fiction writing software

Book Writing Software (2024): Top 10 for Writers

by Joe Bunting | 20 comments

Writing a book is hard. I've written fifteen books and at some point during each one I had the thought, “There has to be a tool, a piece of book writing software, that would make it easier to reach my writing goals.”

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

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

In this article, we will cover the ten best pieces of software for writing a book and look at the pros and cons of each. Click the links below to get our review on the best writing software.

Best Writing Software: Contents

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

Worst Pieces of Software for Writing a Book

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

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

• Facebook, TikTok, and Other Social Media Software.  Do I really need to say more? Fortunately there's a piece of book writing software for avoiding this very distracting software (see Freedom below). You can't write a book if you spend you writing time publishing social media posts.
• Other Productive Software Not Directly Associated With Your Writing.  Yes, it's good to reconcile your bank account on Quickbooks or make sure you're up to date on your calendar app, but responsible, well-meaning work can easily be an excuse for a quick distraction that turns into a major distraction from writing your book.

Set aside time for your writing every day and then stay focused. If you need a game, make writing your daily word count your game. If you want more “likes” on social media, imagine how great getting five-star reviews on your book will be.

If you need to check your bank balance several times a day, think about what your bank balance will be when you stop checking it constantly, finish your book, and become a successful author. Now let's talk about some book software for authors that can help you with your book writing process.

The 10 Best Pieces of Book Writing Software

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

1. Scrivener (Word Processor)

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

You can also get a high-level view of your book using the corkboard and outliner modes, allowing you to view book chapters, sections, or individual scenes as index cards. Project targets let you create word count goals and then track your progress daily. Its composition mode can help you stay focused by removing all the clutter.

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

You can read our  full Scrivener review here .

To be fair, Scrivener also has its weaknesses. Formatting is more complicated than it needs to be and collaborating isn't easy, meaning it loses its effectiveness as soon as you bring on an editor (we recommend Google Docs for collaborating).

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

Pros of Scrivener:

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

Cons of Scrivener: 

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

We believe in Scrivener so much, we published a book about how creative writers can write more faster using it. It’s called  Scrivener Superpowers .  If you’re using Scrivener or want a tutorial to save yourself time as you learn how to use it for your creative writing, you can  get Scrivener Superpowers here . You can also learn more about how to use the software with one of these resources:

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

Cost: $59.99 for Windows, Mac

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

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

2. Dabble (Word Processor)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Google Docs (Word Processing)

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

It's free, easy to use, and requires no backups since everything is in the cloud.

Best of all are its collaboration abilities, which allow you to invite your editor to the document and then watch as they make changes, which are tracked in suggestion mode, and leave comments on your story (see screenshot below).

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

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

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

4. Google Sheets OR Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheet)

If you’d told me when I was first trying to become a writer that one of my most-used tools in my book writing software toolkit would be a spreadsheet, I would have told you I didn't major in English to have to use a spreadsheet.

But now, as I'm finishing my fifteenth book, I realize that I use spreadsheets almost daily. Spreadsheets allow you to get a sense of the elements of your book at a glance, and when you're working on a 300-page document, distilling it down to useable information becomes very necessary.

You might use spreadsheets for:

• Character tracking
• Breakdown of scenes
• A Foolscap/Beat sheet

Google Sheets is perfect for this because it's free and you can quickly share your documents with your writing partners, editors, or beta readers to get feedback.

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

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

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

5. Vellum (Book Formatting/Word Processing)

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

That's why I love Vellum so much.

Vellum makes beautiful books.

Vellum picks up where Scrivener, Word, and Pages leave off, giving you a tool to make great looking eBooks and print books, usually in under an hour. The most important part of this is the previewer (see the image below), which lets you see how each formatting change or book edit you make will appear on Kindle, Fire, iPhone, Nook, and other eReaders.

It also has stripped-down, option-based formatting, which is perfect for designing both eBooks and print books. I really love this writing app!

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

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

6. ProWritingAid (Grammar/Spell Check)

Can a grammar checker replace an editor?

Definitely not. But if you ask Alice Sudlow, our in-house editor, she'll tell you, “If you don’t have access to an editor (or if you do, but you don’t want to hire them to edit your emails or Facebook posts), software that performs grammar checks like  ProWritingAid  is an accessible, affordable alternative.”

If you struggle with grammar mistakes, sentence structure, spelling, or even writing style, ProWritingAid can help. It goes far beyond your built-in spellcheck. You should still learn grammar skills, but ProWritingAid can help you start to see the patterns and grow as a writer.

There's a free version that's very good. It can even be installed into your browser or Word processor, so you can check your grammar wherever you write.

The paid version, just $96 a year with our discount link (33 percent less than Grammarly ‘s price), gives you additional support on sentence structure, style, and vocabulary. Learn more about how writers can get the most out of ProWritingAid here .

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

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

7. Publisher Rocket (Book Marketing App)

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

Read our  full Publisher Rocket review here .

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Atticus (Book Formatting/Word Processing)

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

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

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

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

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

Cons: 

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

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

9. Freedom (Productivity App)

One question writers always ask me is, “How can I stay focused enough to finish what I write?” I have too many thoughts on that for this article, but as far as using writing software to encourage focus goes, I recommend Freedom. It's my favorite writing tool for a distraction-free writing experience.

Freedom allows you to enter focus mode, blocking your biggest distractions, including both websites and mobile apps, for a set period of time. So when you mindlessly escape your book to scroll through Facebook, you'll find the site won't load.

You can also schedule recurring sessions, so that at a scheduled time (e.g. Mondays from 6 am to 10 am), you won’t be able to access the sites on your blocklist, even if you try.

There are other apps like this that we've written about before, notably Self-Control for Mac and StayFocused for Windows. But Freedom goes further, allowing you to block sites on both your computer  and  your phone, and enabling recurring sessions.

You can learn more about  how writers can get the most out of Freedom on our review here .

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

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

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

10. Microsoft Word (Word Processor)

Again: no piece of book writing software is going to write your book for you. If you're looking for the next “shiny new toy” to help you write your book, it might be an excuse to avoid doing the hard work of writing.

Most of us learned how to use computers by using Microsoft Word, or a program like it. Word gets the job done. Sure, Scrivener is a little better for books, but I wrote my first book on Word and it's fine.

I wrote a long review of  the pros and cons of using Word to write books —the main problem is that as your document grows, it becomes more and more difficult to work with, whereas with Scrivener, it becomes easier—but the point is, if Word is what you have, don't let that stop you from finishing your book.

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

As Jeff Elkins said in  his review of Word , “If you aren’t already putting in the hard work to be the kind of writer you want to be, it doesn’t matter what new writing software you invest in. It is not going to help.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pros of Drive:

• Universal cloud backup
• Automatically syncs
• Free or inexpensive

Cons of Drive:

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

Cost: Free with Paid options

Sign up for Google Drive here »

Sign up for Dropbox here »

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

When I'm writing for a long time, I like to get up and go for a walk. Sometimes, I wish I could continue writing while I walk. Other times, I find myself brainstorming ideas while I'm not at my computer, typing it up on my phone, and then wanting to easily move what I wrote to my laptop without having to go through the hassle of emailing it back and forth to myself.

That's where note taking apps like Ulysses and Evernote come in.

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

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

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

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

Pros of Evernote:

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

Cons of Evernote:

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

iOS Notes  Cost: Free with any iOS device

Get the app here »

Evernote  Cost: Free with Paid options

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

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

Bonus #3: Hemingway App (Style Checker)

Most writers think their sentences are easier to read than they are. You think you're coming across clearly, that your writing makes sense, but then someone reads it and comes away with something totally different. Hemingway App (sometimes called Hemingway Editor) helps with that.

Hemingway App is a free website that checks readability. You can copy and paste your writing into the website's input box. Then it will grade your writing based on your used of   adverbs , passive voice , and sentences as units . Hemingway App is useful, but even the best book writing software can’t replace a good editor.

Pros of Hemingway:

• Fast, easy style advice

Cons of Hemingway:

• Somewhat arbitrary advice
• Hemingway himself would fail

Cost: Free!

Try out Hemingway App here »

The 30+ Tools Every Writer Needs

Writing is no different, and while the right software is important, it's just one of the many tools you need as a writer.

That's why we published a list of all of our favorite tools for everything related to being a writer.

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

The Most Essential Book Writing Software

Imagine it's three thousand years ago.

You're sitting around a campfire with some of your family and friends, tired from the day's work. You begin to tell a story. It's one you've told before, told a hundred times. You can see faces around the fire, the children with their eyes wide, the men and women who have heard the story before but still enjoy it because it brings meaning to their lives.

Storytellers—writers—have existed since the beginning of humanity. They didn’t always have book writing software. They didn't have the printing press or the internet. They didn't always even have the alphabet to write their stories down. Instead, storytellers had their imaginations, their voices, and a rapt audience. Y

ou don’t need book writing software to write a great story. Book writing software can make the process a little faster or easier, but the truth is great stories will always exist, no matter what kind of software we have.

The only three things essential to writing a great book:

• Your imagination
• A desire to tell your story

That’s all you need. Do you want to write your book? If you do, then do it. Write it. Nothing is stopping you except you.  So go get writing.

What pieces of book writing software do you use?  Let us know in the comments .

The world is full of powerful software to help you write your book. In the end, though, all these tools are just that—tools. The stories you imagine and your discipline to put the words on the page are far more important.

So for this practice, set aside all the fancy software. Eliminate all the bells and whistles and open up your computer's native text editor (TextEdit for Mac or Notepad for Windows).

Take fifteen minutes to write without any distractions.

Continue your work in progress, or start a new story based on this prompt: A student discovers one of their teachers is not what they appear to be.

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

Joe Bunting

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

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

Work with Joe Bunting?

WSJ Bestselling author, founder of The Write Practice, and book coach with 14+ years experience. Joe Bunting specializes in working with Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, How To, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, and Self Help books. Sound like a good fit for you?

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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It will come as little surprise that we think the Novel Factory is the best writing software. That’s because we’ve spent the last ten years trying to work out what makes novel writing software great, and then building it.

Nonetheless, we are aware that writers’ needs vary, and that there are apps out there that are more established or have a different focus or a development team with different areas of expertise.

So we have genuinely done our best in this review to give an honest rundown of some of the best novel writing software options, analysing their strengths and weaknesses. But we’ll start with the one we know best.

The main strengths of Novel Factory are its intuitive, clean design and the wealth and detail of the novel writing resources.

As well as providing a word processor, features for creating plots and managing subplots, and areas for keeping notes on characters, locations and items – the software integrates what some have described as ‘an MA in writing’.

As well as the Roadmap, which is a step-by-step guide to writing a novel, it includes detailed character development questionnaires, world building guides and plot templates based on popular genres.

So it’s not just the car, but the engine and map as well.

The software has a section for setting your writing targets, and then automatically updates colour-coded graphs so you can track your progress towards them.

It also autosaves your manuscript and has version history, so you can access previous drafts of your writing.

And as the data is centrally stored, it’s easy for writers to collaborate on a single novel, always able to access the latest changes.

If we have to focus on the weaknesses of the Novel Factory, then we have to admit it’s not the cheapest option out there. Writers on a tight budget may not be able to stretch to $7.50 per month. We hate the idea of anyone being priced out, so we do run promos a few times a year which bring the price down, and we offer educational discounts and occasionally free licences on a hardship basis (get in touch with us for more info).

Is the Novel Factory the best novel writing software for me?

The Novel Factory is perfect for new writers, who want to learn their craft while writing their first novel.

It’s great for planners, who want to use established structures to make their story skeleton bullet-proof and develop complex characters with desires, flaws and internal conflicts.

It’s the right fit if you want somewhere to keep track of all supporting data, as well as writing the novel itself, and if you want options to work Online and Offline, as it suits you.

It’s good for visual learners, who appreciate being able to add a lot of images, who like to see how different aspects of the novel link together and who like everything clearly categorised and aesthetically appealing.

It’s less useful for writers who want something more freeform, or something where they can set up and rearrange the categories themselves. And discovery writers may prefer something a bit more streamlined and simple, as they may not need the additional sections for supporting data.

Click here to find out more about the features included in the Novel Factory 3.0, or click here for a free 30 day trial .

No novel writing software list would be complete without Scrivener – the Goliath of the writing software world.

Scrivener was one of the first apps to appear on the market, and is by far the most well-known program today.

The main strengths of Scrivener are its flexibility and richness of features. It has had a long time to mature, and take into account feedback from its huge community, so it is packed full of features, from index cards to name generators. It offers goal tracking, word counts and places to keep your notes.

Plus, because the community is so huge, you can take advantage of freely shared resources, such as character and plot templates.

Scrivener is very reasonably priced at £47, and is available for Mac, PC and even IOS (though the licences for each of these are sold separately), though there isn’t a web-based version.

The widely accepted main weakness of Scrivener is the other side of the coin of its strength – it’s complexity.

The ‘steep learning curve’ is cited by many as a real issue, and while there are dozens of courses to help you get to grips with the intricacies of the program, people who are trying to write a novel are usually already struggling to find enough time just to write their manuscript. And it’s quite a big ask to require someone to invest dozens of hours learning a program before they’re even sure it’s the right one for them.

Is Scrivener the best creative writing software for me?

Scrivener is a great app, with tons of fantastic features, and there’s a reason it’s used by so many writers.

As they state on their website, they, ‘won’t tell you how to write’, so this it’s best suited to an experienced novelist who has time to learn the features and work out how to use them to plan and write their novel.

It offers a lot of flexibility and customisation so, you can use the tools in lots of different ways, to suit your style.

But for a newer novelist, who is just learning their craft and might want a little more guidance, it can be a bit overwhelming, while not offering guidance on how to actually write a novel.

And having so many choices can also lead to decision paralysis, or not really knowing the best way to proceed, so it probably won’t suit people who are less comfortable with advanced technology and customisation.

Click here to find out more about Scrivener and get a free trial.

YWriter is another veteran piece of software which is widely respected and loved.

YWriter contains all the key features you’d expect from novel writing software, including clearly defined places to keep track of your characters , locations, scenes, chapters and somewhere to write your novel.

A big strength is that it allows you to link everything together and handily cross-reference, and it has lots of tools to keep track of your word counts and progress.

The main weakness of yWriter is that it’s not clear where to start when you first open it, and the word processor takes a while to find. Also, some sections of the interface are a bit primitive, requiring you to enter code syntax, rather than offering a proper graphic user interface where you can simply, click, drag and drop.

The characters, locations and tools tabs are all fairly straightforward, but the interface is all table-based, which can get a bit monotonous. While you can add images to characters, locations and items, they’re not displayed in the main interface for quick reference.

Like Scrivener, it doesn’t give you any guidance on how to actually write a novel.

Is yWriter the best free novel writing software for me?

While yWriter isn’t the most intuitive software to use, or the most fully featured, it has one major advantage which, for many writers, will rocket it above all the competitors.

That is that it is completely free.

For a free product, yWriter is quite phenomenal and it is extremely generous of the developer to give away such a great app with no charge at all. Of course, you can donate to help support future development, but even the suggested donations are only up to $24.95 as a one off.

So if you are looking for dedicated software to keep track of the key aspects of your novel but you’re on a tight budget, then yWriter is a fantastic option.

Click here to find out more about yWriter.

Fictionary is an online creative writing software that approaches the process from a different point of view. Instead of starting with an idea and helping the writer grow it into a full novel, Fictionary has a stronger focus on improving your manuscript after you’ve written it.

The main strength of Fictionary is its analytical capabilities once you import your manuscript. It can help you get an overarching view of your story arc.

It has an attractive interface and a sidebar with lots of useful prompts to help you think about various aspects of each scene.

The ‘Plot’ section of the sidebar gives useful prompts to encourage you to consider the type, role and goals of each scene.

Likewise, the ‘settings’ section offers useful prompts to help you think not only about the practical details of your setting, but also how it impacts the story.

The main weakness of Fictionary is that the data is only as good as what you enter, and the analysis relies a lot on your own understanding of story and character.

It offers a lot of numerical analysis and helps you identify tangible things such as chapters or scenes which are excessively long, or which contain excessive numbers of characters, but whether those things are actually an issue or not depends a lot on context and your own choices, and at the end of the day, the quality of a novel can’t be boiled down to statistics.

Also, everything is viewed by scenes, so you can’t get much of an overview of your plot, apart from the quite limited Story Arc.

Also, like Novlr, it doesn’t have much support for plot structure development or developing your characters, which isn’t that surprising, since its focus is on after you’ve written the novel. You can enter your characters, but the data is limited to name and whether that character is POV. You can’t add any further information, or images. You can add information about locations to each scene, but there’s no database of locations that stands alone.

It’s also the most expensive option on our list, at $20 per month or $200 per year.

