Self-Published Authors Toolbox - The Programs I use

This is a simple, ongoing list of the programs and websites I use for the self publishing process. This is an ongoing list that will be updated as I refine my process. But I wish I had something like this when I begun this messy, wonderful process - so here you go.

WRITING

Microsoft Word - I used to write on google docs because I liked the convenience of being able to write anywhere anytime - BUT google is fast and loose with what it shares with AI. Including your entire creative work. It's easier to turn this off in word.

Synonym Finder - Ok ok I know that this isn't actually a program, but at this point I actually feel like I need to be dedicating my novels to it.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Save The Cat Writes A Novel - The last book on novel writing that you will ever need. Seriously. A simple, easy to read guide on how to take your 'cool idea' and turn it into a novel that hits the correct beats to hook your audience. Or, if you've already written you manuscript - it's an excellent resource to check on the pacing of your novel before a developmental edit. Book Marketing 101 - A free kindlepreneur website with a goldmine of information on it.

Communities

Jericho Writers – Fantastic resource with a prolific backlogue of free articles to read about the self publishing process. It has copy, developmental, assessment editors specific to all fiction genres that will turn the work around in about a month, and offer constrictive criticism and supply free learning materials for areas of your writing that require attention.

I haven’t used this function, but it also has an agent match program that will pair you up with an agent. There are also a plethora of writing courses specifically designed to get your book from an idea into a publishable format, and then courses around how to publish, and even basic marketing.

20booksto50K Facebook Group –

Facebook group full of self-published authors. Brilliant community that has many authors that have made it in the self-publishing field that are happy to share their expertise. Just make sure any question you have hasn’t been covered in their pinned posts. This group also keeps on top of when amazon (and other self-publishing platforms) change things pertinent to authors.

EDITING SOFTWARE

Pro Writing Aid – Best for basic copy editing for fiction writers. You can specify for genre and authors you want your work to sound similar to. It’s a copy edit on speed as compared to word, because it’s not just grammar, it’s also readability, sticky sentences, repeated words…etc.

Chat GPT - I use open AI to – Help with blurbs, world building questions (EG what would a post-revolution society struggle with), help with publishing software if there isn’t a you-tube tutorial, structure for copy for advertising, developing a timeline with goals (so that the writing experience has easy markers to achieve and be held accountable to). Honestly, anything to do with the writing process that isn’t specifically my plot.

DESIGN

Canva for book covers – Good enough for a first publish until the book makes a bit of money depending on budget. There is a world of designers you can pay for more professional covers, but (and I say this from experience) for a first round, as a new author, people will still pick up your book so long as the cover fits in the genre and isn’t awful. There are also a boatload of you-tube tutorials that will take you, step by step, through everything. The paid version has a library of stock images you can use (even to publish) without fear of copyright infringement.

Indie Cover Project -

The Cover Collection - A website that has professionally designed book covers that the original authors didn't pick up. So they will sell them to you. For cheap.

Indie Cover Project – A group on Facebook is full of people that will give you honest (brutal) feedback on covers and blurbs. They also give advice on how to fix it for your genre. Go in with an open mind and your heart locked away in a fortress.

Book Formatting

Atticus – E-book and print-book formatting software. It’s still in development so it can be a little buggy.

What it does well – Formatting. It retains the formatting (italics, em dashes, etc) when uploading a manuscript from either word or google docs. For books, e-books, and how the book will appear on a variety of devices. This is ALL in the one doc. You don’t have to do a different file for each and every possible form (books, kindle, phone, tablet). It’s easy to add pictures (full page, intext, chapter pictures)

What it doesn’t do well – It’s buggy when you try to do any kind of substantial copy edit when using the software (as it is still in development). I prefer to write in word, and then just import it over. Also, you can ONLY export as a PDF of e-pub, not word.

Ice-cream E-book Reader - A free program to read your newly created e-book on so that you can check that it looks good.

Publishing

Amazons Kindle Direct Publishing – This is the program I use. KDP requires you to keep your ebook (not print book) exclusive. BUT it provides some amazing benefits. One of which is that readers can buy the book outright, but if readers are kindle members they can borrow your book – and you get paid per page read. So you still get paid even if it’s just for a few chapters. There are also marketing benefits, countdown deals, and other things.

If you upload your own cover and formatted book, readers can buy your book, and amazon prints it on demand – so you don’t have to order surplus you may never send.

Ingram Spark – If you upload you print book here, wholesalers can buy them in bulk. It’s also print on demand, so you don’t have to buy your own stock.

ISBN’s - A free website to allocate ISBNs. User friendly.

Prolific Works – There are many wonderful features of this site, but the only thing I use it for is my book magnet. A free e-book available for my readers that requires an email to access (which gives me direct access to my audience)

Book Funnel - Essentially the same as Prolific Works, but cheaper, without the function of also promoting your book. I use both. Book Funnel makes really nice landing pages really easily.

Visibility and Marketing

Mailchimp - A service that allows you to collect emails, which is really where your entire business is as a self published author. It links easily with Prolific works, wix website builder and almost any other service you will use to promote and publish your book. With the exception of amazon of course. They keep the contact information of your fans a secret.

WIX - The service I used to create this website. It is super easy to use, and if you want to optimise it - you can easily pay someone on fiverr to help.

Social Media - Currently booktok and bookstagram are great places to market, and connect immediately with your audience. Perfect community for market research into your genre. Ideally you want to create a separate writing account, and try to only engage with other authors and readers in your genres or publishers.

#help #tips #organize #writingtools