20 Best Book Writing Software for Writers in 2024

Writing a book is daunting. That’s why so many manuscripts gather dust and lay forgotten in a desk drawer or digital folder somewhere. The buzz of writing a book quickly fades under the weight of disorganized thoughts and a lack of structure. I know this all too well, with a Google Drive folder of my own that’s filled with unfinished stories!

But what if all you needed was a way to keep those thoughts, research, and started chapters all together, with tools to keep your ideas flowing? That’s where writing software could help you. There are many kinds of software that aid in the book writing process in different ways, from tightening your sentence structure to formatting your book for publication. As a writer and budding novelist, I’ve tested popular and unconventional apps to find out which ones are worth your time. Keep reading to find out the 20 best book writing software, plus a guide on dictating your book.

List of Best Book Writing Software

Which Book Writing Software is Best for You?

Software made specifically for writing books is different from your standard text editor. It should include features that support all aspects of the book writing process, including the plot, timeline, character development, plus your personal word count goals and editing process. If you’re new to writing a book using a specific program, here’s what you should look out for.

Easy Organization

Are you a pantser or a plotter? People who write by the seat of their pants (pantsers) may prefer a looser, more flexible way to organize chapters, scenes, and beat sheets. People who meticulously plan elements of the book (plotters) might want something more rigid. Good book writing software should accommodate your unique writing style.

Affordable

Only pay for what you’ll use. Book writing software ranges from incredibly simple to a full suite of professional-grade tools—make sure you compare different software to see which features are valuable to you and your writing process. If I’m not sure I’ll use a specific feature, I get a free trial and test it before I commit to a license fee.

Multiple Functions

Writing a book has several stages which a versatile writing app should support. This might include a brainstorming and note taking tool, a place to store images for inspiration, plus segments for research, writing, editing, and formatting.

Online and Offline Capabilities

The ability to come online to cloud-save your latest edits, and disconnect from the internet for those distraction-free writing sessions, is a crucial element of good software. I find going offline helps unlock my creative juices, for example. Your software should give you the option to do both.

Goal Tracking

If you’re trying to build a writing habit then having a built-in word count or timer for goal setting can help keep you motivated and on track, particularly if you’re on a deadline or taking part in a challenge like NaNoWriMo.

Collaboration Features

Juggling several versions of locally-saved documents with editors and beta readers is a nightmare. That’s why choosing writing software that has collaboration features is, in my opinion, a no-brainer. Good software should at least have a share function—other features might include a change tracker to keep an eye on edits, a comment system, and permissions settings.

Our Recommendations for the Best Book Writing Software

Google Docs

Best for short story or flash fiction writers

I regularly use Google Docs as a writer, both for articles like this one and more creative works. It’s familiar and easy to use, with a simple layout that doesn’t feel distracting when you’re trying to write. I love that it’s easy to switch devices and continue where I left off, thanks to the cloud-sync feature. 

The main trouble is that for longer books, it lags hard. I was narrating a novel using the Google Docs copy of the story and could barely scroll for more than a few pages without it crashing. As a basic writing tool for shorter fiction, it’s a great, reliable tool to start.

Google Docs Pros

• Free, no licensing fees to pay

• No installation needed, it works in your browser

• Built-in voice typing

• Export in various formats, including Epub

• Saves your work automatically in the cloud

• Stores the history of changes so you can revert back to earlier versions

• Editors can add suggestions and comments

• Easy to share with permissions, for editors and beta readers

• Add-ons like ProWritingAid to integrate your fave off-platform tools

Google Docs Cons

• You must have an internet connection to access it

• There are no goal setting tools for word count or chapters

• It’s laggy with longer books

• It has limited editing features so you might have to import it into another software for formatting

Microsoft Word

Best for collaborating with editors, thanks to change tracking

The Microsoft Word DOCX extension is pretty much the standard for sharing documents, which makes it a great choice for writing your book and sharing it with your editor and beta readers. If you’re a Windows user, it sometimes comes -pre-installed on your OS, but if not, you can now use it in your web browser. There are a ton of useful features for writers, like voice typing (which I personally feel is superior to the Google Docs version), spellcheck, and grammar tools. I love the change tracker, which lets you view the edits and changes made to your document in chronological order.

