Top 15 BEST Book Writing Software For 2024 [UPDATED LIST]

Top 15 BEST Book Writing Software For 2024 [UPDATED LIST]

List and comparison of the top Book Writing Software tools. Select the best Writing Software from this list for your next plot:

Writing gives independence to your thoughts and writing software gives independence to you (and free writing software gives independence to your bank account). By using writing software you do not have to worry about grammatical mistakes, punctuation errors, lack of focus, design, and even lack of ideas!

Nowadays, even amateur writers are using free book writing software programs to publish their ideas and gain experience in the field of writing.

Writing is hard enough, writing a full-length book is especially a daunting task. Now, going through your piece again and again for grammatical mistakes, page designs, and layout, etc takes the life out of the human conscience. To deal with this, mankind (thankfully) devised automated ways.

Book Writing Software Applications

Book Writing Software Applications

These writing software tools have helped millions of writers get published. Believe me, the internet might even write your novel for you! (well, somewhat).

These, along with book editing software applications or simply online editors, have almost made the tedious process of writing and editing – smart, comfortable, easy, and ‘oh-not-so intense’.

Writing software applications have especially helped students who came straight out of writing programs and had a cool idea about a story but could not afford the whole publishing process. So now the whole process consumes less time and money.

At the end of this tutorial, you must be fully equipped to decide which application is the best writing software.

Statistics Around The Book Publishing Industry

The graph below shows the yearly comparison of books consumed in the United States of America, with distinction in types.

Statistics around the Book Publishing

[image source]

As you can see, the consumption rate of eBooks or books published online is the highest. Another graph here shows the yearly comparison of self-published books in the United States of America.

Stats on self-published books

As you can see, the number of self-published books has been increasing at a rapid rate year by year.

Also, if both the graphs are analyzed; the publication of eBooks is less, but the consumption of eBooks has been increasing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) What is a Book Writing Software?

Answer: A book writing software helps an author write a book. The software contains several features like grammar and spell check, tone check, mood check, style check, note maker, character development help, automated suggestions, Focus mode, etc, which let the author save time on tedious tasks and make the book writing process fun!

Q #2) Which writing software does Stephen King Use?

Answer: As mentioned on his website, he uses MS Word for books and the final draft for screenplays.

Q #3) Which writing software does JK Rowling use?

Answer: As told by her, she writes in longhand and then transfers it to the computer.

Q #4) Can I write a book using MS Word?

Answer: Yes, MS Word is a ubiquitously known word processing software, and several of its features help in writing long manuscripts, stories, and books.

Q #5) How many pages should I write in a day?

Answer: On average, one can write at least 1000-2000 words daily without getting bored. So, that converts it into 4-6 pages a day.

Q #6) How many royalties do writers get off their books?

Answer: On average, writers get 10% royalties off their books (on net profits).

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List of the Top Book Writing Software Tools

Here is the list of popular Writing Software programs:

  1. ProWritingAid
  2. Grammarly
  3. Freedom
  4. Scrivener
  5. Squibler
  6. Microsoft Word
  7. Google Docs
  8. Hemingway Editor
  9. Reedsy Book Editor
  10. Ulysses
  11. Zoho Writer
  12. Pages
  13. LibreOffice
  14. Vellum
  15. Novel Factory

Comparing the Best Writing Programs

Name of the SoftwareTypeSpeciality PricingOur Rating
ProWritingAidGrammar Checker & Style Editor.Grammar checking and style editing.It starts at $20/month. (if one can afford it)Star_rating_5_of_5
GrammarlyEditorTone and style check.$11.66/monthStar_rating_3_of_5
FreedomBook WritingFocus mode, blocks sites both on your phone and your PC.$29/yrStar_rating_4_of_5
Google DocsWord ProcessorSharing of documents made easier, accessible by beta readers.Free!Star_rating_3_of_5
VellumBook WritingeBook design and proper aesthetics $199 for eBook generation; $249 for paperback formatting(if one can afford it)Star_rating_5_of_5
Novel FactoryBook WritingCharacter- developer and World- builder.$40 for one-time offline version and $8-$60 for the online version(due to creative features)Star_rating_4_of_5

Reviewing these Writing Software tools in detail!!

#1) ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is the most famous online document editor.

Although it’s not a core book writing software, it can surely help creative writers as it has better suggestions than other editors. Other features include spell and grammar check, in-depth reports, style check, brevity check, etc.

Pros and Cons:

  • Free spell and grammar check up to a certain word limit.
  • The premium version offers an in-depth analysis of your manuscript.
  • Relatively cheaper than the other applications.
  • The whole theme (color and aesthetics) gives the impression of a Hospital (which is sad).

Price: $60/yr


#2) Grammarly

Grammarly

Grammarly is a familiar software. Grammarly is not a hardcore book writing software, but it has its benefits.

Grammarly offers clear-cut editing with special features like tone checker, mood checker, style checker. It is almost a ritual all over the writing world to run your document through Grammarly before passing it on.

