writing a book app

10 of The Best Apps For Writing a Book in 2024

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Do you have a great idea for writing a novel but need help knowing where to start? I am here for you!

Gathering the courage to write a book on your own seems daunting and scary, right? I know this feeling. I was there once.

The first thing to do is to find a book-writing platform with all the benefits so you can put your thoughts into words chapter by chapter.

I have explored many writing apps, and a few have stuck with me, which are good with all the essential features available. In this article, I will mention the 10 best apps for writing a book and also discuss free book-writing apps for beginners.

Have a look at the new generation of book-writing apps.

Table of Contents

How Can an App Help Me Write a Book?

There are a seemingly endless array of apps for writing a book, and they each help you solve a different writing-related problem.

Many book writing apps are designed with the physical writing process in mind. While many writers are perfectly happy sticking with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other standard word processors, these apps offer a more substantial alternative.

They provide tools specifically geared towards writing a book. For example, drag and drop chapter and scene options and character profile tabs.

Some even offer features that allow you to compare your current manuscript sections to previous versions of your work.  

Then there’s a whole host of editing apps that go much further than your standard spell checker.

They help you with every aspect of the editing process, from checking sentence structure and grammar to improving your writing tone and flow and checking for plagiarism.

Goal Setting and Focus

Some apps which are geared towards writers also focus on time management and goal setting. When you’re in the process of writing a book, it’s so easy to get derailed and let your writing practice slip.

These apps are designed specifically to help you stay on track and keep you focused, so you can reach your goals of writing a book.

In this blog post, we’ll be reviewing the best apps for writing a book in 2024. So if you’re a writer who needs a little extra help (who doesn’t?), then read on; these apps can help take your writing to the next level.

Best Apps for Writing a Book

Let’s look at the best apps you can choose to write a book. Whether you are a beginner or a pro author, these apps will provide a better writing experience.

1. Scrivener

Scrivener is one of the biggest writing apps out there right now. It works for all kinds of writing, from something as small as an email, to a full on screenplay or novel. But it’s these long form types of writing where this app really excels.

When you log into Scrivener, you’ll first choose a template that suits your project (for example, a fiction or non-fiction book). You can either begin writing directly into the interface or import your text from elsewhere.

The sidebar on the left of the screen has tabs for a variety of elements that help you organize your writing. The best part is, you can personalize these tabs to show exactly what you need, and omit everything that you don’t.

There’s an endless array of helpful tools to choose from. There’re tabs for individual scenes within chapters of your book, as well as character tabs to help with individual character building throughout the story. There’s also a handy research tracking tool to keep your research focused and applicable.

If you struggle with organization and you value attention to detail, then Scrivener could be a massive help to you when you’re writing a book.

• Work on: Mac, iOS, and Windows.
• Cost: Free for the first 30 days, after which there’s a one time license fee of $40.84 
• Perfect for long-form book writing
• Personalize the interface for your specific needs
• One-time fee rather than a monthly subscription
• Takes a while to learn how to use
• If you work between 2 different operating systems, (eg. Work laptop and home laptops), it can be hard to transfer work between them.  

For writers who use a Windows operating system, yWriter is a fantastic app that works in many of the same ways as Scrivener.

When you’re writing a book, the sheer amount of words to write ahead of you can feel pretty overwhelming. yWriter helps you to break down your writing into scenes or sections, making the whole process feel more manageable.

You can set targets and goals for yourself, such as a daily word count, and also track your character development and narrative arc using the storyboard tool.

yWriter has a huge selection of useful features and it’s reassuringly easy to use, even for new writers and people who aren’t particularly tech savvy.

Unlike Scrivener, there’s no option for story templates, but aside from that, this free app really holds it’s own, and is a great way to stay on track with your writing.

• Works on : Windows
• Cost:  Free
• Beaks down writing into manageable sections
• Great for goal setting
• Free of charge
• No story template options
• Currently only available on Windows operating systems.

3. iA Writer

iA Writer is another app geared explicitly towards book and other long form writers. It’s great for people who hate clutter and don’t want to spend a long time learning how a new app works before they get started using it.

The user interface is refreshingly sleek and simple, but it still offers plenty of tools to help you organize your writing.

There’s a syntax highlighting system that can pick out various parts of speech such as adjectives or nouns, etc. This is great for the editing process.

You can also break down your book into manageable chapters and separate them into smaller sections, which helps to keep the writing process from feeling overwhelming.

There’s also a handy dark mode to preserve your battery life and give your eyes a break after a long day staring at a screen.  

• Works on: Mac, iOS, and Windows
• Cost: Free for Android users. $8.99 for iPad and iPhone, $19.99 for Windows and $29.99 for Mac
• Simple and easy to use
• Sleek, clutter-free design
• Dark mode for tired eyes and battery preservation
• No automatic storage
• More expensive for Mac users

Ulysses is another top dog in the writing app world. It’s comparable to Scrivener, but with some important key differences.

While Scrivener requires a little extra time to learn how the interface works, Ulysses is much simpler to use. Many features offer short tutorials so it’s easy to get to grips with the various writing tools.

Another key difference in Ulysess is the use of “Markdown” formatting. For those uninitiated, this is a simple plain text language that makes writing and editing online much easier. It’s quick to pick up, and once you’re familiar with it, it will save you time in the long run.

This app also has all the standard writing app features you’d expect, including organization tools like keyword labels, daily and weekly progress trackers and daily word counters and stats.

• Works on : iOS and Mac
• Cost:  Free trial, followed by either $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year
• Quick and straightforward to get started
• Markdown formatting simplifies the user experience
• Currently not available on Windows or Android operating systems.

5. Reedsy Book Editor

Reedsy Book Editor is one of the easiest to use writing apps available right now. The interface is incredibly sleek, and there’s no messy clutter to contend with; just a super simple, minimalist design that lets you focus on one thing; writing.

This book editor has great potential, especially when it comes to formatting your work. You can insert images within the body of text, drag and drop chapters and scenes, and create a professional and polished front and back matter.

It’s also particularly useful if you’re  writing an ebook . You can format and export your work into an instantly uploadable file that is ready to submit to a publisher or print on-demand service. In fact, this is the perfect tool for anyone planning to self-publish their work.

Another stand out feature is the ability to compare your current draft to previous versions, so you can examine the contrasting versions in real time.

• Works on:  Web-only
• Sleek, clutter-free interface
• Great for formatting to publisher ready levels
• Web-only program means you’ll need an active internet connection to use Reedsy.

6. Grammarly

Even if you’re new to the world of writing apps, you’ve probably heard of Grammarly. This supremely popular grammar tool is used by writers everywhere. From something as short and simple as an email, to full-length novels and screenplays, Grammarly is a powerful editing tool.

Grammarly has a surprising amount of features for a free app, but it’s the spell checker and grammar editor that writers tend to use the most. 

Spelling errors, incorrect grammar and sentence structure are highlighted on the screen, with helpful suggestions for replacing words and phrases. The corrector also explains exactly  why  the highlighted text is incorrect, so you can pick up some extra grammar knowledge along the way.

Grammarly Premium lets you set specific goals for your writing when using the paid version of the app. Tell Grammarly your audience, desired tone and level of formality and it will analyze your text based on these markers. It also assesses how clear and easy to understand your text is, and scores your delivery and reader engagement levels.

While Grammarly doesn’t provide all of the additional book writing features found in some of the other apps on our list, it’s a great additional tool for editing your work. It’s also super handy to keep installed on your device for writing emails and other short-form documents.

• Works on:  Web and most major browser extensions
• Cost:  Basic Grammarly is Free. Grammarly Premium costs $29.95 per month, $59.95 per quarter, or $139.95 per year. Watch out for regular subscription discount offers.
• Simple to use
• Improves spelling and grammar
• Scores your text on various markers
• Web-only program means you’ll need a solid internet connection to use Grammarly
• No additional book writing tools

7. NaturalReader

Before you send your book to an editor, you’re going to want to do some thorough editing yourself.

One great way to approach the final editing process is to read the text out loud. While this is a great way to check your text’s sentence structure, flow, and readability, you can often miss key issues.

That’s where NaturalReader comes in. This editing app acts as a text-to-speech reader that reads your book right back to you.

You can choose from a variety of voices and adjust the reading speed as you wish. As the human-like voice reads your work back to you, the text is highlighted along the bottom of the screen so you can follow along and pinpoint any mistakes.

While running a whole full-length novel through NaturalReader might be too long a task, it can be a great way of checking shorter sections or running your daily writing through to check for issues with sentence structure and flow.

• Works on : Mac, Windows and Web
• Cost:  Basic version is free. One time payment premium packages vary from $99.50 to $199.50
• Reads your own text back to you
• Gives your eyes a break from looking at the screen
• Free package available
• Premium version is more expensive than many other apps on our list

Atticus is a software that allows writers to write and format a book at a lesser price than other platforms but with almost the same features.

It is a word processor and book formatting software where users can write, edit, and export their books very easily. On the dashboard, there is an option to create a new book or upload an existing one.

It is an alternative to Scrivener, where you create and reorder chapters, add images, front and back matter, and more.

Atticus has features such as cross-platform use, pre-built theme templates, create your own templates, device and print previewer, etc. It has a lot more user-friendly tools and export options such as EPUB format, PDF file, and DOCX file.

• Work On : Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebooks, Internet Browser, iOS device, Android 
• Cost: It costs $147 for a lifetime purchase. With this price, users can avail unlimited books and ebooks.
• Available on all conceivable platforms
• Affordable than other leading platforms with major features 
• Dynamic theme builder and easy to use 
• There’s no free trial option. Only 30-day money-back guarantee 
• Not all features are available as of now 

Dabble is a simple and powerful writing tool to produce quality books. It is a place where you plan, plot, and write with the story’s notes in hand for a seamless writing experience.

It helps you with plotting and editing after you have written your first draft. It also has an organized feature that rearranges your work.

It has wide availability, which means it can be used on any system, automatically updates a plot section for reference, and also has a goal-setting feature that allows you to stay on track and complete your daily word count limit.

It has a 14-day free trial and does not require initial credit card details with a minimum payment amount. You can just sign up and start.

Work On : Windows, MAC, Android, iOS, or on any browser Cost : It has 3 different subscription tiers:

• Basic: $10/month or $96/annually
• Standard: $15/month or $144/annually
• Premium: $20/month or $192/annually 
• Simple Interface 
• Good Plot Grid 
• Focus Mode 
• No Import Options 
• No Book Formatting Options 
• A Bit Pricey 

10. Squibler

Squibler is specifically designed to help people write whatever they want by using its features. It is a digital writing platform that is for fiction writers, nonfiction writers, content writers, screenwriters, journal writers, and more.

It is a centralized platform that allows drafting, organizing, managing, editing, and collaboration for your writing projects. It has built-in writing templates and export options such as TXT, DOCX, PDF, and Kindle.

One of the unique features of the platform is that it comes with an AI writing assistant called Smart Writer that can help you write a scene, a dialogue, etc. if you get stuck in between with just a few prompts.

The free version offers almost all the major features that authors need to write a good-quality book, but it limits the usage of word count and projects.

• Cost : The Pro plan charges $16 (billed annually).

Pros : 

• Smart Writer 
• Robust Free Version 
• It can be used by any type of writers 
• Limited Formatting 
• Not Fast Enough 
• Pricey 

Free Book Writing App For Beginners

For authors who are just starting out, exploring free book-writing apps is a better option. Through this, they can understand the concept better without paying fees.

There are good free writing tools available that are easy to use. I have listed a few, have a look!

Google Docs

Google Docs is a great book-writing software that is free to use. It does not have many features but is more than enough to produce a book.

It is easy to use, and beginners can explore it easily without any hassle. It is great for writing and editing and has handy tools for designing manuscripts. Google Docs is best for the writing process; you need to use other software for further steps.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is another good writing tool for beginners. It is not dedicated to only book writing; there are templates available for writing novels.