Is Fictionary the best novel editing software for me?

Fictionary is useful if you’ve already written a manuscript and you want to analyse it to find out where the inconsistencies or weak areas are.

It’s great if you love obsessing over data, and it can help you think about aspects of scenes to make them stronger and more compelling.

It’s not very useful for new novelists who want to learn how to write their first novel, or for planners who are looking for tools to structure, outline and develop characters before writing their novel.

Click here to find out more about Fictionary and get a free trial.

Atticus is a newcomer to the market, created by established self-publishing marketing guru, Dave Chesson.

The key unique strength of Atticus is its formatting and publishing functions. As a self-published author, Dave rightly recognised that there were few options on the market that allowed you to easily ready your manuscript for self-publishing – and even fewer if you weren’t on a Mac.

Atticus allows you to easily select between various formatting styles, and export your novel to a ready-to-go ebook format for all the major self-publishing platforms.

In conjunction with that, Atticus includes dedicated spaces for front matter and back matter, and it allows you to set writing goals, and even select which days of the week you plan to write, which is a nice touch.

It works in a browser, and you can also download apps for Windows and Mac, making it one of the most cross-platform options out there.

It’s got a slick, attractive, highly intuitive interface. It even features a cute cartoon dog – what’s not to like?

The weakness of Atticus compared to other novel writing software, is that it doesn’t offer any areas for keeping track of characters or locations, managing your plot. Of course if you don’t need those features, then that’s not a problem at all.

It also doesn’t get into the business of teaching you how to write a novel, so if you’re a beginner looking for more craft guidance, you’ll need to find that info somewhere else.

It doesn’t offer any free trial, which could be quite off-putting to some people, and the price isn’t that cheap, at $147, though that is a one-off cost. Asking people to pay that much without having been able to poke at the software first demands quite a lot of trust, though there is a no-quibble 30 day money back guarantee.

Is Atticus the best novel formatting software for me?

Atticus is almost certainly the best option for actively self-publishing authors who have a reasonable budget available and prefer to just get on with writing their novels without doing a lot of additional work creating character profiles, locations sheets or planning documents.

It offers a clean interface for writing, and easy formatting and publishing to all the major platforms, something very few of the other options offer.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for more comprehensive novel writing software which includes features and functions to help you keep track of characters, manage your plot and subplots and give novel writing advice, then Atticus is not that sort of one-stop-shop.

Click here to check out Atticus.

Write It Now

Write it Now is a desktop based novel writing software app available for both Windows and Mac, with a wide range of features, but quite a cluttered, dated interface.

The main strength of Write It Now is the wide range of features it includes.

As well as having sections to keep your characters, locations, events, props, notes and research, it has some cool tools which are rare in other programs, such as character relationship charts.

There are some prompts and guidance with regards to characters, such as including their birth and death date, and their relationship to other characters, but ‘personality’ is limited to sliders on different personality traits, such as ‘health’ or ‘aggression’.

Another strength is that it includes places for front and back matter, and offers a wide range of export options.

By far the biggest weakness of the software is its interface. Balance, style and consistency are lacking and it’s cluttered with fussy icons. And while at the top level the sections are quite intuitive, many of the buttons within the sections are quite confusing and it’s unclear what the intent behind them is, even after you’ve clicked them.

Finally, it doesn’t appear to offer many overview options, so apart from the tree list on the left hand side, you can’t view all of your characters at a glance. There also doesn’t seem to be a way to get an overview of your plot structure.

Is Write It Now the best novel planning software for me?

Write It Now is good for writers who are comfortable with technology and like to have lots of detailed features and functions, and who want to be able to drill down into lots of detail, and customise the software to suit themselves. And who aren’t that fussed about aesthetics.

It’s also a good option for users who prefer Desktop software, as many of the novel writing apps out there now are solely web-based.

It’s not good for people who value an aesthetically pleasing, intuitive interface. It’s also not good for people who want to keep things simple.

It doesn’t include any guidance on how to write a novel, so it’s less useful for new novel writers.

Click here to check out Write It Now.

FocusWriter

FocusWriter is a super-simple, free app to help writers focus and avoid distractions.

It’s biggest strength is exactly what it says – its focus. Its main objective is to minimise distractions, so you can get on with writing your novel.

It also has some customisation options, so you can change the background image to something you like and it’s available in multiple languages.

Its weakness is that it doesn’t offer anything else.

There is nowhere to keep track of any supporting information, such as that of characters, locations, items, research or notes. Of course, it doesn’t intend to offer those things, but if you want them – that’s a problem.

There’s no support on how to write a novel, and despite its simplicity, the interface still manages to look slightly dated.

Is FocusWriter the best novel writing software for me?

FocusWriter is perfect for authors who just want to get on and write a manuscript and not faff around with lots of planning and research. So it’s far better suited to discovery writers, rather than planners.

People who like to have a completely clear desk, and who find clutter impacts on their train of thought, will find FocusWriter the perfect solution.

If you’re looking for a more fully featured program, which will help keep track of supporting information, as well as the manuscript itself, then this is not the app for you.

Likewise, if you’re a new writer who wants a program that integrates guidance, templates and novel writing advice, then this is not a good option.

Click here to download FocusWriter.

Bibisco is a desktop based app with a clean, uncluttered layout and a good range of features.

It’s main strengths are the simplicity of its interface and the fact it has sections for all the major aspects of novel writing.

It’s nicely laid out, with the option to add images to things such as characters and locations. It has graphs to visualise things such as chapter lengths and character and object distribution. Another great feature is the character relationships tool.

It includes quite a few character development prompts, though how you fill them in is a little confusing at first, and it’s not possible to easily see all the information at a glance, you have to keep clicking to drill down, and then clicking to go back up to the top level again.

Another nice touch is the popup help boxes that appear as you move through the app, giving you extra hints and tips without making you grind to a halt to complete a lengthy tutorial.

The biggest weaknesses of the software are the fact that it has no free trial, and the lack of clear flow of overarching structure to the software.

This is one of the only programs that doesn’t offer a free trial. The price is very low (only $18, though you can pay more if you feel inclined to), so you could just take a punt on it, but it seems a big ask to require people to fork out before they’ve ever had a chance to take it for a test drive and see if it suits them.

The other issue is that it’s not always clear the best way to use the software. For many this is fine, as they’ll use it how they please – but if you’re looking for something that will guide you through the novel writing process, you’ll be disappointed.

Is Bibisco the best novel writing software for me?

If you’re looking for a low-cost desktop app to keep track of key information relating to your novel, then Bibisco is a great choice. It has a nice clean interface, contains all the key sections you could require with a few nice extras, and is very modestly priced.

However, if you’re a discovery writer who just wants to get writing, it’s unlikely to suit you, as the emphasis is on supporting data, rather than the manuscript. It actually takes a while to find the word processor.

And if you’re a planner looking for a way to shuffle around plot points and get a bird’s eye view of your structure, Bibisco doesn’t provide that.

It also isn’t designed for new writers who are looking for guidance on how to actually write their novel, as it doesn’t contain that sort of information.

Click here to find out more about Bibisco.

Wavemaker is a smart novel writing app which contains a range of useful features for novelists.

Like yWriter, it is a labour of love by a single developer who wanted to create software for his own writing, and like yWriter it is also available for free, with a gentle encouragement for you to donate money so he can spend more time on it.

It’s a progressive web app, which means it runs in a browser, but continues to work if you go offline, syncing as soon as it gets a connection back.

Our favourite Wavemaker strengths are its range of elegant planning features and its beautiful interface.

Wavemaker contains several different ways to plan your novel and gather your notes, each slightly different to take into account different ways of processing information, but allowing you to drag and drop items, and link ideas and notes in different ways.

It includes tagging, which can be very useful for cross-referencing and sorting, and it has a sidebar so you can view some of your notes while writing your manuscript.

It is very clean and pleasing to look at, and using the tools is very intuitive.

The main weakness of Wavemaker is that while it is a great selection of tools, they don’t integrate in any coherent way. You can’t enter info in one and then view it in one of the other sections to get a different perspective. There’s no flow, where you start in one section, then when that’s complete, move to the next. Then again, the freeform way will work better for many people.

Also, the tools mostly stop at the top level functionality, so they do what they say, but there’s not a lot more below the surface.

It doesn’t have any novel writing teaching resources, so people who are looking to write their first novel will need to find that information somewhere else, and there’s little in the way of prompts, to show you how to develop characters or settings, or structure a plot.

Is Wavemaker the best free novel writing software for me?

Wavemaker is great if you want a flexible, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing toolbox for working out the plot of your novel.

It will also be good for discovery writers who want a clean interface which works online and offline.

It’s less useful for new writers who are looking for writing craft guidance, or for those who like to see how all their data links together across the different sections.

Click here to check out Wavemaker.

Novlr is a web-based novel writing app with a beautiful interface, a bunch of great features and plenty of resources to help teach you how to write a novel.

One of the biggest strengths of Novlr is how attractive and pleasing it is to look at, with its slick layout. For some people, this may be considered unimportant compared to the features available, but for many of us a clear, uncluttered interface helps our thoughts flow more clearly.

It also offers spelling and grammar suggestions, in the same way Word does, which not many novel writing apps do.

It autosaves and creates a version history, which gives great peace of mind.

It includes word count info and even motivational messages when you achieve your goals.

One of its weaknesses is the price – it is among the higher priced apps at $100 per year.

Another potential weakness (though could be a strength, depending on your point of view), is that it doesn’t have any features relating to characters, plotting or locations. The focus of Novlr is solely on the manuscript, so any related research or development you want to do has to be done elsewhere.

Is Novlr the right story writing software for me?

Novlr is perfect for discovery writers (also known as pantsers), with its beautiful, clean interface, proofreading tools and version history.

It’s also good for new writers as, like the Novel Factory, it has an integrated course to help you write your novel.

It’s not so useful for writers who are looking for a more all round software, which will give them somewhere to keep track of their cast of characters, offer plotting tools and world building resources.

Click here to find out more about Novlr and get a free trial.

In summary – what is the best novel writing software for you? Our top three recommendations, for planners, pantsers, and those on a budget.

As we’ve seen, if you’re looking for novel writing software, you’re spoiled for choice. You can find software that will take care of all your supporting novel data, such as characters and locations, or you can find absolute minimalist apps to help you avoid distractions.

There is software that teaches you how to write a novel, and there’s software that gives you imaginative ways to view your data, such as index cards, mind maps and relationship charts.

Some of the software is perfect for discovery writers, while others are a dream come true for planners. You may also want to consider using Papertyper, a free AI essay writer tool that can help you organize your thoughts and ideas. This is also worth your attention.

Some are aesthetically pleasing and calming to look at and use, while others prioritise highly customisable detail.

The right software for you will depend on your personal preferences and priorities, but here’s a summary of our top three favourites, for the most diverse requirements:

Here are our top recommendations:

• Best all round novel writing software: The Novel Factory
• Best minimalist writing software: FocusWriter
• Best free novel writing software: Wavemaker

Whatever your needs, we hope you find the tool that’s a perfect partner for your novel writing future!

Unlock your writing potential

If you liked this article by the Novel Factory, then why not try the Novel Factory app for writers?

It includes:

• Plot Templates
• Character Questionnaires
• Writing Guides
• Drag & Drop Plotting Tools
• World Building resources
• Much, much more

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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.

Available for

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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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

The Best Book Writing Software of 2024: Scrivener, yWriter, and More

There isn’t any writing software that can miraculously make you a professional author. However, plenty of digital tools can help you improve your writing, become more productive and publish a book. To help you sort through a sea of apps available on PC, Mac, and mobile, we’ll run through some of the best book writing software available today.

This post will help you find the best app for your particular needs as a writer.

Developing your craft

The best way to become a better writer is simply to write prolifically. But it might also help to have a kindly electronic tutor looking over your shoulder.

Price: Free online, or $19.99 to download the desktop app

The Hemingway app is for authors who want to bring out their inner Ernest by writing prose that’s “bold and clear.”

To help you improve your writing in real-time, the app highlights text with colors that indicate run-on sentences, passive voice, qualifiers, adverbs, and complex phrasing to reduce. Our full Hemingway app review discusses these functions in more detail, but one drawback is that it doesn’t exist as an extension to browsers and word processors. You either have to write your book elsewhere and import it onto Hemingway for an edit, or you write on Hemingway and forfeit other book-related functions like formatting tools and goal-tracking.

If you struggle to write consistently, sign up for our How to Write a Novel course to finish a novel in just 3 months.  

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Enroll in our course and become an author in three months.

ProWritingAid

Price: $120/year

ProWritingAid aims to improve your writing by providing language-checking features that spot not only grammar mistakes but also stylistic weaknesses like purple prose or passive voice — though these should be taken with a grain of salt. The app has integrations to most major word processors and browsers, so you can easily apply it to book writing software like Word or the Reedsy Book Editor. For a more in-depth analysis of its functions and uses (plus a discount code!), head to our ProWritingAid review .

Writing productivity

Inspiration is nothing without the discipline to complete your first drafts. The features on these apps are designed to help you become more productive writers.

FocusWriter

Price: Free

Sometimes even word processors like the ones discussed so far feel overwhelming and distracting with all of its formatting tools and features. What if you just want a clean slate with absolutely nothing to distract you from the flow of your words — not even a toolbar with unnecessary functions? FocusWriter can provide you with a virtual sheet of paper (cloaked in the theme of your choice). 

Now, you can access a toolbar with several features like a timer for writing sprints, and a daily goal tracker — but in its default state, this writing software tucks them safely out of view. Recent updates have made it possible to save your work as Word files, which means you can write with FocusWriter and easily share your manuscript with others for feedback.

Reedsy Book Editor

Designed to meet the key needs of authors, our Reedsy Book Editor is a free, all-in-one piece of book writing software . On its unobtrusive interface, you can write your book with the help of a built-in spell-check system (tailored to your preferred language) and a goal-tracking feature that will help you hit your deadlines. Simply enter your target length, tell the RBE which days of the week you intend to write, and the app will automatically set your daily word count goals .

FREE WRITING APP

The Reedsy Book Editor

Set goals, track progress, and establish your writing routine in our free app.

Price: $39.96/year

If you’re struggling to find enough discipline to make the Pomodoro method work, it might be time to call in the distraction-busting big guns. You can install freedom on one or all of your devices, and during your writing sprints, the app will cut off your access to your apps, the entire internet, or a self-selected collection of ‘distracting websites’ (Facebook, Instagram, OK Cupid, etc.).

Planning your story

Many writers love plotting out their books on corkboards and spiral-bound notebooks. But if you’re looking for tidier alternatives (or programs that can prompt you in the right direction), you may want to check these out.

Price : Free

yWriter looks a bit dated, and it’s not yet available to Mac users, but it’s a formidable piece of writing software for anyone writing science fiction or fantasy — or any project with a lot of complex worldbuilding details. By dividing your work into scenes (on which you can tag relevant characters and locations), yWriter helps you track every development in the manuscript as you write. 

Campfire Write

Price: Starting at $1.50 per month 

Another option for science fiction and fantasy writers is Campfire Write. Created with these genres in mind, this web-based book writing software lets you map your story by Elements (characters, locations, maps, species, cultures, philosophies, etc.), which can be purchased individually, as needed. Say you only subscribe to the manuscript writing feature, it’ll cost $1.50 a month. If you want to have several character profiles, a culture outline, and a couple of interactive maps, you can expect to pay $5.25 a month. 

Your work here can also be shared with an editor (who can leave comments on your work) or with the Campfire writing community at large. While it takes some time to familiarize yourself with its many details, Campfire can be a useful and fun tool for writers to build their universes. We've also reviewed Campfire Write in more detail.

For 20% off all lifetime purchases on Campfire, use the promo code REEDSY20 at checkout.

Price: $49 

Scrivener is a favorite among authors in no small part because it is one of the first writing programs created with authors in mind. With its corkboard function that allows you to see your whole project in one view, its split-screen mode for you to reference research as you write, and its clean-cut filing system, Scrivener gives authors a good workspace whether they need to outline their book before writing or figure out the big picture as they write.

Formatting your book

If you’re looking to join the self-publishing revolution and become the next big author on Kindle, you’ll need a way to turn your manuscript into a professional-grade ebook and paperback. Thankfully, there’s an app for that!

Oh look! A second appearance for the Reedsy Book Editor. But hey-ho: our site, our rules. 

With the RBE’s formatting abilities, you can import your manuscript from a .docx file and apply stylistic flourishes in minutes. Simply click ‘Export’ and choose a style — the Reedsy Book Editor will take care of aligning the text, inserting drop caps and chapter titles, and turning your work into an elegant EPUB or PDF file that can immediately be uploaded to ebook distribution platforms or printing services. It’s an effortless process that allows self-publishing authors to spend time and resources on other parts of their publishing projects.

