Best Book Writing Software: Which is Best For Writing Your Book?

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Күн бұрын

Take the "Best Book Writing Software" quiz here:
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Writing your book is an extensive process, but choosing the best writing software for you and your needs can significantly affect how quickly you draft your manuscript.
It’s crucial to meet your writing goals daily, so alleviating potential stressors (like the wrong software) goes a long way in successfully meeting your book deadline. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to use software that meets your specific writing needs.
In this video, we cover a variety of book writing software to help you find one that works for you.
A few of the apps we touch on are:
#1 - Microsoft Word
#2 - Scrivener
#3 - Pages
#4 - Freedom
#5 - Google docs
Chandler goes in-depth on twelve software options, including their price, pros, and cons, and which software he used to write his first book.
Which one is best for you?
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Пікірлер: 172

@DerivativeMVs 4 жыл бұрын

He didn't mention it alongside Word, but Libre Office is an open source clone of Microsoft Word. Free to use, and with all the functions you need.

@pavankoushik7051 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you😄

@ABHISHEK-zs9gd 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man👍

@rsk6929 Жыл бұрын

My man. Do you use Linux?

@noditschi Жыл бұрын

Also can't imagine why people like google docs besides sharing. It's a horrible program.

@guentertharun2588 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Chandler! I'm very keen on your option which will provide me with a practical guideline.

@christianriddler5063 4 жыл бұрын

I liked the video and you had some interesting suggestions. Might I suggest though that your video would have higher quality if you included pictures of the respective programs being mentioned. It would encourage the viewers to stay longer and be more curious.

@bigbiemacaw 3 жыл бұрын

Christian Riddler and it can help find them..

@ilenek.5428 7 ай бұрын

Omg, how funny because every time he mentioned a new program I looked at the screen to see if there was an image of the program. This video was still immensely wonderful. Adding images might just make it the best one ever!

@shemakeswavesbee8150 5 жыл бұрын

Great video! Really awesome and subbed!

@carolinepenman1816 5 жыл бұрын

Excellent enthusiastic enthralling advice as usual! Word has my vote (but I remember when the only TV you could get was black and white!) Moving onto Google docs is a pretty easy transformation! On to formatting now :-) Thank you xx

@selfpublishingcom 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Caroline! Good luck with formatting. If you need some tips, we've got a post here for you on formatting a book: self-publishingschool.com/how-to-format-book/

@ladydevildog8946 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for all these suggestions!

@hyperspazz8082 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. You left out Ulysses. I personally use Scrivener. It does have a bit of a learning curve, but it is totally customizable to only have on the screen what you want. It may have a lot of bells and whistles and look intimidating, but is one of the favorites used today. I think like you said it all boils down to a personal preference. I am organized and like to do research, character development, and all that detailed information. This helps me when I do write that I have everything available to me in one software. Thanks for the video and keep up the good work.

@scvgoalkeeping 4 жыл бұрын

Ulysses is only for Mac, maybe that’s why he left it out

@drgishmamohamedvideoresume3831 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. I use a few of these and I will try some of the others.

@fridakalota370 3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate so much this video. Im a screenwriter but I haven't find much luck lately. So, I have decided to write a book but I wasn't sure of which app or software to use.

@ingridkneer8246 3 жыл бұрын

That was brilliant, thanks... learned! Google docs has an offline mode. Good to know when your internet is constantly not working and the supplier can t be changed too quickly

@mariacabalu5515 5 жыл бұрын

Great information Chandler!

@petadelsonno5973 5 жыл бұрын

thanks chandler .... great info.

@HeatherWrightArt 3 жыл бұрын

I love all your informative videos! Is google docs good for writing a how-to book for kindle? This book will have a lot of pictures for reference and I'd like to know what would be easiest for me to use!

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

Yep! It can work great for that

@scottrocket3274 3 жыл бұрын

Thank You for commenting and

@scottrocket3274 3 жыл бұрын

@@selfpublishingcom and thank you for responding I really needed to know this also

@mukhoury1055 5 ай бұрын

would love to see an updated version of this video if there are any new book writing software you guys recommend!

@robertyellow8493 4 жыл бұрын

Though I'm not a Mac user, I wanted to hear about Vellum. Some guy did a video and explained why he was jumping ship from Scrivener to Vellum.

@a47mlb 3 жыл бұрын

Does Google Docs have a book template that is pre-set in proper book writing format?

@marvinrandolph4008 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Sir! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise!

