's nothing worse that finishing a great writing session and going to save your work, then your computer crashes and you discover you've lost your best writing. It's enough to send any writer into the throes of grief and depression. There's a simple solution, though: save a copy of ALL your writing to the cloud using Google Drive, Dropbox, or BOTH.

Here's my process:  I have all my Scrivener book files saved on a folder on Google Drive on my computer. Then, Scrivener automatically backs up every few minutes to a Dropbox folder. That way, I know I will always have the document I need, no matter what happens. Best of all, both of these apps have free plans, making it extremely foolish NOT to use them.

Pros of Drive:

• Universal cloud backup
• Automatically syncs
• Free or inexpensive

Cons of Drive:

• Setup is a bit tricky the first time
• Maybe you WANT to lose your writing when your computer crashes

Cost: Free with Paid options

Sign up for Google Drive here »

Sign up for Dropbox here »

BONUS #2: iOS Notes OR Evernote OR Ulysses OR Bear (Note Taking)

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 find myself brainstorming ideas while I'm not at my computer, typing it up on my phone, and then wanting 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 note taking apps like Ulysses and Evernote come in.

iOS Notes, Ulysses ,  Evernote , and  Bear  are note taking apps that allow you to sync between all your devices, so you have what you need wherever you are, ideal for jotting down ideas or thinking through your book while you're out and about.

While Scrivener recently released an iOS app which allows you to sync between devices, their process is clunky and requires you to purchase both the mobile and desktop apps. These note taking apps make the process much more seamless.

Like Scrivener, they all have a binder-like sidebar that allows you to move documents around. None of them are designed specifically for books, so they may take a little configuring to make it work for you, but once you have one set up the way you want, it's very intuitive.

And while I hate Markdown, a markup language that allows you to format your text, I actually like the paired-down formatting options Ulysses and Bear give, especially for brainstorming. Overall, I wouldn't convert from Scrivener to any of these apps, but as supplements, they work great.

Pros of Evernote:

• Sync notes between devices
• Write as you go
• Capture ideas

Cons of Evernote:

• Free plan is limited
• Becomes clunky as you get more notes
• Better for note taking than managing a large writing project

iOS Notes  Cost: Free with any iOS device

Get the app here »

Evernote  Cost: Free with Paid options

Ulysses Cost: $45 Note: Ulysses is only available for Mac, either in the App Store or from their website.

Bear Cost: $1.49 monthly / $14.99 yearly Note:  Bear is also only available for Mac, either in the App Store or from their website.

Bonus #3: Hemingway App (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 (sometimes called Hemingway Editor) 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.

Pros of Hemingway:

• Fast, easy style advice

Cons of Hemingway:

• Somewhat arbitrary advice
• Hemingway himself would fail

Cost: Free!

Try out Hemingway App here »

The 30+ Tools Every Writer Needs

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 list of all of our favorite tools for everything related to being a writer.

You can  download our tools for writers guide for free here .

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.

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. Y

ou 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
• 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 .

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.

When you're done, share your writing practice in the Pro Practice Workshop . And if you share, be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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21 Comments

Dragon NaturallySpeaking software. Following a comprehensive beat sheet (created in a screenwriting format), I dictate into MS Word. Grammarly sits to the side. 1000-2000 words a day. Requires a larger screen (mine is a modest 24″) and some computing horsepower. Very effective.

Good one! Personally I use dictation every once in a while, but it’s not my thing. Glad it’s working for you!

What is the type of writing you do? And when your ready to publish how does it work? Do you send a file containing the said work or print off, etc?

I just purchased ProWriting Aid. Its editor, grammar, sentence structure and readability scales. There’s a free app but i wanted the pro. I’m excited about this. I’ve had scrivener on my computer for 2 years and still use word. Learning Scrivener is overwhelming to me.

My practice from my current WIP:

“Please, Captain, may we take his body? Merk did have family.” Harper twisted his cloak in his hands.

“Aye. Do that.” Adam walked to the door, tapping the flat of the sword against his hand as he walked, doing his best to insure the blade touched the plate as little as possible. As he passed the bar, he grabbed the waiting pitcher of ale.

Outside, he found Carter leaning against the tavern wall, staring up at the moon. Without looking over, Carter spoke. “Come to arrest me?”