It is available for free and also has a subscription option. Beginners can use the free version to write books, and if you want, you can purchase it as well, but it is not cheap.

It is great for writing and editing your work and also has other features that will help enhance the write-ups.

Novlr is a free writing app with essential writing and editing features. It helps you stay organized, take notes, set daily and monthly goals, etc.

It also has a subscription plan, but the free version is also good, with all the basic features available to start writing your book.

It has a distraction-free mode and allows you to export written resources, a simple yet better software for beginners.

Manuskript is another free book-writing tool that has features for beginners to use. It has word count, outliners, and a novel assistant to get you started.

It does not have any major extraordinary features, but the basic ones can be good for writers who are just starting their journey.

While the authors of yesteryear had to go it alone, in 2024, there’s a whole new world of apps that can help you when you’re writing a book.

From basic spelling and grammar checkers to intricate book writing assistants that keep you focused, organized and motivated; there’s a book writing app to help make the process much easier.

Don’t let writer’s block and procrastination stand in your way. Try out these apps for writing a book today and see how your writing and focus improves.

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Book Writing Software (2024): Top 10 for Writers

by Joe Bunting | 20 comments

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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!

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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).

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20 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!

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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Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Everything you need to craft your first draft.

Get your thoughts onto the page and explore the connections between them.

Join the conversation. Ask a question or just get to know your fellow users.

What we’re working on, interviews with users, and general prolixity.

Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Scrivener combines all the tools you need to craft your first draft, from nascent notion to final full stop.

Scrivener takes tools familiar to writers everywhere and integrates them in new and exciting ways.

Start a new chapter: Scrivener 3 is now available for macOS and Windows.

No matter what you write, Scrivener brings together all of your notes, research and writing so that it's always at hand.

For writing. And writing. And writing.

Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won't tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.

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Grow your manuscript your way.

Tailor-made for long writing projects, Scrivener banishes page fright by allowing you to compose your text in any order, in sections as large or small as you like. Got a great idea but don't know where it fits? Write when inspiration strikes and find its place later. Grow your manuscript organically, idea by idea.

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See the forest or the trees

Whether you plan or plunge, Scrivener works your way: hammer out every last detail before typing a word, or carve out a draft and restructure later. Or mix your methods and do a bit of both. In Scrivener, everything you write is integrated into an easy-to-use project outline. So working with an overview of your manuscript is only ever a click away, and turning Chapter Four into Chapter One is as simple as drag and drop.

Research within reach

Need to refer to research? In Scrivener, your background material is always at hand, and you can open it right next to your work. Write a description based on a photograph. Transcribe an interview. Take notes about a PDF file or web page. Or check for consistency by referencing an earlier chapter alongside the one in progress.

Getting it out there

Once you're ready to share your work with the world, compile everything into a single document for printing, self-publishing, or exporting to popular formats such as Word, PDF, Final Draft or plain text. You can even share using different formatting, so that you can write in your favorite font and still satisfy those submission guidelines.

Who uses Scrivener?

• Autobiographers
• Biographers
• Children's Authors
• Journalists
• Screenwriters
• Translators

I genuinely think this is the biggest software advance for writers since the word processor. Michael Marshall Smith , NYT best-selling author.

Scrivener gives you the freedom to make a mess, the confidence to know you’ll clean it up, and the semantic relationships to tie it all together in whatever way makes the most sense to you. Merlin Mann , indie writer, speaker, and broadcaster.

If there was a list of the top five greatest apps of all time in the Mac App Store, it would start with Scrivener and then there would be four other things. Andy Ihnatko , technology columnist.

As a writer's application, Scrivener is damn near perfect; it means outlines, treatments and then first drafts can be put together in the same application. Neil Cross , author and screenwriter.

Scrivener is worth every penny: quite simply, it’s the best writers tool there is. Zoe Margolis , best-selling author.

Scrivener is the biggest leap forward in writing software since the venerable days of WordPerfect, and believe me, I’ve tried them all. Antony Johnston , comics writer and novelist.

Scrivener has so many useful features, there’s almost too many to list. Mike Sussman , Writer-Producer.

I'd thought it was yet another hobby app at first but this is genuinely for working writers with real deadlines and monster workloads. Karen Traviss , #1 NYT best-selling author.

Scrivener 1.2.4 Requires iOS 12+ Release Notes

Scrivener 3.3.6 Requires macOS 10.13+ Release Notes

Scrivener 3.1.5.1 Requires 64-bit Windows 10+ Minimum display resolution 1024x768px Release Notes

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Home / Book Writing / The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024

The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024

In general, I recommend Atticus as the number one writing tool for authors. But this article is about the best writing apps for mobile devices , and Atticus is still working on its mobile capability (stay tuned). So while I would normally recommend Atticus, today I will be talking about Scrivener's mobile app, along with a few other writing apps that I categorized by their primary purpose.

Today's world is on the move. From fast food to fast cars, I'm always on the go, making mobile technologies all that much more critical. You need the best writing apps at your fingertips.

When you imagine a writer's life , you might imagine the stereotype: a pair of glasses hunched over a typewriter furiously punching keys and drowning in endless pots of coffee.

Yes, writers tend to drink a lot of coffee, but the world of writing is changing.

Many writers manage their writing projects with mobile devices.

So let’s talk about the best writing apps for those mobile devices.

What do professional writers use to write? Professional writers use a variety of apps to write their novels . Scrivener, MS Word, Final Draft, Google Docs, Plottr — there are so many great apps that bestselling writers use for their writing process.

Here are my recommendations for the best writing apps for Android and iOS. (Nearly all of them work on desktop as well, but I weeded out the apps that only work on desktop.)

• Best Writing App for Novelists
• Best Writing App for General Writing
• Best Free Writing App
• Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form
• Best Writing App for Screenwriters
• Best Writing App for Productivity
• Best Writing App for Outlining
• Best Writing App for Notes
• Best App for Text To Speech

Table of contents

• Which platforms does Scrivener work on?
• Best used for:
• Other Good Apps for Novelists
• Which platforms does Word work on?
• Other Good Apps for General Writing
• Google Docs Pros:
• Google Docs Cons:
• Which platforms does Google Docs work on?
• Other Free Writing Apps:
• Which platforms does Grammarly work on?

Other Good Apps for Emails & Short-Form

• Which platforms does Final Draft work on?
• Other Good Apps for Screenwriters
• Which platforms does Novlr work on?
• Other Good Apps for Productivity
• Which platforms does Plottr work on?
• Other Good Apps for Outlining
• Which platforms does Evernote work on?
• Other Good Apps for Notes
• Best Artificial Intelligence App: ChatGPT
• Which platforms does FromTextToSpeech.com work on?
• Other Good Apps for Text to Speech

When you use a link in this article, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps with my coffee fund (AKA writer fuel), so I can keep bringing you the content you deserve. Plus, it means I can get you exclusive discount codes!

Why Am I Qualified to Talk about Writing Apps?

Let's face it, there are many people out there that write these kind of articles by just doing some research on what others say, and regurgitating it out without firsthand knowledge of the tools in question (or worse, have AI write it for them). That's not the case here.

As someone who's been publishing books for over 13 years, I've seen a lot writing tools go up and down. Some have been revolutionary game-changers, while others haven't lived up to the hype.

However, choosing the right writing app isn't just about picking the most popular one. Each writer has unique requirements and preferences. What works wonders for me might not for you. For example, Grammarly is hugely popular, but it's not what I recommend for long-form editing.

So, in order to create a top-notch overview of the best writing apps (for mobile devices, remember), I sent out surveys to my readers, and talked to some heavy-hitting authors in the industry – many of which I have been a consultant to as well.

Based on my observations, the results from those surveys, and talking with some of the most well-known authors out there, I feel very strongly that this is a subject I can truly tackle.

So, with that, let's jump into a list of what I think are the best writing mobile apps for authors.

Best Writing App for Novelists: Scrivener

Scrivener is the best mobile writing app for novelists, for now (again, see Atticus ). It’s more organized than any other app. It’s got awesome, ready-made templates for all sorts of genres and layouts. And it works great on iPad and iPhone. (Sorry, Android users.)

What is the best mobile app for writers? Scrivener on iOS is the best app for book writers. If you've read a few of my other articles, you may already know of my absolute love of Scrivener. If I had to recommend a single piece of writing software , Scrivener would be it — including for mobile devices.

Scrivener comes with a steep learning curve because it offers so much customizability and handy features. But there are plenty of free tutorials if you ever need help.

Scrivener for iOS is great for planning, drag-and-drop organizing, and even highlighting types of words. This means you can look for adverb overuse. From corkboard arrangement to keyboard shortcuts to word count goals , this app has almost as much power as its desktop app.

(For a complete review on the desktop software, check out my Scrivener review article, complete with coupon code .)

Once you're done, you can always transfer your work over to your devices with Scrivener via Dropbox . Or you can export to DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, HTML, or even Multi-Markdown.

The only downside: The one-time price is a little steep for a mobile app ($19.99), and you have to buy a separate license for iOS if you already have a license for macOS or Windows.

If you’re an Android user, I’d try Novlr, which is browser-based, so you can use it on any mobile device with an Internet connection.

• Mac (most updated version)

(Sorry again, Android tablet/phone users.)

• $19.99 for iOS
• $49 for Mac or Windows
• $80 for both Mac and Windows licenses
• $41.65 for students & academics

Download Scrivener with this link and get an exclusive coupon code, KINDLEPRENEUR20 , for a 20% discount on your Scrivener purchase.

Follow these steps to use the discount coupon.

Scrivener is great for authors who love organization, distraction-free writing, and ready-made templates. Authors can place audio files, research files, images, and more into Scrivener’s sidebar. This means all your documents and research are in one window — it’s so convenient!

• Ulysses (Mac and iOS only)

Best Writing App for General Writing: Microsoft Word

There’s a reason Microsoft Word is the industry standard text editor: it is versatile and easy to use.

Microsoft Office’s Word works well on mobile devices, running smoothly on iOS and Android. It creates beautiful, professional documents that you can export to multiple file formats.

MS Word is suitable for general writing, but I would not recommend it for novel writing. Although it is perfect for memos, email drafts, and print-ready documents, its organization capabilities are not as robust as Scrivener, Ulysses, or other excellent writing software.

Also, its spelling and grammar checker is not as powerful as ProWritingAid or Grammarly.

MS Word is expensive, but many people can use the app without an extra cost because of work or school giving them access.

Though Microsoft Word comes with some computers, it actually costs a pretty penny:

• $139.99 for Microsoft Word by itself
• $6.99 a month for Microsoft 365, which includes Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is best used for general writing , business-related documents, and print-ready formatting options. It’s great for corporate America, journalism, students, and the like.

• Google Docs
• LibreOffice

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Best Free Writing App: Google Docs

What is the best free writing app? Google Docs is the best free writing app on Android and iOS. If you’re on a budget, Google Docs is the perfect app for everything except proofreading, novel writing, or writing without the Internet.

It lets you customize headers, spacing, fonts — all the things you expect from a professional word processor. Google Docs autosaves every change you make and saves your version history. It exceeds at real-time collaboration, making it ideal for co-authors, bloggers, and ghostwriters .

• Conveniently browser-based
• Real-time collaboration
• Trackable changes
• Autosave functionality
• Export to multiple file types
• Laggy and buggy once you get over 15,000-20,000 word count
• Google Docs proofreader is weaker than Grammarly or ProWritingAid
• You need the Internet and a Google account to access

Google Docs works on all major platforms and on most mobile devices — both Android and iOS.

• FocusWriter
• Reedsy Book Editor
• Apple Pages

Best Writing App for Emails & Short-Form: Grammarly

Grammarly’s browser app is free to use and great for making sure your emails, memos, and other short-form projects look professional and error-free.