Along with general features like grammar and spell check, it also offers extensions for almost all browsers and even your offline applications. For smartphones, Grammarly offers a free ‘Grammarly Keyboard’ to keep your writings in check.

Pros and Cons:

  • The cloud lets you save all your documents.
  • There is a great editing layout if you choose the premium version.
  • Not comparable to a professional writing program (as it’s an editing application).
  • The editing features can revise your writing tone, mood, and style.

Price: $11.66/month


#3) Freedom

Freedom

Freedom, here, means the freedom to write and not to dream. The most creative feature that Freedom offers is the Focus mode. Focus mode lets you keep all your applications aside and work quietly.

In other words, Freedom has the power to block your social media, other websites, or even the Internet. It has a block list in which you can segregate the applications you want to block. You can even schedule the Focus mode.

Other features include syncing of files, extensions for browsers, and even ambient sound for a good writing session. Overall, Freedom can give you the freedom to write, if you let it.

Pros & Cons:

  • Lets you focus on your task without distractions (literally blocks several applications).
  • The focus mode can be timed in advance and you can choose what to block and what not to block.
  • It becomes difficult to run this application on smartphones (but then, who writes on a smartphone?)
  • The Focus mode is just an automated habit builder, once you are over wasting your time on social media (etc), you will not need it.

Price: $29/yr

Website: Freedom


#4) Scrivener

Scrivener

Mostly considered as the king/queen of all the writing software, Scrivener’s features encompass all kinds of writing features including eBooks, screenplays, novels, stories, or even mix them all up.

Scrivener has garnered fame due to its management qualities. It lets you make notes, pick them up, stick them wherever you want pretty easily. In other words, if you like writing drafts after drafts, then Scrivener is for you!

It also features a Corkboard where you can see all your projects and manage them all at once.

Pros and Cons:

  • Available on iPad and iPhone.
  • Allows you to manage large projects easily through the binder view.
  • There is no Android app available.
  • Formatting is highly complicated (feels like an audio mixing software).

Price: $49

Website: Scrivener


#5) Squibler

Squibler

Squibler is another ‘all-in-one’ writer’s lounge. It has various tools like Book writing software, Novel writing software, Screenplay writing software, etc, to make every type of writer check out Squibler atleast once.

Squibler also lets you use some subsidiary and fun functions to get your creative side going, like Plot Generator, Dangerous Prompts. Apart from all of this, Squibler also has an Online Journal feature for an upcoming writer or even for a person who ‘felt like writing today’.

Pros and Cons:

  • Efficiency plays a major role in this application, the whole design is to make you write faster.
  • Lets you comfortably outline your work and plan your schedule.
  • Let’s you manage your documents, scenes, and ideas even if they do not fit your timeline or plot.
  • There is no Focus mode or change of themes.

Price: $9.99/month

Website: Squibler


#6) Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word

Nostalghia, right? Microsoft Word is like that grand old man who will make you run for errands and in return, you will just get a ‘Good Boy!’- Kidding!

If it was not for Microsoft Word, maybe half of us would not have been writers. Even giants like Stephen King still use MS Word. Whether you like it or not, MS Word will be there until the end of time and it’ll always be your Plan Z after nothing works out.

Microsoft Word has consistently enhanced its features year by year. It offers everything a writer might need like simple editing tools, sharing of files, etc, but it will never offer what a lazy writer yearns for.

Pros and Cons:

  • Any and everyone is familiar with word and its file types.
  • While talking about file types, it supports almost every document extension.
  • The software is koala-like and takes much time to run multiple files.
  • Not a professional book writing software (missing advanced features).

Price: $69/year for MS Office

Website: Microsoft Word


#7) Google Docs

Google Docs

Google Docs is pretty wonderful if you’re looking to share your work with beta readers and critics.

As a word processor, it offers you spell and grammar checks, different formatting options, word count, etc. As a writer, you can open your documents anywhere and share them with anyone without any fuss.

With its chrome extension, your documents can also be made available offline. All that for free!

Pros and Cons:

  • Lets you collaborate with almost anyone and can be used to take reviews from beta readers or critiques.
  • It is Free!
  • Not a professional book writing software.
  • The offline mode also requires an extension.

Price: Free book writing software

Website: Google Docs


#8) Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor

Hemingway editor’s most famous feature is that of the ‘Readability Score’. This is not particularly related to book writing, but the readability score holds importance when writing for a specific audience.

Content writers might know that their editors ask for a readability score of 5 while writing for an internet audience. Other than this, the usual spell & grammar check, style check is available on this platform, again, for free!

Pros and Cons:

  • It’s, again, Free!
  • Primarily an editor and not writing software.
  • The generous advice is all automated.
  • Writing tone, mood and style can be revised easily.

Price: Free!

Website: Hemingway Editor


#9) Reedsy Book Editor

Reedsy Book Editor

With the Reedsy Book editor, we have made a hat-trick of free software. Anyhow, the most gullible feature of the Reedsy book editor is its ‘notes’ feature. It lets you create, edit, stick, and cut out notes from your literary piece and allows you to manage them independently.