Adam snorted and passed him the pitcher. “No. Not for killing that filth. You know why his bounty was so high so quickly, right?”

Carter took a sip of the ale. “He carried it with him.”

“Gods, no. He built it entirely here.” Adam leaned against the wall of the building opposite of Carter. He pulled a small pouch and rolled a cigarette. “He killed the governor’s daughter in an argument.”

Carter looked over at his friend. “I thought the Thieves’ Guild didn’t go for killing?” “They don’t. They only took him on as a favor to his previous guild.”

“Let me guess: Assassins.”

Adam pointed at Carter. “Got it first try.”

He offered the cigarette to Carter who declined with a raised hand. Putting it between his lips, he patted his pockets. Carter leaned forward and snapped his fingers, producing a flame for the cigarette. Adam drew in a bit of smoke and nodded at his friend.

“Thanks.” He exhaled a pleasant smelling ring of smoke and glanced at Carter’s empty hand. “You can do magic now?”

“No.” Carter shook his head. “This is due to a minor cantrip on a scroll.”

This was cool and pulled me right into the story. Good work!

My personal favorite is Microsoft Word. It’s easy to use and I’m comfortable with it.

Here’s my practice. I’d appreciate comments/feedback! —

Julia finally slammed into the ground at the bottom of the steps. Swallowing back a sob, she pushed up on her hands and knees and cringed at the shooting pain in her shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the fall.

“Get back here, you little brat,” Sean shouted behind her.

A gasp shuddered into her lungs and she leapt to her feet and broke into a sprint up the sidewalk. She looked over her shoulder. He was still behind her. He shoved people out of his way and kicked over a baby stroller as he charged toward her.

Julia clamped a hand over her mouth as the baby in the stroller wailed. The woman who’d been pushing the stroller righted it and hushed the baby, stroking its head.

Julia kept pumping her legs, but nausea swished in her stomach and a sharp ache started in her chest. How could Sean treat people like that?

She’d probably never know the answer.

Cutting down an alleyway, Julia darted through puddles from the recent rain and chugged quick breaths.

Sean’s yelling voice echoed behind her. “When I get my hands on you I’m going to finish what I started.”

Breathing hard, she yanked herself to a stop by the rung of a ladder and lunged onto it, taking the rungs two at a time. She was shaking. Sean had tried to hurt her once. She wouldn’t let him do it again. Not without fighting back this time.

The ladder quivered and she stopped climbing to stare down between her shoes. Sean ascended, his hands quick on the rungs, his cold blue eyes swallowing her.

A gulp of air rolled down her throat and she pulled herself up faster. She kept her eyes focused high, fixing them on the handles at the top of the ladder. Memories slid their tentacles into her mind. Images of Sean looming over her, holding her down. Her own voice pleading.

Tears welled in Julia’s eyes and she blinked them away. She just had to focus on going up. To the roof. Once she reached it, she could either go into the building through a roof entrance or she could jump to the next building. She’d make it. She had to.

Julia curled her tired, chafed fingers around the vertical handles at the top of the ladder and hauled herself up onto the roof.

Then a hand clamped around her ankle.

I personally use a combination of my notebook, Google docs, Grammarly, Hemmingway editor, and thoughts and critiques from my writing friends. Best thing about paper: it doesn’t have internet.

So true! I find that I can write faster on a computer, but I love the focus you get from writing on paper.

It helps me, sometimes, I think, to feel the words as I write them, which I don’t get when I type. It does make it more of a pain to edit, though it does make it harder to permanently delete whole sections of writing and start over from scratch.

I use Scrivener to write and format my books and recommend it though the learning curve is steep if you want to take full advantage of all its features. But I would recommend the following items.

Pro Writing Aid does so much more than Grammarly. Checks for style, diction, overused words, and things I’d never even heard of before I started using it. there is a free version but the paid version which syncs with Scrivener is a less expensive subscription than Grammarly.

Excel is so limited. I’d recommend Airtable. It is far more flexible and I use it for everything from characters, to accounting, to research, tracking promotions, reviews and more. There are templates for authors. It is intuitive and will do just about anything you want. Support is excellent. Airtable is has a free version (which is all I need), sharable and collaborative.

Then there is Aeon Timeline for plotting and planning. It helps keep your story in order. It is flexible, customizable, and syncs with both Scrivener and Ulysses. It is not expensive and not a subscription, pay once and it is yours.

