Writing a book may seem like a daunting task. After all, it involves a plethora of tasks, such as outlining, drafting, editing, and formatting, to name a few. Luckily, technology has come a long way to make the process much more manageable. Today, there are multiple software for writing books that can help all types of writers, from someone just starting out to an established author. Whether you're experiencing writer's block, trying to organize your thoughts, or simply looking for a way to streamline your writing process, these tools can be incredibly beneficial. So to bring your writing to life with the help of technology, here are 14 best book writing software of 2023.
1. Scalenut
Scalenut is the best program for writing a book in 2023. It is capable of handling the entire lifecycle of your book writing process through its free tools and intuitive features. For starters, it can instantly create outlines for your book through its free blog outline tool. You can also use its free Passive to Active Converter tool to optimize your content anytime during your writing journey. The generated content is always cohesive, relevant, and easily comprehensible to your readers.
Pricing: The basic plan costs $23 per month. A 7-day free trial is also available.
2. Evernote
Evernote is a popular note-taking app that is used by writers to store their thoughts and inspirations at any time and on any device. You can even store images or clip, anything from the internet for future reference. In case you love to scribble your ideas, then Evernote can come in handy. It stores your input for an indefinite period and lets you access them from any device of your choice. The best part about Evernote is that it can identify 28 typewritten and 11 handwritten languages.
Pricing: Besides a free version with limited functionality, there is a Personal plan that is suitable for most individual writers. It is priced at ₹2499 per year. There is also a free 14-day trial available.
3. Grammarly
Over the years, Grammarly has established itself as a highly-effective writing enhancement software for book writers. It helps them by identifying and highlighting grammatical errors in their book instantly. The suggestions range from spelling and punctuation to other language-related errors. Grammarly can also be downloaded as a standalone application or integrated into your browsers as a plugin. This ensures that you can proofread your content on any device and any browser. If you are someone who writes a lot in Microsoft Office or Google Docs, there is a separate plugin for that too.
Pricing: There is a free plan that catches basic grammatical errors in your book. If you are looking for more advanced levels of proofreading, then you can purchase its premium plan, which costs ₹984 per month.
4. Microsoft Word
This Microsoft word has been a writer’s best friend for many years now. Despite the lack of several advanced features, this has always been the default editor for most book writers due to its fluidic user interface and its easy availability. After all, it comes pre-installed with every Windows in computer and laptop and can be activated in a few clicks after subscribing to it. It even offers some handy templates that you can use while writing the book or ebook.
Pricing: Microsoft Word is a part of Microsoft 365 software. It costs $69.99/year.
5. Scrivener
Part of the Literature and Latte, Scrivener is a word processing and project management tool used frequently by novelists for their writing projects. Writers find the Corkboard feature of Scrivener particularly useful, which enables them to see all their ideas and outlines anytime they want. The platform also comes with a useful focus mode that ensures that your focus remains only on your book or manuscript.
Pricing: Scrivener uses a license model where a single standard license costs ₹ 5200, while an educational license costs INR 4420.
6. Focus Writer
The goal of FocusWriter is simple - to provide book writers with a clutter-free environment that eliminates all sorts of distractions. It is a lightweight writing software that comes with very basic features to ensure that you remain focused while transferring your creative thoughts into the screen. One of the basic features of FocusWriter is the Find tool which searches for a word in your book and replaces it with some other word of your choice. The platform also allows you to change the theme and background of the editor. The most popular feature, though, is goal setting. It lets you set realistic daily goals for the book, either in terms of word count or time.
Pricing: It is a free book writing tool.
7. FastPencil
FastPencil is an all-in-one platform that lets you publish, distribute, and manage your book. It also gives you an online workspace to write, format, and collaborate with other writers and editors. FastPencil also enables you to publish your book in different formats like print, PDF, ePub 3.0, and Mobi formats. You can also sell your book in their marketplace or get assistance for selling on platforms like Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc. But the most noteworthy feature of FastPencil is its ability to manage your sales and royalties with complete transparency and ease.
Pricing: There is a Personal plan that costs $45.67 annually, which is suitable for those writers looking for basic services. The Premium plan with more advanced features costs $138 per year.
8. Hemingway App
Hemingway Editor is like Grammarly but with a focus on readability. It helps in enhancing the readability of your book by providing real-time feedback on the sidebar. It catches issues related to complex sentences, passive voice, and overused words and highlights them for you to make necessary changes. It even suggests alternative words and sentences with the aim of making your book more comprehensible and engaging to the readers.
Pricing: The web version is forever free, but you need to pay a one-time fee of $19.99 for the desktop version that you can use on your Windows or Mac PC.
