Book Writer App For Mac
Writing a book requires something major. It requires the right attitude, some solid, and the best writing software out there. And we know which writing software is best for you – and more importantly, why it matters. With the best writing tools, you can write faster and more effectively. You’ll be more focused, with fewer distractions, and you can actually learn a thing or two from some of them –. And just as importantly, you’ll have an easier time keeping your outline, notes, and even those organized. But even if you have and an imagination that won’t quit, you can’t do either without the right book writing software.
You’ll have to make some choices. Nowadays, authors have so many options when looking for the best book writing software. There are 9 things to consider when deciding which program to use for your book. Depending on your needs, some of these questions may be more or less important to you:. How easy is it to format text the way you want?. Does it have templates available?.
How much does it cost?. Is the program simple & easy to use?. Does it offer any extra features or other bells & whistles?. How about a distraction-free writing experience?. Is the program user-friendly?. Can you access your files no matter where you are?. How easy is it to collaborate with editors & team members?.
Is there distribution capabilities when it’s time to publish? In the end, the truth is that there are many great writing tools out there.
It isn’t really a question of which tool is BEST. What it comes down to is: which tool works best with YOUR unique writing process? The Top 3 Book Writing Software Programs Writers everywhere flock to these specific tools and claim them to be the best book writing software for them. We’ll break down each so you can decide for yourself if their features are the best fit. #1 – Microsoft Word Before any other writing tools came along, Microsoft Word was the only option available. Everyone used it.
Today, even though there are many other word processors out there, Word is still the most widely used book writing software in the U.S. Millions of people continue to use it for their writing needs. And it’s easy to see why. Word has a lot going for it! It’s been around a long time. It’s trusted, reliable, and gets the job done well.
It also provides a relatively distraction-free writing experience; much better than working on Google Docs in your browser, for example, where you’re only an errant mouse-click away from the entire internet. If you just need to wake up in the morning and by keeping your head down and getting those words pounded out onto the page, then Word is an obvious choice of book writing software. No fuss, no muss. It’s about as simple as it gets.
Word also offers some simple organization. Using headers, you can organize your book into chapters—and then you can navigate through them quickly using the Navigation pane. You can also create your own. And if you start writing your book in Word and don’t begin with the correct formatting, it’s pretty easy to to make it “book ready” with a few simple steps. If you’re a Word user and you’ve got your own system in place for writing books, then perhaps you need to look no further. But as a writing tool, Word does have some downsides.
For starters, it doesn’t always play well with Macs. If you use a Mac, then Word might cause you a lot of frustration with crashes and formatting. Thankfully, Apple offers a comparable program called Pages, for you. Word is also pretty vanilla. That’s part of its appeal, sure, but it also means Word lacks some of the more advanced features you get with other programs like Scrivener and Google Docs. For example, Scrivener offers more functionality. And Google Docs makes it easier to share and collaborate on your files.
All in all, Word is a solid contender for best book writing software. But there are many other choices out there. Book Writing Software Cost: $79.99 if purchased separately. #2 – Scrivener You just learned that Microsoft Word is the most widely used word processor in the world. But does that mean it’s the best book writing software?
Think about it this way. The fact that Word is so prevalent means that it has to cater to all sorts of users—students, businesspeople, writers, teachers, marketers, lawyers, the list goes on and on and on. But Scrivener was created for one type of person only: Writers. Blogger and author, Jeff Goins, swears by Scrivener after giving up Word. He says: “I wasted years of my life doing all my writing on Microsoft Word. But that’s all over now. I have finally seen the light.” Entrepreneur also praises Scrivener: “I now begin every piece of content—no matter what it is—with this tool.
It has simplified my life and enabled me to focus on the most important aspect of my job—creating new content. I am more productive than ever.” Here are some of the top takeaways of this book writing software:. Helps with. Easily export your data to other digital platforms such as Kobo, ibooks, etc. (this is one of the best features). Provides outlining functionality that keeps your content organized.
Powerful composition mode with distraction-free writing environment. Easily drag and drop to move sections around.
Provides a collection of robust templates. Supports for bullets and numbers Because Scrivener was designed for writers, it’s super easy to lay out scenes, move content around, and your story, article, or manuscript.
Instead of keeping all your content in one big file, Scrivener allows you to create multiple sub-files to make it easier to organize and outline your project. But as awesome as Scrivener is, it’s not perfect.
And the biggest downside to using Scrivener is the steep learning curve involved. You aren’t going to master this program overnight. But if you’re serious about your writing career, then investing the time to learn this specific writing tool will be worth it.
You’ll save time and energy in the long run. And if you want to learn how to use Scrivener as quickly & easily as possible, we can help! Here’s a full Scrivener tutorial so you can easily maneuver this program.
If you want to dig even deeper, you can also download the, or watch the tutorials they’ve put together at Literature & Latte. Long story short: Scrivener is an investment, but one that’s worth it. It will take some time to master. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll never go back—it’s the single most powerful book writing software out there. I f you like what you see from Scrivener, you can buy it here: Book Writing Software Cost: $45 #3 – Google Docs We’ve looked at the appealing simplicity of Word and the in-depth power of Scrivener, but there’s another book writing software that more and more people are starting to use for various reasons: Google Docs. Essentially, is a stripped-down version of Word that you can only use online.
It’s a simple, yet effective writing tool. The beauty of this program (and in general) comes in the ability to share content, files, and documents among your team. You can easily communicate via comments, for example. This program keeps a complete history of all changes made to a document, so if you accidentally delete something you wanted to keep, simply click the link at the top of the screen that says, “All changes saved in drive.” That will bring up the version history, where you can review all the changes that have been made to your book file and revert to a previous version if you so choose.
Google Docs doesn’t require any installation and can be accessed anywhere via your browser, or an app on your phone. And here’s one of the best features: everything is saved on the server frequently and automatically, so you never have to fret about losing a version or draft of your work. (Anyone who has ever lost a draft of a book understands how valuable this feature is!) Plus you can access your work when you move from one location or another—no carrying a laptop or thumb drive around with you. When you share a book draft with others, like test readers or your, they can comment directly on the draft using the built-in comment functionality. Out of the “big 3” book writing software tools, Google Docs is probably the least sophisticated when it comes to formatting and outlining tools. But it makes up for that with easy collaboration, sharing, and online access.