Rescue time has a free version that helps you track your time spent on various tasks and websites and is useful to prove to the IRS that you are indeed a full time author.

I use all these things daily in my writing. Check them out. They will probably help you too.

I would recommend using FocusWriter to block out any notifications and other programs which are running

Thanks for the great article. I use Google Docs right now and will check into some of the resources you recommended. I am an Astrologer and am writing my first basic Astrology book. I wasn’t clear whether the free handout for novelists would be appropriate for this project, and would appreciate your feedback.

The Hemmingway App no longer free. But $19.99 isn’t much to pay.

Wattpad (which isn’t on the list) is a very good writing site.

Have you had a look at The Novel Factory? Full disclosure, it’s made by me and my tiny team – but it’s starting to really get traction as we get so much positive feedback about how it’s helped people make progress like never before…

Another one you might like to try is http://wavemaker.co.uk It’s new and helps with the planning stages in particular. Disclaimer- I wrote it, but thought you’d like to have a look at least.

For free versions, try One Note. I’ve been using it for years.

I want to write a technical book that would be formatted such that it would be like a textbook and have horizontal bars that would separate topics. I need the ability to repeat essential elements of techniques repeatedly and denote them in various fashions. Any software come to mind for that?

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12 Best Apps for Writing a Book

Millie Dinsdale

Table of Contents

Features to look for in writing apps, list of best apps for writers, how to select the best app for writing a book.

Writing and editing a book is time-consuming and mind-consuming. A writing app can make the process a bit easier.

Book writing apps can help with everything from ideation, to planning, to drafting, to structural editing, to line editing, to proofreading.

But with so many options on the market, how do you know which writing app is the best one for you?

Here are our top 12 favorite apps for writing a book. For each app, we have assessed the price, features, usability, integrations, and any notable additional resources.

There are many features that are universal to good writing apps, such as an intuitive UI, basic grammar and spell checking, and formatting options. But there are others that are unique to each app, and they will be useful for certain writers but not others.

Working out what features will be useful for you is the first step in choosing a book writing app. Here are a few features for you to consider.

Rephrasing tools can help you simplify, extend, or improve your original ideas. They can also provide inspiration and save authors from writer’s block.

Plot Timelines

Timelines that jump around without explanation are difficult to follow and mean that the reader is less likely to become immersed in the story.

Plot timelines make it easier for writers to prevent this from happening.

There are many forms a timeline can take, from tagging to a full visual timeline. Work out if this is a feature you need and then decide how it would best work for you.

Dialogue Checks

Dialogue can make or break a fiction book.

Dialogue checks can help you track your dialogue tags and ensure they are showing rather than telling. They can ensure you use quotation marks consistently, and some software can even assess if a piece of dialogue matches your character’s profile.

Character Tracking

Imagining a character is difficult when their descriptions change throughout the story or series. If their eyes are emerald green in book one, and sky blue in book three, readers may become confused.

There are character tracking features that allow you create consistency in character descriptions across books in a series.

Customizable Dictionary

A customizable dictionary allows you to add terms that would not normally be recognized. This is especially useful for writers who have created their own language or those who include many made up names or places.

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is a novel writing app and editing tool that can help take your manuscript from draft to publish-ready.

The tool offers 20+ reports you can use to help your writing shine. The repeats report keeps your writing engaging. The readability reports provide suggestions to cut vague words, replace clich é s, and remove sticky sentences. Plus, there is a thesaurus, consistency checker, and much more.

In addition to this, you can also see in-tool articles, videos, and quizzes so you can learn and improve your writing experience as you go.

With a Premium Pro license, you also get access to Sparks, which is an AI generative tool that provides more options than almost any other software on the market. With Sparks, you can improve fluency, summarize text, add sensory descriptions, expand from notes, make present or past tense, add dialogue, quotes, emphasis, counter-arguments, and so much more.

Integrations : Windows, Mac, MS Word (Windows & Mac), Google Docs, Scrivener, Final Draft, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

Price : ProWritingAid has three pricing options: free, Premium, and Premium Pro. The free version allows users to access 20+ reports with a 500 word limit. The Premium plan has an unlimited word count, and it costs just $10 a month. The Premium Pro plan comes with 50 rephrases a day and costs $12 a month.