At the end of the day, no app is going to be fully able to outline, write, or edit your book for you — but with these book writing software options in mind, you’ll at least be able to find something that makes the process easier, streamlined, and more enjoyable. Now get out there and start creating!

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• How to Make $100K Per Month

7 Best Novel Writing Software 2024 (50 Story Planners Ranked)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

First-Person Perspective:   We buy, test and review software products based on a 3-step rating methodology and first-hand experience .  If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.  Read our rating methodology and how we make money .

Today there are 321 different novel writing software to help with your creative writing. We spent 95 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to write your novels.

What is the Best Novel Writing Software?

• The Novel Factory — best of the best
• Publisher Rocket — best for Amazon publishers
• Plottr — best for plot planning
• Scrivener — best bang for buck
• Google Docs — best free option
• ProWritingAid — best for novel editing
• Atticus — best for self-publishers

1.   The Novel Factory

Our verdict — best of the best.

Price: Starts at $7.50/month

The Novel Factory is our favorite tool for novel writers. We think it’s the best of the best because it’s stupidly easy to use, saves a ton of time, and enables you to develop airtight plots.  

The Best Part:

There’s a tool for everything. The Novel Factory is full of tools that will make your work smarter, faster, and stronger, from “a to z” — from idea to publishing.

The Worst Part:

The desktop app falls a bit short, when compared to the cloud app. If you want to download and install the desktop version of The Novel Factory, you’ll need Windows. On a Mac, you’ll need to stick to the web version (which is awesome, by the way).

Get it if you want a writing tool that will enable you to materialize your ideas quicker and easier. 

I recommend you get started with the 30-day free trial, then get started on the Basic plan at $7.50/month.

(30-day free trial)

The Novel Factory is best for all kinds of fiction writers who want to get their novel idea out of their head, once and for all.

Top Features

• It enables you to develop an airtight plot. The Novel Factory allows you to visually structure the plot, characters, locations, and more, so you’re always on top of your story.
• It’s beginner friendly. Newbies will love the roadmap feature, which is a step-by-step guide to writing a novel, from the story premise, the final manuscript,  all the way through to the publishing.
• DFY plot outlines. You get eight proven plot structures to build your story’s skeleton, in order to make the writing process way more efficient in writing your horror, romance, or detective noir story, for example.
• In-depth character development. Create a character and get prompts which allow you to develop your characters’ motivations, archetype, physical descriptions, and much more.
• Your seven year old could use it. The Novel Factory is so intuitive, you’ll probably learn your way around it the first time you open it — and their tutorials are a delight.

The Novel Factory offers three pricing plans:

• Basic: $7.50/month for new writers, or experienced writers wanting to give it a shot.
• Standard: $20/month for experienced writers to develop as many novels as they wish.
• Premium: $60/month for writers who produce a massive amount of content.

Annual subscriptions provide a 17% discount.

Try The Novel Factory today with a free 30-day trial.

2. Publisher Rocket

Our verdict — best for amazon publishers.

Price:  $97

Selling books on Amazon with Publisher Rocket is almost like bringing a motorbike to a kid’s tricycle competition. Use it right, and you will sell more novels than the top sellers in your category.

• Huge money & time saver. A few minutes of research now and then will give you deep, meaningful insight into what sells — genres, keywords, categories, title ideas… You give Amazon what Amazon wants, and it will give you buyers. You’d have to spend tons of time and money to gather all of the same insights by hand.
• It takes some learning. Publisher Rocket’s got a somewhat steep learning curve. Commit to going through their tutorials to learn how to get value from the software, instead of trying to guess it, and you’ll do just fine.

Get it if you want to sell your self-published books on Amazon as ebooks, physical books, or audiobooks.

I recommend you try Publisher Rocket for 30 days, with a 100% money-back guarantee.

(30 day money-back guarantee)

Publisher Rocket is best for self-published novel writers who want to take advantage of Amazon’s colossal list of buyers.

• It reads your reader’s minds. When you look at the hard data, like phrases Amazon shoppers are searching for, and how much they spend on which topics or genres, you get a much better shot at winning the “positioning” game. Use this information to craft your book title, tags, and descriptions, and Amazon will reward you with more shoppers.
• Saves time and money. If you were to hire an agency to figure out all your “Amazon SEO”, you’d likely spend way more money than what you have to pay for Publisher Rocket… And there’s a chance said agency gets their intel from the same tool, anyway. A good 20 minutes of deep-dive research gives you a month’s worth of strategic information.
• Publish your novel in the highest revenue potential category. Choosing the right book categories for your novel is like choosing which street to open a shop at. Positioning your book in the right categories and subcategories will put your story in front of more people… Then, you’ll use the power of Publisher Rocket to help you rank #1 (and you can even figure out which categories are more or less competitive).
• Helps you spot book sale trends for your next novel. With a few clicks, you can figure out estimated book sales in all Amazon categories, and get a better understanding of what’s hot and what’s not. By understanding what genres people are buying, you can get your creative juices flowing in the right direction.
• Incredible support. There are quite a few online reviews where users comment on how Publisher Rocket’s customer service is a superstar. They have a deep understanding of Amazon with their Amazon Best Seller Rank (ABSR), keywords, categories, and whatnot. They offer personalized advice and a ton of tutorials that will help anyone shoot their Amazon rankings up.

Publisher Rocket has a single pricing option:

Publisher Rocket: $97 one time, for a lifetime license.

Try Publisher Rocket today with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Our Verdict — Best For Plot Planning

Price:  Starts at $25

Plottr is a tool made for planners. If you’re a novel writer who likes to plan your stories before you ever sit down to start your actual writing sessions, Plottr will be your best friend.

• Plottr enables you to write tight. We all have read novels that get lost in their own story plot. If you want to write an airtight novel plot, Plottr will allow you to be strategic with your writing, all the way through.
• No writing capabilities. Plottr is only for planning and outlining. In order to write your draft, you’ll need a writing processor, like Scrivener or Word.

Get it if you want a tool that will enable you to create a strong, cohesive plot that will make your story stronger and believable.

I recommend you get started with the 14-day free trial, then get the annual or lifetime plan.

(14-day free trial)

Plottr is best for novel writers who want to have a clear overview of their plots, chapters, characters, and so on, before they ever start writing… It’s especially important for very intricate stories.

• Visual timelines. Plottr makes it super simple to create visual timelines, allowing you to create interesting plots which can be reorganized with simple drag-and-drop actions. It’s almost like having a digital corkboard filled with your scenes, storylines, and chapters for you to play with.
• It’s beginner friendly. If you’ve never outlined a plot before, Plottr’s got your back. Their templates are super helpful, so you’ll get the hang of strategizing your story that much faster. You get proven storytelling structures that will help you make your idea come to life.
• Kickass tutorials. Plottr has an incredible collection of video tutorials that teach every little aspect of the software. The best part is, while they teach you how to use their software, they indirectly give you a “masterclass” on plotting and planning stories. Top notch. 
• One-click export function. You can export your story and chapter outlines from Plottr to Word or Scrivener. Not only can you easily have all your development easily shared, but you can also use that for an extra layer of backup.
• Character profiles. Hop into the characters tab and you can create in-depth character descriptions like a pro. You can add a name and a thumbnail, but the most useful part is that you can add trackable attributes, like flaws, backstories, personality traits, and so on. This will allow you to have an extra layer of consistency in your character development.

Plottr has six different pricing tiers:

• Annual 1 Device: $25/year, for the basic version on one device. Use it forever + 1 year of updates.
• Annual 3 Devices: $45/year, for the basic version on three devices. Use it forever + 1 year of updates.
• Annual Pro: $79/year, with all the basic features plus cloud features and real time collaboration features on unlimited devices. Use it forever + 1 year of updates.
• Lifetime 1 Device: $99 one time, for the basic version on one device. Use it forever with lifetime updates.
• Lifetime 3 Devices: $149 one time, for the basic version on three devices. Use it forever with lifetime updates.
• Lifetime Pro: $249 one time, with all basic features plus cloud features and real time collaboration features on unlimited devices. Use it forever with lifetime updates.

All paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Try Plottr today with a free 14-day trial.

4. Scrivener

Our verdict — best bang for buck.

Price:  $49

Scrivener is one of our favorite writing tools for novel writers. You get features that help you every step of the way: researching, composing, writing, and editing your novels. No wonder it’s the tool of choice for renowned writers like J.K. Rowling, Steven Kotler, and Ryan Holiday, to name a few. Oh, and it works on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhones!

Tons of great tools. Scrivener is a toolbox, from start to finish for the whole writing process. From having all your research and notes handy, to advanced features like tagging, editing, composing, and writing, this tool delivers stellar value for its one-time price. 

One license per device. Maybe you’ve bought yourself a Windows license before, but needed to work from your iPhone one weekend? Too bad. You’ll need separate licenses for your desktop and mobile devices (there’s no online version, either).

Get it if you want a writing tool that will push you towards your daily novel writing goals.. 

I recommend you get started with the 30-day free trial period, then get both the mobile and desktop app paid versions.

Scrivener is best for creative writers who write in a non-linear fashion and would benefit from visualizing their novel structure.

• Drag, drop, and organize. Scrivener allows you to break up your novel into chapters and sections. Once you hop into the “binder” view, you can move scenes and even entire chapters around with a simple drag-and-drop move. The “corkboard view” creates index cards as you add scenes and chapters to your novel, so when you move those index cards around, you also rearrange your entire story.
• Visual feedback. When you’re writing an intricate story, it’s a great idea to be able to visually manage your narrative, in order to avoid plot holes. You could use color-coded note cards in order to make sure all your open loops are being closed, or that you recall a sub-plot at the right time, for example.
• Work with templates. Scrivener offers a few different writing project templates, for different creative writing styles like fiction, non-fiction, and scriptwriting, to name a few. Then, you can create your own collection of presets to reuse on future books. Imagine you were working on a trilogy — Scrivener makes it easy to keep everything consistent, like fonts, printing standards, front and back matter, and so on.
• Helps you to keep the pace. The “dialogue focus” is a key feature that lets you isolate one of the most important pieces of the novel writing process: Dialogues. This feature makes it a lot easier to keep your scenes dynamic and relevant, within the realm of your story. 
• Quick and easy formatting. With the compile function, you can publish your drafts in the standard industry standards, or any format a publisher asks, without messing with your original work in the main project. You could change fonts, exclude the foreword, or even change the title of your book.

Scrivener offers six pricing plans:

• macOS: $49 one time, for mac users.
• macOS educational: $41.65 one time, for mac users who are students or academics.
• Windows: $49 one time, for Windows users.
• Windows educational: $41.65 one time, for Windows users who are students or academics.
• iOS: $19.99 one time, for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch users.
• Bundle: $80 one time, for both a macOS and a Windows license.

Try Scrivener today with a free 30-day trial.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Here are the top 50 novel writing tools we considered in this review:

• The Novel Factory
• Publisher Rocket
• Google Docs
• ProWritingAid
• Living Writer
• Hemingway App
• Novlr 
• Storyline Creator
• Reedsy Book Editor
• Writer’s Blocks
• Ginger Grammar
• FocusWriter
• Microsoft Word
• Libre Office
• Apple Pages
• Grammar Lookup
• The Most Dangerous Writing App
• NaturalReader
• Kindle Create
• Zoho Writer

The Bottom Line

Here are our top picks for the best novel writing software to try this year:

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Best Book Writing Software: Top Tools for Writing a Novel

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

10 top features to look for in book writing software, best book writing software for writers.

I’ve been on an epic quest for the last few years to find the perfect book writing software. 

By now, I’ve tried well over a dozen different novel writing apps . My writing friends laugh and urge me to commit. But I want the best book writing software possible.

One person’s perfect writing app might be another person’s technology nightmare, so I’ve rounded up several options for you to choose from. I’ve also outlined the features I look for when choosing a great book writing app.

What makes a book writing software great? It needs to check several boxes. Here are the ten criteria I consider when choosing a novel app.

1. Online and Offline Capabilities

Sometimes, you need to write on a browser. Other times, you may want to write in a cabin in the woods. A great writing app will allow you to do both.

An app that only has an offline desktop version for one or two devices won’t help you if you’re writing at a library or borrowing a computer. On the other hand, apps that only work with an internet connection will leave you frustrated when the network is down or you’re writing on a cruise ship with a drink in your hand.

So, look for a book writing program that has online and offline capabilities.

You can also look for apps that have mobile versions. This way, you can add a scene on the go with your phone or tablet, and it will sync the next time you’re on your computer.

Be confident about grammar

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

2. Easy Organization

What makes a book writing software different from a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs?

You need the ability to quickly organize your scenes and chapters so you can navigate through your manuscript and easily format for a query or for publishing. You can also write nonlinearly if you prefer to skip scenes while you draft.

Sometimes, you may need to add a chapter or scene between two existing chapters, or you might need to move a scene to a different chapter altogether. Great book writing applications will have a drag-and-drop feature for rearranging your scenes.

3. Multiple Functions

The more your writing app can do, the better value it is. The writing process has several steps: notes and research, plotting, writing, editing, and formatting. Look for an app that can help you with multiple steps of the writing process.

The closer you can get to a one-stop program, the better. It will save you time, headaches, and money. 

4. Affordable

Writing isn’t a particularly lucrative career. Finding a book writing software that won’t break the bank is essential—at least until you strike it big on the bestseller list. 

Pick a book software that’s well within your budget. And here’s a tip: if you sell books, you can also write off the cost as a business expense on your taxes.

5. Security

A few years ago, I was using a great novel writing software that no longer exists. It was a new, small startup. The servers crashed for five days, and customer support said they didn’t know if they could recover all the data they lost—e.g., everyone’s stories.

Thankfully, they did, but I jumped ship to find a more secure company. (And I back up my work more frequently.)

Look for an app that will protect your writing and your data. After all, these companies will have your email address, credit card info, and billing address. Companies that have SOC2 and/or GDPR compliance are among the most reliable.

6. Great Customer Support

With any luck, you won’t ever have to contact customer service. But sometimes things happen, or you just need a little help understanding the product. Check out reviews to see people’s feedback about the software’s customer support. 

7. Customizable

Every writer has a different writing process. A great writing app will easily adapt to your needs. This might mean specific character templates, a variety of plotting tools, or different interfaces. Maybe you prefer a focus mode or a dark mode, or you want to upload your own outline template.

Keep in mind that often, the more customizable a book writing software is, the higher the learning curve. Consider how much customization you actually want and need so you don’t get overwhelmed.

8. Word Count and Goal Tracking

Setting word count goals is an excellent way to keep yourself motivated. You might even participate in a word count challenge like NaNoWriMo! Or maybe you’re a person who would prefer to write every day without setting a minimum word count.

Not every app allows you to set writing goals or track your progress. If you enjoy seeing how often or how much you’ve written, look for this feature when selecting a novel writing software.

9. Writing Resources

The best writing software isn't one that just lets you write—it also teaches you how to write. Look for a book writing software that has excellent learning resources.

Most apps offer a blog, but some aren't as robust as others. Great software may also include embedded videos, plot templates, and more. Many apps offer webinars and online conferences too.

You want the most value for your money, so be sure to explore the writing resources offered by the software before committing

10. Shareable

A great book writing software will also have methods for sharing with critique partners, beta readers, and editors. Shareability might look like easy exporting to Google Docs or just a public view link. You may prefer a collaboration feature that allows in-line comments directly in the app.

Some writers might want to publish through an app to build an audience. Some book writing software tools include a Wattpad-like platform where readers can read your novel online. This is a great option for authors who don't want to traditionally publish or monetize their novel.

Now you know what to look for, let's check out some of the best book writing software on the market. This list includes both free writing software and paid. Some of the paid book writing software includes limited free versions as well.

1. ProWritingAid

Of course, we're pretty certain ProWritingAid is the best writing software out there. Many people think of ProWritingAid as just a grammar checker, but we're actually so much more.

ProWritingAid offers detailed in-line comments on your writing. This includes style feedback, pacing suggestions, sensory notes, and more. You can customize your writing goals based on genre. We even offer rephrasing suggestions for when you can't figure out how to make that pesky line sound better.

The premium version lets you compare your writing against the style of dozens of bestselling authors. You can get most of our other features on the free version, but you're limited to 500 words at a time.

You can absolutely write a novel in ProWritingAid. You can create multiple documents and folders on our web editor. Or you can integrate ProWritingAid with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Scrivener, or just about any other website or app.

We also offer robust writing resources. Our blog has in-depth articles on every aspect of the writing process. We also have in-tool articles, videos, and quizzes. And we have incredible online conferences featuring popular bestselling authors.

2. Campfire

Campfire is one of the most in-depth world-building and book writing software out there. It's highly customizable, which means it comes with a learning curve. But if you want a visually pleasing, personalized writing app, it's worth the time to learn.