Check out my full review on Grammarly .

Grammarly offers a keyboard that checks your spelling and grammar on mobile devices, offering helpful suggestions on how to improve whatever you’re typing.

Not many people realize that Grammarly’s browser app can download your text as a DOCX file. This is great if you need to attach a DOCX file to your email instead of putting the text in the body.

You can also download Grammarly’s browser extension. This editing tool automatically checks your grammar and spelling when on Gmail, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media sites and email sites.

Read this article on the Best Email Services For Authors , like GetResponse or MailerLite .

Grammarly’s free version offers robust proofreading features that are way better than Microsoft Word or MacOS’s built-in grammar and spelling checker.

The premium version of Grammarly is fantastic, too. It offers many more suggestions to improve your writing style, readability, passive voice, and dialogue formatting .

However, if you are paying for a premium proofreader, I’d recommend ProWritingAid’s premium version . Its web version can also export to DOCX. Check out this video where I explain how ProWritingAid’s premium version is superior to Grammarly’s.

Grammarly’s browser application and browser extension make your emails, posts, and memos more professional and error-free. It gives you confidence and lets everyone know that you are not a joke.

Grammarly is a browser-based app and extension that runs on:

Grammarly’s free version is a powerful proofreading tool that ensures your emails, memos, or Facebook ads and posts are professional and error-free.

Grammarly’s premium version offers a lot more suggestions about word choice and writing style. It has multiple pricing options:

• $29.95 per month
• $59.94 per 3 months ($19.98/month value)
• $139.95 per year ($11.66/month value)
• Grammarly Business is $12.50/month per member (minimum 3 members)
• Blog posts (WordPress, etc.)
• Social media posts
• ProWritingAid
• Text Expander
• Readable (Android only)

Best Writing App for Screenwriters: Final Draft

Screenwriting is a type of writing apart from a novel or article that is growing in popularity. Final Draft is an iOS-exclusive paid app dedicated strictly to screenwriting.

According to Final Draft’s own research, fewer than 5% of their users use Android mobile devices, so they won’t develop the Android app anytime soon.

Final Draft has a lot of great features, such as:

• Professionally formatted templates for TV, Film, and Stage Plays
• SmartType, which remembers your character's names , scenes, etc.
• The ability to export PDFs to iCloud, Dropbox , or email
• Element-based script searching
• Color-coded ScriptNotes

David Seidler, the Academy Award-winning author of The King's Speech , loves the ability to change his drafts quickly and on the go.

What app do screenwriters use to write? Screenwriters use the Final Draft app on iOS to write their screenplays.

If you're a serious screenwriter or looking to break into the biz, you should definitely consider getting this app. It’s expensive, but it is the industry standard. According to their website, Final Draft is “used by 95% of film and television productions.”

However, if you don't own an Apple device, Celtx Script is probably your best bet.

Final Draft does not intend on developing or maintaining an Android version of their app.

The full license for Final Draft 11 costs a one-time fee of $249.99, but there are usually deals you can snag to earn 20% off.

Final Draft is best used for writing screenplays, even on mobile devices. There’s a good reason it’s the industry standard for screenwriting.

• Celtx Script (for Android or iOS )
• Storyist (iOS only)

Best Writing App for Productivity: Novlr

Novlr is an aesthetically-pleasing, browser-based creative writing tool that automatically saves to the cloud. Its distraction-free Focus Mode is customizable and perfectly sets the mood for writing productively.

How do I start just writing? If you have trouble just getting started writing, consider using a productivity app like Novlr , Daily Prompt , or FocusWriter.

Features of Novlr:

• Minimalist aesthetic
• Track writing stats
• Motivational goals and positive feedback
• Organization and outlining functionality
• Writing style suggestions
• Collaboration
• Day-night color options
• Easy exporting to multiple file formats

Read my full review of Novlr here.

Novlr is a browser-based app that works on all major browsers:

• Microsoft Edge

You can save app.novlr.org to your phone/tablet’s home screen , and it works much like an application.

After a 2-week free trial, Novlr costs:

• $100/year ($8.33/month value)

Novlr is best used for distraction-free writing that encourages productivity in a plethora of ways. It is sleek, chic, organized, and syncs across all your devices.

• Daily Prompt
• Write or Die (This is a funny site.)

Best Writing App for Outlining: Plottr

With its innovative dashboard functionality, Plottr is a fantastic outlining tool for mobile and desktop. It is a browser-based app, so you can access it from anywhere you have Internet, including from a phone or tablet.

Check out my full review on Plottr .

Read my comprehensive article on The Best Software to Outline Your Book .

You can organize plot points, create colorful characters, and build your world with ease on Plottr. It even comes with ready-made templates.

Plottr offers these intuitive outline templates:

• The Snowflake Method
• The Three Story Method
• The Story Circle
• The Seven Point Plot Structure
• The Hero's Journey

Although you can use Plottr on your Mac or Windows computer, its app is very mobile-friendly. Download Plottr today!

Plottr is an app available on all major platforms:

There are 3 tiers for Plottr:

• 1 Device — $25/year or $99/lifetime
• 3 Devices — $45/year or $149/lifetime
• 5 Devices — $65/year or $199/lifetime

Plottr is best used for outlining novels , but it is an organizational tool at its heart. You can use it to organize nonfiction or even screenplays.

• The Novel Factory
• Plot Factory
• Microsoft Word

Best Writing App for Notes: Evernote

When it comes to note-taking, look no further than Evernote . This award-winning app automatically syncs your notes to every device you have it installed on (only 2 devices with the free version).

Honestly, I am so thankful for my Evernote app. I'm a big fan of jotting down fresh new ideas on my phone. But notes aren't the only thing you can save. You can actually save web clippings, video, PDF, images, GIFs, and more (with a paid upgrade, of course).

On top of that, you're able to share your notes with other people. All you need is to grant the proper permissions to a co-author, friend, or ghostwriter , and voila!

Evernote is always improving. Though I think their table function could use an upgrade, Evernote releases free updates all the time.

The free version of Evernote is robust and useful. Having the “freemium” version of Evernote is still worth getting, even if you don’t plan on spending any money on the premium version.

The premium version of Evernote is separated into 2 versions:

• Premium — $69.99/year
• Business — $14.99/user/month

Evernote’s award-winning app is best used for taking notes in many different ways on many different devices. It is intuitive, versatile, and beyond helpful.

• Simplenote ( iOS or Android )
• Apple Notes
• Google Keep
• Microsoft OneNote ( iOS or Android )
• Plain text editors

When it comes to AI-driven conversation, brainstorming, and writing assistance, look no further than ChatGPT/ChatGPT Plus. This app brings the powerful capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT to your fingertips on any device where you have it installed.

For writers, ChatGPT can be invaluable for brainstorming, drafting, and editing text right on your phone. But it's not just limited to generating text. With the browser tool (available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers), it can search the internet, summarize articles, and even help you fact-check or find new ideas. And that's just some of what's available with the paid upgrade of ChatGPT Plus.

On top of that, you're able to share your conversations with others. All you need is to send the session link to a collaborator, friend, or editor, and voila!

Which platforms does ChatGPT Plus work on?

• Android (coming soon)

The free version of ChatGPT is great for a lot of people, and runs on GPT 3.5 technology. However, if you want GPT-4 technology (which is far superior), you'll need ChatGPT Plus.

The premium version of ChatGPT Plus is: $20/month

ChatGPT Plus’s versatile app is best used for generating human-like text, aiding in content creation, brainstorming, or even casual conversation on many different devices. It is intuitive, creative, and an invaluable tool for writers.

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Best App for Text To Speech: FromTextToSpeech.com

FromTextToSpeech.com is a browser-based app that turns up to 50,000 characters at a time into MP3 files that you can listen to or download. It is simple. Although it looks kind of sketchy, it is entirely safe and legit. It is the best free text to speech service available.

The most natural-sounding voice option is British English Harry. In fact, you will hear British English Harry all across the Internet — on YouTube, Twitch, etc. Many web users utilize British English Harry’s voice because it almost passes for a British human male.

Other text-to-speech apps either cost a lot of money or only allow a few hundred characters.

Read my article on Best Book Transcription Services for Authors .

I know authors who copy and paste in a chapter to FromTextToSpeech.com and listen to it while editing that same chapter. It really helps to be able to hear your words read back to you.

Unfortunately, FromTextToSpeech.com is sometimes down with no warning for upkeep and maintenance.

This is a browser-based application that works on all browsers and operating systems:

FromTextToSpeech.com is free-to-use. There is no premium version.

FromTextToSpeech.com is best used for converting your written word to spoken word. This may help you with editing, experimenting, or simply your own enjoyment.

• Natural Reader
• Amazon Polly
• Google Text-to-Speech
• ReadSpeaker

Which app is the best fit for you?

You use the best tools when you write at home. You should use the best mobile writing apps to take your frantic phone scribbles to the next level.

Gone are the days of jotting down in your notepad, only to have a hard time deciphering it later.

Save time and effort by investing in your craft and selecting the “write” tools for the job. Even if you aren't at your primary workstation.

There may have been a few I missed out on. After all, the world of writing is ever-expanding.

And I know I've said it before: Sorry, Android users. While I understand the pros of being on the Android system, there are just so many more quality writing applications for Apple users.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

• Other Good Apps for Emails & Short-Form

Related Reviews

Atticus vs vellum: a side-by-side comparison [2024], scrivener review: is it worth it [+20% discount], atticus review [2024]: is it worth it pros, cons, and features, sell more books on amazon, how to title a book checklist.

Titling your book can be hard…really hard. As you go through choosing your book title, use this checklist as your guide and make sure you have a title that will sell!

4 thoughts on “ The Best Writing Apps (for Mobile) Every Writer Needs to Use in 2024 ”

What is the best writing app for non-fiction other than Scrivener? I want the same options, to see my chapters on a side bar and be able to put notes with each chapter. That is the basic requirement but other tools are nice, like word count, grammar, etc. Most of the writing apps I am finding are either simple writing, like Word or Goggle Docs, or for novels with characters, plots, etc. Scrivener is too time consuming to learn. Writing and editing takes long enough. (Novlr looks like the closest to what I want even though the app is based on novel writing). Hoping there might be another that I am unaware of. Anyone can answer!! I am using Word currently but really want to get moving on the writing with more organization.

I’m actually building one – Atticus.io. It’s actually combining scrivener and Vellum together – but we’re making the writing area much easier and intuitive. It’s in final beta now and should be releasing publicly mid July.

How about a review of dictation apps? You’ve got text to speech, but I want that turned around. Dragon, of course, but on a phone?

Good overview, Dave!

Two quick things about Google Docs (which I use): 1. It certainly can be used for full-length novels. I write all mine with it (one is 160,000 words). 1b. And it exports well to .docx and works fine with editors using Word’s track changes and commenting. 2. You can use the Grammarly extension with it.

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Whether you’re a fiction or non-fiction writer, Atticus was made with you in mind.

Works on any desktop or tablet device

We built Atticus as a Progressive Web App (PWA) which means it works on all devices with a browser, whether you’re online or not!

See what people are saying about Atticus

It’s a call worth answering..

Once upon a time, Luke Skywalker was just a farmer. Humble beginnings. Full of dreams. Then Frodo got called to carry the One Ring. Now Atticus rises, inviting authors to create and publish better-crafted books.

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It’s an innovative breath of fresh air

Atticus is definitely the writing app to watch. It makes beautiful ebooks possible for everyone, and it’s an innovative breath of fresh air.

Michael La Ronn Author

One App To Rule Them All

After using Atticus to publish two books I realized how laborious my previous setup was. Atticus replaced all of the software packages I was using. With Atticus I can now write, format and export from one system.