Conclusion : ProWritingAid is a brilliant all-around writing tool for novelists that helps with the drafting, editing, and proofing stages. Try it for free today.

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Novlr is a writer-owned creative writing app.

The features on offer include a basic writing interface, organizational features, statistics tracking, the ability to set motivational goals, style help, and export options.

There are also free courses and guides available that help writers to improve their craft.

Integrations : Online only

Price : There are three basic plans available: starter, plus, and pro. Starter is free and gives you access to five projects. The paid version, Plus, costs $5 a month and gives you unlimited projects, plus the ability to comment. Pro offers some additional features that are powered by ProWritingAid, including a proofreader, thesaurus, and advanced grammar and style checks.

Conclusion : Novlr is a lightweight tool with a clean, easy-to-use interface, which is a great option for writers looking for a lighter-touch tool.

Atticus is a writing app created by Kindlepreneur. It works online and offline and helps with writing style and formatting.

The writing feature is a word processor with a few novel-specific features, such as chapters and covers.

The formatting feature is where Atticus really shines. There are templates and a custom theme builder you can use to format your book, and then you can publish on Amazon, Apple Books, and more.

Integrations : Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook

Price : There is only one plan available, and it is a lifetime plan. It costs $147 as a one-time fee to format an unlimited number of eBooks and books for print.

Conclusion : Atticus is one of those tools that is good already but will clearly be great in the future. It’s an affordable way to format your book, but for now, you will still need some complementary writing tools in order to give your story the best chance.

Bibisco is a book writing app designed for authors.

It allows you to create a novel structure, use mind maps to track relationships, organize your world-building, visualize your story timeline, and analyze chapter lengths and the points of view throughout.

You can also set writing goals, including words per day and words overall, and track your progress in the app.

The tool is available in 15 languages, including English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, and more.

Integrations : Windows, Mac, and Linux

Price : There are two plans: community and supporters. The community plan is free and allows you to create unlimited projects. The supporters edition is a one-time payment that also includes mind maps, dark theme, distraction-free mode, and more.

Conclusion : This is a great option for writers that are just starting out and who have a limited budget. 

Srivener is a writing app that helps authors write books, and many authors swear by it. It’s designed for fiction and non-fiction authors and screenwriters.

It offers features like book bibles, character management, plot tracking, formatting and exporting options, and more.

One of the most popular features on offer is the goals and tracking feature, which is especially useful during NanoWriMo. You can set overall writing targets, or targets for a particular session, and there is a handy bar available to track your progress.

Integrations : MacOS, Windows, and iOS

Price : There are two licenses available: a standard license and an educational license. Each license is for lifetime, and they both cost under $50 each. The licenses are specific to MacOS or Windows, so if you would like both, you will need to purchase two licenses.

Conclusion : As long as you are okay with a steep learning curve and minimal learning resources, then Scrivener is a brilliant piece of software with some innovative features and an excellent price.

The Novel Factory

The Novel Factory is a novel writing software that helps writers from outlining to writing.

It has features that help with outlining, plotting, character creation, world-building, writing, and word count tracking. It also has a variety of templates in different genres to help writers plan their novels.

One of the most useful elements of the writing app is the organization. Keep all your notes on characters, plot, and the world in one place, making it easy to search through later.

Integrations : Windows, Mac, Android, iPads, and iPhones

Price : There are three plans: basic, standard, and premium. The basic plan allows you to write one novel a year and costs $75. The Premium plan is designed for writers who publish multiple books a year, and it costs $600.

Conclusion : The Novel Factory is a useful tool for writers of general fiction. However, if you are a non-fiction author, or if you need advanced world-building help, there are more suitable writing apps out there.

Ginger is an AI-powered writing app and proofreading tool designed for all types of writers.

The tool offers basic grammar and spell checking (which you can accept and correct in bulk), a translator, a rephraser, text-to-speech, and more.

The translator is the feature that sets Ginger apart. It allows you to translate into 50 languages, plus it can proofread text in those languages, too.

Integrations : Microsoft Office, Gmail, Chrome, Safari, Edge, desktop, mobile apps, and more

Price : There are six plans: free, monthly, quarterly, annual, 2-year, and teams. The monthly plan is $19.99, and the 2-year plan is $120 overall. The team plan is $4.99 per month per member. Each paid plan offers the same features.