Campfire comprises several modules for aspects of plotting and world-building. They include things like timelines, maps, religious systems, characters, magic systems, and more. These are all easy to link together in a dynamic world bible.

Recently, they've built up their manuscript module so you can write directly in the app (and export for formatting and publishing). Their mobile app keeps getting better with each update.

One of the best aspects of Campfire is their flexible pricing. You pay for what you need: if all your characters are human, for example, you don't have to buy the species module. Then you can purchase each module monthly, yearly, or for a lifetime. This ends up saving you money.

3. One Stop for Writers

One Stop for Writers is a web app with a treasure trove of resources and tools specifically designed for novelists.

It includes templates and worksheets that can help you develop every aspect of your story. You can create realistic and well-rounded characters with the Character Builder, design fantasy worlds with the World-Building Surveys, and so much more.

There's also a Story Map you can use to develop your plot structure. You can choose one of three arcs to work with: the change arc, the static arc, or the failed arc. Then, you can see the beats you need to include in your story in order to create a satisfying plot.

Their descriptive database gives you access to countless ideas for descriptions, such as emotions, weather, themes and symbols, textures, occupations, and more.

One Stop for Writers requires a monthly or annual subscription, but if you're not ready to invest in a subscription, you can sign up for a two-week free trial first.

4. Scrivener

Scrivener is one of the most useful tools for organizing large, ambitious book projects.

Novels are long and require a lot of organization. You have to keep track of all your different characters, settings, and subplots, and that's before you even start drafting.

Scrivener is a word processing tool that's specifically designed to make writing a book as easy as possible. It organizes all of your writing in a "binder" so you can easily drag and drop scenes and chapters into new locations.

You can also toggle between multiple different views in Scrivener, which is incredibly useful when you're moving between ideation, drafting, and revising. For example, in the corkboard mode, you can see a bird's-eye view of your book as index cards on a corkboard. There's also an outline mode, where you can see your book as a written outline.

Scrivener also helps you track your progress on your novel by letting you set targets so you can make sure you're hitting your deadlines.

There's no free version of Scrivener, but you can buy a license with a small upfront fee, and after that, you can use it for a lifetime.

5. LivingWriter

LivingWriter is a word processor that makes it easy for you to organize your novel and organize it chapter by chapter, similar to Scrivener.

Where LivingWriter shines is in its unique features to help novelists. It makes it easy for you to make a glossary of characters, locations, plot points, and other elements so you can easily refer back to them. The app will even give you a list of the words you've made up for your novel so you can autofill them easily.

LivingWriter also provides several basic templates to give you a starting point if you're not sure where to begin. You can use plot structures, like the hero's journey, to start planning out your novel.

One additional benefit of LivingWriter is that it's a cloud-based app that automatically backs up your project to the cloud using Amazon Cloud Services. If you've ever had your laptop crash without saving your work, you know what a lifesaver it can be to not have to worry about backups.

The drawback to LivingWriter is that it requires an ongoing subscription, which makes it less cost-friendly than Scrivener if you plan to use it for more than a few months. You can try the two-week free trial first if you want to see how it works.

Dabble is a writing software that's sometimes referred to as "Scrivener without the learning curve."

It offers similar organizational features to Scrivener. For example, it makes it easy for you to organize your book into chapters. It also lets you use "cards" to keep track of your plot points in the Plot section.

Like many other writing software options, it also lets you set goals and timelines to keep track of your progress. It also has a focus mode that helps you write without distractions.

The downside is that its features aren't quite as powerful as Scrivener's. You also can't export books in special formats, which means you'll have to use a separate formatting tool to make sure your manuscript is ready for publication.

Dabble offers three subscription tiers that give you access to different features depending on how much you pay. You might be able to find cheaper options if you're simply looking for a great novel writing software.

7. NovelPad

NovelPad is a word processing tool that's specifically designed for novelists.

NovelPad lets you organize your book in a clear and efficient way. You can color code your scenes to help you visually keep track of which ones you're drafting, editing, or planning.

One feature NovelPad offers that I haven't seen anywhere else is the character tracking feature, which lets you easily see all the sections in your book that include a specific character. If you want to make sure all your major characters are getting equal page time, or if you want to check for consistency in a single character's actions, this feature makes that easy.

It's a subscription-based software that only works in a web browser, so this might not be the tool for you if you prefer to write offline in a desktop app.

8. Fictionary StoryTeller

Fictionary Story Editing Software is a must-have for authors looking to improve their story editing skills. The software’s systematic approach to developmental editing guides you through an evaluation of your manuscript's structure, character, and plot progression so you can make it as powerful as possible for your reader. 

The Story Arc feature automatically visualises your narrative structure, allowing you to identify instances where your pacing may lose your reader. 

The Story Map feature offers a comprehensive overview of your story, highlighting common problem areas such as story flow, character developments, revelations, tension gaps, or confusing timelines. No more sticky notes or massive spreadsheets to keep track of everything. 

The Synopsis Generator helps you harness your manuscript's pivotal scenes, crafting a synopsis that encapsulates key story elements and the central conflict.

In addition to the software, the Fictionary Team of Certified StoryCoach Editors offers a comprehensive program of training and support to help writers get their manuscripts publish-ready. 

Fictionary StoryTeller is an indispensable tool for authors who want to make sure their story is tight, engaging, and unputdownable. 

Conclusion on Book Writing Software

There you have it—our picks for the best book writing software options on the market.

No two writers have the exact same process, so the writing tools that I love using might not be the same ones that work best for you. The best way to figure out your favorite book software is by experimenting on your own.

So, try some of these options out, and see if they can help you take your novel to the next level.

Good luck, and happy writing!

Write like a bestselling author

Love writing? ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of your stories.

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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The Best Writing Software for Authors in 2024 [Free & Paid]

Whenever I come across the question “what is the best writing software?” I tend to focus on something else other than the answer.

To be precise, I start to think contemporary writers really have it easy. A hundred years ago or earlier, this wouldn’t have been an important question.

Don’t get me wrong, I honestly think writing is still a laborious task.

But when you consider that the likes of Shakespeare, Hemmingway, and Ted Geisel, among countless others who never used writing apps to polish their work, the premise that “it’s a bit easier to write nowadays” becomes a bit more accurate.

The process of writing has evolved—we dumped the quill for a pen, then came a typewriter, and finally a computer.

Now we have all sorts of writing tools at our disposal, such as our top-rated Scrivener ,  but finding the right one for “you” can be a bit of a hassle.

That is why I decided to lift some of that burden off your shoulder and review some of the best free and paid writing software for authors available in 2024.

Let’s get started.

Our Top 3 Book Writing Software at A Glance

The best book writing software, 1. scrivener.

Best Overall

When it comes to book editing software, you need to have tools that have a writer’s soul—made for writers by inventive writers.

Scrivener isn’t your standard word processor; it isn’t your regular grammar checker either.

Scrivener—a book-writing software program developed by an aspiring writer called Keith Blount back in 2007—is a package consisting of a typewriter, ring binder, and a scrapbook in one tool.

The software tool comes with valuable features like corkboards, pre-set formatting, templates, file importing, metatags, automated document listing, and many others.

These features are perfect for novelists, scriptwriters, academics, lawyers, translators, journalists, students, and other professional writers .

Key Features:

• Has the Cork Board and Outliner: Easy and convenient organization of notes and book sections.
• Hit the Ground Running: The templates give the user a head start because it saves him/her the time it takes to set a genre-based workspace.
• Goal and Progress Tracking: Scrivener’s customizable Goals and Targets are so important for tracking your progress. They are also helpful when you’re running against a deadline and want to know if you’re picking up the pace or not.
• Weigh your Work : The Snapshots enable you to compare rewrites to original notes.
• Made with Novelists and Fiction Writers in Mind: this software comes with specialized features for novelists and fiction writers, including the Linguistic Focus (MacOS) / Dialogue Focus (Windows).

Scrivener has separate payment plans for the three supported platforms— macOS , iOS , and Windows and they cost $49, $19.99, and $45, respectively.

What I Like About Scrivener

Scrivener has a bunch of features and capabilities that I like. It has customizable interfaces, the desktop apps work offline, offers a very generous trial period, and has specialized features for novelists and fiction writers.

What I Didn’t Like About Scrivener

I found out that Scrivener requires a separate License for each supported platform—which was a bummer. On top of that, the tool doesn’t have a plagiarism checking feature. Oh, did I forget to mention the steeper learning curve?

2. Write! App

Write! is another distraction-free text editor that offers an elegant workspace for you to create notes, to-do lists, create blog posts, novels, and texts of many different kinds.

In Writer App!, you’ll find similar features of a good word processor that have been neatly packed into a well-groomed interface.

It’s sort of like a regular word processor on steroids.

And it has some sleek looks too; Writer App has a browser-styled minimalistic interface that utilizes tabs to help you navigate— for bloggers and writers, the user interface alone is an appealing appetizer.

But the app isn’t all about the looks; here are some of the essential features and their benefits.

Key Features and Benefits

Two distraction-free writing options: To do away with distraction, you have two options:

• Either you use the “Full-Screen Mode,” which basically blocks all the features except for the outline and document interface.
• Or the “Focus Mode” that turns your screen into some sort of a typewriter—it only displays the sentence or paragraph with the blinker.

Sync Your Work : Write! App offers a cloud syncing feature, conveniently enabling you to access your work from any device you use. But, the sync feature comes at an extra cost of 4.95/year.

Collaborate with Your Team: Write! App allows you to publish your work directly to the web and get a share link which you can use to share and collaborate your work.

The tool costs $24.95 annually.

What I liked About Write! App

The goal-setting features, the customizable interface, and the sharing and publishing features.

What I Didn’t Like About Write! App

There are a bunch of things that I didn’t like (not necessarily related to the tool’s functionality). The tool has no trial period, no app for mac.

Novlr is less complicated than Scrivener; a shorter learning curve and simplicity offers relief to users that found Scrivener some sort of rocket science.

It has a feature that turns it into a distraction-free tool; it eliminates all the other distractive features. The tool also checks for grammar errors, gives cheerleading leading one-liners when you are about to achieve a goal, and helps track your progress and performance.

Novlr also has an ambient-dependent color setting, which feels comfortable and sometimes stimulating.

The good thing is since it’s cloud-based, you can access the tool from any device via a web browser.

Key Features and Benefits :

• Share or Keep Your Work Safe: Novlr can automatically sync with both Google Drive and Dropbox. This way, you can easily share your draft with a co-author, book editor, or an entire project group.
• Write Within the Language’s Rules : Novlr comes with a grammar checking feature that prevents your text’s syntax and semantics from derailing.
• Chase Goals and Achieve and Manage Your Objectives: Helps you track your performance and customize your goals
• Offline Writing: you don’t essentially need a working internet connection to use the app.
• Focus Mode – remove all kinds of distractions and stay focused on writing and editing.

But all these features come at a healthy price of $100 per year.

What I Like About Novlr

I like the offline capability, the Auto-save feature, the software’s suggestions for various writing styles, and the trial period.

What I Didn’t Like About Novlr

It is relatively expensive, exports fewer file formats, and is not available as a mobile app.

4. Microsoft Word

This list wouldn’t be complete with this word-processing warhorse—Microsoft Word.

Most contemporary middle-aged writers grew up using Microsoft Word and can literally point to any of its tabs with their eyes closed.

This veteran word processor is neat and is the most underrated writing tool nowadays.

It’s just like the beautiful wife you’ve had for years, and then she becomes a 5 out of 10 just because you’ve spotted some new “Jenny” on the block.

But… do not be fooled; MS Word is still the “OG” of the writing software category.

This tool still comes equipped with core features like translation, grammar checking, web publishing, and other standout features.

Here are some of these features (a mere glimpse of what MS Word has to offer):

• Custom Styles : Whether you want to customize headings, subheadings, or subtitles, the tool allows you to tweak your text however you like.
• Easy to Use Custom Navigation Pane : once you’ve customized the styles, the headings and pages appear in a very intuitive sidebar called the navigation pane. You can rearrange the headings by dragging them in the navigation pane.
• Automatic links: you can easily link a word or sentence to a place in the same document or a web page. This is convenient when you want to publish your document in digital formats—a reader can simply click on the link and jump to the desired content or page.
• Automatic Table of Contents : MS Word lets you create a table of contents to which is also hyperlinked the headings.
• Mailing : easily send your manuscript to an editor, straight from Word. You can either mail your document to a single recipient or multiple email accounts.
• Track Changes : the tool also lets you track, accept, and reject changes you or anyone else makes to your document. You can set the tracking feature on or lock tracking—whatever is your cup of tea, eh?

There are a bunch of Microsoft 365 plans available—too many, almost inconveniently too many. So for conciseness sake, I’m only going to list the basic plans (for personal and family use):

• Microsoft 365 Family – free for one month; $9.99 monthly or $99.99 yearly
• Microsoft 365 Personal – costs $6.99 per month and $69.99 yearly
• Office Home & Student 2019 –offers a one-time purchase priced at $149.99 (for both Mac and PC)

The pricing section doesn’t seem concise, but I had to exscind almost 75% of Microsoft 365’s catalog pricing plans.

What I Like About MS Word

The app is packed with powerful formatting options, templates for almost anything, and an easy-to-use interface.

What I Didn’t Like About MS Word

No virtual boards like some of the other dedicated writing software programs I’ve listed.

Ulysses has been in the game for a very long time. In fact, it is the software that inspired Scrivener.

And just like Scrivener (which seems to have overtaken it), it has a modern, streamlined interface and is stuffed with essential features for a modern writer. Ulysses provides document management, file syncing, style editing, and many other essential capabilities.

It is the perfect book writing tool for serious authors because it allows the writer to organize the manuscript in a clean, focused writing environment.

Improves Focus & Productivity: Ulysses comes with features that allow writers to completely focus on writing and increase their output.

It has a distraction-free interface that helps you get around in no time-such as; typewriter mode, keyboard navigation mode which enables you to operate Ulysses via keyboard only, markup-based text editor, and many other customizable features.

Offers Sufficient Organization & Management: Ulysses offers a wide range of organizational tools that helps writers organize their work from something as small as note-taking to a bulky novel. The tool has:

• A unified library for your texts
• Hierarchic groups which let you organize your drafts
• Enables you to attach additional information such as images, PDFs, notes, keywords, and others.
• Filters which allow you to narrow down your library’s content according to keywords, text occurrences, et cetera.
• Writing Goals for tracking your daily objectives, set word or character limits, and overall progress.
• Auto-Save & Automatic Backup feature, which automatically saves your work and keeps local backups.

Versatile Synchronization and Export functions: With Ulysses’ syncing capabilities, you write anywhere without repeatedly setting the tool . Ulysses offers full iCloud sync, macOS-iOS sync (iPhone to iPad to Mac), and you can add Dropbox folders to your text library.

Ulysses also boasts of a versatile export function; among other capabilities, you can export your document as a Markdown file or HTML code, DOC, PDF, and other file formats. You can also publish your text directly to medium and WordPress.

Ulysses costs $5.99 monthly or $49.99 yearly. It also has a 14-day trial period.

What I Liked

The tool comes with a lot of perks. Still, there were some special ones including effective document management, progress tracking tools, multiple view options, and the direct WordPress and Medium publishing feature.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t like its exclusivity to Apple devices. I thought that it only affects the owner’s revenues more than anything else.

6. Manuskript 

Manuskript is an open-source tool for writers including novelists, journos, and academicians.

It comes close to providing the same features as its paid counterparts. It has an Outliner for you to hierarchically organize your work, allows you to set writing goals and has a feature called the “Novel Assistant,” which helps develop a random idea into a lucid plot by using the “snowflake method.”

The tool lacks cloud collaboration and other essential elements that paid tools have.

“If it doesn’t cost you money, don’t complain sonny!”

• Outliner: This feature lets you organize your ideas and little pieces of your story hierarchically. You can arrange and rearrange whichever way you like.
• Avoid Unnecessary Detours: With the Distraction-free mode, you can get rid of all distractions that impede the pace of your writing process.
• Monitor your Progress: Set personal goals
• Novel assistant:  You can utilize the snowflake method to develop your basic ideas into a coherent plotline or a full-fledged story with characters, plots, and comprehensive settings.

What I Like About Manuskript

Firstly, it’s an open-source tool. I also like how the “Novel assistant” adds something extra to your writing, the spell checker, and language translation.

What I Don’t Like About Manuskript

The app might be a bit difficult to install for people who are not tech-savvy.

7. Livingwriter

Here’s another tool with a shorter learning curve but stacked with all the necessary features to help you write your book—from the plotting phase right up to the publishing stage.

Livingwriter has an intuitive interface that was designed to make you feel comfortable right from the start.