Robb Wallace Author

Great For New Writers

I’m a new writer, and I love this program. It’s easy to use, and it’s fun. Not only that, but it’s also professional in appearance. They really have done a fantastic job, with this program. The support team is helpful and friendly.

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I’m really impressed!

My questions were answered promptly, factually, in great detail and in a friendly and encouraging manner. I find Atticus itself very appealing due to the intuitive way it works and the choices it gives.

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Five stars!

Atticus is easy to use and gives me so much time back by simplifying the formatting process for each new project. The team is super responsive for suggestions and troubleshooting and I’m really impressed with the end product.

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Is it an annual subscription or a one-time cost?

Atticus is a one-time purchase and will include all future updates at no additional cost!

Do I have to be a professional formatter to use Atticus, or even tech savvy?

You definitely don’t need to be a professional formatter or designer to use Atticus. Basic computer skills are all you need to get started, and our tutorials will walk you through the entire process of formatting your book. If you get stuck, you can always get in touch with our great customer success team for more personalized support.

Is there a limit to how many books (or pen names) I can format?

You can format as many books under as many pen names as you can write – there are no limits!

Can I create both eBook and Print books?

Yes, with Atticus you can use the same file to export to both ePub and PDF for your digital and print-ready books, or you can create duplicate versions of your book to make custom adjustments unique to each version.

Write and Format Unlimited Books and Ebooks For Only $147

The Scrivener App

If you’re a writer seeking tools to help you with tasks such as research, organization, and formatting, you’ve probably heard of Scrivener, the writing software created by Literature and Latte. For quite a few years, Scrivener has been one of the leading and most comprehensive software suites made exclusively for writers. There have been several important updates over the years, and the current version, Scrivener 3, is now available for both Mac and Windows users.

This review is designed for people who are new to Scrivener as well as anyone who has an older version and may not be familiar with the update. Whether you ultimately choose to use Scrivener or a competing product, you owe it to yourself to learn the various features and benefits of this renowned software product for writers.

Overview: Wh at Can Scrivener Do For You?

The Scrivener app ( download here ) is a tool for serious writers. It helps you in a variety of ways.

• Helps you organize long writing projects such as novels, nonfiction books, academic papers, and even scripts.
• Simplifies editing. Editing is an essential part of any writing project. Scrivener has many tools to help you edit more efficiently, whether correcting simple errors or restructuring entire sections and chapters.
• Enhances outlines. An outline helps you clarify your ideas and plan your manuscript. Scrivener’s system of folders and subfolders helps you arrange and rearrange the various parts of your writing project.
• Formatting for screenwriters. Without the right tools, you can end up spending half your time worrying about formatting. Scrivener lets you easily format your screenplay so you can focus on the essential elements -characters, dialogue, and action.
• Features for academic and nonfiction writers. If you’re creating a well-researched nonfiction book, thesis, or detailed report, you must ensure you have features such as footnotes, references, and a bibliography correctly formatted. Scrivener provides templates for writing in styles such as APA and MLA so you can focus on your writing.
• Helps you set goals and track your progress. Time is always a factor for writers. Scrivener helps you set goals and track your progress every step of the way.
• Tools for exporting and publishing. Scrivener integrates with many formats so you can export to Microsoft Word, Open Office, RTF Final Draft (for screenplays), PDF, and more.

Unlike many more specialized writing products, Scrivener is designed to take you from your first draft to the finished product, covering all of the steps in between. Writers of all styles and genres can choose among many tools to guide them throughout the process. Now let’s look at some of the leading features in more detail.

Editing Tools

If you’re serious about writing, you can’t really separate writing from editing. Your ability to make changes, additions, and revisions really determines the quality of the final product. While software such as Word, Open Office, and even the most basic text editor or word processing tool gives you editing capabilities, Scrivener goes much further.

• Speech Feature (so far only for Mac) – One of the challenges of writing is that you don’t always know how dialogue and other passages sound. With the speech feature, you can literally hear how your writing sounds. This helps you catch errors as well as clunky sentences.
• Track Word Frequency – When you write long documents, it’s easy to lose track of the words you use. The Text Statistics feature shows you how often words appear in your manuscript. If you catch yourself overusing certain words, you can make substitutes.
• Color Coding – Color coding lets you label characters, points of view, topics, or anything that you need. You can color code icons such as flags or other labels to identify important features. For example, you might use different colors for different characters in a novel or screenplay.
• Split Screen – One important task you can’t perform with software such as Word is viewing your work in a split-screen format. Scrivener lets you choose between vertical or horizontal screen split and switch screens around as you wish. Why would you want to do this? Suppose you’re writing a complex novel with many characters that jumps back and forth in time. You can use a split-screen to view an earlier chapter dealing with a certain character/setting/time period while writing a current one to remind you of what was going on. Similarly, you can do this with nonfiction if you refer back to a topic from an earlier section.

What’s New in Scrivener 3?

If you’re using an earlier version of Scrivener, you may be wondering if it’s worthwhile to upgrade to version 3. Here are a few reasons why should consider it;

• Improved User Interface – Some users have complained that Scrivener isn’t as user-friendly as it could be. The creators have listened and made some notable adjustments. The Quick Search tool makes it easier to find documents.
• Bookmarking – One of the most useful new features is Bookmarks, which replaces the old Project Notes and References & Favorites to give users easy access to frequently used documents. You have the ability to bookmark items anywhere on your computer or online, not only those you’ve saved in Scrivener.
• Tracking – New progress bars for drafts and sessions make it easier to track your progress. There’s also Writing Statistics, which lets you find out if you’re meeting your daily or hourly word count. You can also track other metrics, such as paragraph length and word frequency.
• Updated Compile Tool – This feature lets you combine multiple sections into a single document. This has many uses, such as combining the best sections of several drafts. You can also use it to compile different scenes in a novel or screenplay. The new Compiler is both more flexible and easier to use.
• Easier Formatting – Using Styles, you can more quickly change features such as fonts, headings, block text, and titles.
• Metadata – This feature lets you add dates, lists, checkboxes, and other data to help you keep track of important issues. If you’re writing a section for a report, for example, you might add a checkbox such as “Add Footnotes” or “Explain this character’s backstory” for your novel.
• EPub Compatibility – Simplifies self-publishing as you can export documents into Kindle EPub3 format.

When you first download the software, you’ll want to spend some time consulting the very thorough video tutorials. This is quite substantial, so unless you’re very ambitious, you probably won’t want to tackle it all in one sitting.

The best way to start using Scrivener, once you’ve browsed around a little and studied the tutorial, is to actually start writing. Then, if you encounter difficulties, you can watch a tutorial on that topic. The following are some of the steps and features that can help elevate your writing.

Choose a Template

Unless you’re only writing for yourself, you need to create documents in a specific format. In some cases, such as submitting an academic paper or screenplay, the wrong format will instantly disqualify your work, no matter how good the writing is. Scrivener gives you many options for templates.

The template you choose will depend on what kind of document you’re creating, such as an article, short story, novel, blog, term paper, or screenplay. If you’re writing a script, you can also choose more specialized templates for genres such as stage plays, documentaries, comic books, and even BBC radio and TV formats. When you start a project, remember to give it a relevant and memorable file name so you don’t lose track of it.

Customize Settings

There are many customizable components in Scrivener. Among the most important are editor settings. In the Editor, you can set your preferences for elements such as hide/show ruler or format bar or turn on Page View. You can also set up Full-Screen mode, which makes your document the whole screen and blocks out the rest of your desktop.

If you want to block out distractions as much as possible, choose Composition Mode, which always displays what you’re typing in the center of the screen. Most likely, you’ll want to experiment with different settings to find the ones that you prefer.

Folders and Binders

Folders in Scrivener perform a similar function to folders in other software programs. You use them to store important information, such as a list of your characters, topics for your book, or anything that you need. All of these folders for any project combine to form a binder.

Just like a traditional binder, the Binder in Scrivener stores all the folders you create for any project. Depending on the nature of your document, a binder might consist of book chapters, movie scenes, or topics for a report.

Using Scrivener For Research

Research plays a big role in challenging writing projects such as novels, nonfiction books, academic works, and technical articles. When you use a traditional tool such as Word for writing, you usually have to keep the research separate from the main document. This isn’t the case with Scrivener. We’ve already mentioned how projects are made up of folders and binders. Your research will be included in a binder, making it easy to access.

The Corkboard view is especially useful for research. It shows you, at a glance, what you’ve gathered and what you may still need to do. You can use this index card format to show you any type of material, from scientific formulae to the names of characters in your novel. Another useful research tool is the Split Screen view. One way to use this is to have your document on one side of the screen and your research on the other. Once again, you can display the two screens either horizontally or vertically.

Still, another way Scrivener helps with research is the new Bookmark feature, which gives you easy access to content that’s elsewhere on your computer or on the web. Thus, while working on your manuscript, you can bring up a relevant website or file on your computer that has the information you need.

As mentioned, Compiling is one of Scrivener’s more challenging aspects that’s been updated in the latest version. The Compiler lets you combine parts of your manuscript that may be formatted differently, such as the title page, preface, table of contents, and chapters of a book.

One of the most efficient compiling tools is Collections. You create Collections using any criteria you want. This allows you to reorder material in your manuscript by dropping and dragging folders into a new Collection. For example, suppose you’re writing a book or long article and decide you want to put everything related to a certain topic, which could be “European travel,” “Nutrition,” “SEO Tips,” “19th Century Art” or anything else together into a new section. You create a Collection out of this material and compile it the way you want.

The Corkboard is an outlining tool that performs a similar function as a standard cork or bulletin board. Corkboard view lets you see all of your documents as notes or index cards. This is a powerful visual tool that gives you a broad perspective on your document and may suggest changes you want to make, such as adding, deleting, or rearranging sections.

For example, you may have two notecards, each representing a chapter in your book. You may decide that you need another chapter in between to clarify the story. You can then add another notecard to your Corkboard. This feature is also good for helping you decide where to put different sections or chapters. Looking at notecards, you might decide to reverse the order of two sections for clarity. The Corkboard is a visual tool, so it helps that you can customize it. You can adjust the size and appearance of notecards to your preference.

Scrivener Pros and Cons

As valuable as Scrivener is, every software has its drawbacks. Let’s look at the leading pros and cons of Scrivener. Some of these, of course, are subjective, and your own experience will depend on your needs and preferences.

• Comprehensive writing software guides you for virtually any type of writing project. Once you have Scrivener, you won’t need separate programs for screenwriting, academic writing, or blogging.
• The reasonable, one-time fee is cheaper than many competing products. There’s also a free trial.
• Many features are highly customizable.
• Not compatible with all operating systems. You need Windows 7 or later or Mac X. As of now, Scrivener 3 for Windows is not yet available.
• Doesn’t have a dedicated dictionary or thesaurus. There is a spelling and grammar checker, but these are fairly basic. However, you can now find many resources for these for free online (e.g., Thesaurus.com and the free version of Grammarly, the Hemingway app, etc.).
• Learning curve. You need to learn the terminology (e.g., folders, binders, compiling, etc.) and put in some time to be able to benefit from the software.

  Operating Systems and Costs

Scrivener 3 is currently available for Mac OS 10.12+ and Windows 8+.

Scrivener offers a 30-day free trial to let you explore the features and find out if it’s right for you. The full version for Windows or Mac OS costs $59.99. There’s an educational license for students and academics for $50.99. You can buy a bundled package (Windows + Mac OS) for $95.98. The iOS app is $23.99. If you’re an existing Scrivener 1 user for Windows or If you’re a Mac user with an older version, you can upgrade to Version 3 for $25.