@renneedawson6389 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Chandler, Ive watched 3 of your videos because I have decided that 2021 is the year that I finish and publish my 1st book. I've noticed that you have several recommendations about writing software, but what about graphic or illustration software?

@shreddykrueger3776 2 жыл бұрын

Did you finish your book?

@ilenek.5428 7 ай бұрын

Thank u!!! This was very helpful! I'm working on self publishing.

@MindRestoration Жыл бұрын

This was another great video of yours.Could you make a video about the outline process. I’m currently struggling with my outline.

@yanalalaqabaniempoweredsel7830 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! The quiz was so helpful!

@scottrocket3274 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for Sharing that is a lot of options. I like to write but I feel like I am a bad speller. What I do is buy Composition books from my local dollar tree. On the top of each page or pages I put a bold title to let the reader know what subjects on each page. I also do this so I can write out a table of contents page once the book is complete. I would like to continue to write this way but also maybe add a picture here and there. So what I wanna know is what software would be best for that type of writing? I am thinking Dragon Naturally Speaking Software.A way where I can just read my rough draft composition and it would just type it out for me in printable book format ( which is all I really want ) Is my books from composition to more printable professional looking worthy of being a product look to my books. If you have any suggestions or advice for me that would be great. Thank You for taking the time to read my comment.

@ABBYMATHEWTEAM 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome job appreciate you .

@Sleepyhead1129 Ай бұрын

this helps so much with my book, Thank you so much!

@kiyasuihito 3 жыл бұрын

I personally found Bibisco to fit my needs the best. It has the capability to take notes and add to character profiles, location profiles, etc. without leaving the manuscript, which is a must for a pantser like myself.

@oldruggedimaginarium 2 жыл бұрын

Just downloaded Bibisco ... It is noice ... kinda like ywriter but with better interface

@frederickmartinus9153 Ай бұрын

Thank you for such amazing explanation. This is so helpful!

@DrawingTechnical 4 жыл бұрын

I like your office setup!

@Bachconcertos 4 жыл бұрын

I have finished my novel and want to sell it as an e-book on my website - what e-book software is best to use to create an e-book?

@chrisstanley6157 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome thank you

@adrianadascalu5908 5 жыл бұрын

Great list, Chandler! My problem is I use too many of these, not to mention the number of notebooks AND random papers! Lately I.ve been writing on my phone (more than 75% dictating) in Speechnotes. It's far from perfect, but from what I've tried, it's the most effective mobile dictation tool. And on the go it'll do for those who need to see immediate progress on the page or screen. What are your suggestions for phone writing apps and tools? Dictation included.

@newadventure3109 5 жыл бұрын

Adriana Dascalu it sounds like we need order don't we?🤭😂👍 I laugh with you. Heck I am you...🎯

@adrianadascalu5908 5 жыл бұрын

@@newadventure3109 i'm working on being more organized but it's slow going.

@newadventure3109 5 жыл бұрын

@@adrianadascalu5908 me too!

@selfpublishingcom 5 жыл бұрын

Hey Adriana! I think it's easy to get caught up in too many softwares (and notebooks lol). For dictation, Google docs is actually really good if you want to have the ability to auto-save and not transfer stuff over.

@ChandlerBoltOfficial 5 жыл бұрын

Hope ya'll find this video helpful!

@Tony-dn6kc 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, is there a app that identifies paragraphs in a short story with 300 words or more. I write short stories but can't identify when to indent a paragraph.

@sincityquinn 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve been using Scrivener for years on Mac. But I write on my iPad Pro. And it’s a nightmare with it’s sync feature. It’s screwed up so many of ,y manuscripts with that conflicted copy nonsense. I have old drafts in my manuscript and it’s a whole order trying to find the newest draft.

@startupbusinesscoaching 10 ай бұрын

Loved this. Thanks. Subscribed!

@angeladorwin4611 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Soo so much!

@kickstand11117 3 жыл бұрын

App search: I’m endeavoring to write a book of nonfiction; certainly not a novel. What I have in mind would be classified as an academic paper/philosophy/self-help piece….it’s kind of a mess right now. Which is why I’m trying to make the best decision on purchasing an app to aid me in organization. There will be many references and consultations as I have to verify info and quotes etc etc. I am not well off financially. I don’t have a pc. I don’t have a laptop. My phone is all of that. iPhone 8 with 256GB. I just spent $20 on the Scrivener app but it’s learning curve is steep and frankly annoying and I’m thinking that it is more for novelists than for what I’m doing. What in your opinion would be the best iOS app for me?