You can collaborate with your co-authors and share your live chapters or the entire draft with an editor. The tool lets you restrict the view, comment, and editing permissions of your editor, proofreader, or co-authors to protect your work.

• Casually Organize and Plot Your Stories: Utilize the tool’s sidebar to arrange your chapter notes quickly.
• Get A God’s-Eye View of Your Writing: rearrange your plot lines or your book simply by dragging and dropping notes on the app’s board.
• Focus Mode : For a distraction-free writing experience, the right sidebar, which displays details on Chapters and Story Elements can be turned off, leaving the editor window only.
• Set Writing Goals: Writing goals enable you to observe differences in your writing pace and see how much content you have written.

Liivngwriter offers a 14-day trial. If you’re hooked, you have to choose between two payment arrangements: either pay $9.99 monthly or choose to fork out $96 once a year.

What I Like About Livingwriter

I liked the Grammarly Integration, the free trial, and its collaboration capabilities.

What I Didn’t Like About Livingwriter

I didn’t like the fact that the tool is not available as a desktop app and wasn’t ideal for screenwriting.

Although Dabble’s interface is more streamlined and intuitive than most of its competition, it is stuffed with features similar to those that Scrivener and its closest competitors have.

Well of course I used the word “stuffed,” but Dabble still has less features than Scrivener.

The tool comes with features like a word tracker, Cloud Sync, plot grid, and Spelling and Grammar checkers, among others.

Take a look at what you’ll be getting when you have Dabble as your writing software.

• Plot the “Bestseller Course”: One of Dabble’s most essential features is the Plot Grid.  With this feature, you can arrange plot lines and plot points in a notecard format. By dragging and dropping the notecards, you can develop basic ideas into a detailed scene chart.
• Up your Game—Focus: Dabble let’s switch into focus mode as you type, which reduces the distractions.  You can also customize the interface manually to give you a more focused writing space.
• Keep Track of the Mileage: Dabble has a goals module that keeps track of the daily word count. In the right module, there’s a bar graph that shows you the daily written amounts.

Dabble offers three plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The plans cost $5, $10, $15 respectively.

What I Like About Dabble

I like the Intuitive dashboard, the grammar checker, and the free trial

What I Didn’t Like About Dabble

There is one thing that I disliked about this tool; it isn’t ideal for writing screenplays, short stories, scripts, and other formats.

9. Google Docs

Google is the best Microsoft Word alternative—one of the most preferred writing tools out there. And just like its buddy, the word processor is supplemented by Google Sheets and Google Slides in G Suite by Google.

Unlike MS Word though, Google Docs tool is a cloud-based editor (although docs can be accessed offline). With the app, you can edit your docs offline and online (tablets, PCs, and phones).

This isn’t your sufficient Scrivener alternative though; it lacks the tools for you to seamlessly jump from one subsection of a bulky chapter to another section in another chapter. I usually use it for blog posts and other short reads.

Take a look at some of the standout features that Google Docs has to offer:

• Add Fonts: Just like MS Word, Google Docs lets you add fonts to its library, the good thing is that you don’t need to download and install the fonts separately.
• Enjoy the Voice to Text Feature: if you don’t feel like typing, you can utilize the voice typing feature and the app will translate your recording to text.
• A Variety of Styles: Google Docs comes with lots of different styles for formatting your text.

Google Docs Pricing

Google Docs is free, but you can purchase Google Workspace plans for you to get more storage space and other benefits of Google’s apps.

A Few Other Notable Pieces Of Writing Software Worth Mentioning

• Quoll Writer

What Makes the Best Book Writing Software?

Most writers I know are over 30, the average age being 40. Now, these seasoned wordsmiths have been doing all their writing using Word for a very long time.

For them to adopt a new tool to use in the writing process, the tool needs to have something extra special, an extra oomph!

They are not just going to start using a tool just because someone says it’s good (I’d expect the same attitude from you too), but some of the factors I have listed below would do a lot to convince them, and they’re the ones you should be considering before you decide which book writing software is the best for you.

How to Decide Which Book Writing Software Is Best for You?

The following are things to consider before choosing a book writing software:

Offline Functionality

Having a tool that only works online is okay, but sometimes writers take writing excursions to a remote location to get their writing juices flowing again.

They might choose an area with no internet connection and need their Scrivener working full time whilst they’re there.

Or the internet might be working just fine, but the writer might decide to go offline. Offline writing software comes in handy in such situations. 

Desktop App

Nobody expects to write or edit a whole 100k novel in a web-based text box. That would just kill the fun of writing the book.

Conveniently most good writing apps have desktop apps.

And the app ought to be available for both macOS and Windows (although I’ve listed some tools which are only available either as macOS apps or Windows apps).

Distraction-Free Writing

Focus is so important, especially when you’re writing bulky creative pieces.

But writing on a laptop or tablet computer offers plenty of distractions. With notifications flying in from everywhere, your unfinished movie staring at you, et cetera.

A good writing app needs to be able to block all these distractions from your writing environment.   

To achieve this, some apps go full screen and inhibit inessential background processes while others turn into a typewriter and only display the text being typed.

Easy or Steep Learning Curve

Although a steeper learning curve indicates the sophistication of a writing app, some tools are just complicated for no substantial reason.

If an app like Scrivener has a steeper learning, it is for a very good reason: the tool is stuffed with comprehensive features that help you from the first step to the publishing stage of your manuscript crafting process.

However, Scrivener is an exception (the steeper presents an investment into a Rambo of a book writing software), and writing tools need to be easy to master.

Tracking Your Progress

The best writing tools are equipped with features that help see how much ground you’ve covered.

They furnish you with stats to help you track your writing progress and set personal milestones.

Writing tools like the veteran MS word allow you to easily track, accept, and reject the change made to your document.

Scrivener and other tools like it have virtual boards called Cork Boards where you can organize, plan, and keep track of changes made to your draft.

Cost of Software

The overall cost of writing ought to be the least of your worries. The concern should be what you want from software.

If you are paying $49 to use Scrivener, it means you are paying for all its features.

But, are you using all of them?

If all you need the tool to do is help you outline your book and check some grammar and spelling mistakes , then you’re overpaying.

You can use a less sophisticated tool that costs less but has the basic features which you need.

But if a tool has the perfect features for your project (no major inessential elements), then pay up, buddy!

Is Free Writing Software as Good as Paid Software?

The answer—put simply—is no.

Free writing software is sufficient, but paid ones usually are more developed with better user features.

Free writing software tools feel like regular milk, but the paid have this extra edge, a thickness that feels more like condensed milk. The developers always make sure to stuff the paid ones with more indispensable features to make them way cooler than the free version.

And if a tool is completely free, then it probably generates revenue using other sources. Such tools usually bombard you with ads and lack many essential features you’d typically find in a paid tool.

So, the free ones will do the job for you, just not as efficiently as their paid counterparts.

What Software Do Most Writers Use?

The ‘word processor’ market has been flooded with a lot of software, but there is one that has stood the test of time.

The Granddaddy of word processors—Microsoft word. It’s been here for decades and still reigns as the most used writing software even though other apps do a better job.

The issue lies with trust. The tool still has millions of users (in the US only), and its popularity has never been matched anywhere else in the world.

What Writing Software Do Famous Writers Use?

1. stephen king.

The bestselling horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novelist uses MS Word for manuscript and Final Draft for screenplays.

2. J.K Rowling

The Harry Potter author uses MS word. She once tweeted that she writes her very first draft using pen and paper then transfers it to Word.

3. Sabba Tahir

 The bestselling author of a YA fantasy series uses both Scrivener and MS Word. Sabba starts out in Scrivener, then after organizing the book she moves it to Word and finishes it there.

4. Jeff Goins

Jeff is a best-selling author of books, including Real Artists Don’t Starve and The Art of Work. He uses Scrivener to craft his bestsellers.

So, What’s the Best Book Writing Software?

Scrivener , without Doubt.

It is so good that new apps strive to be the perfect copies of this standard-setting tool.

Just imagine, it completely tramples the app it was accused of copying.

And I have talked about the steep learning curve about a thousand times and why the case is so…

You can’t build something this good and expect the average joe to quickly and easily master it.

Almost anyone can drive a Cadillac, but how many can get a spaceship to mars?

You get the idea.

Recommended Reading...

Best dictation software in 2024, best essay writing software: 16 apps that can help you write perfect essays, scrivener vs word: which is the better book writing software, vellum vs scrivener: which is better for writing and formatting your book.

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Home / Book Writing / Best Book Writing Software 2024 [Writing, Editing & Focus]

Best Book Writing Software 2024 [Writing, Editing & Focus]

What is the best software for writing a book ? Well, that depends. There are many things an author needs to consider , as well as their personal preference. But as you'll see, not all writing apps and software are created equal.

There are various novel writing tools available that cater to different authors. For example:

• Atticus is the ultimate all-in-one writing and formatting software
• Scrivener is a powerful word processor that many authors use.
• Google Docs would be great for a shorter work with multiple co-authors.
• Bibisco may satisfy your need to develop the heck out of your characters.
• yWriter is for all those data-hungry authors out there.
• Apple Pages comes free for Mac users. Not all writers have that extra $50 to spare.

Every author asks themselves if they are really using the best book writing software to effectively organize their novel, as well as their book writing process.

Thankfully, the right tools can save you time and frustration and may even make the long process of writing a novel or nonfiction book more enjoyable.

Bottom Line: I personally hate it when articles like this one beat around the bush, so I'm going to get this over with now, and you can keep reading for more of my reasoning. My favorite book writing software is Atticus , because it's not just a great writing program, but it's also good for formatting. For those seeking a free word processor to make your writing process easier, I recommend Google Docs.

• The best free and paid book writing software (plus the cost and pros/cons of each)
• The best book editing software
• Other software every writer should have (to help with everything from focus to book marketing)

Table of contents

• 1. Atticus: Editor's Choice
• 2. Scrivener: Best for Pure Writing
• 3. Microsoft Word
• 4. Google Docs: Best for Collaboration
• 9. LibreOffice
• 10. FocusWriter
• 12. Bibisco
• 13. Squibler
• Best Book Writing Software Comparison Table
• The Best Book Editing Software
• Other Software Every Writer Should Have

Why am I Qualified to write about the Best Book Writing Software?

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 actually trying the best writing software themselves (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 many book writing apps come and go. Some seemed promising, while others never quite enhanced the writing process as they promised.

As a matter of fact, while I was working for Apple, I was given one of the first ever copies of Scrivener (a writing software we'll discuss a bit later). Over the years, I've truly tried many writing apps for my own book creation, including some free book writing software options.

However, there's a lot more to the writing process than just dabbling in a writing software. I have certain preferences that other authors don't agree with and vice-versa. What works for me might not work for you.

So, in order to create a top-notch review of the best book writing software programs, 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 is the best overall writing software in the industry and I'll even try to break them down into best categories based on their strengths.

Atticus is the best all-in-one software for writing and formatting a book , the perfect book writing software, and my personal favorite. It provides full capabilities for both of these, and works on Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebook. Atticus is the only software that provides both an elegant formatting software and a word processor specifically for authors. If Scrivener, Google Docs, and Vellum had a baby, it's name would be Atticus.

Overall, I find it to have everything that I need in a book writing program, plus a lot more.

Read my more in-depth review of Atticus .

Can I write a book in Atticus? Yes, you absolutely can. In fact, it's even built in with goal tracking and other tools that make writing in Atticus a way to increase your writing momentum.

But not only that, Atticus is also the best formatting tool for creating books that exists on all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook. It also exports to EPUB, PDFs for print, and DOCX.

How much does Atticus cost? Atticus is a one-time fee of $147 USD. That includes all future updates, which you will receive at no extra cost. Forever. No subscriptions.

I like that you can access Atticus online, or use the progressive web app to install it on your computer for use offline (note: you will need to be online to install it and to export a book).

Pros for using Atticus to write a novel:

• It's available on all platforms
• More affordable than the leading formatting alternatives
• Easy to use
• Combines features of Vellum and Scrivener
• Works as a formatting software and a word processor

Cons for using Atticus to write a novel:

• Not all features are available at launch

Scrivener is an amazing creative writing software developed by Literature & Latte that lets you view multiple documents at once, set writing goals, leave yourself brainstorming comments for later, and even import research files to keep on hand.

What is the most complicated program for writing a book? The most complicated program for writing a book is Scrivener in my experience. It’s inexpensive and its myriad features more than make up the price tag.

Read my more in-depth review of Scrivener version 3.0 .

How much does Scrivener cost?

• Scrivener costs $49 (one-time) for Mac or Windows. 
• It’s $19.99 for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch).
• If you use both Windows and Mac, you can buy the combined bundle for a discounted price of $80. You get a separate license for each platform.
• Reduced pricing of $41.65 is available for “students & academics.”
• Click Here , and then use Kindlepreneur’s unique discount code ( KINDLEPRENEUR ) to get 20% OFF your purchase.

Follow these steps to use my discount coupon.

Before you purchase it, you can try Scrivener’s full trial for 30 working days, for free. 30 working days means that Scrivener only counts the trial days when you actually open the app and work on it.

Within Scrivener, you open projects, not documents. Its developers realized that one project itself can entail endless files and folders and spreadsheets, so they made it incredibly simple to navigate through multiple documents within the same Scrivener project. Also, you can find some excellent Scrivener templates for just about every creative writing form out there.

Unfortunately, when I imported a TXT file into Scrivener, it seemed to undo all italics I had in the file. I had no formatting problems when importing DOCXs or RTFs.

Pros of using Scrivener:

• Organizes entire projects in one file with easy access to countless documents and research
• Corkboard with index cards, split-screen, and outliner working views makes it ideal for longer or more complicated works
• Comments, notes, and synopses are all simple to make for future reference
• Composition Mode erases all distractions and lets you write on a screen of nothing but text
• Customizable toolbar
• More affordable than its competitors
• Can export (or “compile”) projects as EPUB, MOBI, PDF , RTF, RTFD, DOC, DOCX, OTD, HTML, TXT, or even FDX, MD, or FOUNTAIN files

Cons of using Scrivener:

• Can open DOCX files but not DOC files or ODT files
• No real-time collaboration or co-author capabilities
• There’s a learning curve to learn all of Scrivener’s advanced features (check out this crash course tutorial on Scrivener)

One of my favorite aspects of Scrivener is that you can customize the toolbar. 

Some authors will want the Dictionary feature on their toolbar, while others want the Insert feature. When editing, you may add the Comment button to your toolbar, or the Add button when you’re first compiling your project.

Microsoft Word is the industry-standard word processor — for better or worse. When you ask the average person what they think of when you say word processing, a majority will say MS Word.

What software do most writers use? Most writers probably use MS Word because it is the gold standard of word processors, even if it shouldn’t be (yep, I said it).

The famous DOC and DOCX file formats come from Microsoft’s ubiquitous software. Many publishers ask for manuscripts to be submitted in DOC or DOCX files, and nothing else. (It’s easy to convert another file format into DOC or DOCX.)

Can I write a book in Microsoft Word? Yes, you can write a book in MS Word. However, I would not recommend it.

Read my more in-depth instructions to use Microsoft Word to write books .

My biggest problem for Word? It was designed for writing anything — not specifically for writing novels or long nonfiction books. It was not created by authors, nor for authors.

Word is tolerable for shorter works; however, if you're really looking for the best book writing software, Word does not measure up to its competitors.

Interesting fact: Stephen King uses MS Word writing software to draft his book manuscripts. He uses Final Draft to write screenplays.

How much does MS Word cost? Microsoft Word costs $139.99 as a one-time purchase. You can also spend $6.99/month (or more) for a subscription to Microsoft 365, which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and 1 TB of cloud storage on the OneDrive.

You (and up to 5 other people) can try out Microsoft Office for FREE during a 1-month trial.

Pros for using MS Word to write a novel:

• “What you see is what you get” formatting
• Many book editors prefer Word documents (DOC, DOCX)
• Comes with a bunch of handy templates for books, essays, resumes… you name it!
• It’s industry-standard, so you’ll find this software on public library computers and company computers and everywhere in between

Cons for using MS Word to write a novel:

• Difficult to use if you don’t work in a linear fashion
• Cumbersome for writing lengthy novels and other books
• Must use a separate tool, such as Calibre, to export as ebook (EPUB/MOBI, etc.)
• Updates every few years, which creates a brand new learning curve each time

Google Docs is a useful browser-based writing tool that is free and available to anyone with a Google account. However, Google Docs may not be able to handle a lengthy manuscript.

Our team uses Google Docs for writing our blog posts because it’s the easiest way we’ve found to all work on one document at the same time, add comments, see revisions, and even chat. (Google spreadsheets can also be a useful tool, especially for outlining.)