Book Writing Software Cost: Free. Book Writing Software You Might Not Know About Just because you may not be familiar with a specific writing software doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial or even better than what you’re using now. Let’s get to know some of the best book writing tools you can use to up your author game and make some progress. #1 – Pages Think of as the Mac alternative to Microsoft Word. It has a variety of beautiful templates to choose from, has a simple design, and syncs with all devices from within iCloud so you can access it in a number of different places. Personally, I love the ease of Pages. It works great for creating ebooks or manuscripts with a variety of you can get creative with.
Book Writing Software Cost: $28 #2 – Freedom isn’t technically a writing tool, but it sure can help improve your writing. It’s a productivity app designed to help eliminate distractions by blocking certain websites – something more than beneficial for those of us who get sidetracked easily.
For example: let’s say you have a tendency to get distracted by social media sites. All you have to do us start a Freedom session that blocks all your social media sites—and then you won’t be able to visit them even if you wanted to.
Here’s what it looks like when you schedule a session. This is a really liberating tool. Once you know you don’t have the option of visiting those distracting sites, you’ll find it easier to keep focused on your writing and you’ll be able to get a lot more done. Book Writing Software Cost: $2.42/month and up, or $129 for lifetime access. #3 – Ulysses If you’re a Mac owner, this might be the best book writing software for you.
While you do have to pay $39.99 per year to use it, the cost to use is completely justified. One of the best features has to be the distraction-free capabilities. As a writer who gets distracted easily, this is definitely a feature I look for in a good book writing software. This one is also great for exporting.
Meaning, you can do all your writing in-app and then export it in relatively any format you’d need in order to, critique partner, or even beta readers. And if you’re someone who has a hard time keeping all of your notes and ideas organized for your book, this app also has a feature that helps you keep all of it straight! Say goodbye to forgetting what you wanted to add in that obscure scene you wrote two months ago! Overall, this is one of the best book writing software programs out there for Mac users.
But if you’re not sure if it’s worth the price, you can actually try it for free for 14 days. Book Writing Software Cost: $39.99/year Free Book Writing Software There’s not much we love more than getting stuff for free – especially when it comes to our aspirations.
You don’t have to doll out a ton of cash just to use highly beneficial book writing software. In fact, there are many best free book writing software programs. #1 – FastPencil is a nice little platform with lots of tools. You can also use it for distributing your ebook. It is free to start writing with, but they offer paid services as well. Everything happens online in your browser, which means you can access your files from any computer (as long as you’re connected to the Internet). Here’s what the word processor looks like.
You can customize the image in the background to suit your project to help inspire your writing. It’s simple and effective. If you need a lot of features, it probably won’t work for you. But if simplicity is your thing, then you may have found your perfect free writing tool. Book Writing Software Cost: Free #3 – yWriter is a really popular word processor (intended mainly for novelists) with some impressive features (especially for a program that’s completely free).
It helps keep your project organized by giving you space to include notes on all sorts of things, like character notes, scene notes, scene goals, etc. You can specify whose point of view each scene will be written in, and you can see the word count of your entire novel broken out by chapter—all at a quick glance. One thing that yWriter does differently than a lot of other writing programs is focus on scenes rather than on chapters. A lot of writers prefer this since scenes are usually fun chunks of story to work on. And using yWriter, you can rearrange all those scenes to compose a compelling novel.
I’d call it a Scrivener alternative that’s free to use. But one downside is that it only works for Windows (at least, for now). Book Writing Software Cost: Free #4 – Evernote is a note-taking app. It’s a great way to keep track of your thoughts—like brainstorming ideas, outlining chapters, and jotting down inspiration when it strikes. The mobile app is particularly useful for capturing new ideas when they strike, since most people have their phone with them 24/7. Here’s what Evernote looks like on a phone: While you can use Evernote to write content—I’ve used it for writing blogs and other small sections of books—you wouldn’t want to use it as your main word processor.
Its functionality is a bit too limited. But as a way of keeping track of ideas, it’s a great find. Book Writing Software Cost: Free, but there is a cool upgrade for $5 a month that gets you #5 – Hemingway Editor The is a unique kind of writing tool. It’s a style checker that’s designed to help tighten up your prose and make your writing clear and bold. Simply paste your writing into the editor and scroll through. You’ll notice that the program highlights certain words & passages—like long, hard-to-read sentences, passive verbs, and phrases with simpler alternatives. It’s basically your own personal editor rolled into a writing software.
Here’s an example of what it looks like. #6 – Dropbox Reading this, you may be wondering: Dropbox? How is that a writing tool? Trust me—it is! While it’s true that Dropbox isn’t a word processor like Scrivener or yWriter, it is a very helpful writing tool. Especially for writers who write on more than one computer, who need to collaborate with other writers or editors, or who want an easy way to back up their work.
Here’s how it works: When you set up Dropbox and install it on your computer, it will create a new “Dropbox” folder on your machine. Any files that you save in this folder will be automatically backed up to Dropbox’s servers in the cloud, which will be automatically downloaded to any other computers that are synced to that same Dropbox account. A lot of writers choose to save their book on Dropbox, so that it will be automatically backed up. And as you can see, it looks the same as any other folder on your computer.
Using this strategy, you can make it easier to share and collaborate on your files—even if you aren’t using Google Docs. Book Writing Software Cost: Free for a basic plan, or $9.99/month for extra storage. #7 – Open Office You may know of this software, you may not. Essentially, it’s a free version of a word processor much like Word or Pages.
If you don’t have Word on your computer and can’t afford to buy it, this is a great alternative that’ll get the job done. Here’s what this book writing software looks like. The capabilities are pretty limited with Open Office but if you really only need the basics and don’t want to spend any money, this is the perfect writing software for you. Book Writing Software Cost: Free How Much Does Book Writing Software Programs Cost? I would recommend not worrying too much about the cost of these programs. After all, dropping $100 or less on a program is not that big a deal if it is going to help improve your writing for years to come. That said, I know you work hard for your money—and you want to get the best deal you can!