Conclusion : It’s a top choice for English second language (ESL) creative writers because of the translator, but for native English speakers, it doesn’t have as many advanced features as some of the other writing tools on this list.

Fictionary is a writing app and editing software that is specifically focused on developmental (or story) editing.

The tool has 15 different insights, including blurb and synopsis, story arc, word count per scene, characters, and story map.

One of the best things about Fictionary is the onboarding. There are tutorials and articles to help you use every single feature, so you will get the most out of your purchase from day one.

Integrations : Microsoft Word, Safari, and Chrome

Price : There are three subscriptions: StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium, and StoryCoach. Each subscription is available to purchase on a yearly or monthly basis. The cheapest plan allows you to edit three manuscripts at a time and costs $19 a month. The most expensive plan is $396 a year and is designed for professional editors.

Conclusion : Fictionary is an excellent tool in a writer’s arsenal, especially if you are a visual learner, but it is not a stand-alone software. You will also need a tool like ProWritingAid to help you with line editing and proofreading.

QuillBot is a writing software that is designed for students and working professionals.

QuillBot offers seven features: paraphraser, grammar checker, co-writer, plagiarism checker, summarizer, translator, and citation generator. The best known of these features is paraphrase, which has a variety of modes to suit your needs, including standard, fluency, and creative.

The tool is available in over 20 languages, including English, Spanish, German, and French.

Integrations : Chrome, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and more

Price : There are two plans available: free and premium. The free plan is limited and gives users an idea of what the tool can do. The premium plan includes all the features and is available in three different payment plans: annual, semi-annual, and monthly. The annual plan costs $99.95 a year, and the monthly plan totals to $239.40 a year.

Conclusion : Quillbot is a popular tool for students and business writers, but the features aren’t optimized for creative writers.

Ulysses is a mobile writing app designed specifically for apple users. There isn’t currently a Windows integration.

It has a clean UI for distraction-free writing. The tool also offers dark mode and full-screen writing mode, so you can customize your experience.

It also has brilliant features for organization, including filters, which allow you to find content quickly. Keywords allow you to categorize work, and groups allow you to collate work — for example, different levels of draft for the same writing project.

Integrations : Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Price : There are two plans: personal and business. The personal plan can be shared with up to five family members, and it costs $39.99 per year. The business plan is priced per user and offers the same features as the personal plan.

Conclusion : Although the features are useful, similar ones are available for free in other tools. But if you struggle with organization and like to help everything in one place, it may be worth trialing.

Vellum is a book formatting desktop app, designed for writing projects, available on Mac only.

It offers import capabilities, different book styles, book set creation, previews, layout and design options, eBook generation, and print generation.

The most popular feature in Vellum are the eight book styles. All you need to do is select a style, and the software will change the headings, quotations, paragraph breaks, body text headers, footers, and more.

Integrations : Mac

Price : There are two plans: Press and eBooks. With the eBook plan, you can format eBooks, and with the Press plan, you can format eBooks and paperbacks. Both plans are one-time purchases.

Conclusion : Although it is an intuitive software, there are now other tools that offer more for less.

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is a paraphraser, text editor, and grammar checker.

It can fix punctuation mistakes, help with formatting, and allow you to set up your own style guide. Premium users also have access to unlimited rephrasing, whilst free users are limited to five per day.

Additionally, LanguageTool works in over 25 languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Italian —a lthough it doesn’t offer the option to translate any text.

Integrations : Chrome, Edge, Google Docs, Firefox, and more

Price : There are three plans: free, premium, and teams. The free plan offers basic features, with the advanced features behind a paywall. The premium plan offers four payment intervals, with the cheapest being the two-year plan, and the most expensive being the monthly. The team plan is priced per number of users and offers additional features like team style guide and dictionary.

Conclusion : LanguageTool’s price is on the lower end, and it offers a fair selection of features. However, the lack of a plagiarism checker, tone checker, and structural reports means that creative writers may need to carry out additional edits.

When selecting any software, including book writing apps, consider the price, features, integrations, and ease-of-use. These four elements are the base of any software, so let’s look at each one in more detail.

On our list, the prices range from free to $600 a year, so there’s something for everyone.

We recommend you select your budget before picking a tool, as you don’t want to fall in love with a tool before realizing it’s too expensive.