What is the best free software for writing a book? The best free software for writing projects is Google Docs, if your book is short. Apple Pages or yWriter may be better for longer books, as far as the free stuff goes.

Read my more in-depth discussion on writing a book in Google Docs .

Many users experience major lag when editing a document with more than 15,000 words — not even half the length of a novel.

I’ve known authors who used Google Docs because it was free and convenient, then had to give it up. Why? Because you have to wait five seconds for every sentence to appear after you type it once you surpass 15k-25k words.

Pros for using Google Docs to write a novel:

• Autosaves every change you make and every version of your manuscript along the way
• Free to use with a Google account
• Accessible on any device
• Built-in Headings and Title functions make navigating your document simple using the table of contents
• Designed with real-time collaboration in mind
• Probably the most convenient word processor on this list, especially for bloggers and coworkers

Cons for using Google Docs to write a novel:

• Cannot handle large documents (15,000 words plus) without huge latency problems
• Cannot export to PDF at a higher word count
• The grammar checker is not as robust as MS Word, let alone Grammarly or ProWritingAid

As you can see by this screenshot, Google Docs offers a whole host of formatting options, constant autosaving (as long as you’re online), and extensive sharing/collaboration capabilities.

Simon Hayes (AKA Spacejock) developed yWriter to be the best free, standalone app for fiction writing.

It encourages writers to write scenes, not chapters — since scenes are smaller and more manageable. Also, you can input data into multiple fields concerning each scene and chapter. This provides authors with a wealth of raw data they can analyze at any time.

You can even set goals for words per day or words per hour.

Read my more in-depth review of yWriter .

How much does yWriter cost?

• Free on Windows/macOS
• $3.99 on Android
• $4.99 on iOS

All in all, yWriter is great for authors who love analyzing how many chapters each character is in, how many scenes are in each chapter, etc. For authors who don’t care about that, this may sound foreign. But I know a lot of writers who pour over the metadata of their novel almost as much as they pour over the actual story.

Pros for using yWriter to write a novel:

• Breaks down novels into chapters and scenes
• Stores snapshot backups of your work automatically
• Great tools for character development
• Offers the data-hungry author a wealth of useful data points

Cons for using yWriter to write a novel:

• Does not come with templates
• Doesn’t export EPUBs or Amazon Kindle’s native file format
• Not for minimalist writers
• Not the most elegant design — looks dated

Ulysses is a simple, clean, yet customizable app for writing longer projects. Your work syncs automatically between your devices, or you can choose to store work locally.

Unfortunately, Ulysses works only on Apple products.

The price has gone up in recent years. Ulysses now costs $5.99/month or $49.99/year. They also offer a free 2-week trial.

Read my more in-depth review of Ulysses , as well as my comparison to Scrivener .

Pros for using Ulysses to write a novel:

• Clean interface for distraction-free writing
• Drag and drop functionality concerning scenes and chapters (called the library)
• Ability to add filters to scenes and chapters
• Export to PDF, DOCX, HTML, or EPUB with ease

Cons for using Ulysses to write a novel:

• Only available on Apple devices (macOS and iOS)
• Price is a yearly or monthly subscription model, instead of one-time
• No collaboration functionality
• No built-in templates (though you can find them online)
• Steep learning curve if you are not familiar with markdown
• Not available for PC users

Vellum is a book formatting tool developed by 180g, a company originally founded by Pixar employees. Their mission is to “create beautiful books”. In the past, it was the go-to best book formatting software with a basic word processor. However, it had its problems: It was expensive, lacked on the writing side of things, and only worked on Macs.

Yet even with all those problems, Vellums easy to use formatting system, made it a must have in the self-publishing community. Then….Atticus happened, and it all changed.

Like we discussed above, Atticus came into the market and basically did what Vellum did for formatting, but fixed all those problems (works on all computers, over $100 cheaper than Vellum, and has an extensive writing capability). Because of this, Vellum has fallen down the list in best book writing tools. You can see their comparison here .

However, since Atticus was added to the market, Vellum has fallen

The problem with Vellum is that it only works on Mac, was not made for writing it, and is the most expensive tool on this list. So, why is it listed?

What does Vellum cost?

• Vellum starts as a free download . You get familiar with the software and see what it's capable of. You still can't generate copies of your book, but testing its functionality before you spend a cent is reassuring.
• Vellum Ebooks costs $199.99. This allows for unlimited ebook generation, but no print editions.
• Vellum Press costs $249.99. This allows for unlimited ebook and printed book generation.

You can get a full refund within 30 days if you're not satisfied with the full-price product.

Pros for using Vellum to write a novel:

• Great for formatting your book before distribution
• Excellent tool for editing front matter, back matter, and metadata
• Can create box sets to give you a marketing edge
• Although the price is steep, you can use its free version until you’re ready to publish, and you get a money-back satisfaction guarantee for 30 days after your purchase

Cons for using Vellum to write a novel:

• It’s probably the most expensive book writing software out there
• Limited customization capabilities
• Available for Macs only , not Windows and not iOS or other mobile platforms

Pages is Apple’s free text editor which lets you write, edit, comment, and collaborate. It is streamlined, yet versatile.

Like most basic word processing programs, Pages can apply text styles and formatting to your words. You can insert images, graphs, and more. And they look great with Pages’ layouts.

Similar to Google Docs, Pages allows real-time collaboration via iCloud. The original author can decide who is allowed to edit or view only.

However, Pages is all about making every page look fantastic — hence the name. It’s not meant to be a strong word processor.

Pages is free for anyone with an Apple account from the Apple Store. Pages comes pre-installed on Apple devices.

Pros for using Pages to write a novel:

• Probably the easiest-to-use word processor on this list
• Absolutely free with every Mac or iOS device (Or use it on a browser )
• Has helpful “Track Changes” and “Smart Annotations” features
• Comment features can be used by an author trying to organize their thoughts or a collaborator editing the work

Cons of using Pages to write a novel:

• Every real-time collaborator in Pages needs an Apple ID
• Lacks a Draft View that displays text without page headers or footers
• Not meant to process words, so much as produce good-looking pages

As you can tell from this apple.com screenshot, Pages works cross-platform and seamlessly collaborates between devices.

LibreOffice Writer is a free, cross-platform writing software meant to rival Microsoft Word. That’s right, LibreOffice is basically MS Word, but for free.

Seriously, though, LibreOffice has been known to run just as well as Word, and with similar features.

And the best part is, it doesn't look nearly as outdated and old as its predecessor, OpenOffice.

LibreOffice is completely free — $0. There is no premium version.

Pros for using LibreOffice to write a novel:

• Shares a lot of beneficial features with MS Word
• Cross-platform capability
• Every year, more applications can import and export LibreOffice files (ODFs)

Cons for using LibreOffice to write a novel:

• User interface (especially menus) can be needlessly complex
• No collaboration — only 1 user can work on a document at a time

FocusWriter is a free book writing software released by Gott Code. Like a few other word processors on this list, FocusWriter is focused on offering a distraction-free writing environment.

The most notable feature is the big, calming (customizable) background image that sits behind your wall of text. And nothing else lives on the screen. Sure, you can move your mouse to make the toolbar or your word count goal appear. But if you’re typing, all you see is what you’re writing.

Depending on what gets you in the right frame of mind, this app lets you turn on typewriter sound effects or mostly invisible timers.

What is the best free writing software? FocusWriter is the best free writing software for short fiction, or flash fiction — or if you enjoy a distraction-free writing zone. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with other word processors, FocusWriter is very simple.

Although FocusWriter is FREE and has no premium version, donations are welcome and encouraged.

Read my more in-depth review of FocusWriter .

Pros for using FocusWriter to write a novel:

• Customizable backgrounds and themes that are soothing, relaxing, and distraction-free
• The toolbar only appears when you hover over it, which makes for an uncluttered screen
• Like IAWriter, FocusWriter can grey out everything but the sentence/paragraph you’re working on, further decreasing potential distractions
• Ability to set daily word count goals or time goals

Cons for using FocusWriter to write a novel:

• Only works in fullscreen
• May look odd on larger displays with lots of wasted space
• Incredibly simple, missing features many authors consider necessary
• Cannot export to EPUB, MOBI, or PDF

Novlr is a simple word processor with just a few added perks.

The Novlr Proof Reader (grammar and spell check) is on par with Grammarly, which is amazing — a lot better than Google Docs or MS Word. And Novlr offers in-app writing courses to help get the most out of its features.

It doesn’t come with story templates like other premium word processors. And its formatting options are surprisingly limited.

A subscription to Novlr costs $10/month or $100/year. They also offer a 2-week trial for free — no credit card required. In my estimation, though, Novlr is not worth the money.

Pros for using Novlr to write a novel:

• Constant autosaving
• Can sync with Google Drive and Dropbox
• Offers Day, Evening, and Night mode to set the mood with color schemes
• Tracks progress with the Analytics tab
• Works both online and offline

Cons for using Novlr to write a novel:

• Limited formatting options, including for front matter and back matter and print-friendly formatting
• The analytics tab is nice but very limited — only gives stats for today, this month, and this year
• No collaborative editing

If you'd like to learn more, I have a full Novlr review you can check out.

The creator of bibisco, Italy’s Andrea Feccomandi, believes that character-driven novels are superior to plot-driven novels. (It’s actually a preference, not so much a fact, but we’ll let it slide.)

So Feccomandi developed bibisco word processing software program to focus on character creation. bibisco helps you create every aspect of every important character in your story — from physical traits to personality and emotional state.

What’s truly unique is the interview-style prompts that bibisco uses to extract information from your protagonist, antagonist, and everyone in between.

It also lets you give character to each setting with the Locations tab, as well as important items with the Objects tab even if Objects is only available in the premium version.

Speaking of, how much does Bibisco cost? Basic Bibisco (called Bibisco Community Edition) is completely free. Premium Bibisco (called Bibisco Supporters Edition) is, at minimum, a $17 purchase. However, the premium version is on a pay-what-you-want basis.

Read my more in-depth review of Bibisco .

Pros for using Bibisco to write a novel:

• Character-focused and dedicated to helping you flesh out your characters
• bibisco is a passion project made out of love, not for profit — some authors would value the opportunity to support that
• Distraction-free mode immerses you in your story
• bibisco is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Cons for using Bibisco to write a novel:

• Not plot-focused, which is important for some authors (about half of them)
• Not very user-friendly or simple to learn
• Limited formatting options
• bibisco doesn’t seem to be available for Android or iOS

Squibler is another tool that many authors use to plot and write their books. It features several appealing features such as a clean organizational system, writing templates, and more.

It is built more as a project management system, meaning it's ideal for authors who work on big interconnected stories together.

You can also use it to write virtually any kind of written material, from technical writing to novels to a screenplay.

But how much does Squibler cost? Well, it's a little pricey at $9.99/month with no lifetime price. That means you're paying $120 every year. This is why we recommend Atticus which has a lifetime price of $147, meaning you'll never have to pay for it ever again, and all future updates come at no extra cost.

Read my more in-depth review of Squibler .

Pros for using Squibler to write a novel:

• Great organizational features
• It has a lot of writing templates for all sorts of writing types and styles
• It exports to any file format that you need

Cons for using Squibler to write a novel:

• It's expensive
• There's no distraction-free mode or dark mode
• The app can lag a bit
• It lacks advanced formatting features

The importance of good editing cannot be understated. While editing software can never replace a real-life editor, these softwares can noticeably improve your writing.

Editing and proofreading software can fix typos, check grammar, and improve your readability. Premium editing software even checks for clichés and passive voice.

Here are the 4 best book editing softwares that any book writer would benefit from:

• ProWritingAid ($40/year or $140/lifetime) checks not only your spelling and grammar, but checks for readability, filler words, and clichés. It works with Scrivener, Google Docs, and MS Word. Check out my full review of ProWritingAid .
• Grammarly ($0 for the free version, $139.95/year for the premium version) is a neat editing tool that finds spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes (as well as handy explanations) that works as a browser extension or an app to download onto your computer. Even the free version is a great tool for any writer. Check out my full review of Grammarly .
• Hemingway Editor is a FREE website and desktop app that highlights and color codes passive voice, adverbs, complex words, and difficult-to-read sentences. However, it does not give you suggestions on how to improve your writing. Check out my full review of Hemingway .
• AutoCrit ($0 for free version, $30/month or $297/year for premium version) is an online book editing software that offers writers unique editing suggestions. AutoCrit shows writers surprisingly insightful problems to change in their book, such as filler words, unintentional repetition, shifts in verb tense, and even slow paced paragraphs. You can compare your work to famous authors’ works, too, with AutoCrit’s Summary Score — which is why AutoCrit is ideal for fiction writers in particular. Check out my full review of AutoCrit .

Plus, if you're looking for a plagiarism checker, here is a free one you can use. Grammarly includes one as well with their paid version, while ProWritingAid using a token system.

Writing your book is only half the battle.

If you'd like to learn more about the art of writing, be sure to check out the masters at MasterClass . These courses are led by prolific writers like James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, Malcolm Gladwell, and more.

Also, we authors have got to market and sell our book as well as write it. 

Below are several tools to help with not only writing but being a successful author:

• Publisher Rocket is a must for your book marketing research, including hot keywords and AMS advertising .
• Evernote allows you to share countless “notes” with beta readers, collaborators, other authors, classmates, family members. It is the coolest app for note-taking and -sharing.
• IAWriter’s minimalist, award-winning design cuts out distractions, like rulers and toolbars, and even blinds everything out except the sentence/paragraph you’re writing. Its Focus Mode might just change your life.
• Ommwriter offers a calm writing environment and meditative tracks to listen to while you write.
• Freedom productivity app helps you stay focused by blocking distracting websites and apps for scheduled writing sessions.
• Write or Die is a somewhat humorous and perhaps helpful tool that gives writers “tangible consequences” if they don’t meet a word count goal or time spent writing goal . Consequences include annoying sounds (such as “Never Gonna Give You Up”) or Kamikaze mode which deletes whatever was just written.
• A Plotting Software such as Plottr, Novel Factory, or Plot Factory. Each of these will help you plot your book, build compelling characters, and build your world .

Verdict: What is the Best Writing Software?

You should use Atticus’ word processing software to write your next book. If you’re looking for a free download, use Google Docs for smaller works, or Apple Pages if you’re a Mac user.

I use Google docs to write my articles because it allows me to coordinate with my team and my editor. For blog posts and intracompany documents, easy collaboration is key.

However, that doesn’t cut it when I have a 30K or even 100K-word book to write. When writing a book, I need the best book writing software out there. Google Docs just can’t handle it.

Atticus is the only writing program I use for writing my books . Download it today.

I need book writing software that will easily help me to research, outline, reorganize, write, collaborate, and edit. Atticus has me covered.

No monthly or annual fee? Atticus is a one-time purchase.

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.

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Top 8 best scrivener alternatives for writers (+ the only one that matters), scrivener vs. ulysses: which writing tool should you buy, scrivener coupons and discount codes (updated for 2024), sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

Learn how to rank your Kindle book #1 on Amazon with our collection of time-tested tips and tricks.

121 thoughts on “ Best Book Writing Software 2024 [Writing, Editing & Focus] ”

This is a great breakdown of the option! One thing for Google docs: I just finished a first draft with 76k words and it didn’t lag at all for me. When I first loaded the doc it would take a few seconds, but once it was all showing the writing didn’t have any latency. I could see if you had a custom font installed or maybe add-ons, it could slow down. But so far it’s been smooth and stable for me.

That’s awesome to here.

LibreOffice is a branch of Open Office with a much more active user community for support. Hemingway teaches better writing. Has a free online version for checking your writing and a downloadable app for actually writing on your device. The app can be used as a replacement for FocusWriter. And, of course, Grammarly both free and for a fee is a can’t live without.

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Ebooks, Publishing, and Everything in Between

• Downloads & Pricing
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• 12 of the Best Book Writing Software to Try in 2024 (Free and Paid)
• on Feb 01, 2024
• in Digital Publishing
• Last update: February 1st, 2024

Let’s imagine that you’re finally ready to sit down and write that book you’ve been dreaming about. The first question that you’ll ask yourself is, which writing software should you use? Sometimes consulting other authors might not help much. Some of them will tell you to use Microsoft Word, others will recommend notebooks and a pen. And every once in a while, a fellow author might mention book-writing software you have never heard of before.

Writing a book, like any other craft, requires some form of dedicated tool, but you don’t have to search far and beyond to find the best one for your needs. This article contains a list of the best options out there for authors of any genre, each with its pros and cons.

In this article:

How to choose a book writing software The best 12 book writing software for writers in2024:

• Kotobee Author
• Microsoft Word
• FocusWriter
• Google Docs
• Reedsy Book Editor
• LivingWriter
• The Novel Factory

How to Choose the Best Book Writing Software

If you’re reading this article, then you have probably been hunting for the best tool for writing your book. Each writing program has its strengths and weaknesses, so your choice will depend on your needs and the genre you’re writing your book in.

