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Best Book Writing & Editing Software 2024: Top 10 Tools for Writers
Are you looking for the best book writing service software? You’re in the right place! Writing a book takes a lot of time and effort but the right tools can help make the process easier. In this blog, we have reviewed our top 10 picks for the best software for writing a book.
These tools will help you organize, write and edit your book. Out list of tools has a mix of free and paid book writing software and would be helpful for novice and seasoned writers alike. Let’s look at the tech that will help you write a best-selling book!
Top Features to Look for in Book Writing & Editing Software
There are many book writing software out there. What makes one good? Here are a few features to consider when choosing writing and editing software.
User-Friendly Interface
Choose a book writing app that’s easy to use and intuitive. Some apps can be tricky to navigate, but if they offer great features and you’re willing to learn, they can be worth it.
If you find the interface of a popular app difficult, try different ones until you find something easier. .Most book writing apps offer free trials, so take advantage of them to see if it suits you.
It might take some trial and error, but finding the right app will streamline your writing and editing process.
Multiple Functions
What functionalities do you want in a book writing app? Do you want a built-in plagiarism checker, editor, spell checker, or something else? Look for book writing software that offers most of these features.
The more you can do with your writing app, the more streamlined your writing process will be. This way, instead of reaching for five different apps, you can use one or two apps for different functions.
Affordability
As a self-publisher or first-time author, you probably want to keep software costs lean. Fortunately, there are many free book writing service/software you can use to help with writing and editing your book. Grammarly, Hemingway, and ChatGPT are some of them.
To access the premium features of the software, use free trials. Free trials will give you access to all the premium features of software for some time. After using the software you can decide if you want to invest in the premium version.
Security
It’s better to stick to tried and tested apps and software. Software and apps that are reviewed and recommended are generally safer to use as compared to brand-new software. Look for apps and tools that offer data security and protect your writing.
Data security is important because all these companies can access your personal information. This includes credit card info, email address, and billing address. Companies that are GDPR and/or SOC2-compliant are reliable when it comes to protecting your data.
Accessibility
Don’t miss out on good ideas just because you’re away from your computer. Pick a writing app that works on all devices, not just PCs, and can be used offline. That way, you’ll never miss a great idea, no matter where you are or what device you’re using.
Best Book Writing Software – Overview
- Scrivener
- Dictation Software
- Workflowy
- Miro
- ChatGPT
- Power Thesaurus
- Hemingway Editor
- Grammarly
- Fictionary
- Atticus
Best Content Organization Software
Brainstorming and organizing ideas are important steps to writing a book. To select which ideas to include in your book and to create a book outline, its essential to have all the content in one place. This is where content organization tools comes in handy. Here are some great options:
Scrivener
Scrivener is an excellent book writing app made for long-form content. You can think of it as a superior version of the Microsoft Word, but without the boring linear working format. Scrivener offers several features and templates you can work with. Here is how the app works:
Binder View
The idea behind the app is to offer a simple ring binder functionality to authors. With a ring binder, you can write ideas, scenes, and chapters and easily rearrange the parts of your book conveniently. Scrivener has taken this idea and made it digital. This way you can work in sections, and restructure the content later. It has integrated outlining tools that help in compiling the different sections into one document and then rearranging the document as needed.
Corkboards
Scrivener’s corkboard feature replicates the old-fashioned way of outlining books – with index cards. It shows a linear display of your complete book. Each card you see on the corkboard is a scene of a chapter or character description in the book.
You can write, edit, or move the card and the changes will automatically be made to your manuscript. You can add cards to add different sections to your book and rearrange the cards as you write.
Scrivener offers several features and is highly customizable. However, there is a learning curve when it comes to using this app. Scrivener is one of the best book writing software for Mac, Windows and iOS devices. It doesn’t have an Android app or a web application.
Scrivener Pricing
By downloading the Mac app, you can get a 30-day free trial. It’s worth noting that this trial lasts for 30 days of usage, not just 30 calendar days. Scrivener offers multiple pricing tiers, ranging from $23.99 to $59.99.
Dictation Software
People have different ways of brainstorming ideas. If you find that you process your thoughts better by saying them aloud, consider using a dictation software for writing a book. And the best part? You might already have it installed on your computer!
There are many voice to text software for writing a book, you don’t need to buy one separately. The best dictation software for writing a book is already installed on your computer. Its free and has all the basic functionalities you need.
All Mac and Windows PCs come with dictation software installed that you can use in documents. To use the dictation software, set up the speech recognition on Windows and Apple Dictation on Mac and you are ready to start brainstorming. Here’s how you can set up speech recognition on your PC:
For Windows:
- Press the windows logo and H key.
- Turn on online recognition in settings (if it isn’t turned on)
- Open the dictation toolbar and start speaking to create a text from your speech.
For Mac:
- Click on the Apple menu and go to system settings.
- Select keyboard from the sidebar and go to dictation.
- Enable dictation.
If you want to explore more dictation software options, check out our guide on the best dictation software.
Workflowy
With Workflowy, you can take notes and organize book content. Its simple and intuitive interface makes it user-friendly. If you are looking for a good book writing software that helps you brainstorm and organize your thoughts effectively, Workflowy is a great choice. It is designed like a never-ending document. Workflowy arranges all your notes into bullet points.
You can seamlessly create your book outline using these bullet points and expand on each point or section of the book as needed. This helps effectively breaking down complex ideas into small manageable chunks. The platform can store all forms of information – text, images, and links – as bullet lists. Just drag and drop whatever you need to add to the list.