The other features include collaborating with your colleagues, exporting your document in various formats, simpler editing and writing.

Pros and Cons:

  • First of all, it is free of cost.
  • Secondly, it is better than MS Word.
  • Thirdly, it has a cute ‘notes’ feature.
  • Lastly, no! It’s not professional like the others.

Price: Free!

Website: Reedsy Book Editor


#10) Ulysses

Ulysses

Ulysses is only available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. This book writing software has dozens of features in its pocket. You can synchronize your work with other devices, and change the theme of the editor.

It also offers better management of documents, direct publishing to WordPress and medium, different export styles, and, still, much more!

Pros and Cons:

  • Only available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
  • You can switch your notes to different devices, and thereby write anywhere you want!
  • It is not a writing software as such, it is good for note-making.
  • Ideally, it should be used for the management of ideas and not documents.

Price: $45

Website: Ulysses


#11) Zoho Writer

Zoho Writer

Zoho writer is the complete package for documents and not particularly for book writing. It is a word processor like MS Word and popular opinion suggests that it is better than MS Word.

Some special features include Group editing, group management, online collaboration, safe sharing, and mobile access. Zoho writer belongs to the family of Zoho docs which provide online collaborative solutions.

Pros and Cons:

  • Lets you collaborate with others by sharing features.
  • Has almost all the features which Google Docs has.
  • Reviewers say that this is even better than Google Docs.
  • It is a word processing tool and not a professional writing software.

Price: Free!

Website: Zoho Writer


#12) Pages

Pages

Think of Pages as the Mac alternative to MS Word. Its creative tools are useful to edit your documents.

The catchy feature is its beautiful template feature which can provide you with attractive formats for your documents. It is also helpful in creating unique manuscripts and writing full-length books.

Pros and Cons:

  • Only available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
  • Reviewers say that it’s better than MS Word.
  • Helpful for manuscripts and eBook creation.
  • Again, not professional book writing software.

Price: $28

Website: Pages


#13) LibreOffice

LibreOffice

LibreOffice, as a social standard, is a boon to mankind. When there was only paid writing software, LibreOffice was the one that was providing writers with free software and regular updates.

It is a simple word processor with many features for regular writing. Also, it can run on almost any platform. It crashes a lot now, so that is a drawback.

Pros and Cons:

  • Open Source and free.
  • Runs even on old processors.
  • Crashes a lot and is clunky.
  • It is a word processor, so nothing regarding book management.

Price: Free!

Website: LibreOffice


#14) Vellum

Vellum

Vellum is a professional book writing software and it is CASH HEAVY!.

But that is not why it is famous. It is famous for its aesthetics. Vellum has beautiful eBook templates and is a highly intuitive software, meaning, you will always love its suggestions. Other features include style formatting, note-making, chapter management, etc.

Pros and Cons:

  • Easy to understand features and quick to export documents.
  • Aesthetically pleasing styles.
  • Style suggestions are good but they are limited.
  • Relatively high in price.

Price: $199 for eBook generation; $249 for paperback formatting.

Website: Vellum


#15) Novel Factory

Novel Factory

Novel factory can help you if you are suffering from a creative block!

The most special feature of Novel Factory includes its character builder, which let’s us create a fictional character (the development is automated). Another interesting feature is its ability to create a fictional universe.

It is a treat for writers who like fantasy. As it is a professional book writing software, features similar to other writing software are also available.

Pros and Cons:

  • The subplot management is quick and easy.
  • The Universe creation and Character development features are positively intuitive for insight but are not detailed.
  • The offline one-time pay-off application does not run for Mac. The online one runs for both.
  • The online application would not run at all when offline, so the internet is a must even for typing i.e. if you purchase the premium online version.

Price: $40 for the one-time offline version and $8-$60 for the online version.

Website: Novel Factory


Conclusion

To conclude, perfect book writing software is an imaginary concept. Writing is loving and grateful towards the self and writers will like a book writing software based on whether they are comfortable with the design and features. So, two writers can have two different opinions about the same software.

Anyhow, some writers are comfortable with MS Word and that’s fine, you should also consider using an online editor like Grammarly or ProWritingAid.

Some people hate MS Word and for them, this list contains many word processors like- Zoho writer, Pages, LibreOffice, or Google Docs. If you are looking to write randomly or for the fun of it, you can also use Novel Factory to get your gears going.

Whatever machine you use, writing would always be about art and craft. So, practice a lot and find your voice!

Further reading =>> Explore various types of Writing Styles 

Our Research

  • We have researched 33 writing platforms, writing programs, and book writing software applications. Out of those, our list contains the top 15 which were found to be most effective.
  • The list is not about which one’s the best’ rather ‘whatever floats your boat’, so, we have also read user reviews online to provide the readers with comfortable suggestions.
  • The time taken to conduct the research and testing all the writing software applications was around 4-5 days.
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