Generally speaking, most writers expect to find at least two or three of the following features when searching for a book-writing tool:

• Text editing and processing: Any book writing software must include some word processing features, which allow you to write, edit, and format text.
• Spelling and grammar checker: Spelling and grammar checkers are best used for detecting common typos and correcting basic grammar. They come in especially handy during the proofreading process.
• Export options: It’s important to have several manuscript exporting options, like PDF, DOCX, and EPUB. This way, you can upload your book to your preferred publishing platforms as well as open it on any device.
• Document formatting: Document formatting features don’t have to be fancy or complicated. Nevertheless, the program must offer some formatting features, like paragraph spacing, headers and footers, etc.
• Note-taking widgets: Some programs allow you to add notes or comments to your manuscript without modifying the main text. This can be useful in many cases; for example, you can add notes to remind yourself to look up certain information later.
• Multimedia content support: If you want to add images, videos, graphs, or charts to your book, you must choose a program that supports the necessary file formats. For example, the software must support JPG or PNG files if you want to add images.
• Novel planning tools: For fiction authors, book writing software may offer novel planning utilities like mind maps, timeline tools, and character profiles.
• Interactive content: Some programs, like Kotobee Author , allow you to add interactive content in ebooks, like quizzes and games. These features are the key to turning your ebook into a rich, immersive reading experience.

The 12 Best Book Writing Software in 2024

Each author has different writing goals and routines; one author’s secret sauce could be another author’s pet peeve. So, to help you find a good match for your goals, we have a range of programs that contain all the features you could need.

1. Kotobee Author

Kotobee Author is a great option for creating interactive ebooks. From novels and storybooks to textbooks and even instruction manuals, Kotobee Author will help you create an engaging, multi-dimensional experience for your readers to enjoy.

In addition to supporting mini-apps and other interactive features it offers, Kotobee Author allows you to export your manuscript in several formats. You can even turn your ebook into web and mobile ebook apps if you wish.

As a book-writing tool, Kotobee Author offers writers the following features:

• A full suite of word processing tools.
• Over 19 interface languages to choose from.
• Ebook apps , including quizzes , and games to enrich the reading experience.
• Plenty of ebook templates for all genres.
• Easily adjustable HTML/CSS code for further ebook customization .
• More than 12 export options ( standard ebook formats , online ebook hosting, and the ability to create web/mobile ebook apps ).
• AI content creation tools that can generate text , images , and questions .
• The option to preview your ebook on 20 different devices .

Despite all the aforementioned advantages, you should be aware that the following features are not available yet:

• Kotobee Author doesn’t offer writing tips for beginners.
• There aren’t any dedicated worldbuilding or note-taking tools.

You can get started with the free Kotobee license to test the waters. Alternatively, you can buy the basic license at $150/user or the premium license at $300/user . Both licenses come with free program updates for one year. To learn more about how Kotobee Author can help you write your book, you can request a free live demo .

Verdict: Kotobee Author is fantastic for writers of all levels who want as much creative freedom as possible. It’s also the best (and only) option on this list for creating interactive ebooks.

2. Google Docs (Free)

When it comes to cloud-based word processing tools, the most popular option is Google Docs. With a clean, clutter-free interface and the option to collaborate with other users, Google Docs is a good fit for teams and multiple authors.

Google Docs’ powerful word processing suite makes it easy to write your manuscript all the way to the end. Plus, your documents are automatically saved to your Google Drive and synced across devices, so you are unlikely to lose them by accident.

Google Docs offers the features below, all of which can be very useful for writing a book:

• Standard word processing options, such as text editing and word formatting.
• Cloud integration with Google Drive which allows for easy access to your files across different devices .
• Simple document design options and several templates to choose from.
• The option to install add-ons created by the community for various uses.
• Real-time collaboration with other users for writing , editing , or simply commenting on the text.
• Around 100 interface languages to choose from.
• Spelling & grammar checker.

While Google Docs can be great for writing, you should keep these cons in mind:

• There are no dedicated book-writing features; you are limited to simple document formatting and a few templates to choose from.
• Google Docs tends to lag if your document is longer than 100 pages or contains many images.
• There is no default offline mode, but you can install a free Chrome extension if you want to use it offline.

It’s 100% free !

Verdict: Google Docs is best suited for the last few drafts of your manuscript and for live collaboration with your editor. However, you will want to use it for manuscripts that are either text-only or under 100 pages.

3. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is the tool of choice for most writers when they start writing their books. Ask any writer what software they mostly use in writing their books, and the answer will likely be Microsoft Word.

But why is Word so popular in the writing community? For starters, it has defined the standard of modern word processing. Word also offers a variety of styles, templates, and a lot of features specific to editing and reviewing. Plus, you can use the free online version and save your work to OneDrive or use the paid desktop program and save your files locally as well.

Microsoft Word comes with a range of features, including:

• Standard word processing tools, like text alignment and language-specific formatting .
• The option to save files locally or on the cloud via OneDrive.
• Several templates to choose from.
• Plenty of design options .
• The option to track changes made by anyone with access to the document.
• A built-in spelling & grammar checker .
• Document accessibility checker .

As some writers will tell you, MS Word does come with a few downsides that you should be aware of. For example:

• You cannot purchase MS Word on its own; you must pay for a Microsoft 365 subscription, which can get quite expensive .
• MS Word becomes laggy past the 100-page mark or if the document contains lots of images.

You can use the web version with limited features for free . To access the full version, you have to subscribe to a Microsoft 365 package at $69.99/year for one person (or $99.99/year for up to six users ). If you want to learn more about each plan, you can check out their website .

If you already have MS Word on your computer and use it regularly, then it can be a good fit for the first few drafts of your manuscript. Just keep in mind that MS Word caters better to shorter books and documents that contain lots of images, like pamphlets.

4. Reedsy Book Editor

At an alluring price tag of zero dollars, Reedsy Book Editor aims to give you all the essentials you need to plan and write your book. The app also comes with convenient formatting tools, as well as the ability to collaborate with editors from the Reedsy marketplace.

While the app is geared towards novelists in particular, you can still use Reedsy Book Editor to write in any genre. Its intuitive interface allows you to get started right away.

If you choose to write your book using Reedsy Book Editor, you’ll have access to the following features:

• Ready-made copyright and table of contents forms with prompts and instructions.
• An integrated spell-checker in addition to editing and formatting options .
• Collaboration with editors from the Reedsy marketplace .
• Writing goals and word count tracker .
• Easy-to-use chapter/scene sp litting .
• A planning board that utilizes the Hero’s Journey plot structure , with a ready example to use for inspiration.
• Document adjustments for print when exporting, and numerous export formats to choose from (such as EPUB and MOBI ).

Just remember that there are a couple of downsides to using this software that you need to think about, including the following:

• There is no offline mode , so you need an internet connection to use it .
• The dashboard is cluttered, which makes it difficult to find the text editor.
• The planning board is split into three acts, which may not work for every genre.

Reedsy Book Editor is a solid choice for authors writing plot-heavy books. However, non-fiction writers might not benefit from the planning board because it’s aimed at novel writers.

5. Scrivener

Rarely will you find a writer who hasn’t at least heard of Scrivener or recommended it to others. Given its large user base, Scrivener stands among the most popular book-writing software on the market today.

In addition to its powerful planning tools, Scrivener also has lots of room for customization. This robust program allows you to tweak your chapter arrangement, notes, and more.

Many writers use Scrivener because of these features:

• Support for importing files in a variety of formats such as PDF and DOCX .
• A range of customization options .
• Many planning and organization tools for research , book outlining , and notes .
• An outliner tool to build your outline from the ground up.
• Cross-platform sync using Dropbox.
• Composition mode , which hides other tabs and helps you focus on writing.
• Many export options, including DOCX , RTF , TXT , and FDX .
• Word counter and goal tracker .

While most writers love this tool, they find these flaws quite significant:

• The MacOS version tends to receive updates more often than the Windows and IOS versions.
• The interface isn’t user-friendly; it’s quite difficult to navigate without watching tutorials.
• Integration with other apps like Google Drive isn’t readily available.

For a MacOS or Windows license, you can pay a one-time fee of $59.99 for the personal copy , or $50.99 for the educational license . If you need both versions, you can pay $95.98 for both the Windows and MacOS licenses in one bundle. For more information on the pricing options, you can visit their website .

Scrivener is great for all genres and types of writing, but its complex features may need some time to get used to.

Dabble presents itself as a clean, intuitive writing program without distracting or complicated tools. All you have to do is log in, open your manuscript, and just start writing.

An advantage that Dabble has over many other writing tools is that it is cloud-based. This means you can work from any device as long as you have an internet connection. In other words, you won’t risk losing hours of hard work.

Here are some of the many features that Dabble offers:

• Clean, user-friendly interface .
• Cloud-based storage and autosave function , which means uninterrupted writing across all your devices.
• The ability to rearrange chapters and scenes as well as separate them by acts or parts .
• Notes folders to accompany your chapters.
• A plot planner tool .
• Focus mode , which hides the menu and sidebars as soon as you start writing.
• Flexible writing goal tracker , where you can add deadlines or days off from writing.
• The ability to synchronize your NaNoWriMo project with the app so your word count gets updated as you write.

If you want to try out Dabble, you should be aware of the cons below:

• The app has very limited formatting options .
• Dark mode is not available in the Basic plan.
• The note-taking feature might not be enough for long novels or research-heavy books.

There are three plans to choose from: the Basic plan (priced at $7/month ), the Standard plan ( $15/month ), and the Premium plan ( $23/month ). You can learn more about Dabble’s pricing on their website .

Dabble works great for authors who want intuitive book drafting software without too many complicated features. On that note, keep in mind that it doesn’t have enough formatting options to work well as an editing tool.

Created by Dave Chesson , founder of Kindlepreneur and Publisher Rocket, Atticus is a great formatting and writing tool designed to turn your manuscript into a finished book.

This powerful book-writing tool allows you to design your book the way you want using its many features. Plus, you can work on your manuscript offline and on any operating system, Chromebook included.

Below is a list of some of Atticus’s best features:

• Very intuitive interface .
• The option to import existing manuscript files directly into the program.
• Plenty of text formatting and design options .
• Editable front and back matter sections.
• 17 book templates to choose from and a custom theme builder .
• The ability to preview your ebook on several devices , including iPhone and Kindle .
• Cloud-based backups , an autosave function, and the ability to work offline .
• Standard export options, including large print .

There are some cons to consider before buying this program, though, such as the following:

• There is no free trial ; you have to pay the full price upfront.
• You cannot export your book unless you have an internet connection.

You get lifetime access to Atticus by purchasing the program for $147 . After that, you can download the program on your desktop or on your phone through the website. If you would like to know more about this software, you can find all the details you want on their website .

Atticus works best if your main goal is formatting your book for publication. Since it focuses on polishing the final draft, it may not be the best choice for beginners or writing the first draft of your book.

Designed by published author Simon Haynes , yWriter is one of the classic writing tools that many authors swear by. You can write your book scene by scene and then insert characters, locations, and important items as you please.

As a free program, yWriter offers an incredible wealth of writing tools to help you finish and export your book. Moreover, in addition to the Windows version, there are also mobile apps and a MacOS version in beta.

With yWriter, you get the following perks:

• Worldbuilding tools like character biographies , locations , and items (such as important objects, languages, or magic systems ).
• The ability to write chapters by scene and add notes or descriptions to scenes, chapters, etc.
• Essential word processing and editing tools , with the option to install language dictionaries of your choice.
• The ability to sort scenes or chapters by the characters , locations , or items that appear in them.
• Additional tools to set writing goals , create backup files , and generate reports on your writing habits .
• The ability to edit scenes in the program’s text editor and external word processors like MS Word.
• Multiple export options , including HTML and LaTeX .

Here are a few cons to yWriter to watch out for:

• The interface is not very user-friendly ; most of the features above are difficult to find without experimenting or watching tutorials.
• Files are only stored locally on your computer; to sync across devices, you have to purchase the mobile apps.
• Design-wise, the program looks a bit dated.

The Windows program is available for free , but you can show support for the author of yWriter by registering your copy for a one-time fee. There are two tiers available: Silver for $11.49 and Gold for $24.95 .

Although yWriter is suitable for beginning writers, it is an ideal tool for experienced authors and book outliners who prefer to plot their novels before or during the writing process

9. FocusWriter

Some may consider FocusWriter a hidden gem in the world of book writing software. Simply put, this program is a simple yet powerful text editor for those who struggle to focus during their writing sessions.

If you just want a program that stops you from procrastinating, then it doesn’t get much better than FocusWriter. Its primary purpose is to encourage you to write, write, and keep writing until you reach your goals.

While using FocusWriter for your projects, you can enjoy the following features:

• Accessible offline .
• 20 interface languages available .
• Daily goals and writing statistics to keep you on track.
• Built-in timers and alarms so you don’t have to use any external tools.
• Highly customizable interface that allows you to change anything from the background theme to the typing sound .
• Optional spell-checker .
• The ability to move your manually to a different device via storage devices .

As great as it is, FocusWriter does have a couple of flaws, as you will see below:

• Since there is no cloud storage component, you are limited to using one device unless you use a USB stick to move your files.
• FocusWriter keeps only the newest version of your document, so you cannot restore older versions.
• The program does not natively support MacOS.

FocusWriter is primarily a text typing tool, so it is best suited for writing your drafts without getting distracted by other features.

10. LivingWriter

While this program is newer than others on this list, LivingWriter is no less powerful. It offers a great number of features for authors who find book planning stressful. It also allows you to refer to your notes as you write your manuscript.

In addition to that, LivingWriter has most of the planning tools you need to finish your book. You can make use of those tools whether you are starting your first draft or going through the final version sentence by sentence.

If you get stuck on book planning from time to time, you might find a lot of benefits in LivingWriter’s features, which include: 

• The ability to import existing files and manuscripts.
• Numerous planning boards for different kinds of planning, like worldbuilding , research , etc.
• NaNoWriMo integration so your word count is continually updated as you write.
• Cloud-based storage and autosave so you can pick up where you left off from any device.
• Integration with several apps like Dropbox , Grammarly , Google Drive , and Canva .
• The ability to share not only your manuscript but also the notes you add to chapters.
• Chapters and subchapters are self-contained , so the app runs smoothly no matter the length of your manuscript.
• Many export options with the ability to create files formatted specially for Amazon .

As with other apps, there are a few downsides to using LivingWriter. Here are a few of the points you should be aware of:

• Some users have reported bugs with certain features , like exporting to Microsoft Word.
• LivingWriter doesn’t come with any built-in spell-checking features, so you must rely on manual editing or external tools such as Grammarly.

LivingWriter offers a free trial and two paid plans to pick from: the annual payment plan and the monthly plan ( $144/year and $14.99/month respectively). To choose a plan or activate your free trial, you can visit their website .

LivingWriter is a great planning and writing tool, but it may not work well as a standalone program for some writers as it lacks proofreading features.

11. Bibisco

If you need novel writing software that has world-building tools, then Bibisco can work great for you. After creating a file, you can get started on designing characters or plot events right away. Alternatively, you can just start writing and outline your book as you go. Either way, when it comes to novel planning, Bibisco has a lot to offer.

In addition to its amazing outlining tools, Bibisco also gives you small tutorials on tackling different areas of writing, like conflict . So if you’re new to the world of fiction, you can learn as you practice!

Bibisco offers you lots of rich features, including:

• Worldbuilding tools (characters, locations, timelines, mind maps, etc.).
• Writing tips and tutorials to help you when you are stuck or have writer’s block .
• Outlining tools to write down your ideas and create your plot from the ground up.
• Narrative strands , which connect events to one another in order to develop conflict .
• A detailed analysis report of your writing habits and the distribution of characters , locations , etc.
• Various export options , with the ability to archive your files.

Unfortunately, you might encounter the following flaws while using Bibisco:

• Most of the worldbuilding tools are only available in the paid Supporter’s Edition.
• The scene text editor is very small and hidden among the program’s features.

The Community Edition is free but has limited features. If you want access to all of Bibisco’s tools, you can make a one-time payment of $47 for the Supporter’s Edition . You may be eligible for Parity Purchasing Power , so make sure to visit the website to check for yourself.

Bibisco works phenomenally as a world-building and novel planning tool, especially for beginners. However, if you aren’t writing a work of fiction or don’t need all the features above, you might want to try other word-processing software with better text editors.

12. The Novel Factory

As its name suggests, The Novel Factory allows you to craft your novel from scratch. It has a multitude of world-building and plotting features that will make your writing process that much smoother.