9. The Novel Factor
As the name suggests, this novel writing software has been designed for all novelists looking for inspiration to progress in their book-writing journey. This user-friendly writing program comes with plot templates, character development, and writing guides to assist you in the writing process. It is very easy to use and comes with an interaction drag-and-drop module to plan and edit your book. You also get access to word count and other novel-related statistics to help you track your progress. However, it has a steep learning curve and might not be suitable for all.
Pricing: The basic plan costs $75 per year, which lets you write a single book. You also get 2 months free.
10. Ginger Software
Ginger Software is a writing assistant for all types of book writers. It offers a plethora of features like a Grammar Checker, Sentence Rephraser, Translation, Punctuation Checker, and Spell Check tool, to ensure an error-free content. Ginger Software can be integrated into MS Word or your web browsers, so that you can access it on the go. It also comes as a desktop and mobile app(support both iPhone and Android phone), making it more user-friendly.
Pricing: There is a single plan that costs ₹242 per month when billed annually.
11. Reedsy Book Editor
Reedsy is a marketplace for writers to find professionals in the book publishing industry. It could be anyone from a cover designer to an editor looking to offer their services. Reedsy comes with an intuitive typesetting tool that handles the formatting of your book even before you complete it. It also helps in self-publishing and in the distribution of your book to platforms like Smashwords, IngramSpark, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple iBooks, and Kobo Writing Life.
Pricing: It is a free writing software.
12. LibreOffice
This is an open-source software to help write a book. The Writer software (part of the LibreOffice suite) can be used for writing full-fledged novels with content, diagrams, and indexes. Since LibreOffice is maintained by a large community of developers, you get great technical support and answers to any questions you might have instantly on different forums and social media. It also offers several extensions that help in customizing the platform to your precise needs. This is one of the few tools that also works with Linux.
Pricing: The tool is completely free to use.
13. ProWritingAid
It is a popular and powerful book writing assistant that improves your writing style, structure, and grammar. Like Hemingway, ProWritingAid offers detailed feedback on your book and highlights all the key areas where you can improve. It can be integrated with MS Word to ensure that you do not have to switch between two windows while writing. Apart from this, it also checks whether you have overused any words or used too much passive voice in your book.
Pricing: Besides the free plan, there is a premium version with advanced features costing ₹550 per month.
14. PauseFor
This is probably the most unique tool in this list. It is more of a productivity app than a book-writing software. It not only increases your productivity but also lets you earn digital currency for your chosen charities. The tool works by pausing your mobile phone for any time of your choice so that you can focus on writing your book. The more time you pause, the more digital currency you earn that will be used for a noble cause.
Pricing: It is a free software.
How can Scalenut help you with book writing?
A book writing app is undoubtedly a great asset for novelists and book writers. It helps you in improving your productivity and writing skills to come up with highly successful books in a short span. Most of the platforms discussed in this post have at least one USP ranging from creating a distraction-free environment to proofreading content. But Scalenut ups your writing game by automating several key stages of your writing process. Here are they:
Creating an outline
Scalenut can build outlines for your book to ensure that your book is well-organized. Thanks to the generated outlines, you will be able to know how to proceed with your storyline during the actual writing process. Also, a well-organized book will look more professional, and your readers will be able to follow it easily.
Want more assistance in generating stories for your book? Check out our recent blog: 10 Best AI Story Generator Tools For Writers In 2023 (Free + Paid) for more information.
Write long-form content
Scalenut not only creates outlines for you but also writes an entire chapter. Yes, you heard that right! Scalenut’s Cruise Mode feature automatically generates content for you based on your inputs. All you need to do is add a description, select a title, set the outline, and build your writing points, and the first draft of your chapter is ready in less than 5 minutes.
Polishing your sentences
Scalenut also comes loaded with a sentence rewriter tool that enhances your existing content to make it more reader-friendly. The best part of this feature is that you get unlimited options to choose from. You can pick the one that you think is best suited to your target readers.
The above features are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more like the popular AI writing feature and that make Scalenut the best software for writing books in 2023. Want to explore these features on your own? Sign up for a free trial with Scalenut today.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What software did JK Rowling use?
JK Rowling tweeted that she uses only pen, paper, and Microsoft Word to write her novels.
- What is the best free program to write a book?
As you have seen in this post, there are several free tools that you can use to write a book. But you must understand that you get what you pay for. These free tools lack most of the features you might need to optimize your productivity and automate your book writing tasks. A platform like Scalenut not only offers these capabilities but also a lot more to ensure that you get the best value out of your investment. With Scalenut, you also get a free trial to explore the tool and make an informed purchase decision.
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