#2 Try a few different options Don’t just pick one of these writing software options and be done with it. Sometimes you really need to try them out before you can determine which will fit your needs with your current project. Make some notes as you work through a few and be sure to put together a pros and cons list to ensure you’re choosing the best option to propel you forward on your writing journey. #3 Nail down your book information I know it might seem fun to get started once you have a super helpful writing platform to use, but you need to nail down your book idea first. Have you created your?
How does look? Without these two necessities, you won’t get very far – even with some beneficial writing software.
Do you use one of these writing software programs? Let us know how they are below! Most of my stuff comes off of OpenOffice.
If you buy your ‘puters, new, they might have MS Word on them, but if you don’t, you might not want to fork over the cash for a copy. Then you go OpenOffice. Before PDF got to be the go-to format for publications, I used Adobe PageMaker, which used to be the standard for professional publishing. I still use it for self-printed works. Unfortunately, PageMaker was created by Aldus, and instead of modifying PageMaker to better handle PDF’s (the PDF exporter in the final ver. 7.2 is not only prone to crashing the whole program, but irretrievably corrupting the file to be converted), they abandoned it and replaced it with their home-grown InDesign–which, to my reckoning, has two fatal flaws: it’s only available by subscription, and it’s Could based (speaking as someone whose writing time is 90% OFF-LINE) There’s also Scribus, with I have on my computer but haven’t really played around with much. So you say that checking out an app that someone suggests, finding out it’s inapplicable to your system, and informing other people of that limitation is “hostile and negative in tone”?
Warning people that there’s a HUGE FLAW in depending on Could-based applications is “negative and hostile in tone”? Telling people that there’s a COMPLETELY FREE alternative to a product that the people who don’t have the money to buy new computers (which would likely have MS Word pre-installed) all the time (and therefore, probably don’t have the money to buy a non-OEM copy) is “negative and hostile in tone”? I’ll tell you what’s “negative and hostile in tone”!
It’s reading a comment that’s pointing out that a product is Apple only, ignoring the follow-up comment EXPLAINING that the comment was referring to the premium prices Apple puts on its hardware, and somehow STILL taking my words OUT OF CONTEXT–concluding that the comment was meant to say that it was an Apple product and ACCUSING ME OF SAYING that I don’t believe people should be paid for their work. I NEVER SAID OR EVEN SLIGHTLY IMPLIED THAT, AND YOU ARE NEGATIVE AND HOSTILE IN CLAIMING THAT I DID. (For the record, OF COURSE I believe in paying people for their work. What I don’t believe in is paying a premium for a brand when I don’t see any quality/reliability advantage over comparable products, especially a brand that emphasizes “the look” over functionality.) And being that this is a writing blog, you should understand the English language better than that. (Yes, THIS is a hostile comment. It comes out of me when people somehow get the idea I said/typed “turn left” when my exact words were “go straight.” How can someone POSSIBLY twist a meaning that much, and how can you POSSIBLY make your words twist-proof?). Wow, you’ve really got some serious issues!
Maybe an anger management course needs to be in your xmas stocking. Along with a reading comprehension course. Take a chill pill, dude. You’re claiming i accused you of stuff that i didn’t so you’re now just getting ridiculous. People are going to have different ideas and opinions from you. No need to go ballistic. Anyway, i’m not going to argue with you.
I’ve read your unpleasant disqus comment history, and you’re just not worth my time so i’m just going to put you on ignore. Plus also, it’s not fair to other people here to have to read me responding to your nonsense.
Hope 2017 goes well for you. Thanks for the terrific link to your instructions for the Book writing template using Word.
I started my first two books – way back in the Dark Ages of Indie-Publishing in 2009 – using Derek J Canyon’s HTML template; Word was a No-No back then; thank heavens it’s changed now. For my next couple I started with the assault course that is Scrivener. I love it, but I teach young writers, and for many of them it’s a technical and financial bridge too far. Just as I was about to publish my latest (which has a section on how to publish) I discovered the Reedsy Book Editor.
Free, easy, fast – and it produces well-formatted files for both ePub/Kindle and Pdf for print. But abandon all hope those that haven’t got easy online access, as it only works there. It’s also not (yet) for complex books – they’re working on it. And, no, I don’t have shares. I just have to say that while so many people use Word (shudder) there IS an alternative not mentioned. Rarely is, except by those who love it. Word Perfect has so many more robust features (Reveal Codes!!) than Word could ever dream of, I simply don’t understand why it is never mentioned.
Word Perfect was the first word processing program where you could simply sit down and type. Word finally caught on. Yes, I come from a legal background, but there IS an alternative to anything mentioned here. Just had to say this. Remember, Reveal Codes.
And easier formatting. Oh, and another thing that might be working against it: Back in the 1990’s, it had more bugs, weevils,and maggots than a ten-day-old corpse. I remember it spontaneously changing fonts (while I was typing), periodically deciding the ONLY font in the library was “Courier New,” and–everyone’s favorite–freezing during the 20-minute autosave (since this was still the DOS era, you’d have to warm-start the computer to clear it, losing all your data.) And I’m not sure about Word, but I know OpenOffice doesn’t have native import capability for WordPerfect files, so you’re always having to convert it for everyone else. Firstly, most of what Scrivener is so lauded for, like drag-drop sections/scenes/chapters, etc., originated in Word.
Most people don’t know how to do it because they don’t bother to learn to use the tools of their trade. Secondly, you’ve completely ignored YWriter, one of the BEST writing tools out there, and either FREE or the creator requests a whopping $25 donation, which I’ve gladly given. The creator (and author himself), Simon Haynes, is a terrific guy, and although his software isn’t “pretty” like the typical Mac product, it’s amazingly powerful. You want drag-drop scene and chapter manipulation? Piece of cake.