With The Novel Factory, the writing process becomes much easier. Inside the program, you will find tutorials for each of its features as well as a detailed guide on writing novels. When it comes to the sheer quantity of options, no other tool can compare.

Here is just a small portion of the features available in Novel Factory:

• A huge set of worldbuilding tools that cover characters , locations , and everything in between.
• All the plotting/worldbuilding tools are highly detailed , which allows you to plan as much or as little as you want.
• Each tool has examples and prompts to help with inspiration.
• A Plot Planner that comes with several templates for different types of fiction, like screenplays .
• Cross-platform availability as long as you’re connected to the internet.
• Detailed writing statistics to help you achieve your goals.
• Available offline if you use the desktop versions.

Unfortunately, The Novel Factory has a few downsides:

• The program can get quite expensive for the amount of cloud storage it offers.
• Some of the writing tips may be too specific, which can confuse beginners.
• The editing and formatting tools are fairly limited.
• You don’t get much cloud storage space even on the Premium plan, which maxes out at 5GB.

You can choose one of three subscription tiers: Basic ( $7.5/month or $75/year ), Standard ( $20/month or $198/year ), or Premium ( $60/month or $600/year ). If you’re having a tough time choosing a plan, you can try out the app for 30 days, or get more information by visiting their website .

Novel Factory contains everything you will need to write your novel from start to finish. The catch is that many authors might not be able to afford it, especially those with limited budgets.

Final Thoughts

When you write a book, it might help to have a tool that works well not only for writing but also for organizing your thoughts. Picking a tool to commit to might not be simple, so we suggest that you test some of the writing software on this list and see what works for you!

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Scrivener Review: The Best Software for Writers?

POSTED ON Sep 14, 2022

Written by Scott Allan

Long before there was any great writing software, most authors found themselves writing on anything they could: Pads of paper, napkins, scraps of paper, or multiple Word docs that you'd later sort through and organize to see what you’ve really got.

But these days, there are tons of book writing software options on the market.

In this Scrivener review post, we break down all the features and tools, so that you can make a decision as to whether or not this is the best software for you to create your next bestseller. While it can work for everyone, it may not be the best option for everyone.

In this Scrivener review, you will learn: 

What is scrivener.

• Why This Review Matters

Scrivener: the Pros and Cons

• How Much Does Scrivener Cost?
• Scrivener 3.0: Best Key Features
• Common FAQs About Scrivener
• Scrivener Review: Is It Worth the Hype?

Scrivener: a professional or public copyist or writer : scribe. 2 : notary public.

A scrivener (or scribe ) was a person who could read and write or who wrote letters to court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying written material. This usually indicated secretarial and administrative duties such as dictation and keeping business, judicial, and historical records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities. 

The biggest issue with writers today is the ability to organize all of their notes for their books that includes pictures, documents, files, photos, videos, ideas and more. If anything, Scrivener helps with the ease of navigation in order to consolidate all of these notes and files so that they are easy to find and put into your book for publication.

Overall, Scrivener was designed specifically to help authors—of fiction and nonfiction—to organize all of their material into one central location. It’s described as a virtual three-ring binder because it lets you have all the folders, labels, tabs and flags that you could want for your writing process in a clear and neatly organized way.

You can think of Scrivener as your all-in-one Hub for book publishing. While there are many forms of writing software on the market today, Scrivener has by far exceeded the expectations for most authors. In fact, after using Scrivener for just a few days, you'll most likely be convinced that is the only tool you'll ever need. However, for authors that prefer a more basic approach, Microsoft Word and Google Docs are certainly great options.

Scrivener is a great writing tool for books and manuscripts. Most authors are definitely all-in for using this book writing software after they start using Scrivener. It’s great for high-level organization, large writing projects, researching various topics, and the need for a distraction-free writing environment. 

Having said that, Scrivener may not be for everybody but the question is, is it the best writing tool for you?

Let's dive deeper into this Scrivener review by looking at the pros and cons of this writing software!

We want you to make informed decisions when it comes to how and where to invest your money. That’s why our mission is to help educate authors on the various self-publishing companies and services that are on the market today.

Our reviews are meant to be unbiased, 3rd party reviews, but we will speak up if there is a scam or a clearly better option.

Why this Scrivener review matters

As an author who has written dozens of books over the last decade, I've had the opportunity to test many writing software and in doing so, Scrivener has always remained at the very top of my list for the best writing software available. For this reason, this review matters because I have personally written over 10 books using the Scrivener software, and it is a robust tool that deserves its own review. 

The goal here is not to sell you on the software but, to make you a better writer as a result of using it and, if this review is going to push you forward into getting your book published, by any means Scrivener is the way to go.

The Scrivener app is all about productivity and although there's a large learning curve to this software, in the long run, it should save you a lot of time by providing the best tools for organizing, compiling, cataloging, and publishing your valuable work.

Scrivener is, for the most part, the best writing tool on the market that is used by authors of fiction, nonfiction, academics, creatives and journalists. The writing software app has many pros and a few cons to its application. There are a lot of features (more than you probably need) and you might be asking yourself, “Is it worth it to learn all this?”

Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons:

Scrivener Pros:

• Composition Mode erases all distractions and lets you write on a screen of nothing but text, though you can customize the background to be a texture or image as well
• Templates to fit your writing needs (fiction, nonfiction, screenplay, poem, essay, etc.)
• Comments, footnotes, annotations, and synopses simplify keeping track of your stream-of-consciousness brainstorming
• Organizes projects into one file with easy access to countless documents and research in the same window
• Can export projects as EPUB, MOBI, PDF, RTF, DOC, DOCX, OTD, HTML, or TXT
• Flexible interface users can customize to their needs
• A fully customizable toolbar
• More affordable than comparable writing software
• Offers a full 30-day free trial that only counts the days you actually open Scrivener. So if you use it for 30 days, it expires after 30 days. Use it twice a week and it lasts for 15 weeks.
• Powerful app with helpful features for every stage of your writing project
• Free templates for ease of writing

Scrivener Cons:

• No real-time collaboration or co-author functionality
• Windows version is inferior to Mac version
• Currently no Android app available
• Complex to learn all of Scrivener’s many robust features
• Most users will only use a small handful of the features and get confused by the amount of functionality. 
• Occasionally fails to back up data, although this bug is supposed to be fixed with Scrivener 3.0

Overall the pros of Scrivener far outweigh the cons to using this software, but you will have to test drive this powerful writing app yourself to draw your own conclusions.

How much does Scrivener cost?

Scrivener 3 costs $49. However, if you purchased Scrivener 2 on or after August 20, 2017 you can upgrade for free. Users who purchased Scrivener 1 or 2 before that date can get a 45% discount off the purchase price.

Scrivener also has a 30-day free trial period, though it’s actually 30 days of use — so if you only use the program two times a week, you will have the trial for 15 weeks.

Both the Windows and Mac version costs $49 (a little cheaper if you’re a student or academic), and the iOS version is $19.99.

If you’re planning to run Scrivener on both Mac and Windows you need to purchase both, but get a $15 cross-grading discount. Check the latest pricing info here .

Scrivener 3.0 Upgrade

If you already have Scrivener 2, you can upgrade via the Literature and Latte site. Click here , then select “Upgrade from an older version” in the trial window.

Scrivener 3.0: Best key features

As I previously mentioned, Scrivener is one of the most robust writing tools available on the market, but the question is what are the key features that make it so readily popular with writers all around the world? Let's take a look at the top 8 best features. 

1. Customizable Templates

Just like Microsoft Word has dozens of templates you can use for various themes, Scrivener also has templates that you can use to customize your book, whether you're ready for fiction, nonfiction, a journal, or academic papers. When you select your favorite template while creating a new project, Scrivener gives you templated suggestions on how other authors make that type of project work.

2. The Ring Binder

Scrivener combines and cultivates everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its core is a ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and switch back and forth between different parts of your manuscript, notes, and references with ease.

Break your text into manageable sections of any size and trust in Scrivener to merge them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. It also includes a trash bag over there so that you never really lose anything. You can create subfolders, change icons, rename files, or add a new file with the push of just one button.

3. Outliner

Develop the structure of your writing with Scrivener's powerful outliner. Similar to the function of the corkboard, the outliner lets you work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or your entire manuscript. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders.

Review synopses of what you've written so far or summarize what you need to write next. Check word counts. View meta-data. You can change anything that you want to and still leave your core material intact.  You can trust you'll have an outstanding book structure by implementing the outliner tool.

4. Corkboard: Big-View Synopses Cards

The cork board is one of the writer's most ambitious writing tools. Now you can visualize your project as a whole by writing down all of your scenes on cards.  This makes your book project completely visual and you're able to attach colors to the scenes for greater clarification and organization. You can easily drag and drop and add or delete cards. 

In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener's corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you've written on the cards—and when you move them, you're rearranging your manuscript at the same time.

5. Bookmarks

Scrivener utilizes an easy-to-navigate interface that utilizes a bookmark system. You can effortlessly access any project documents that you refer to often. But what makes it especially useful is that clicking on a bookmarked document will open it side-by-side with your current document, allowing you to reference or edit it without having to flip back and forth between texts.

6. Composition “Free Writing” Zone

This is one of my favorite tools in the Scrivener system. With the composition “free writing” zone, you are able to blank away everything while you are free to write and create within your own distraction-free zone. It's the perfect Haven for a writer. It includes various backgrounds that make you feel calm and creative when you're writing.

To customize the background in Composition Mode, click Scrivener > Preferences > Appearance > Composition Mode.

Scrivener's full-screen composition mode is fully customizable so, how it looks is up to you. This is your writing space, so get comfortable and start typing.

7. Flexible Interface

Different writing projects demand different thought processes, and Scrivener's flexible interface adapts to the work at hand. Arrange index cards along coloured lines on the corkboard—perfect for tracking different storylines or thematic developments.

Experiment and place cards anywhere in freeform mode. Choose which columns are shown in the outliner—or create your own. Use the corkboard or outliner to browse through research while you write. Make a mess or keep it simple. Whatever you're writing, you get to choose the tools that work for you, and everything else stays out of your way.

8. Compile, Export and Print

Export to a wide variety of file formats, including Microsoft Word, RTF and OpenOffice. Save screenplays to Final Draft format with script notes intact. Generate PDF files ready for self-publishing. Create Epub and Kindle ebooks to sell on iBooks or Amazon, or for proofreading on an e-reader. You can even use MultiMarkdown for LaTeX support and more.

When you’re ready to export, click File > Compile or Option+Command+E.

Common FAQs about Scrivener

There are a lot of questions that authors have before deciding to invest in this software. But we are not referring to the low price of just $49.00. You are investing a lot of time and energy into learning this software so, for that matter, you want to make sure that you're investing in something that you're able to use long-term.

That's why we consolidated the best questions that authors are asking in order to arrive at a decision to utilize Scrivener and all its functions and features.

Can I use my Mac license code in the Windows version (and vice versa)?

To run Scrivener on both Windows and Mac machines, you will need to purchase a separate license for each platform. However, if you already own Scrivener for macOS and want to buy Scrivener for Windows or vice versa, you are eligible for a cross-grade discount.

How long does a Scrivener license last?

A Scrivener license lasts forever, for whatever version you purchase. It may cost to upgrade your Scrivener. However, if you bought a license for Scrivener 1 on Windows after July 2017, you will be able to upgrade for free when Scrivener 3 is released.

Will I have to pay for updates?

If you purchased directly from the Scrivener store, or from one of the resellers that redirect to Scrivener, all minor updates are free. Such updates usually consist of a combination of bug-fixes and feature refinements, although often contain more substantial changes and new features too.

All major updates are offered at a discount.

If you purchased the software at any time during the three months prior to the release date of the major new version, you will receive the update for free.

If you purchased the previous version of the software earlier than that, you receive a major discount on the regular price. The discount price will be set at the time of release, but as an example, Scrivener 3 on the Mac is $49, but registered users of Scrivener 2 for macOS get a 45% discount.

How do I install Scrivener on other Computers?

All you need to do is download the application and install it, just like you did the first time, using the registration information and instructions that were sent to you.

If you've lost the original email you can recover your license details . Here is the download link for the installer . The first time that you open the application on the second computer, you can enter your license information when prompted.

Can I edit my ebook with Scrivener?

Scrivener itself is not an ebook editor, even though it can produce ebooks via its compilation process. For detailed instructions on this process, refer to Scrivener’s video tutorials or the user manual, available from Scrivener's Help menu. If you wish to clean up the presentation of an ebook or make revisions to it after you've compiled it outside of Scrivener, these tools can help:

Calibre : General purpose ebook management and full-featured e-reader, also capable of performing conversions between many common ebook formats. Good for testing links, layout, and other specifics. Available for macOS, Linux and Windows.

Sigil : An ePub editor which will let you fine-tune your compiled ebook or help track down problems within it. Available for macOS and Windows.

Kindle Previewer : Amazon's free book previewer will aid in the production of Kindle compatible ebooks and provide a precise preview of what your ebook will look like on various Kindle models. Scrivener will integrate with Previewer if it is found installed and allow for the direct creation of Mobi ebooks. However, in most cases you will want to use ePub for publication through Amazon. Available for macOS and Windows.

Vellum : Specializes in creating nicely designed ebooks from a number of pre-built templates. Scrivener has a special DOCX compile format for creating the best input for this tool. Available for macOS only.

Where can I find video tutorials for using Scrivener?

The Scrivener website offers a wide range of video tutorials (also available on YouTube ), covering various topics from basic learner to advanced. These are highly recommended video tutorials for diving deep into how to use this complex app. If you require a big overall view of how Scrivener works before deciding to purchase, you can access all the FAQs here: Scrivener Support

Scrivener review: Is it worth the hype?

Scrivener is a powerful tool for writers and is focused on writing long-form pieces by providing a number of unique features. It functions like a typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook—all at the same time. 

Scrivener works best for writers of all kinds of literature who have lots of notes or research to compile into their books and/or plan to write a lengthy, very in-depth series of books .

If you plan to do extensive self-editing or find a book editor in another program, Scrivener is a good match.

Scrivener does have many amazing features that we like. It includes high-level organization tools, powerful drag-and-drop features, easy-to-export features, a customizable toolbar, and the ability to break up your project into smaller pieces.

However, if you just want to dive into the writing and skip the learning curve required, we recommend you go with something easier to start with, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Scrivener does not have a great formatting option, it requires separate licenses for Mac and Windows, and there is a steep learning curve that could set you back days or weeks that isn’t going to build your confidence if you just want to write.

If you’re happy to just sit down and pound out your content on a weekend, you probably don’t need Scrivener. What really matters is, if you’re happy with the software, you’re willing to make the investment of time and energy.

Personally, I rarely use Word anymore after getting used to Scrivener, and now that I’ve written several books with the software, it’s hard to go back to the basics.

Before you decide, download the free version and give it a try. 

If you want to share your experience with Scrivener, you can drop a note or question below. We would love to hear from you!

FREE BOOK OUTLINE TEMPLATE

100% Customizable For Your Manuscript.

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Drag & drop scene cards to organize or plan your story better.

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Discover more about your novel by cross-referencing scene attributes on the Insights Board.

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Hi, I'm Kristina. Founder of Fictionary, and I'm here to help.

I'm a writer just like you. I created Fictionary to solve my own biggest writing challenge: how to edit my manuscript to make sure my story was as powerful as possible.

Using my computer mathematics degree along with my experience as a bestselling author and ten years working as a professional editor, I created the software I wished I had.

Fictionary will help you get your story finished and into the hands of readers. I'll be with you all the way.

Ready to make your story truly unforgettable? Let's get started!

Writers and editors love fictionary.

Let me just say that the automated Story Arc report alone makes this an outstanding tool.

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An Uncertain Faith

Fictionary has been amazing in helping me edit the my latest work in progress! The streamlining has cut my editing…

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Fictionary is a real find and their blog posts are equally propelling my work forward. Love the regular enhancements.

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Perfect to catch flaws in your manuscript and elevate it to new heights of quality. I love Fictionary!

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FACE YOUR WORD

I used StoryTeller to edit, and I saw a difference. My story was much stronger and compelling.

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BA, Creative Writing

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Fictionary Author Success Stories

A comb of wishes is a beguiling fantasy novel that will engage, inspire and challenge its readers. - bookpage starred review.

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Winner of the Kweli’s inaugural Color of Children’s Literature Manuscript Award

Ryder Stephens takes readers on an emotional arc of a young girl dealing with loss and grief. A page turner!

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Veronica Ventura Published Author

As an author, Veronica attributes her success in character development to the diverse experiences in her medical career.

There were so many themes running through this book from forgiveness, trust, love and facing fears. I enjoyed this book and will definitely read more

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The third in the series. The second novel edited in Fictionary StoryTeller.

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We wanted a hub of easily retrievable documentation, and Squibler gave us exactly that.

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