Search and Tagging
Workflowy is an outstanding outline tool because of its useful features. It has a powerful search functionality that enables users to locate specific items within the bullet list with a simple search. It also has a tagging function. This allows you to add tags to visually identify topics with ease further enhancing organization.
Workflowy Pricing
The basic features are available in the free version of the tool. For advanced features, you can buy the pro version for $4.99/mo. Workflowy offers a seven-day free trial for their pro plan.
Miro
Miro is a collaborative online book writing software for content visualization and brainstorming. If you’re working with a team and looking for a platform that allows online collaboration, Miro is your best friend. The platform allows users to create diagrams, flow charts, and mind maps to facilitate the creative process.
Seamless integration
Miro seamlessly integrates with other visualization tools like Jira, Trello, and Slack. This allows users to import and expand on existing visualization instead of starting from point zero.
User-Friendly Interface
Miro has an intuitive interface, making it easy to use for both new and experienced users. It also has cross-platform functionality which means it works as a web app, on Windows, Apple, and on Android mobile phone devices. So, you can work on any device.
Miro Pricing
Miro has a free version available with basic features. Its premium plan starts at $8.00/mo. Miro has a business plan for $16/mo. For pricing of its enterprise plan, you can contact the Miro team.
Best Book Writing Software
Don’t let writer’s block hold you back. Here are some apps that can help you with writing a book.
ChatGPT
We all have days when we are brimming with ideas and ones where we can hardly get anything written on paper. For days when you are feeling uninspired and struggling to brainstorm ideas, ChatGPT is the best free book writing software you can use. This popular, AI-powered tool can help you brainstorm ideas and create outlines for your book project.
Whether you need inspiration writing a scene or with characterization, ChatGPT can be of great help. However, it is important to note that the tool may make mistakes. Therefore, do not solely rely on its results, do thorough research on your own. Do your part, and use the tool to help streamline the writing process.
ChatGPT pricing
The basic version of the tool is free. ChatGPT Plus is $20/mo.
Power Thesaurus
As a writer, you often need to switch up words and find synonyms that are more suitable in the content. Power Thesaurus can help you with this task. Power thesaurus is a crowd-sourced online book writing app that provides a robust library of synonyms, antonyms, definitions, idioms, and other forms of writing assistance.
It’s user-friendly and conveniently available as a browser extension, allowing you to access it while you write. Simply type in the word you want to find synonyms for and press enter. The app will display suitable synonyms, definitions, parts of speech, antonyms, and other useful information.
Power Thesaurus
The basic version of the app is free. You can get the pro version for $2.49/mo.
Best Book Editing Software
Writing is not enough. You need to edit your content for it to be clear, precise, and error-free content and engaging to the readers. This is where a good book editing software can help. Here are our top picks:
Hemingway
The Hemingway Editor is designed to help improve the clarity and readability of your content. Content readability is influenced by various factors like the use of passive voice, complicated words, and excessive adverbs. A good readability score means that your content can be read and understood even by a younger audience.
To use the app, you can simply copy and paste your content and it will point out where the prose can be improved. Learn more about the tool by reading our complete Hemingway editor review.
Hemingway Pricing
The web version of the app is free. But to download and access the desktop version there is a $19.99 one-time charge.
Grammarly
Write without error on all platforms with Grammarly. You can use this tool for line-by-line editing. It corrects spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and offers style suggestions for clarity. Grammarly now has AI capabilities that can help enhance and improve your content.
The best part? Grammarly has cross-platform functionality so you can use it on Windows, Android, and Apple devices.
Grammarly Pricing
The basic version of the app is free. The premium version costs $12.00/mo. Whereas the business plan is $15.00/mo. per member.
Fictionary
If you want a book writing software that does more than just fixing grammar and spelling errors, Fictionary is the best option. It is the best book writing software for developmental editing. Fictionary has powerful visualization features that allow you to visualize and fix any issues with the narrative or storyline of your book. You can add or remove characters, edit storylines, and adjust the word count of your book.
Story Arc
A good story arc is crucial for every fiction book. Fictionary’s Story Arc features an analysis of your book and plots out the major story points as a graph. This lets you view and identify the weak points or plot holes in your story and fix them.
Fictionary Pricing
Fictionary offers multiple pricing plans ranging from $11.40/mo. to $29.40/mo.
Best Book Formatting Software
Atticus
Atticus is a popular book formatting software. It offers multiple book formatting features and templates to help you design the final look of your book. You can create a customized chapter design and adjust the book size, font size, and line spacing with ease. It is intuitive and easy to use so people with all levels of technical expertise can get a hang of it.
Book Preview
In addition to its formatting abilities, Atticus also provides a book preview feature. This feature enables you to preview the final look of your ebook and print book. It also displays how your book would appear on various devices like Kindle, iPhone, etc.
Atticus Pricing
Atticus has a one-time payment of $147.
In Conclusion
Nowadays, there are many tools can help you write and refine your book content. From brainstorming ideas to editing the final draft, book writing software simplifies the process. This guide features a combination of paid and free book writing tools to help you write your next bestseller. While you can’t go wrong with any of these options, it’s best to use the free trials offered by these apps to find the tool that suits you best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which software is best for book editing?
Grammarly is great for editing as you write. The free version corrects spelling mistakes and points out subject word agreement errors, and grammatical errors. The premium version can help enhance tone and write with more clarity.
What is the best software for writing a book?
There is no one tool that does it all. Scrivener is great for brainstorming ideas and organizing your book. It allows you to write and compile your ideas so you don’t have to worry about losing notes. Whereas, Miro is great for a team writing project. You can collaborate with unlimited team members to brainstorm ideas.