@fridakalota370 3 жыл бұрын

Libre Office or Open Office. Im looking at what software is better. But my concern its English as a second language than apps.

@dojosdiary1283 3 жыл бұрын

I love Google docs for its free and has many many many features. And it is my best friend.

@spillaa9960 3 жыл бұрын

same, everybody keep saying word🙄

@mrceo100 5 жыл бұрын

Great info...

@wendygoerl9162 5 жыл бұрын

Since 99% of my writing is done on an isolated computer with NO internet access, anything on-line is a "con," not a "pro." Back around the turn of the millennium, I did almost everything with PageMaker (originally published by Aldus, then bought by Adobe). I haven't used its replacement, InDesign, because it's on-line, subscription-only (a double-whammy in my book). From my experience with PageMaker, I would guess that InDesign might be a bit of a learning curve (though I doubt as much as Scrivner), but will reward you with a high degree of control and creativity in you page layout. Now I use OpenOffice, which has a tendency to do strange things with graphics (especially when they're almost as big as the writing area). I aslo might point out Corel's WordPerfect. Though most prefer MSWord as easier to use overall, WordPerfect's Equation Writer gives it an advantage in "mathy" documents, and the legal profession likes it, too. So if you're writing a lot of math, engineering, science, or legal books, WordPerfect may be to your advantage.

@doc1701 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts especially on WordPerfect. I had forgotten about that.

@jamesborishansen 4 жыл бұрын

Instead of using open office, look at libreoffice, it's also free open source but is better in my opinion ..

@margotlindsay5289 4 жыл бұрын

How can i get the sound on please?

@Talesoflife668 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your advice ❤

@selfpublishingcom Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment! Happy to read that! We’re having a 3-day event in two weeks with many bestselling authors. Tickets at $47 and prices go up tomorrow. If you’re interested in learning more from him: AuthorAdvantageLive.com Discount link here: selfpublishing.com/vseghetto-AAL

@selahchelyah2491 4 жыл бұрын

Google Docs is the best, and I love it! The only issue is that I've had to make multiple Docs because it was getting laggy and super slow with more than 50K words on it (which it about a third of the total length of the novel I'm in the process of writing XD).

@pandascribbles7211 3 жыл бұрын

I have serious issues with Google docs every time I try to space it screws my spacing on every single paragraph is jacked up

@ms.greywolf8228 2 жыл бұрын

I recently finished a novel. Personal project more than anything, given how I said "yeah, somewhat 100K words should be enough" without ever expecting the 160K+ colossus that was born from that assumption. Not gonna lie, Word did a nice job of not breaking any of it. But precisely because of that, makes me wonder if other options would be a safe step at all.

@chetanbhardwaj362 3 жыл бұрын

Great experience .....you r awesome .....keep it up sir

@barbaragrant8051 3 жыл бұрын

I'm 75 in 3 weeks and not a writer. God gave me the title for my book 4 years ago and, since I'm not really considered a "writer" have put it off for years. I've written an introduction and brainstormed some ideas. I like most of the software but haven't a clue about software. I am motivated to complete my rough draft by Jan. 1, 2021. I love the information that you provided -- however, it just confuses me more. I put some stuff in the cloud years ago and don't have a clue how to retrieve it. LOL. I'm still technologically challenged.

@DeSibyl 3 жыл бұрын

TBH Google Docs is very easy, you don't need to know much about technology to use it. The fact it stores it online is also nice in the event something happens to your computer in which case it's still safe. If you're looking to write from a computer that always has access to the internet, Google Docs is probably going to be the best bet.

@nostalgic9263 2 жыл бұрын

How'd you do meeting your goal?

@proteachar 9 ай бұрын

@@nostalgic9263😅

@robertpark5992 4 жыл бұрын

Is there one where you can write in book format (free)?? like google docs but except you can scroll left and right through your pages. As to view it like a normal book instead of vertically?

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Hi! Not a specific FREE program that we know of, you can get this effect with Microsoft Word if you go up to "View" and then hit "Multiple Pages"

@devonrd 2 жыл бұрын

I was also missing Cold Turkey writer! Hands down a must-have tool for people who have trouble puttings words on a page. I enter a 500-word prison that I cannot escape from until I'm done getting 500 words on the page and bam! This is how I was able to consistently keep adding to the manuscript :)

@trynagee5650 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks I love google docs but amazon templates you cant use it when formatting it

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Have you checked out our book outline template generator?