With hundreds of tools on the market, each with a unique mix of features, there will be a tool that fits your requirements. To help you find it, ask yourself:

Do you want paraphrasing features?

Are you looking for character and plot tracking?

Would you like formatting and exporting options?

Do you need advanced grammar and spell checking?

Integrations

Where do you write, and do you want your new tool to work with your current software?

Integrations can speed up onboarding and reduce the learning curve of a new tool, so it’s important to check what’s available before purchasing.

Some of these book writing tools are fairly easy to learn, and others have a steep learning curve with more complex features.

Consider whether you prefer a tool that allows you to jump right in or if you’re willing to invest time in learning.

If your chosen tool is complex, double-check it has the resources and support you need to get up to speed.

If you’re looking for a tool that can help you with every aspect of the book writing process, from ideation, to drafting, to editing, to proofing, then why not give ProWritingAid a try?

Not only do we offer a trial money-back guarantee for our yearly and lifetime memberships, but we also offer a free plan that will allow you to test our 20+ reports on up to 500 words of your text.

Millie is ProWritingAid's Content Manager. A recent English Literature graduate, she loves all things books and writing. When she isn't working, Millie enjoys gardening, re-reading books by Agatha Christie, and running.

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The Best Writing App for Authors and Novelists

Start your book, plot your screenplay, write your papers, organize your manuscripts, and export it for publishing - all in one place.

Organize and Plot Your Manuscripts Easily

Leave your word processor in the dust. Spend less time planning and organizing documents. Spend more time growing your ideas into books, novels, and screenplays.

Organize Quickly with Drag and Drop

Order and reorder your sections, outlines, chapters, and elements without the hassle of copying and pasting.

On Screen Sidebar for Notes, Goals , and more

Quickly access notes, elements, goals, comments, and more from the sidebar. Everything on one screen means uninterrupted writing.

The   Boards

No more moving files, text, and post-its to organize your manuscripts. Get a god's-eye view of your writing. Intuitively drag and drop to plot. Manage your manuscript elements . Compile your research . All in one place.

See how the boards work

Find out more about the different Boards

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We believe great writing comes from an authentic human experience. But we do believe AI can assist you in writing and barreling through creative blocks.

Our AI Outline Generator helps you structure your books effortlessly. It offers a range of templates from Hero's Journey to Romancing the Beat, to Screenplays and Academic theses. It provides a guided approach to organizing your narrative, ensuring that your stories and books are well-structured and coherent. You can feed the Outline Generator as little or as much information as you want and it will give you a plot structure and outline specifically tailored to you and your elements, with your chosen template.

Our AI does not and will never store your data, it is deleted on every session. Your data will never be used to train our AI.

Smart Text and Auto-suggest

You won’t find this in any other writing app.

LivingWriter stores all your elements and auto-suggests them in your manuscript.

As you type any character names, location, objects, etc. our editor will auto-suggest your elements.

Clicking on your elements will allow you to quickly access notes and other info for each element.

Plot Quickly with Time-Tested Manuscript Outlines

You can use the same outlines used in world famous stories and movies right inside LivingWriter. We'll lead you through each step with detailed instructions.

With our AI Outline Feature, you can even use these templates to get assistance creating a narrative just from basic ideas you haven’t fleshed out yet!

No other writing app out there will do that for you.

The outlines include, the Three Act Structure, The Hero's Journey, The Story Circle, Romancing the Beat, and many more!

See All Available Outlines

Intuitive Writing Goals and Stats

Writing goals helps you create a vision for your manuscripts. Visually seeing your goals will make a difference in your writing pace. There's no novel writing software that shows you your goals as beautifully as we do. Goals and deadlines don't have to be scary, they can be motivating!

Chapter Goals

Quickly add and update word count goals per section of your manuscript

Easy integration and support for National Novel Writing Month

Manuscript Goals

Beyond word counts, you can add deadlines to your manuscript to keep yourself on track

Session Goals

Track your word counts automatically per writing session

Keep everything in one place. Your plot, research, and elements.

With the Plot Board, you get an intuitive, modern way to organize your plot. Simply drag and drop plot points, elements, and any other plot data you want into the board. Watch your manuscript map come to life in a clear, visual way.