YWriter tracks characters, locations, times, props–you name it. (By props I mean things like murder weapons, cars, anything you can think of.) One of its absolutely fabulous features is that if you provide times and characters for your scenes, it will construct timelines for you, which almost none of the others do. I can highly recommend it for the creation of your book.
There are also programs like Power Structure (excellent), Truby’s Blockbuster (eh.I have it, but it’s clunky as HELL, and refuses to run on my Win8.1 laptop), and others. I love PowerStructure. If you are an outlining fool, Power Structure is for you.
I like to use it to outline, and then use YWriter to write. WONDERFUL, both of them.
I’ve got a Mac. I’ve got Word and despite what it says above, it doesn’t crash on me.
I’ve also got Pages and Scrivener. I’ve also got a pen and a pad of paper. I like Pages, but it is a bit short on formatting ability. I like Scrivener for certain things, especially non-fiction, but all the things it can do can become cumbersome if you let it. So I’m torn between Word and Scrivener. That said, I think Scrivener has the edge for original writing.
I then export to word for final layout of the whole. So, for a start, as well as Scrivener, you can try Plume and YWriter. They both have a collection of tools for writers. Second, there is more than Word. The obvious is LibreOffice, for many the successor to Open Office. In some ways, it’s better.
It’s been recoded recently. It has a ton of plug-ins. If you don’t want to use that, there are dozens of alternative word processors you can use. Some of them, like Jarte and Write Monkey, concentrate on distraction-free writing. Or you can go for a fully-functional word processor like Softmaker’s Textmaker, or WP Office. None of them cost as much as Word, and all can create doc or docx documents for you.
I haven’t found anything yet in Scrivener that I can’t do for myself in Word, using simple folder organization. It is the opposite to intuitive. If you have the patience to learn it, or if you don’t need to collaborate, or if you need to be organized, then pick it up. It’s worth it.
And apart from the poor handling of Track Changes, the word processor in it is perfectly adequate. Pity Scrivener doesn’t have a cloud-friendly solution. I love Scrivener’s features, but I need access to my docs from my PC, my Mac, and my Android phone. I need the docs to be sync’ed reliably. If Scrivener’s makers, Literature & Latte, are listening: embrace the cloud! I’d happily pay more for Scrivener rather than use any other tool.
But as it’s currently engineered, Scrivener would be fighting against me. FYI to people about to say that they use Google Drive, Dropbox, or some other cloud service for their Scrivener files: Literature & Latte specifically warns against doing this as it can lead to complete and unrecoverable loss of your work. If it’s cloud-friendly you want, I recommend you check out the Ulysses App.
I find it to be the most intuitive, simple, and user-friendly writing App available. You will never lose anything you write, because they store everything on the cloud. One of its (several) exporting options is Docx. The only draw-back is that it only works on apple products. But, on the bright side, it works cross-platform, so whatever you write on your Ipad will automatically appear on your Mac or Iphone, so you don’t need to “search” the cloud for it.
If i have a thought I want to record while I’m out-and-about, I can insert it into a paragraph on my IPhone, but for long writing spells, i prefer typing on a keyboard. The neatest feature (which i love to use) is customizing your writing environment (page). My personal favorite is white text on a black page. It helps preserve my night-vision by drastically reducing blue-light.
It also keeps me more harmonized with my melatonin/ serotonin balance. Check it out.
I agree John. Ulysses is almost perfect; as long as you’re into the Apple ecosystem. The biggest plus for me is the capability of dragging and dropping the order of your “sheets”, be they chapters, sections, or whatever you desire.
You can do the same in Scrivener, and in Word’s Navigation pane, but not as efficiently. Other good points for Ulysses: the iPad version is almost identical to the MacOS program, and the distraction-free and dark modes are great. The new subscription model is a bit pricey compared to other apps, but if you’re a serious writer it’s more than worth the price of a coffee a month. I use yWriter5 (upgrading to yWriter6) It is free. Mainly for Windows, but I use it quite well in Linux. It does a lot of what Scrivener does, I use it with my work files on Dropbox, so I can continue from many devices. YWriter6 is being developed for Android, Fire, IOS, and other platforms.
Still in Beta for those. Scrivener released a slightly older edition for Linux.
No longer supported, but seems to work pretty well and is also free. I’ve worked with it a little.
I like Celtx for writing plays. The free-standing pc version was free and can still be found I think, although they have been moving everything over to their cloud service for a fee. I also use Celtx with Dropbox. I love Evernote for quick notes. Again, free and cross-platform. It is awesome to be able to access the work from laptop, tablet or smart phone!
I have used Word, and before that really loved Wordperfect. It was a case of having to pay to upgrade WP or use the Word that was free on the pc I had at the time. I’m also a cheapskate! My first computer was the Radio Shack Color Computer (Pre Tandy I think.) Back when you had to store programs and work on audio casettes. It was incredible when I upgraded to floppy disk! The word processing program to use there was called Telewriter-64.
You had to type in the special codes to get a lot of formatting and characters. Even with all that it was still pretty productive.
I wrote several plays on that system back in the early ’80’s. I miss PageMaker. It made it easy to handle multiple text streams, you could set chunks of text off to one side (technically not in your document, but still in your file in case you want to put it back later), and kern and lead your text until it fit just right. Unfortunately, the PDF export was unstable, the graphics would get automatically downsampled to something like 50 dpi, and instead of fixing it, Adobe dumped the whole package and replaced it with its in-house-developed (PageMaker was developed by Aldus), on-line only, subscription-only InDesign. (I don’t have home internet, so anything Cloud-based is automatically “out.”) So if you want a desktop publisher that works offline, you have to learn Scribus (I’ve got it, but haven’t played around with it much.) And to say MS Word is “the first” is a misnomer. There used to be an awful lot of word processors around, but Word had the advantage of being pre-installed with the vast majority of new PC’s and basically shoved all the other processors out of the market.
(Is Corel’s WordPerfect still around?). About the only challenger left to Word is Apache OpenOffice (I believe it was originally written for Linux, then a Windows version was released), which has the advantage of being open source (and free).