Considering everything that you can do with this software and comparing it to the competition, Scrivener provides solid value. As noted, several spelling/grammar checkers are more expensive. Final Draft, the leading screenwriting software for Mac, costs $249. Another popular tool for fiction writers, Writer’s Blocks, charges $149. Considering that none of these tools offers nearly the same number of features as Scrivener does, you can appreciate that the one-time fee of $59.99 is a great value.

Why Use Scrivener?

Some writers wonder why they need a product like Scrivener when they can edit with Word or Open Office and perhaps use an additional tool such as Grammarly for spelling and grammar. The fact is, there aren’t many comprehensive writing products on the market. Scrivener does far more than a word processor or spelling/grammar checker (it’s also worth noting that the paid version of Grammarly is significantly more expensive than Scrivener).

Scrivener helps you with every stage of the writing process, including research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. If you’re like many users, you might feel a bit overwhelmed when you first start using Scrivener. In fact, there are even courses dedicated to making Scrivener easier to use. Fortunately, the program is getting more user-friendly with each update. Nonetheless, with so many features, there’s definitely a learning curve.

Scrivener is the kind of tool that becomes more valuable the more you use it. At first, the time it takes to figure everything out negates some of the efficiency. As you learn how to do things like use bookmarks, folders, look up word alternatives, view split screens, and lots more, you’ll start to notice how the product improves your writing.

The main caveat for using Scrivener is that you do have to put in the effort to learn it. Otherwise, you risk being one of the many buyers who get frustrated and leave it on their computer or phone unused.  If you do take the time to learn it, however, you’ll soon wonder how you survived so long without it!

The 6 Best iPhone Book-Writing Apps

Make your book-writing tasks easier with these apps for your iPhone and iPad.

Book writing used to be a very difficult business to get into, often being more about who you know rather than what you know. Nowadays?

Well, it's still difficult, but nowhere near as difficult. What makes it easier is book writing apps, which can help you to plan your story or have a place to write and get some guidance on your content.

1. Scrivener

Scrivener is a highly comprehensive app that aims to assist writers as much as possible. With a UI (user interface) that makes dragging and dropping friendly and simple, Scrivener allows you to work on individual sections of your book and even switch around where chapters are placed.

You can put comments, footnotes, links, and highlights on any selected text, insert images, see your word and character counts, and import PDF and media files. The app utilizes Dropbox to make it quick and easy to move a manuscript between different devices.

You can export to a variety of formats, even exporting to a ZIP compressed folder. It also allows you to take screenshots of previous versions so that you can cross-compare after making changes; which is especially useful if you're struggling with nailing a particular chapter and have multiple ideas of how it can go.

Download: Scrivener  ($19.99)

2. LivingWriter

LivingWriter is quite a simple app with a fun and sleek UI. It allows you to write your stories and make notes to assist with your story. When inside a story project, you can write Story Notes, Story Elements, Chapter Goals ,  Story Goals , and more. The app makes exporting to PDF and Word quick and simple, meaning you can add to a story while out and about if you think of an idea, and then export it to Word to continue on a different device when back at home.

The app even allows you to add a Cover Image to the stories, which is a nice touch that helps with the aesthetic of different stories. Compared to the other writing apps on the list, LivingWriter could be seen as being a little simple, but its strength comes in how easy it makes it to break down your goals for the story. Its formatting options are comprehensive enough to give you everything you need while writing a book via your phone.

Download:   LivingWriter  (Free)

3. Story Planner for Writers

Coming up with ideas for stories, or even just individual chapters, can be difficult for even the greatest writers. Story Planner for Writers aims to make this easier for you through its intuitive outlining features.

The app has dedicated sections for outlining characters and locations. It even allows you to add images to improve the aesthetic and help get you into the zone. Through its color-coded feature, you can separate plot lines to help keep them straight in your head.

Its Progress Bar feature helps you to ensure you're remaining productive enough on a daily basis, tailored to your own desired output. It also offers stats that help to illustrate through data how your story works.

Download: Story Planner for Writers  ($5.99)

4. Writer Assistant (Wassi)

Writer Assistant (Wassi) works much the same as Story Planner for Writers, but while it doesn't boast as many features as the latter, it has a free version and holds enough features to be useful.

Through the top menu, you can work on different aspects of a project---with tabs for Characters, Locations, Stories , and so on. And, on each tab, whatever you're working on will be broken down into further tabs that can help you really flesh out a location or character.

Writer Assistant allows you to Save and restore backups , and you can also export to PDF , as well as change the theme of the app to make it look the way you want it to. These extra features are helpful if you work on other devices and want to plan your story on the app and then transfer it over to another device to begin writing it.

This app is great for planning out your story and nailing the different aspects of it all---plot, characters, locations, and so on. The way that it breaks it all down can help get your creative juices flowing and simplify the task of planning your novel if you're struggling to get started.

Download: Writer Assistant (Wassi)  (Free, in-app purchases available)

Ulysses is one of the most popular book-writing apps around, and for good reason. With a sleek, highly responsive UI and design that is based on simpleness, you can get straight to creating content and worry about the details later.

Through Sheets, you can write different stories through the app and can set them to sync via iCloud. Ulysses makes it easy to sync to your iPad or Mac, meaning you can use the app when out-and-about to add some ideas or write some of your stories, then continue on a larger screen when you're back home.

On the text editor, you can add Headings, Dividers, Blockquotes,  and more through the hamburger menu. On the Formatting tab, you can add Annotation, Videos, Footnotes, and Comments amongst other things.

The most impressive feature of Ulysses is its Revision Mode , which makes suggestions on how to improve your text such as spelling, grammar, word redundancy, and typography. This feedback is helpful for writers of all skill levels. Finally, the app is available in over 20 languages---so it's more than likely accessible to you.

Download: Ulysses  (Free, subscription available)

6. Storyist 4

Storyist 4 is also a very popular writing app and for good reason. It combines the principles of the other apps featured (book planning vs book writing) in a way that feels natural and simple.

When creating a project, you can work on the actual manuscript and get straight into writing the story, or you can spend some time outlining the Characters and Settings. You can also add Images . The  novel templates make it easier to get started, especially if you're struggling with writer's block or feeling overwhelmed. While the Characters and Settings templates are a little more barebones than Story Planner for Writers and Writer's Assistant, the fact you can plan or write all in Storyist makes it a very convenient and helpful tool.

Storyist also offers a great deal of formatting and sectioning options for your text, but they can be a little difficult to find for beginners, being featured in the sub-menus of an already bloated menu. This is something that will impact you less as you become more acquainted with the software.

Download: Storyist 4  (Free, subscription available)

Write Right

Any app that helps you write a book is worth a look-in, and these six featured will help you with planning and the actual writing process. While the onus is still on you to come up with the killer story, these apps will assist you in the process and help make you a better writer.

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

No Credit Card Required

LivingWriter +     (100% Optional)

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.

Try Free     For 14 Days without any commitment!

Chapterly is purpose-built by best-selling authors to be the best authoring app to get published.

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.

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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.

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Drag and drop scenes and characters.

View story notes while you write.

Set word count goals and deadlines.

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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 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.

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The 15 Best Book Writing Software Tools

15 Best Book Writing Software Options in 2024

POSTED ON Feb 9, 2024

Written by Charity Jerop

On the hunt for the top book writing software? Writing software can be hard to come by, especially since what might work best for someone else won't work best for you. So what software should you use?

Some might argue that the medium is not the issue – they'll tell you not to worry about fancy writing software and just start writing.

And while that may be true for some, in our experience with helping thousands of authors write and self-publish a book, we've found that every author has a tool that helps them organize their writing and increase productivity.

Software specifically designed to write a book can make your writing process more organized, efficient , and focused – ultimately allowing you to write your book faster .

In this article, we’ll not only take a detailed look at the free writing software tools available to authors, but we’ll cover some paid tools, as well. 

This 2024 guide to book writing software will cover:

• What book writing software is
• If you really need software to write a book
• The benefits of using book writing software

Free book writing software for beginners

• The best paid book writing software

Bonus software to help you write your book

What is book writing software.

Book writing software is a program designed to streamline the book writing process. It is essentially a word processor with added benefits specifically targeting authors and novelists (such as book organization tools, story development features, and more).

There are many options for free book writing software, as well as paid writing software for all budgets and price points. Depending on your own needs as a writer, there are many options to choose from.

Maybe you’re a writer that’s just getting started on how to write a book . Or maybe you’re a seasoned writer that’s researching how to become an author and you’re ready to commit to the best book writing software available. 

No matter what type of writer you are, there is software designed to streamline your writing process. It’s just a matter of finding the perfect one to fit your needs!

Do you really need software to write a book?

We know what you’re thinking. All that’s needed to write is pen and paper. In simple terms, yes – you don’t need a fancy writing tool to actually write. In fact, humans have been expressing their creativity and ideas through writing using the most basic tools available for centuries.  But the efficiency and ease of use of your medium can affect your writing productivity.

Think about how easy a typewriter or keyboard makes it to type a 50,000-word novel. Now, imagine having to carve that novel into stone. See how the medium can affect your productivity? 

Technology has made the writing process easier – there’s no doubt about that. But is writing software necessary?  I posed this exact question to a group of writers to see if they really use software. Based on their feedback, it’s clear that writers like you value these programs. Every writer has their preferred book writing software, and some use multiple programs, including the best mind mapping software for authors . Take a look at some of the responses: 

That's just a tiny glimpse of how many real-life writers use book writing software regularly to improve their writing , efficiency, and organization.

So, the next time you're in need of gifts for writers , consider buying them a subscription to their favorite book writing software!

The pros to using book writing software

Of course, you can write using whatever tools are available to you, but there are some important reasons to consider using special software for writing a book.

Writing is already hard – why make it even more difficult by not utilizing tools that were designed to make the process easier?

When you make technology work for you (and not against you) great things can come out of it – like that book you’ve been meaning to write!

Here are the main reasons to use writing software:

• Your book files are organized in one place. No need to have each book chapter file saved in various places throughout your desktop. Keep it clean and organized with book writing software. With most tools, you can even access files from anywhere, making it easy to pick up where you left off no matter where you are, or what time of day it is.
• They are designed to make writing easier . The best writing software programs have built-in features that can prevent a ton of issues. For example, you can check for spelling and grammar mistakes on the go, which cuts down your editing time. Or use features like a plagiarism checker , which automatically highlights sections in your text that need citation.
• Your work is saved automatically. Losing your unsaved work due to unavoidable circumstances (like your power going out) is a thing of the past! This is seriously a lifesaver.
• They prevent distractions. Some book writing tools have features to block you from unnecessary distractions. This ultimately helps you get done with your book in the shortest time possible and assists in creating a productive writing space .

Now that you understand why book writing software is important, how on earth do you pick one!?

How to decide which book writing software is best for you:

• Cost of the software. Think of your budget. Can you afford to invest in writing software, or do you need to rely on the free versions for now? 
• Accessibility. Think of where you write. Do you need to be able to access your book manuscript from multiple devices (like a phone or tablet), or do you only write on one? 
• Features. What features are important to you? Do you need spell checker, plagiarism checker, and productivity-improving features? 
• User-friendliness. Are you tech-savvy, tech-challenged, or somewhere in the middle? Some programs require a steep learning curve, and others are great for beginners. 
• Size of the software. Will the program take up a lot of space on your hard drive? 

With all those aspects to consider, let's take a look at the best free and paid book writing software options for authors.

Before we dive into the best paid book writing software, let’s take a look at some of the free options.

We always recommend taking advantage of the free tools out there – so you can get a feel for what you want to invest in. These free book writing tools have the basic essentials to provide you with the features you need, so that you can have more time for writing .

1. Zoho Writer

Writer by Zoho , also known as Zoho Writer, is an online word processor that comes with special features to help you write from anywhere and at any time you want to. It is a cloud software, which means you can access it on all of your devices, no matter where you are.  Even better, Zoho has different templates for you to choose from, depending on what it is you need to write.