Outlines Board

With the Outline Board, you get an intuitive, modern way to view your manuscript. Simply drag and drop anything inside the board to rearrange your book , change up your plot or just marvel at how much you've written so far.

Research Board

With the Research Board, you can add research sections for each topic in your book. In each section you can add files, images, notes, documents, and more. Simply drag and drop to arrange and rearrange.

Elements Board

With the Element Board, you can see all the elements in your manuscript for quick editing in detailed and simple views. In addition, you have access to freeform element boards to create family trees, branching timelines, and anything else you can imagine!

Tailored To Your Tastes

LivingWriter comes in both light and dark modes. You can easily switch between them with one click. This will come in handy when you're on a writing binge at night and your eyes start to hurt. You can keep using the best writing app in the world straight through to sunrise. In addition, LivingWriter offers various color theme options so you can customize the application to look the way you want it to.

Cloud Based So Your Creativity Doesn't Have to Stop

Many writing apps out there don't link to the cloud, so you're stuck working on just one device. But we know that writing novels online , and on any device is the future. LivingWriter doesn't lock your imagination to one place. With iOS/Android/MacOS and Windows apps completely synced to the web version, write wherever and whenever.

Integrated With

Get it all out there or Share it in pieces

You're midway through your thrilling murder mystery, but you get the feeling it's not suspenseful enough. Don't worry. LivingWriter is the only novel writing software with easy sharing and co-authoring features. Share your manuscript for just viewing or allow editing.

Share Specifically

With one click of a button share your whole book or individual chapters with your friends or an editor.

Share Everything

Your notes for your chapters and elements can be shared as well.

Seamless Exports of Your Manuscripts

We make it easy to export your manuscripts in any format you’d like. Currently we offer PDF, DOCX, direct to Google Drive and Dropbox, as well as Amazon Manuscript (which gives you Amazon Manuscript sizes to send direct to Amazon KDP). Export your entire manuscript, just your elements, notes, or specific chapter, easily and intuitively.

Seamless Imports Of Your Existing Work

Wrote half of your book already? All good. Import your existing manuscripts from other programs with a couple of clicks, and see how much easier it is to finish your second half on LivingWriter. If you're coming from other writing apps like Scrivener, don't worry. You'll be able to pick up on LivingWriter right where you left off.

No Lagging , No Matter The Length

Other writing programs weren't meant to hold your 100,000 word masterpiece. You’d have to split your book up into separate docs to keep it from loading forever. With LivingWriter, each chapter and subchapter is self-contained, meaning a speedy load of your whole manuscript every time.

Never hit save again

Even if your laptop decides to have a meltdown, rest assured that your work is safe.

LivingWriter automatically saves every letter you type. Writing software that's cloud-based is the future!

Your work gets saved constantly, safely, into our Amazon Cloud Infrastructure and then we back it up for you every 10 minutes.

Our Amateur Authors and Published Authors Love

I wish I had known about LivingWriter back when I started writing! The ability to keep all my character names, ages, descriptions, etc. all organized in LivingWriter would have saved me sooooo many hours.

International Best Selling Romance Author

You’ve Found The Best Writing App!

Your work is safe.

LivingWriter works on an infinitely scalable Amazon AWS structure. No downtime or data loss ever.

Amazing Customer Service

Our staff are dedicated to improving your writing experience. Get in touch with us 24-7 to let us know how we can make your life easier.

Constantly Evolving

We've got a roadmap, but we're also always implementing new features suggested directly by our loyal writers. We're dedicated to your success. Our goal is to be the best writing app for you.

View our Roadmap

Writing Software For Fiction, Non-Fiction And Beyond!

The best writing app for fiction.

Most of our writers are spinning up fantasy, romance and science fiction stories. We've made it easy to get all your creativity and fictional elements into LivingWriter. No writing app does this better than we do.

The best writing app for non-fiction

When it comes to non-fiction we have templates for memoirs, biographies, self-help books and more. We've already had six (that we know about) self-help books published after being written on our platform!

Best writing app for world-builders

No other writing app or novel plotting software gives you the freedom that LivingWriter does. With our smart elements, beautiful board and intuitive organization, you can have your entire world built before putting down your first word.

Best software for screenwriting

You no longer have to use programs like Final Draft to write your screenplays. LivingWriter allows you to use your chapters, subchapters, and scenes with intuitive screenplay formatting. All in one writing software.

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