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

@@arolemaprarath6615 Yes! We love Google Docs since it saves automatically and you can access your doc on any device with internet!

@BazColne 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your hard work.

@moncifatajja2264 3 жыл бұрын

What your advice for me to translate my book I mean what's the best software can I use ?

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

we have a post here by someone who went through the process of translating a book, hope this helps!: self-publishingschool.com/how-to-translate-your-book/

@beablebeauty6479 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing video. Thank you for the quality content. Your time is appreciated.

@iammahalieka Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the offer. I guess it's not available anymore because I cannot get pass the first page.

@selfpublishingcom Жыл бұрын

Try now :) we just fixed it

@iammahalieka Жыл бұрын

@@selfpublishingcom thanks for updating. Unfortunately, it is still not moving past the 2nd page. Can I obtain a copy another way? :(

@devonrd 2 жыл бұрын

I was definitely looking for a video where I could see the layout and features. I think this would be a great video to be updated with more showing the actual platforms :)

@selfpublishingcom 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! We've taken that feedback and have started posting some tutorials and deep dives - including Atticus and NovelPad. More to come, make sure to subscribe to see them

@vitaleonis1196 4 жыл бұрын

Would it make sense to start in Focus Writer and then transfer what you've done to MS Word....? Starting with Word might seem daunting.

@karajane2300 4 жыл бұрын

I agree that is a great idea, i use IA writer, which is similar to Focus writer, and i copy and paste to Word to format each chapter the way I want it to be.

@MariaG-bs9fg 3 жыл бұрын

HemingWay is cool. Similar to Grammarly except it doesn't give suggestions where changes are suggested. I've also used InstaText to edit my work, however, be wary of some of their suggestions because not all of them would be viable or the best changes for your document. Thanks for your suggestions. I'll definitely be checking these out especially Fastpencil. I personally use Grammarly.

@jennysmith6463 4 жыл бұрын

which is best to upload to Amazon and LULU?

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Amazon

@rudrojuvinaykumar 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you brother

@rev.dr.patriciajohnsondowt1505 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Chandler!

@joeytrevino7809 3 жыл бұрын

Scrivener sounds good. I'll check it out.

@joan2132 3 жыл бұрын

Great information I choose drop box

@Ismail-zo2vn 4 жыл бұрын

Very good informative video

@jettison_m 2 жыл бұрын

I have pages on my ipad and it's free. It's what I'm using right now and it's fine but for my scattered brain, I feel like I need help organizing things.

@michaelbabbitt3837 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. One thing about Google Docs that I was warned about is that Google sort of owns your book. Is that correct? I have Word and Pages and will be looking to incorporate Grammarly into it.

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

That’s not true

@FramePhonetics 4 жыл бұрын

Hi I like your all videos and subscribed your channel I am young writer from India and I had recently published my first book that is The Tales of a Dead Painting please kindly suggest me some guidelines to increase the sales of my book in my country and abroad as well

@dharamsawh2007 5 жыл бұрын

THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL AND INSIGHTFUL. THANKS BUDDY.

@carolinemckaskle1822 2 жыл бұрын

Pages is free usually

@vimalkumarv 4 жыл бұрын

Pls, introduce LibreOffice instead of OpenOffice. LibreOffice outwit MS office in terms of features and functions suitable for publishing.

@didahaytpretty3678 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@jennifervoigt2631 3 жыл бұрын

Open office is amazing but I use Microsoft word on a tablet in combination with pen and paper

@anandawellnessinstituteyog423 Жыл бұрын

googledocs and Microsoftorward are my favorites

@frosty-arj 3 жыл бұрын

I used to use storybird but I was using the free trial

@jennykean6853 4 жыл бұрын

Livingwriter is such a better tool than scrivener.. a lot newer too

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

What do you like about it?

@binky777 2 жыл бұрын

Not a single word processor have overwrite, great for wall of texts.

@mrmshifan 5 жыл бұрын

Microsoft has a free online version. The problem with using less known paid software is it will be either very expensive in later stages of the book or you have to switch to a different format. This is specially true when trying to edit or format the book. But as long as the software of your choice allows it to save the file as a word file or HTML file it will be fine.

@noamay 3 жыл бұрын

If you want others to give comments on your book, is it best to just give them access to your Google docs? Or how does it work if you want feedback from others? :)

@haubrichband 4 жыл бұрын

Is scriventer mentioned?

