Arguably, this isn’t a software but a suite of services that includes software. The subscription includes Microsoft Word which I use everyday, along with Excel and Powerpoint. Most notably for me, it includes OneDrive with 1TB of storage. I use OneDrive for everything. It’s a fantastic cloud storage option.

This program is a word processor, but it’s also so much more. I’ve been using Scrivener since Scrivener 1 came out and I’m still learning new things about it. There is a bit of a learning curve to figure everything out, but once you do, you’ll never look back. The only downside in my opinion is that there isn’t a way to use it with your editor.

Made by the same company that makes Scrivener (Literature and Latte), this program is essentially a mind mapping program for authors. It’s simple to use and a lot of fun. It doesn’t work for my personal method of planning (but I wish it did).

This is another plotting tool. Unlike Scapple, it’s a little more structured. It comes with many templates to work from and even has an app. Every author I’ve mentioned this too has ended up loving it.

This software is geared toward the publishing side of things. It might be easy to throw up some random keywords when you’re uploading your manuscript and hope for the best, but this software will help you choose keywords that work for your book and will help you to rank higher on Amazon.

You can use this as a browser extension or a plugin for Word or Scrivener, but you can also use it right in your browser or as a separate program. There are 20 different reports you can run to see how your writing is measuring up.

Very similar to ProWritingAid, you can use this as a browser extension, within your browser, as a Word plugin, or a downloadable program. It checks for grammar and spelling but also tone and style.

This one is a little different to the options above though it does check for many of the same things. Right now, there is a browser option and a newly released desktop app.

This website is great to get you writing regularly. You’ll battle little monsters to reach your word count and can join a community of likeminded authors. It’s a lot of fun.

This website is an interactive version of one of my favorite book series (the first book in the series is linked in the book section below). At it’s most basic, it’ll help you enrich your writing by giving you new ways to talk about emotions. Dive a little deeper and you’ll find some amazing character development tools.

For creating promo images, you really can’t go past this tool. The free version is plenty to get you started and there are hundreds of templates for all social media platforms.

This website is designed specifically for authors. You can make some gorgeous cover reveals and slot your cover into a range of templates to give a slightly more polished look than Canva.

This website allows you to distribute books directly to your readers in whichever format you choose. You can also use it to grow your mailing list.

If you want to release your book wide, this is a great option. You’ll be able to publish to all the available platforms at once without messing with all those logins (perfect for those who are constantly losing passwords).

This podcast has been going on for at least 11 years. It’s hosted by Joanna Penn and includes a fantastic weekly round up of news in the publishing world, a new guest each week, and futurist updates to stay ahead of trends. There are also nearly 700 episodes for you to catch up on.

Hosted by Mark Dawson and James Blatch, this podcast discusses all aspects of publishing with a special guest each week and a quarterly book lab. Even if you listen to nothing else, the quarterly book lab episodes are amazing.

Hosted by Sacha Black and Daniel Willcocks, this podcast is all about celebrating the wins. They’ll definitely make you laugh. They don’t often have special guests, instead they focus discussion on a single question each week.

This podcast is no longer filming new episodes (the last episode was in 2022). However, there is so much fantastic information shared by the hosts that it’s well worth going back and checking out some episodes. The hosts are Lindsay Buroker, Joe Lallo, and Andrea Pearson.

There is a fantastic online version, but if you prefer something solid, this is the one for you (at least if you’re writing American English).

This style book will give you a great basis without being as hefty as the Chicago Manual of Style. This is a must have for all authors in my opinion.

This book is a fantastic resource for learning how to outline your novel.

If you’ve got a good grasp of novel structure but want to dive in a little deeper, this book is for you.

If you’ve got a good grasp of novel structure but want to dive in a little deeper, this book is for you.

Will help you to incorporate emotions into your story more naturally.

Will help you add depth to their character by charting negative traits throughout their life.

Will help you add depth to their character by charting positive traits throughout their life.

By taking a look at your character’s emotional wounds, you can chart which negative and positive traits they have and how they manifest.

Use this book to see where conflict could crop up in your work and how it may be reacted to.

This book is a beast. Seriously, it’s thicker than some epic fantasy books I own. This is the kind of thing you’ll be reading for months.

You’ll see a few Larry Brooks books around the place. This is one of my favorites so I had to include it here.

Another fantastic book about novel structure. It’s not particularly beginner friendly, but well worth the effort.

This one is a little on the advanced side but I recommend it so often because it has amazing information in it.

This is the illustrated guide to writing sci-fi and fantasy that you didn’t know you needed. It’s gorgeous and perfect if you love a visual aid with your information.

This book looks at some of the things unique to science fiction and fantasy books. It’s a must have for all the worldbuilders reading this.

I loved this book so much I bought it twice (okay, I do love this book but buying a second copy was an accident). This book will give you all the worldbuilding ideas you need.

Are you writing monsters and need some tips? This is the perfect book for you.

I picked this book up on a whim, and I’m so glad I did.

This one is a little on the advanced side but I recommend it so often because it has amazing information in it.

Pick up any James Scott Bell book and you’ll get some awesome tips, but I wanted to include a book dedicated to dialogue. It’s such a tricky skill to master and Bell does an excellent job of explaining with plenty of examples.

You’ll see some mixed thoughts on this one among editors, but I think it’s a great starting point to get you thinking about story structure.

A must have for all the romance writers out there. It’s a very short read but packed full of useful information about structuring romance.

A thesaurus of words for romance authors. Need I say more.

It’s easy to forget about your side characters, but fear not, Sacha Black has you covered.

A lot of Becca’s work surrounds the Clifton strengths. It’s a fascinating subject and I highly recommend all of her books as well as her Facebook group, podcast, and YouTube channel.

You’ll see some mixed thoughts on this one among editors, but I think it’s a great starting point to get you thinking about story structure.

This is a great introduction to self-publishing for any author.

Whether you’re just starting out with a newsletter or looking to grow, this book has lots of tips for you (check out its sequel below).

This sequel offers just as much information as the first book does. If you haven’t read the first book, go back and read that first.

This is just one book in an entire series of non-fiction books from Joanna Penn. They’re all fantastic, but I wanted to include this as it’s an often overlooked area.

This is just one book in an entire series of non-fiction books from Joanna Penn. This is the most recent release in the series and takes a different approach to publishing. It’s a refreshing viewpoint.