Benefits to using Zoho Writer as a free book writing software for beginners:

• It’s readily available . You do not need to sign up or log in to be able to use Zoho Writer. It is user-friendly, and if you are part of a team of writers, you can work together and share documents with each other easily.

• You can write offline, without internet access.  Despite this software being an online writing tool, you can still write offline and have your work synced to your account.
• You can use it across all devices. You can use this book writing software across phone, Tablet, or PC. No need to worry about accessing your manuscript from the wrong device.

2. LibreOffice

Developed by the Document Foundation, LibreOffice is open source software that prides itself on being a free office suite. While it boasts other programs for spreadsheets and charts, Write is the name of its free word processor. 

Benefits to using LibreOffice Writer as a free book writing software for beginners:

• It’s a robust one-stop shop for writers. And it’s similar to Microsoft Word (which we’ll cover in our paid writing software section). 

• It’s an effective word processing tool with helpful features for authors.  It wasn’t only created for writers, but can be used by anyone who needs a word processor. The autocorrect and spell checker tools allow you to catch grammar and spelling mistakes on the fly, and it even supports multiple languages!
• It provides useful templates. LibreOffice includes readily available templates to choose from that are formatted to meet your needs. All you need to do is add your text! Whether you want to write your resume, brochures, letters, or your book, these templates can save you time and come in handy for clean, crisp formatting.

Related: Best Book Formatting Software

3. Google Docs

Google Docs is by far the most common and widely used writing software, and this list of free book writing software tools wouldn’t be complete without mentioning it. 

Google Docs is a word processing tool that comes with your Google account. If you have a Gmail account then you already have access to Google Docs.

Benefits to using Google Docs as a free book writing software for beginners:

• You can write and access it from anywhere. Like Zoho Writer, Google Docs is a cloud platform, which means you can write anytime inspiration strikes. You can also use this book writing software when you’re offline.

• Your work is autosaved. Each time you key a letter, your Google Doc will save your progress. No need to worry about clicking the “save” button every time you add a new page in your book! You can also view revision history in case you accidentally delete or change something that you want to restore.
• It’s easy to collaborate with a team, another writer, or an editor . Additional features streamline the collaboration process, be it your co-author or editor. You can also use the track changes feature for the editing process, so you can see exactly what your editor has changed. 

Note: A major downside to using Google Docs as your writing software is that it does not support heavy formatting and outlining. Therefore, writing an entire book on this platform can be a bit challenging, but you can still use it for short stories, articles, and note-keeping.

4. FocusWriter

FocusWriter is a “simple, distraction-free writing environment.” If you struggle to stay focused and on task during your writing sessions, FocusWriter may be the solution for you.

Benefits of using FocusWriter as your free book writing software:

• Designed to be distraction-free. Like its name suggests, FocusWriter helps you zero in on your project by eliminating anything that could produce a distraction.
• Timers and alarms. This is for my writers who love to write in sprints. Structure your writing sessions by planning and timing how long you'll write.
• Auto-save function. If you're a writer who struggles to remember saving your own work, FocusWriter has you covered with their auto-saves.

5. Evernote

Evernote has both free and paid versions. You can use the free version as a word processor and note-taking software, or pay for the premium version if you want the extra perks.

While Evernote isn't designed specifically for books, the tool's organization makes it a great option for writers.

Benefits to using Evernote as your free book writing software:

• Streamlines note-taking process. At its core, Evernote is a writing software that's designed to make note-taking easy and efficient. This makes it a useful book writing software because the same organizational principles can be integrated into the process of writing a book .
• Easy customization. While Evernote isn't designed for just authors and novelists, the versatility it brings to users with multiple uses for the program comes in handy, especially for those writing a book. The ability to create notebooks, tags, and sort information, as well as robust AI-suggested content means that this software is a powerhouse for personalization.
• A hub for your book research and inspiration. Anyone who is in the process of writing a book knows how often a random surge of inspiration hits us as we write. Evernote is perfect for housing all of our inspirational quotes or research, without derailing our book writing efforts altogether.

Best paid book writing software

Now that we’ve covered the top free book writing software tools available, let’s move on to the paid writing software. Here are our favorites!:

6. NovelPad

NovelPad is a novel-writing software developed for the way writers write.

Unlike other writing software on the market that requires you to download a program to your computer, NovelPad can be accessed on any device with web access. That makes it one of the best writing apps for Android or iOS. If you want to try it out before committing, take advantage of the company's offer (not always running) of a 14-day free trial !

Benefits to using NovelPad as your book writing software:

• Use it on any device, online or off . NovelPad is browser-based, so you can open your projects on any device. They also have an offline mode, if you'd like to limit distractions by disabling web connection, or if you're writing on the go.
• Minimal, distraction-free design. The layout is simplistic and minimal, with limited distractions. The NovelPad team has stated that they only include features when and where writers require them, which leads to an incredibly intuitive, easy-to-use system.

• Chapters page . A popular NovelPad feature is the ability to have a bird's eye view of your entire project. You can use scene descriptions, color labels, and other organizational tools to know at a glance what's happening in each scene, then simply click and drag to reorder them. This is a big time save for longer projects!
• Customizable word count goal and tracker . Trying to hit a specific writing goal ? NovelPad has you covered. Instead of tracking your word count goal externally through a spreadsheet or other means, NovelPad allows you to set goals and tracks them for you. Set vacations and sprints, customize which days you'd like to write more or less, and let NovelPad do the math for you.
• ProWritingAid is included. That's right! Get a streamlined drafting software and stellar grammar check with one subscription.

Price : Starting at just $5 a month

Ulysses is another full-fledged writing software specifically designed for Mac users . Whether you are a Sci-Fi writer or learning how to publish an eBook , Ulysses is an all-in-one software that allows you to focus on your main business – writing. 

Benefits to using Ulysses Writer as your book writing software:

• Minimalist interface. Getting distracted while writing can hurt your workflow. Ulysses comes with a minimalistic interface to help you stay focused and productive.
• The customizable editor comes with special perks. You can choose to switch to typewriter mode and can attach additional information from images, PDFs, keywords, notes, and anything in between.
• You can publish directly to WordPress and Medium. Instead of having to copy and paste all of your work to your website, you can simply publish directly to the site. This is especially helpful for authors who blog.
• You can share your writing in any file format you want. No more complicated conversion processes!

Note : Ulysses is only available on Apple products at the time of writing.

Price: $5.99 per month or $49.99 a year

8. Hemingway App

Have you heard of Hemingway App yet? If you have, then chances are you either love it or hate it. This software is great if you are a visual learner – just look at those colors!

Benefits to using Hemingway App as your book writing software:

• It comes with advanced editing and revising tools . The spell and grammar checker help you come up with top-quality work, and it uses different colors to highlight sentences/words that need restructuring.
• There is a helpful sidebar display . The sidebar shows things like readability score and overall word count. 
• It has a free editor. Even if you don’t want to pay for the subscription, you can still use the free editing tool! 

Note: We’ve all been advised to not edit as we write, especially when during the book writing process. Since Hemingway draws a lot of visual attention to errors, this could slow your writing down if you’re one to get distracted easily! Price : $19.99

9. Scrivener

Almost every modern book writer out there (regardless of the genre) swears by this powerful writing software.

It's jam-packed with features and tools to help you organize and write your book, but there is a learning curve to be aware of. If you want to try Scrivener out, plan to take some tutorials before investing in this program to determine if it's really right for you.

And this is likely because Scrivener was specifically designed for writers.

Benefits to using Scrivener as your book writing software:

• Scrivener boasts a user-friendly drag-and-drop feature. The Outliner tool helps you work on your book while having an overview of what your chapter, a page, or even the whole book would look like.
• Includes research tools for easy reference. The snapshot tool allows you to take snapshots that you want to view and reference later, without losing your train of thought.
• You can set writing targets. Scrivener has a target-setting tool to help you set your own targets and work towards achieving them.
• Customizable organization with the binder tool. If you are the type of writer who likes working on an organized and well-planned piece, then Scrivener is your perfect match. The binder tool allows organizing your manuscript in files, sub-files, sub-sub-files, and so on.

Note: While Scrivener is a super robust software for writing a book, you’ll most likely have to watch a few tutorials to learn how to master it. Check out our full review of Scrivener if you want a detailed look at what it does.

Price: $49 for Mac or Windows (but they have student discounts) and $19.99 for the iOS version 

10. FastPencil

This is also another writing software that can take your writing game a notch higher. With FastPencil , you can draft, edit, publish, and even sell your book through some of the best booksellers in the industry.

Benefits to using FastPencil as your book writing software:

• It’s an all-in-one software. Just like we mentioned above, this software not only helps you write your book, but it also includes editing, publishing, and marketing services – depending on your needs and budget.
• It’s fairly easy to learn how to use. The software is pretty user-friendly, so it's easy to get started with. 
• You can use it to write your book in an organized manner.  Because it is designed specifically for book writers, there are tools to help you section off chapters.
• A variety of special features are included. Preview how your book will look live, or make use of the chat tool, which makes collaboration with other writers and/or editors easy. 

Price: FastPencil is available for free if you only want to use it as a word processing tool, but you can pay for access to more advanced features, as seen below:

11. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is one of the most widely used word processors out there – because it’s pretty much the oldest one.

But even today, Microsoft Word remains a preference for many authors. 

Benefits to using Microsoft Word as your book writing software:

• It’s very user-friendly . Many writers already have experience using it, whether they learned it in school or at work. While it’s an older program and has been updated numerous times, its function remains the same overall. 
• The simple visual interface can create a distraction-free writing space. Other than the top toolbar, the rest of the window is reserved as your page – with ample room for your text. 
• You can create and use templates. Because it’s so versatile, Word has many options for customizing the functions to meet your needs as you write. For example, you can use headers to create chapters or sections of your book. 

Price: If your device doesn’t already include access to Microsoft Word, you can buy it. The price of Microsoft Word will vary depending on your needs and which package you want. 

12. Grammarly

Grammarly is not just a writing tool but also an AI-powered program to help you write a clean, crisp book that’s free from grammar and spelling errors. There is a free version available, but the paid version offers more advanced features like the plagiarism checker tool. You can even add Grammarly as a Chrome Extension, so it can edit and revise any writing you do – from emails, to social media posts, and more! 

13. Freedom

When you’re writing from a computer or laptop, it’s easy to get distracted with the internet just one tab away. This is where Freedom comes in. 

Freedom helps you stay focused by blocking sites on the internet that might shift your attention.

14. ProWritingAid

We cover all the nuts and bolts of this writing tool in our complete ProWritingAid review .

But for a quick summary, ProWritingAid is a tool that can be used in conjunction with many writing programs , and is a robust tool that checks grammar, spelling, and writing style, and offers a number of writing improvement insights based on AI-powered reports.

If you're looking for a tool to pair with your book writing software of choice, and are dedicated to improving your writing quality and style, then ProWritingAid will offer more than any standard spellchecker can.

Get ProWritingAid here .

15. FocusWriter

A word processor that touts “distraction-free” features, this simple software is designed to keep your focus on your writing.

Although it's not as high-tech as some of the other writing programs available, it's not meant to be. FocusWriter uses a hide-away interface with a customizable environment and autosave.

Download FocusWriter here.

So there you have it! The best writing software programs you can choose from to streamline your writing process, improve productivity, and get your book written faster.  Researching all the different writing tools and software options can be overwhelming, but remember: it’s important to pick programs that work for you. If you start using one software, and discover that it’s not right for you – that’s okay. You don’t have to commit to one writing tool if it’s hindering your productivity.  Once you find the perfect book writing software for YOU, the rest will fall in line. 

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An online writing app for novelists and storytellers

Web-based writing.

Read, write, and edit from any computer any time. Your manuscripts are saved online so you always continue right where you left off, even from a different device.