My books are born in OpenOffice. I began using the unsupported Linux version of Scrivener, but it would not work with my current distro. As i didn’t want to re-enter the work I had done I installed the paid Windows version under Wine and it mostly works, apart from media, which I don’t need. Other tools I’ll look at for the next project will include Manuskript, oStorybook, Bibisco, and yWriter.
If your package includes MS Office, that’s fine, but don’t waste your money on buying it or on the annual charge for Office 365 – get Libre Office.
Modern technology has made writing more complicated than it should be at times. After all, Ernest Hemingway did his business without complaining about a PDF file that won’t convert or poor Wi-Fi.
But with a little bit of guidance and some help from the very same technology, the writing process can be as simple as the days of pen and paper and as hi-tech and efficient as the future can hold. We took a look at the top writing apps for 2016 and gave you the rundown on our thoughts.
The list is in no particular order, but numbered for easy scrolling. Take a few minutes and scour our list because the app that could help you out today might just be down there waiting for you. While this app offers no guarantee to turn you into the next Ernest Hemingway, it will certainly help you get one step closer to looking like a pro. The Hemingway app is not your typical grammar editor and won’t actually fix your mistakes. Rather, it points out common writing pitfalls such as an excessive use of adverbs, long sentences, and the use of passive voice. Why we love it: We absolutely love this app because it’s as if Hemingway himself is standing over your shoulder asking, “Are you sure you want to word it that way?” This app is actually available on desktop and for $9.99 you can have your own personal Hemingway on either Windows or a Mac. Phraseology What is it? Available on the iPad for $2.99, phraseology makes writing on a tablet a little more comfortable.
It offers an extended keyboard with a few more typing options and syncs right up to the iCloud to store your work. In addition, it offers live character and word counts so you can track your progress. Why we love it: This app is perfect for the time when you’re out on the go away from your typical writing platform and the light bulb in your head goes off with an idea. Simply pull out your iPad equipped with phraseology and make the best of the current situation by taking advantage of phraseology’s evaluation of your text.
The spice mobile app is available either on Android or the iPhone and requires a paid subscription to access its features. This app basically serves as a historical thesaurus of sorts designed to help a writer find just the right phrase and understand exactly from where it came. Why we love it: We like that you can scour the entire history of a word or phrase and see its use throughout literary history. Yes, this app is pretty much that nerdy English professor from college who just so happens to be small enough to fit in your pocket. Store House is a free app available only the iPad that allows you to upload photos from your phone, Flickr, Dropbox, or Instagram and create a visually stunning story that you can share with your friends or social networks. Why we love it: The writer’s life is as much about experiencing life as it is writing about it. We like this app because it allows you to tell the story of your life in a captivating manner that can actually inspire your writing.
Live it, see it, and then write about it. This app is available on desktop or mobile and is designed to focus the writer by taking away the distractions often associated with an Internet-connected device. It turns the background into a simple color and even plays soothing audio to keep you focused on your words. Why we love it: Writing in the modern age means using a computer and if one is not careful, their workday will quickly turn into a binge of YouTube videos. This is the app to keep you calm, focused, and productive towards the joy of writing and nothing else.
And the price of this app, is simply whatever donation you think it’s worth. Novel in 30 is another app designed to turn your device into a distraction-free writing environment. Available only for the iPad for $4.99, it offers an enhanced keyboard with commonly used keys at your fingertips along with the ability to set milestones and track your progress. Why we love it: Writing a novel can seem like an endless process without a little encouragement to remind you that you are indeed getting somewhere. We like that this app takes the clutter off your iPad and keeps you focused so that you can join the ranks of the elite who can honestly say they finished their novel.
For a writer, time is money and the longer a project takes the less money you can often make. Dragon Software works as a voice recognition service which translates your voice into text. Available on Android and the iPad, the app is free while a subscription service is often required. Why we love it: We love it because it works. Not only does it allow you to complete a document up to 5 times faster, it learns the more you use it reducing mistakes and time.
In addition, this mobile app allows you to dictate on the go and take advantage of inspiration wherever it may strike. Let’s face it, Facebook and YouTube can be the deathblow to a writer’s productivity and sometimes we need a little help. In walks the self-control app which blocks Internet access to some of your most distracting favorite websites for a period of time. Why we love it: You can’t just get away with trying to unblock it. This is some serious software that truly holds you accountable to spending time writing and not on cute kitten videos. Available on the Mac, it’s an open source application ready for you to use today. Visual Einstein is a free app available on most systems that allows you to store information, notes, and items relevant to your project.
The layout allows for quick retrieval ensuring your time is spent writing, rather than searching through folders trying to find your research from last month. Why we love it: We love this app because the more you write the more information you accumulate and before you know it, your writing platform can become the equivalent of a hoarder’s house lodging 30 cats and two-week-old pizza. Visual Einstein fights the clutter for you. Available only on the Apple platforms, Notability turns your device into the perfect note taking tool.
Enabling you to take notes, sketch ideas, mark photos and PDFs, for $5.99 this app is well worth the return in productivity. Why we love it: Particularly when working on a smartphone, it can be difficult to take notes and store the data in an easily retrievable manner. This app takes care that for you and we think it is the perfect tool for staying productive while you are on the go. Considered the Journalist’s Bible, the AP stylebook serves as your go-to resource for proper formatting according to AP style. Available on iOS systems for a variety of pricing options, this app is a must-have for those who frequently use the ever so specific AP guidelines.
Why we love it: Some clients of a writer are not very specific on style, but when you see the request for AP you know they mean it. And since we all can’t all have our favorite writing professors in our pocket, we might as well have the next best thing. A fantastic app for the old-school writer, this free app designed by Tom Hanks turns any iOS system into a good old-fashioned typewriter. You’ll hear the rhythm and clank of metal and ink banging together in a soothing rhythm without sacrificing the modern luxuries of your updated platform. Why we love it: People are creatures of habit and writers all the more so. We like that this app is designed for a specific audience who might feel left out of modern advances.