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Did you watch the video? :)

@wesmorgan5005 4 жыл бұрын

A lot of detail presented in bite-size formats!

@EmanuelGrigoras 3 жыл бұрын

I use Asengana

@tedi2652 3 жыл бұрын

I was expecting you to favor the hundred dollar software but you were every openly about using Gword and MicWord. Thank you. I subbed

@beachbum4691 3 жыл бұрын

I'm after Images not talk talk :(

@johnstjohn4705 2 жыл бұрын

Pages only runs on Apple operating systems. If you have a Mac or other Apple device, Pages comes with it. In other words, it's free.

@YogeshKumar-dl4gq 3 жыл бұрын

You forget LibreOffice.

@christyisacunt5103 3 жыл бұрын

cant even show how these programs look or function?

@itistime467 4 жыл бұрын

I use a fountain pen on old stained paper under the candlelight. Good enough for Rabbie Burns.

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Lol

@fridakalota370 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing. I do that too.

@ab158231 Жыл бұрын

Nice shirt bruh

@youtuberyoutuber2495 3 жыл бұрын

"free" is a a little misleading. For the "free" programs, there is no extra cost, but in order to use the programs you need to buy a computer first

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

Lol!

@youtuberyoutuber2495 3 жыл бұрын

@@selfpublishingcom hope I didn't sound like a jerk. I just wanted to poke some fun at it lol.

@selfpublishingcom 5 жыл бұрын

What's your favorite book writing software? Comment below and let us know! Also, if you want an assessment to figure this out for you, click here to take it (only about 2-minutes): www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/5f2a003a8d40c200148fedc2?first_touch_channel=social&first_touch__site=sps&First_touch_medium=youtube_-_feed

@thelasthandbook6704 5 жыл бұрын

Why on earth do you need to know my phone number to complete the quiz? That was a definite nope out from me.

@luckyknight2745 4 жыл бұрын

Sorry, this video is not worth anything to me. I only know of WORD you mentioned, and not the others. You do not give not enough info. on each program for anyone to see if it is for them. Heres what I use: Ventura Publisher by Corel, WordPerfect by Corel, Word Pad and any RTF file I get. For me this setup is perfect for my HOME SELF PUBLISHING. I write books, and prepare books for others. I scan, and layout each page, for my books, and other authors, and I find that the mentioned software programs are perfrect for me, including CorelDraw ( I use version 5 &11). I love all of these programs and will continue to use,. With what I am using I haver not a problem.

@scvgoalkeeping 4 жыл бұрын

Lucky Knight this video is to make people aware of the different softwares. Not to go into extreme detail. There are other videos on KZfaq for that.

@MrsPaulaTorres 3 жыл бұрын

Google Docs

@harveysmith3738 3 жыл бұрын

Your 2-minute survey doesn't work any longer.

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

Which link did you use?

@RyanBMoore 3 жыл бұрын

just for everyone else, if you take the quiz, to get your results you have to put in your email and then they send it to you. Thats such a huge turnoff, i hate when companies do that. guarantee i didn't put my email in

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

Have you taken a quiz where you didn’t have to do that? 🤔

@RyanBMoore 3 жыл бұрын

@@selfpublishingcom yeah, most places.

@gavintucker8942 Жыл бұрын

Scrivener is not wildly popular. In fact, most writers do not use Scrivener. Most popular would definitely be Word.

@doodlefondue 2 жыл бұрын

Pages is $28? I didn’t even know that it costs money….

@davidjones-wy3ln 4 жыл бұрын

your blog post is also not helpfull

@davidjones-wy3ln 4 жыл бұрын

i took teh quiz and it wasnt helpful. It didnt ask the right questions

@selfpublishingcom 4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like you already know what you’re doing and don’t need our help :)

@davidjones-wy3ln 4 жыл бұрын

@@selfpublishingcom wrong again

@SweatTouchesHikaru 3 жыл бұрын

I am 12 and want to write a diary of a wimpy kid ripoff XD

@orinculaculus6116 4 жыл бұрын

Or you can just use notepad.

@reyreyes6126 3 жыл бұрын

it's clear that you never tried Scrivener, if you had you'd not even mention other writing tools.

@selfpublishingcom 3 жыл бұрын

Different tools work for different people. I don't personally find scrivener useful for all my needs--it's a matter of opinion, which is why we cover several :)