Continuous Backups

Revise and delete without fear. We keep loads of backups for weeks, months, and even years. No need to email yourself a copy just in case . . .

Bank-level Security

Your manuscripts are encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption—the same level of encryption you use to access your bank account.

The Quill includes all the features you need plus a few you'll love. Save yourself time and effort while enjoying every minute of your storytelling. The Quill can even predict when you'll finish your novel so you can rest assured you'll meet your deadline.

• Character profiles
• Dictionary & thesaurus
• Predict completion dates
• Track word counts
• To do lists
• Secure autosave & backups
• Rearrange chapters
• Search anywhere
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Create authentic, consistent characters with detailed profiles. Upload a reference photo and record details like age, hair color, personality, and secrets for each character. Never forget a character's eye color again.

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Dive into your writing using a modern, clean user-interface that shows you only what you need to see. Without messy distractions, you can focus on your manuscript and say good-bye to complicated software that only slows you down.

The Features You Need

Your manuscript is more than just words—it’s a work of art. Craft it using powerful tools including a full-manuscript search, notes attached to your text, categorized to do lists, drag & drop chapter re-ordering, word counts, smart quotes, auto-correct, folders for research and outtakes, and a built-in dictionary/thesaurus, all without leaving your manuscript.

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AI-Powered eBook Generator [Start for Free]

Create awesome ebooks fast..

What Is StoryLab.ai’s AI eBook Generator?

StoryLab.ai is an online AI Tool that helps you write better content. Fast.

One of our most powerful AI Tools is the AI eBook Creator. Easily go from idea to entering a couple of keywords to describe your idea, to an eBook outline in seconds. Use our AI Text Expander and Intro Generator to build your eBook, add your unique human touch and visuals and you’re ready to go.

Check out this short video to learn more.

• Benefits of AI-Powered eBook Generator

Using an AI eBook generator offers various advantages, particularly in the rapidly evolving digital content creation landscape. One of the most evident advantages of using AI for eBook Creation is the incredible speed at which content can be produced. Instead of spending hours, days, or even weeks writing, editing, and formatting, an AI can generate content in significantly less time. For businesses or individuals that need to produce content rapidly, this can be a game-changer.

Top benefits of the AI eBook Generator

• What Is StoryLab.ai’s AI eBook Generator?

How to start with the AI eBook Generator

Ai ebook generator writing styles, write your ebook with the help of ai, ai ebook generator pricing.

Let’s first look into how to fire up the AI eBook Maker and then go into other cool AI Generators to help you finish your book faster and promote it.

First, create a free account at StoryLab.ai and select the AI eBook Creator . You get 3 free runs every month and can upgrade if you need more.

Second, describe the idea of your eBook, select one of the writing styles from the drop-down, and click inspire me.

For this example, we’ve used the prompt ; ‘How to write great and engaging eBooks’ with a ‘Storytelling’ writing style. Let’s see if AI can help us create a cool story for our eBook instead of a lot of marketing jargon. Here’s what the AI eBook Maker came up with:

You can now copy/paste the eBook outline into a text editor like Grammarly or you can install Grammarly and use StoryLab.ai’s text editor to finish the eBook.

We’re going to use a couple of AI Generators like our Intro Generator and AI Text Expander to show you how to get AI to help you fill in some blanks.

But first, let’s have a look at the AI eBook Creator writing styles. It matters quite a bit which writing style you choose, so be sure to try out a couple.

AI eBook Generator Writing Styles:

• Professional;
• Storytelling;
• Adventurous;
• Persuasive;
• Empathetic;

Using an AI Introduction Generator for your eBook Creation

Let’s start off with the AI Intro Generator to create a couple of cool Introduction variations for all your chapters.

For this example, I simply copy/pasted the snippet the AI eBook Generator created for us for the first chapter into the Intro Maker, I chose a storytelling writing style again, and here are the outputs the AI Tool provided:

eBook Intro Output examples:

• Remember how we used to sit wide-eyed, listening to the thrilling tales that our grandparents narrated? The stories that held us captive, painted images in our minds, and made us feel connected to the characters? Now, switch to a different context – the world of content writing and marketing. The inherently human affinity for stories does not change. In this post, we embark on a fascinating expedition to understand the importance of storytelling and how it can transform your content to be more relatable, engaging, and impactful.
• Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, wordsmiths wielded their pens to craft tales that created a realm of imagination for their readers. Time has evolved, but the craft of storytelling remains as potent as it was ages ago. Today, we’ll dig deeper into the significance of storytelling, a potent tool that can make your work come alive, resonate with your audience, and leave an impact that extends beyond the confines of the page.
• Imagine sitting around a crackling fire, under a starlit sky, while a seasoned storyteller weaves a tale that makes your heartbeat sync with the rhythm of the narrative. Then transition that thought into your work, your content, your brand message. In this chapter, we will journey together into the world of storytelling and its power to captivate your audience, making your content not only memorable but also deeply relatable and impactful.

I can now take my favorite variation, use the AI Text Expander, and get a bit more body.

Using an AI Text Expander for your eBook Creation

Now, we’ve simply copy/pasted our favorite intro variation into our AI Text Expander , and here’s what the AI tool came up with within a couple of seconds:

AI Text Expander Example eBook Copy:

Picture this: you’re gathered around a bustling fire, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows all around. Above, a sky spangled with countless stars stretches out in a breathtaking panorama. In this entrancing scene, a master storyteller embarks on spinning a yarn so engrossing, so profound that your heart begins to beat in cadence with the unfolding tale. Now, harness that feeling, that palpable connection, and channel it into your daily work, into every piece of your content, and into the very essence of your brand message.

In this upcoming chapter, we’ll navigate the enchanting realm of storytelling together. We’ll explore its unparalleled ability to seize the attention of your audience, making the stories you tell not only unforgettable but also considerably resonant and consequential. With the power of storytelling, you won’t simply be imparting information; you’ll be engaging in a deep, affecting dialogue with your audience, striking chords of familiarity and shared experience. Our voyage into the realm of storytelling will not only equip you with an invaluable tool to foster a stronger connection with your audience but will also lead you to discover the power of your narrative to invoke emotions, compel action, and ultimately, leave a lasting impact.

You can repeat the steps for all your chapters and have your eBook finished in no time!

Remember to always add your unique human touch. AI is here to help overcome writing blocks when writing your ebook and other marketing copy. It’s not meant to create full ebooks with AI.

Here’s what our pricing looks like:

• Free – get 3 runs a month to try our standalone AI Generators for free;
• Pro – $15 a month – 100 runs a month on our standalone AI Generators;
• Unlimited – $19 a month – unlimited runs a month plus extras like access to our community and courses;

You can also opt-in for the yearly membership and receive a 20% price reduction.

You can  check out our full pricing here .

Come up with effective eBook Ideas with our AI eBook Idea Generator . Don’t settle for the first idea you have. Spar with AI and see how you can fine-tune your idea and topic.

Use our eBook Title Generator to come up with catchy and effective eBook Headlines. Even though you should not judge an (e)Book by its cover, many do. Having an effective eBook Title will help your project succeed.

Start composing your eBook. Use our AI eBook Outline Generator to come up with effective outlines. Having a strong outline will help you structure your eBook and makes it easier to actually start writing your chapters.

Now that you have your Idea, Title, and Outline, it’s time to write your eBook. Use our AI eBook Chapter Generator to create effective eBook chapters faster than ever before. Like always, add your unique human touch to your eBook chapters. Don’t simply copy/paste what the AI Tool provides.

After you’ve finished writing your eBook, use our AI eBook Promotion Generator and create content to promote your eBook better and faster than ever before.

Use our AI Tools and Create, and Promote your eBook.

What is an AI-Powered eBook Generator?

It’s a tool using AI to assist in creating eBooks, from content generation to formatting.

How does an AI eBook Generator work?

It uses algorithms to write, edit, and format eBook content based on input parameters.

Can the AI eBook Generator create content for any genre?

Most generators are versatile, catering to a variety of genres and topics.

Is the content generated by AI unique and plagiarism-free?

The AI eBook Generator runs on GPT-4 which ensures the originality and uniqueness of content.

How does the AI handle complex topics or narratives?

Our advanced AI can manage complex subjects, though human oversight is beneficial.

Is the AI eBook Generator user-friendly for beginners?

Yes. Our AI tool is designed with simplicity in mind for easy use.

Can the generator suggest plot ideas or writing prompts?

Yes. The AI Tool offers creative assistance like plot suggestions.

Is there a cost to using an AI-Powered eBook Generator?

You can get 3 free runs when you sign up and you can upgrade to get more runs.

How long does it take to generate an eBook using AI?

The time varies based on content length and complexity, but AI significantly speeds up the process.

How does the AI handle different writing styles?

AI can adapt to various writing styles, though specificity depends on the tool.

Can the generator assist with marketing and distribution of the eBook?

Yes. You can use our various promotion tools like the social media caption generator, ad copy generator, etc.

How does the AI ensure the eBook’s content flows naturally?

AI algorithms focus on narrative structure and coherence.

Can the AI eBook Generator be used for academic or research-based books?

Yes, it’s suitable for a range of book types, including academic.

Can AI eBook generators assist with language translation for eBooks?

You can use inputs in any language and get eBook content in the same language as your input.

Can AI eBook generators assist in creating educational or instructional material?

Yes, they’re adept at structuring educational content and tutorials.

How effective is AI in creating engaging book summaries?

AI can efficiently generate concise and informative summaries.

How user-friendly are AI eBook generators for novice authors?

Our AI eBook generator is designed to be accessible and easy to use for beginners.

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The four best AI writing apps worth a try

W hatever the industry, more and more people are using artificial intelligence to assist with their work, especially since the launch of ChatGPT . Many workers and students now use the tool to write documents, essays, and more. It often speeds up the process of creating content and managing the mundane aspects of work. While they aren’t taking over the world yet, they are quickly evolving and have reached a stage where they can be useful, at least in the right circumstances.

Of course, all AI writing software requires some level of human oversight to achieve the best results. Without it, the software can generate content that is rather generic or even hallucinate facts , even though it may appear to be written by a human. As AI tools gain popularity, people are becoming more adept at recognizing the often bland nature of AI-generated content and are likely to either identify it or at least be suspicious of content that seems to lack a human touch.

How do AI writing tools work?

Predictive text on a smartphone or keyboard works in a similar way to AI. It essentially provides an "educated" guess as to what a user might say next based on their history of typing in a specific app. The difference is that it will rely on what other people have said as well, and find some level of commonality.

For example, if typing the sentence “The cat sat on the,” the model predicts the word “mat” based on the input sequence. It’s a simplistic illustration, but in reality, the model considers a vast number of possible continuations based on its training data and selects the most likely one.

Some large language models (LLMs) now use internet searches to gather information relevant to their writing prompts, which they then integrate into their responses. While earlier versions tended to produce stiff and robotic output, developments in algorithms and programming have allowed AI writers to produce more human-like responses. These days, most are using OpenAI's ChatGPT models to power their tools.

Which is the best free AI app for writing?

ReadWrite decided to ask AI itself for a text prompt to assess how well it would fare:

Write a 250-word short story about a character who discovers a hidden world within their favorite childhood book. The story should include:

• A vivid description of the hidden world, including its unique features and inhabitants.
• The character’s emotional journey as they explore this new world and confront their own nostalgia.
• A surprising twist or revelation that changes their perspective on the book and their childhood.

Copy.ai 's free trial uses ChatGPT-3.5, hence it is limited in terms of vocabulary and sophistication. Using the given prompt, it managed to create a story about a woman named Evelyn who discovered a magical library hidden in a garden.

While the story was quite pleasant to read, several noticeable AI traits appeared. For one, it used the main character's name in every paragraph. Several words seem to be commonly used by ChatGPT, such as "nostalgia," "abundance," and "vibrant." Combined with the repetitiveness, it seemed rather obvious that AI was used.