Have your cake and eat it too with his old-school themed app. Plus, it just sounds really cool when you type. This one might seem simple enough, but, believe it or not, many writers have fallen into the trap of giving up on the old-school dictionary and turning to Wikipedia. Available on the iPhone or android, this app gives you reputable information at your fingertips at a moment’s notice without having to query the web. Why we love it: We like that you can speak a word or type it and quickly find its definition, synonyms, and root words. Quick and easy use, it will even pronounce the word for you if you ask it.
Authority definitions on the go are about as good as it gets for a writer. More than just a note-taking device, this app serves as a personal diary to remember not only the events of the day but the moods and images that inspired your soul. Available for $2.99 on any iOS device, this is the perfect app for the reflective and nostalgic writer. Why we love it: We like this app because it is designed to catch emotion and not just events. And when you add the ability to upload an image along with it, it truly takes you back to the moment on any given day. Easy to use and truly able to capture your wonderful days.
Available for $4.99 on Apple platforms, this app serves as a document organizer for projects as well as a professional writing app putting key tools at your disposal. It brings with it an extended off-line dictionary with synonyms and built-in online references to help you with your word choice. Why we love it: We like how easy it is to swipe back and forth from one document to the other as well as the ability to access some tools off-line. It really is the ideal app for writers who spend much of their time on the go and you won’t be disappointed with this purchase. Another app for journaling, the Momento diary Journal provides an excellent platform to capture and tell your life story.
Available for $1.99 at the Apple App Store, you will be able to store notes, photos, videos, places, and people while sharing them with your various social platforms if you choose. Why we love it: Many writers claim that journaling can be an essential tool for later inspiration, but it seems few rarely have the time for it. We like this app because it allows writers to do just that on the go and save the greatest moments for when they need the inspiration most.
A heftier app than most, Ulysses III is a full production writing tool for your Mac or iPad. It allows you to write, edit, store, and publish with relative ease and with the assistance of all the tools a writer would need.
If you love to write on the Mac or iPad, you are going to want to explore this app. Why we love it: This app comes in at a price of $44.99 for the Mac version and $19.99 for the iPad version, but we love it because you get your money’s worth. Serious writers often require serious tools, and make no mistake about it, Ulysses III is serious about what it does. Another app hard to call just an app, Byword 2 was built for the Mac or iPad and allows you to write, sync, and publish documents with ease.
The price tag for this app comes in higher than many at $11.99 for the Mac and $5.99 for the iPad, but we think it’s well worth it and a great value for what you get. Why we love it: Publishing a document while on the go can be quite difficult and if your writing centers around catching the trending news, then you don’t have time to waste. We like the export and publish feature that allows you to put out your content in just about any format with the most popular web platforms. TinyWord is a lightweight writing platform that allows you to write easily on the go with just enough tools to make it happen minus all the distractions. For the current price of $7.99 at the Apple App Store, this is the simple no nonsense tool that gives you all the common editing tools along with word count and font control. Why we love it: Writing on the go is not as easy as it seems, but the average writer will tell you that out in the field of life is where inspiration often strikes. We like that you don’t have to jot your thoughts down on a napkin to capture some of life’s greatest moments as they happen.
Pages for Mac is a word processor designed for the creative spirit who also needs powerful publishing tools to create gorgeous documents in the end. It allows you to work with multiple documents at once and gives you quick access to graphics and writing tools to enhance your work. Why we love it: This app is available for $19.99 at the Mac App Store, but we like that it syncs up with your other iOS platforms empowering iPad or iPhone to get the very same work done on the go. Day One gives you the power to quickly capture the day’s events with multiple photos into a beautiful journaling format and sync them up to the cloud.
Available on the iOS systems, it will cost you $4.99 for the iPhone version and $19.99 for the Mac. But if you believe journaling is important to the writer’s soul, it’s worth every penny spent. Why we love it: We like that this app lives true to its name and tagline which simply says it allows you to capture life as you live it. One day at a time, with memories permanently available for your retrieval, this journaling app is as good as it gets. A fantastic note-taking app available on any iOS system, NoteFile allows you to take quick notes at a moment’s notice while syncing them up to the cloud. Its features allow you to quickly search and access previous notes and even use math to calculate figures right in the app.
Why we love it: The price of $4.99 makes this app one of the more reliable and affordable for purchase apps designed to take notes. Every is a little different in how they organize their thoughts, but NoteFile seems to be a no-nonsense one size fits all app for the frequent note taker. Brain Wave is a unique app that doesn’t just play music to set the mood, but actually sends out composite binaural frequencies designed to stimulate the brain towards various outcomes such as motivation or positivity. Available for purchase at the App Store, the price of $3.99 could be well worth the enhanced ability to focus and relax. Why we love it: We like this app because even if you are one of those writers who claims music is a distraction, you probably have never tried composite binaural frequencies. We tried it, we liked it, and we think it works.
Writing is a game of emotion so let a little science unlock it and then write. Finally, an app available on both Android and the iPhone, this app provides guided meditation with the intent to help you beat insomnia and get a full nights sleep. This app provides you not only with instructional guides but with repeated therapy controls designed to give you control over the full experience. Why we love it: We like it because if you have trouble sleeping due to a busy mind, we are pretty sure you wind up spending more than $2.99 on a variety of other products to include medicinal. A good nights sleep is essential to a creative mind and if you find yourself struggling, this app is worth a shot.
Mindnode is beautiful brainstorming in action. With this app, you and can map out your ideas and add photos and notes as your inspiration branches out into an actionable piece of work. Available for $9.99 at the app store or $29.99 for the Mac version, this program brings creativity to a higher level.
Book Writing Software Mac Os X
Why we love it: We like that this visually stunning and yet practical at the same time. For writer who might have an idea at lunch and yet no time to follow it, they can just start a note and then day after day add to it as inspiration strikes. Storyist is an app for the serious author who needs to interact with their content at a high level while on the go. Available for $14.99 through Apple, this app allows you to organize what you’ve already written and display them in a clean format to enhance the creative process. Why we love it: We liked that this app comes with a variety of manuscript and screenplay templates giving it a pretty high functioning level for the mobile platform. More than just a note-taking app, this is one where you can put together a serious manuscript like a pro on the go. Few things are more frustrating than receiving a PDF file on your mobile device and being able to do nothing but merely read it.
