The Best Book Writing Software

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There are SO many author software programs out there. How do you weed through and find the best book writing software? Read here to find out!

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Finding Your Favorite Book Writing Software

Determining my all-time favorite writing program is tough. As, I said above there are so many programs out there– all claiming to be the best book writing software. It’s overwhelming! And they serve such different purposes.

Like, anyone who knows me, knows I’m a HUGE outliner. So, Scrivener has been lifesaving when it comes to organizing my notes and busy brain. My walls in my office area used to look like police procedural crime boards with all my note cards hanging up.

But I use and love other programs for different parts of my writing process also. And I feel in many ways those are equally as lifesaving. So, I think I’ll answer this question most effectively if I highlight my favorite programs for different parts of my writing process.

Outlining Software

As I stated above, I love Scrivener‘s Corkboard feature. But to actually create my outlines and help me with figuring out my story, I use Save the Cat. And yes, I love the books that you’re probably thinking of when I say this, but Save the Cat has software as well now. And man, is this software life altering.

So, I love the Save the Cat beat sheet. If you follow my blog, you’ve probably seen my post on my Outlining Franken-Joyana system, where I use the Save the Cat beat sheet in conjunction with Story Genius and Plot Whisperer. If not, make sure you check it out. I swear the system works and makes the writing process SO much easier!

But anyway, back to Save the Cat, what I love about their software is it’s a full story planning program. It forces you to really think and break down your character development, scene creation and world building etc. It also offers writing prompts for when you get stuck. There’s also a writer’s board where you can keep everything in one place and track changes and plot out different versions of the story. You can even track certain characters, relationships and objects in the story to make sure they continue to appear and don’t get lost in development.Overall, I’d say the difference is Save the Cat is a guided “crafting” and story building program for outlining. Where in Scrivener you can build an outline, but it’s not going to “help” you do it. For me, I’d say Save the Cat wins for Outlining.

Enter Scrivener. Basically, as a historical fiction writer, Scrivener keeps me sane and organized. I can upload all my research finds, my outline cards, my drafts and keep everything in one place. I no longer have to deal with a bazillion open tabs and bookmarks to saved links. Scrivener has definitely streamlined my process. So, for me I’d say Scrivener wins for Drafting.

I will add a disclaimer here though and say Scrivener is definitely not necessary for everyone. It has a steep learning curve and some might feel it is overly complicated. As I stated above, it works for me as a historical fiction writer because I have A LOT of notes and research to keep track of. But the average author might not need all the bells and whistles Scrivener offers.

Formatting Software

Lastly, as an Indie author I’ve found that formatting is another key part to completing/ preparing your book for publication. I’ve definitely gone through the gamut of these programs. I first started with Calibre which anyone who’s used it can relate to what a hair pulling stressful experience that was. I then became a diehard user of Vellum. Definitely a major improvement. But I’ve recently been converted over to Atticus.

First, I love that you don’t NEED to have a Mac to use it. As an Author Coach, I love that I can recommend it to all my self-publishing clients. I also love that you can format your books into Large Print which Vellum can’t do.

In general, I’ve just found it to be a better bang for my buck and a more flexible program than Vellum. So overall, in formatting– it’s Atticus for the win.

I hope this was helpful for seeing my arsenal for my writing process. But one thing I want to reiterate, what works for me might not be the best for you. Just like everything in the writing process, it’s deeply personal and one size does NOT fit all. Some of these programs offer free trials. If you can, try them on for size before committing.

What do YOU think are some of the best book writing software programs? Please share in the comments below. Thanks everyone!

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