The pro version of Copy.ai uses ChatGPT-4, so it may produce better results. It's unclear whether the app will incorporate new versions of the LLM, as OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman revealed that ChatGPT-5 is on its way.

Copy.ai is also compatible with a variety of other AI models including Azure and Anthropic , which makes it more flexible for delivering results. Another piece of good news is that the company has a zero-retention data policy.

Like OpenAI, Copy.ai has a free version with limited words, while the Pro version starts from $36 per month for five users, and has unlimited capacity.

Anyword is a little bit more complicated to use as it doesn't bring the user directly to the writing app. It offers a variety of writing options, including 1,000-word SEO-friendly blog articles, social media posts, and ad campaigns. If you just need a simple text prompt box, you can find it under "general prompt" on the dashboard.

However, it allows you to change the tone of voice from neutral to rebellious, or even to a multi-tonal style incorporating three dimensions. There is also the capability to target specific audiences, whether they are nostalgic readers or creative writers. When kept neutral with a broad audience, it produced a similar copy, characterized by the repetition of names and overly flowery language. Nevertheless, the story was creative but seemed to heavily favor the fantasy genre.

Using other filters, it generated a tale almost identical to the first, including the same phrases such as "The Enchanted Forest," "newfound," "intertwining," and "grandmother." It's quite apparent that it has a defined notion of what constitutes a childhood book.

The Starter plan with one seat costs $39 per month paid annually. The Data-Driven plan costs $79/month, and the Business plan is $349 per month.

Writesonic is another free AI writing tool, with an interface comparable to ChatGPT as it has a dark left-hand side panel. Like Copy.ai, the unpaid version is powered by ChatGPT-3.5 among others, but has better billing options than OpenAI. The company states that it is "agnostic" about using a variety of LLMs.

"Our proprietary AI Model Gateway, called GPT Router dynamically routes between multiple AI models, thus speeding up responses and ensuring the best quality output as well as non-stop reliability," it says on its website. These include Meta's LLama and Google's Gemini models.

The AI article writer can create long-form content pieces and includes a chatbot assistant named Chatsonic. When tested with a text prompt, it produced a slightly more imaginative story, making it more reliable than other tools.

Although there is a free version, Chatsonic costs $12 per month when paid annually and claims to offer output quality comparable to GPT-4 and Claude 3 Opus . The individual plan costs $16 and includes additional features such as an SEO optimizer, plagiarism checker, and a tool for facts and citations.

Rytr , with a name that phonetically resembles “writer,” adopts a no-nonsense approach by featuring a straightforward interface like that of a writing pad. That being said, it still allows users to select the tone and use case of the output. Using the “story plot” function, it produced a tale almost identical to one by Anyword.

Not only did “Amelia” have a copy of “The Enchanted Forest,” but she also showed a penchant for streams and creeks. Hence, it is obvious that Rytr also uses ChatGPT-3 for its content writing.

Rytr is free to use, with unlimited queries available for $7.50 per month. In comparison, ChatGPT-4 costs $20 per month currently. The difference is that Rytr offers other features such as a plagiarism checker and SEO toolkit.

Featured image: Canva

The post The four best AI writing apps worth a try appeared first on ReadWrite .

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Best Free Writing Apps in 2024

Showing 83 writing apps that match your search.

Writer Tools

With our writing tools you can track your progress thus far, plan your novel, write your novel and be able to focus on what matters for you the most: FINISHING THE DAMN BOOK!

Platforms: Android

Best for: Outlining, Worldbuilding, Book, Story, and Free

Website: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ajp_gam...

Base price:

Premium price:

★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Features

★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.0 ★ on Google Play

The human brain is non-linear: we jump from idea to idea, all the time. Your second brain should work the same. In Obsidian, making and following connections is frictionless. Tend to your notes like a gardener; at the end of the day, sit back and marvel at your own knowledge graph.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, PC

Best for: Note-taking, Outlining, Journal, Book, Story, Essay, Poetry, Blog, and Free

Website: https://obsidian.md/

★★★★★ Performance

★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.5 ★ on TechRadar

Notes are just the beginning. Create and annotate anything, from study guides to storyboards. We've got an intuitive, minimal interface for you to start in seconds.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad

Best for: Note-taking, Book, Story, Journal, and Free

Website: https://notability.com/

★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.7 ★ on the App Store

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Brainsparker

Ignite your creativity. Coach your brain to think creatively & spark brilliant ideas at work and in life.

Platforms: iPhone, iPad

Best for: Outlining, Journal, and Free

Website: https://brainsparker.com/

★★★ Features

★★★★★ Value

Reedsy Studio

A powerful writing tool from Reedsy. Write and export a beautifully typeset book. This is the beloved app made for authors, by authors.

Platforms: Online, Chrome

Best for: Outlining, Drafting, Editing, Proofreading, Publishing, Book, Poetry, Story, and Free

Website: https://reedsy.com/write-a-book

★★★★★ Features

Also rated 4.6 ★ on Trustpilot

Scribus is an Open Source program that brings professional page layout with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page design.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, PC

Best for: Publishing, Book, Story, and Free

Website: https://www.scribus.net/

Built for teams and individuals to create, collaborate, and organize all your knowledge in one place from anywhere in the world. Create fast dynamic notes, documents, wikis, knowledge bases, and projects while integrating across the apps you work with.

Platforms: Online

Best for: Productivity, Blog, and Free

Website: https://bit.ai/

Also rated 5.0 ★ on Capterra

MindMeister

Mind mapping starts with a main idea in the center of your mind map. As your map takes shape, add context to topics with attachments, embedded media and more. MindMeister’s features guide you through your first mind maps onto maximum creativity.

Platforms: Online, iPhone, iPad, Android

Best for: Outlining, Journal, Poetry, and Free

Website: https://www.mindmeister.com/

Also rated 4.7 ★ on Capterra

Plot your next masterpiece with Pluot, the writing planner packed with features and there for you whenever inspiration strikes.

Website: https://pluotstudios.com/

★★★★★ Accessibility

Also rated 4.3 ★ on Google Play

Danger Notes

Don’t stop typing. If you do all your work will disappear and be gone forever. Danger Notes is the ultimate writing tool to help fight writer’s block. Whether you are writing a term paper, an essay, a book, your best-man speech, promising rap lyrics or just free writing, Danger Notes will help you fight writer’s block by forcing you to keep writing in order to save your progress from being deleted.

Best for: Note-taking, Book, Story, Essay, Journal, Poetry, Blog, and Free

Website: http://swivelapps.com/apps-by-david/dangernotes.html

Also rated 4.8 ★ on Capterra

Hemingway App

Hemingway makes your writing bold and clear. It's like a spellchecker, but for style. It makes sure that your reader will focus on your message, not your prose.

Platforms: Windows, PC, Mac

Best for: Editing, Proofreading, Book, Essay, Story, Blog, and Free

Website: https://hemingwayapp.com/

Also rated 4.0 ★ on Reedsy

Create documents, make impact. When your work needs to wow, Craft gives you the tools to make it magnificent.

Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Online, PC

Best for: Note-taking, Drafting, Journal, Essay, Blog, and Free

Website: https://www.craft.do/

Also rated 4.9 ★ on the App Store

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'Chicken scratch' notes, Trump's book, and a 2006 picture: See evidence in hush money trial

By time Donald Trump 's hush money trial concluded its fourth week, witness testimony swung drastically from accounting processes to Stormy Daniels ' blockbuster story about sex with Trump.

Trump has been indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors say he covered up reimbursements to Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her story under wraps ahead of the 2016 election. More than a dozen people have taken the stand, and they all come with tidbits of evidence to explain to the jury.

Prosecutors appear to be using that evidence to show jurors Trump's approach to business and how that led him to signing checks to Cohen himself, while also propping up Daniels' alleged sexual encounter with the former president in 2006. (Trump denies it happened).

Coupled with courtroom sketches , transcripts of the trial and on-the-ground reporting from USA TODAY, the following evidence gives insight into what the jurors are seeing and considering:

Trump trial live updates: Michael Cohen set to testify as star witness in hush money trial

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

The paper trail: Michael Cohen's checks and 'chicken scratch' numbers

Who introduced the evidence: The prosecution. The checks and accounting documents form a central part of the case as prosecutors try to show Trump was reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels and falsifying records to cover it up. The defense has denied the payments were reimbursements.

Associated witness: The paperwork has come into play across a few testimonies, as prosecutors try to show the jury the accounting processes behind Trump's organization approving and issuing checks. The documents above were verified by Jeffrey McConney, the former controller at the Trump Organization and Deborah Tarasoff, an accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization.

Testimony: McConney calculated how the $130,000 allegedly netted out to $35,000 monthly payments for Cohen's for a "retainer." The $130,000 paid to Keith M Davidson Associates PLC, plus $50,000 paid for technology services, doubled to pad for taxes, plus a $60,000 bonus, equaled $420,000. At a monthly rate, McConney testified, that came to $35,000. Tarasoff testified the check from Trump's personal account was signed by Trump.

Trump Organization junior bookkeeper Rebecca Manochio and former presidential aide Madeleine Westerhout later testified about how checks were signed in 2017, once Trump was in the White House. They had to send them via FedEx back and forth.

Quote from the transcript: "Allen (Weisselberg) said we had to get some money to Michael, reimburse Michael. He tossed a pad towards me, and I started taking notes on what Allen said," McConney said of his "chicken scratch" notes during a January 2017 meeting.

He also testified the hand writing on the bottom left of the First Republic Bank account statement belonged to Weisselberg, the former Trump organization CFO convicted of tax fraud and falsifying business records.

'I sign all my own checks, so I know where my money's going'

Who introduced the evidence: The prosecution.

Associated witness: Sally Franklin , a senior vice president and executive managing editor in publishing at Penguin Random House.

Testimony: Franklin read loud several portions of Trump's books, in which Trump outlines his approach to business, which includes closely checking invoices and checks. The defense team raised the fact that he used a ghostwriter in cross examination.

Quote from the transcript: "As I said before, I always sign my checks, so I know where my money's going," Trump wrote in his book "Trump: Think Like a Billionaire." "In the same spirit, I also always try to read my bills to make sure I'm not being overcharged"

Photos of Trump and Stormy Daniels at Lake Tahoe golf tournament, 2006

Associated witness: Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who allegedly had sex with Trump in July 2006 at a Lake Tahoe golf tournament.

Testimony: Daniels testified she met Trump while she was working for adult film company Wicked Pictures, a sponsor for the tournament. Trump has denied a sexual encounter between them ever occurred. These photos demonstrated that the two were at least in the same place at the same time.

Transcript excerpt: "So, Wicked sponsors one of the holes on the golf course, which, yes, I know it's very funny. We are an adult film company sponsoring one of the holes," Daniels said on the stand, before describing being introduced to Trump, along with several other golfers. "The owner of the company was like...'this is my contract star and director Stormy Daniels.' And that's when he acted like, oh, you actually direct too? You must be the smart one. And there is a picture and they moved on."

'Oh my god': Stormy Daniels testifies on spanking Trump, his gold tweezers, and silky PJs

Stormy Daniels book and merchandise

Who introduced the evidence: The defense.

Associated witness: Stormy Daniels.

Testimony: Defense lawyer  Susan Necheles pressed Daniels on how she has profited from telling her story. Daniels confirmed a post on social media saying that she made $1 million from her 2018 book "Full Disclosure ," which covered her life story, including the interaction with Trump. Daniels also has other themed merchandise for sale like a candle and a comic book, she confirmed on the stand. Necheles suggested Daniels made up the story of having sex with Trump.

"If that story was untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better," Daniels shot back. "I didn't have to write this one."

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Bart Jansen