PDF Expert 5 allows you to enter PDF fields, edit documents (great for the final stage), and even export them to other file types all while on your mobile device. Why we love it: We think that $9.99 is a small price to pay to have professional flexibility on your mobile device to interact with the PDF document preferred by many in the industry. It’s just one small step to bring the office to your mobile device and help you live the free writer’s lifestyle that you so desire. Inkwell is a pretty straightforward app available for $3.99 from Apple that allows you to take notes while you work out of the office and seamlessly sync them up to Dropbox for storage and easy retrieval.
Why we love it: In addition to the storage and note-taking capabilities, this app makes writing on the iPad a less cumbersome and a lot more pleasant. That’s a simple uncluttered interface along with the basic tools such as word count, paragraph count and more that you need to track your progress.
This app is available from Apple and for $9.99, Story Tracker will allow to organize and track your writing submissions to various editors or publications. It allows to take notes about each submission and save requirements that might change from one publication to the next. Why we love it: We like this app because a writer’s time is meant to be spent writing and not tracking down documents or submissions. This app is like having your own virtual assistant in your pocket that does the grunt work for you. A database of advice from an editor and literary agent that might give you all in a searchable database. It’s a free app available on the iPhone platform, it really does provide helpful tips and encouragement for the tough grind that is the writer’s life. Why we love it: We like this app because not only is it helpful, but it is absolutely hilarious.
The pithy advice offered is like having an agent who is also your best friend and unafraid to tell you the truth. The Pomodoro system from productivity relies on timed sessions of productivity and small resting breaks. This app takes care of the timing and tracking process for you.
Then it gives you the data on your day so that you can set goals and measure progress. Why we love it: Free and designed for Apple platforms, we like that this simple app truly does increase your productivity. For a writer, the small breaks in the Pomodoro system can be the difference between inspiration and burnout. The Workbook app ties in with Workbook software which serves as one stop shop for organizing business processes. The app itself is free, but a variety of purchase options are available for the Workbook software. It looks like Workbook only offers the app for the iPhone at this time. Why we love it: We like this app primarily for its ability to organize and record time spent on projects for a multitude of clients.
The timesheet options are excellent for freelance writers who are constantly juggling multiple projects at one time. After all, a writer who forgets to get paid won’t be a writer for long.
This app which is available on either android or the iPhone is designed to stimulate a plotline for the author by spinning three separate wheels that provide you the conflict, the setting, and then the subject of the story. Simple brainstorming for the short story writer available for $0.99 on Android and $1.99 the iPhone. Why we love it: We like that this app provides an endless array of plot options. Sometimes all it takes is a spark for the flame of inspiration to burn hot and this app provides that spark. The words have been chosen carefully and have been the building blocks for some of the most amazing stories throughout history. If you are a visual learner, then you will love Index Card.
It serves as a corkboard for ideas, storylines, and projects that allow for easy interface and organization. Available on iOS systems for $4.99, it’s a great buy if you frequent an iPad. Why we love it: We like that it brings order to the creative mind of a writer. Simply jot down your ideas and add a photo if you like then organize your thoughts like a puzzle into the perfect story. You can even search previous notes and pull from other boards as well.
Goodreader is a PDF reader, annotator, and file manager for the iPhone and iPad available for $4.99. With this app, you have the ability to sign PDF documents, mark up notes on them, and then easily save your annotated versions for later use. Why we love it: We love this app because it makes handling PDF files a breeze when on the go. No more limitations on what you can accomplish and putting off tasks until you return to the office. If you are a writer, you are the office and you should be able to work wherever you see fit.
Specifically designed for the creative writer, this app offers a seemingly endless array of lists and creative prompts to help brainstorm your story. It offers potential character names, locations, occupations, obsessions, and even plot lines themselves. This app is available for $2.99 on either Android or the iPhone. Why we love it: The depth of this app is amazing. It really allows you to dig deep into the creative process down to the personalities and physical traits of the character. It doesn’t write the story for you, but it comes pretty close to the point you feel like you have to give the app credit as a co-author.
This is another meaty writing app that is designed to make the writing process more focused and productive. It is available for the Mac for $9.99, but if you make your living as a writer you will find it a worthy purchase. It takes away the clutter of your device and ensures you focus solely on your words. Why we love it: One of the aspects we liked most about this app was that you could literally format it so that you are focusing on one sentence at a time or even different parts of speech. If you are a writer who deliberates at length on every chosen word, you will dig this program. Asking what this app is not might be an easier question.
Evernote does it all from taking notes, to organizing your digital workspace, and serving as your digital assistant. The app itself is free on any mobile platform, but there are advanced and premium subscriptions available for purchase. Why we love it: Evernote is one of the most complete apps for productivity we have seen. Writing for a living can be difficult when half your time is being spent on logistics rather than writing. If this app allows you to write one more paid article a year, then you more than cover the cost of the premium annual subscription. This was designed specifically for the creative writer and operates the way most writers think. It gives you full control over the word processor for editing and it then links you up with your storyboard so that you can structure the project in a creative manner without having to think linear.
Why we love it: We love this app because it is a full word processor designed to get the writer through the dreaded first draft. Available for $44.99 on the Mac and $40 on Windows, it’s well worth the cost if you are writing lengthy projects and your mind simply doesn’t operate the way Bill Gates and Microsoft Word thinks it should. This is a pretty simple plain text editor for iOS that gives you an enhanced keyboard allowing for a better writing process while mobile. It is available for $9.99, but it is extremely effective at making your mobile device nearly as conducive to writing as your full computer or laptop. Why we love it: This app comes with an in-app browser which means you don’t to exit the app if you need to do some research in the middle of your writing process. If you are a writer, the iPhone or iPad simply was not build with you in mind, but this app bridges that gap between writer and machine. Most people know Dropbox as the versatile file storage and sharing platform used commonly in the cloud age of the internet.
The apps associated with Dropbox simply add more functionality to it while you are on your mobile device. It is available for pretty much every mobile platform for free although you still have to have your subscription Dropbox account. Why we love it: Your phone’s storage is supposed to be filled up with funny videos of your children, not your writing. We like that this app makes interacting with your online files easier for a mobile device and if you use Dropbox and are not working with the app, then you are missing out. Available on either Android or the iPhone, Mindly is a free brainstorming app that allows you to map out your idea for a script, article, or even speech. It allows you to take notes, attach images to them, and export them to other formats when needed.
Why we love it: We like the flow of his app and how it suits the writer’s creative process. A story requires a map more than a set of directions and this app seems to understand that and lay it out in a beautiful format right in front of you. Designed specifically for the writer, this app assists the writer by offering words, sentences, and suggestions from some of the most beloved texts in history. It comes with a dictionary and a functional notepad where you can save your sentence creations for later use. This app is available for $1.99 at the app store. Why we love it: This app really does almost feel like a game as you piece words and phrases together.
It turns the creative writing process into feeling more like fun than work. So if you struggling with writer’s block, this is an excellent option to blow off steam and get a little work done at the same time.
The Trello apps work for any platform and are available for free to use with your Trello account. Trello gives you the opportunity to organize a project and also work as a team by assigning tasks and moving notes from one category to the next and the apps are essential if you typically operate on the go. Why we love it: While writing is considered a solo effort by many, the truth is that many publications, blogs, and websites are actually a team effort. Rather than get bogged down into email, we like that his provides an office corkboard of sorts for the team to use and communicate. Words matter to a writer and the Writing Aid app helps you find the perfect word. It is available on the iPhone for $0.99 and places a dictionary, synonym resource, and even the ability to search a meaning or sentiment that the app when then produce the word for you. Why we love it: The meaning search is probably our favorite part about this app.
To be able to type a mood or sentiment and then have it return a list of words for you is a priceless tool for a writer. You will never be at a loss for the right words with this app.
JotterPad is a creative writing app available for free on the Android platform. It has a minimalistic feel about that takes away the distractions from your device and simply allows you to focus on shaping your thought into powerful words. Why we love it: We like the extended keyboard that comes with this app which makes it more suitable for writing long scripts and text. Whoever designed the default keyboard for mobile device seemed to care more about the 13-year-old girl texting her friends than the professional writer who might need to get a little work done on the go. This app allows you to type and capture text on a mobile device without getting stuck in 3rd party web applications. It provides an enhanced keyboard and clean interface which make typing longer notes and complicated text a little easier. For $9.99, this little app makes the writer’s life on an iPhone or iPad a little less complicated.
Why we love it: The social functions of his app are pretty cool as you can just type text into the app and then have it post to Facebook, Twitter, or email with the touch of a button. If you are working on a social message, you can save it as a draft and then post it when you are ready. Available for $1.99 at the app store, this simply named app is the perfect writing tool for you iPhone.
It gives you an advanced keyboard with writing shortcuts and the ability to share files with the iCloud and Dropbox seamlessly. Why we love it: This app takes the default note taking platform that typically comes with the iPhone and makes it look like child’s play. For the price, Write is one of the cheapest options for enhancing productivity if you write and take notes frequently while out on the go. This app starts with a blank page, but as you begin to collect your thoughts, it gives you the tools you need to organize them in an efficient manner with a logical workflow.
You can move notes or columns with the swipe of a finger and even share it with others if you need additional input. It does cost $29.99 for both the iPhone and iPad, but the organization it will bring to your mobile device is worth it. Why we love it: We like this app because it not only simulates what all writers start with, i.e. A blank page, but it then allows you to creatively work out from that page while adding links, notes, and outlines as you develop them.
This app is the hard-nosed boss you need to stay productive as a writer. Available for $9.99 on the Apple platforms, you set the goal as to how much writing you want to get done and Write or Die tracks your progress.
Should you fail, you will have a hilarious and sometimes painful consequence dished out by this app. Why we love it: Aside from being absolutely hilarious, this app actually provides some much-needed accountability for the freelance or self-employed writer. Many left their day jobs to avoid a boss like this app, but if your kids like eating every day and not just some, you might want to keep a check on that productivity.
This is not a website, but an app that places all the powerful tools of an online dictionary right on your iPad for $4.99. It offers a thesaurus along with over 2 million definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. In addition, you will get audio pronunciation along with popular and trending searches. Perfect when it’s time. Why we love it: Just searching the internet for the meaning of a word can be a dangerous task and we love the authority this app brings with it. And the coolest part is that you also get slang, medical, and science definitions along with it.
Available for your Android device for free, this is a minimalistic writing app that takes the background out of your phone and replaces it with simple font and text. You have the ability to mark bold, italics, and quote formats along with the functionality of setting different subheads. Why we love it: This is a cool app for the person who just needs to remove the clutter and write. Just because you are not in the office doesn’t mean you can’t be productive as a writer and simple apps like this one make it possible. As much as the avid writer might hate it, Microsoft Word is here to stay.
This free app available for Android or iOS makes it a little less painful by increasing the mobile functions of Word. It is easier to edit, share, and save documents with this app and if you must interact with Word on a mobile device, it just seems silly to do it outside of this app. Why we love it: We like that this app is, at least, trying to get better since so many in the world of writing will never let go of Microsoft Word. Consider this app the clothespin for your nose when you must deal with the trash. This is a pretty no-nonsense app that allows you to write, research, and edit documents or screenplays in a simplistic format on the iPad or iPhone.
It is available for $4.99 and adds a little more functionality to your writing while on the go. Why we love it: We like this app because it makes writing code a little easier with some of its built-in functions. You can add snippets of code and even HTML export, but you can definitely tell this app was built with the serious writer in mind who need to complete work while mobile. This app is free and available for Windows PCs. It serves as a sketchbook for the creation of a novel and helps you organize your story by breaking it into chapters and scenes.
If you have been kicking around the idea of a novel for quite some time, kick it around in this app and watch it take you further down the road than you previously thought possible. Why we love it: There are meatier novel apps out there, but we like that this one is free.
Designed by Simon Haynes – an experienced programmer and a published author, yWriter6 is guaranteed to offer great help to writers across the world, especially first-timers.