Microsoft Word Pros

• Install on your desktop or use in the browser

• Auto save feature

• Change tracker to view all edits made in order

• Built-in voice typing

• Familiar interface

• Save and Export in DOCX and PDF

• Spellcheck and grammar suggestions

• Templates included for novel writing

Microsoft Word Cons

• There are so many tools, many of which you may never use

• Toolbars feel distracting

• The subscription can get pricey

• It’s laggy with longer books

• There aren’t as many export types as Google Docs

Google Sheets

Best for organizing your books’ plot, characters, and timeline

An unconventional tool that you might not immediately associate with writing is Google Sheets. Although it looks nothing like a word processing app, it can do a great job of handling the planning and organization of your book. Use the cells to create tables and templates to plan your characters, plot, chapters, and outlines. You can track your progress and use the cell functions to work out word count. I guess unconsciously, I’ve used Sheets to plan writing in the past, though I don’t think it’s all that easy to use for the actual writing part.

Google Sheets Pros

• Use cells to organize elements of your book

• Cloud-sync lets you access spreadsheets from any device

• Real-time updates make it simple to collaborate with editors and co-authors

• It’s free to use

Google Sheets Cons

• It’s not made for writing a book—there are no writing tools like formatting, spellcheck, or grammar suggestions

• You can’t export a spreadsheet in standard book format like Epub

• You require the internet to access your spreadsheets

• The cell functions and formulae can be a learning curve that takes away from the actual writing of your book

Evernote

Best for collecting book research in different formats

Several years ago I began to use Evernote to store my thoughts and notes, similar to a commonplace book. Even in 2024 I think it’s hard to find another tool that can so easily capture information like Evernote, which is so helpful in creating your book. In particular, Evernote excels at helping with book research as you can add quick notes and clip info from the web. 

The part about Evernote I dislike is the extremely limited free version—to get any kind of cross-device compatibility you have to pay for a premium plan.

Evernote Pros

• There’s a free version, albeit extremely limited

• Collect and organize your research in writing, images, web clips, and audio

• Use the notepad to write and format your book

• Search within all of your notes using the powerful search feature

• You can share your notes with others for collaboration

• Some templates for creative writing

Evernote Cons

• It doesn’t have a native speech to text feature, making dictating your book difficult

• Even some basic features like multiple notebooks are locked behind a paywall

• It’s not made for writing a book, so organizing chapters or scenes isn’t easy

Dabble

Best for writers that need a distraction-free workspace

Dabble is built specifically for writers, and what I love about it straight away is the simplicity of the layout and features. It doesn’t feel overwhelming and you can get stuck in with your book right away by creating a new project. The layout feels intuitive, with your chapters and story notes down one side in chronological order that you can drag and drop. Big thumbs up for the plot planning ‘cards’ to organize and plan elements of your story.

Dabble Pros

• Simple interface that feels easy to use

• Focus mode to minimize distractions

• Word count and writing goal tracker

• Cloud-based platform so you can access it on any device

• Organized your chapters and plot in a simple sidebar

• Add details about your characters, plot, and world

• Auto-saving feature

Dabble Cons

• You must have internet access to use Dabble

• You can’t export a print-ready formatted version of your book

• It’s a subscription model, which can get pricey the longer you use it

• No free version

• Dark mode only available for the higher tiers

Scrivener

Best for authors planning to write a lot, consistently

Scrivener is one of the most popular writing apps among authors and when exploring its features, I can see why. It’s a bit of a learning curve to start with, but your book’s parts are organized into a ‘binder’ for easy reference.

You can edit chapters, scenes, characters, and research with a ‘corkboard’ showing a brief overview of each part. Click these corkboard cards to open up individual documents that have the familiar writing tools of something like Word or Docs. I like that there are different templates for novels, short stories, and more, making it flexible for your unique writing style.

Scrivener Pros

• Auto-saves your work online

• Set goals to motivate your writing

• Has different templates depending on the kind of book you’re creating

• Familiar word processor formatting

• Corkboard to see elements of your book at a glance

• Keep your research in one place

• Export in a variety of book formats, like Epub and Mobi

• Free trial is 30 days of actual use, not calendar days

Scrivener Cons

• There are so many features that it feels a bit overwhelming to begin

• You need to purchase a one-off license to use it

• Importing existing manuscripts is difficult as it doesn’t automatically divide it up into chapters

Atticus

Best for authors who want beautiful formatting, made easy

I’m so impressed with Atticus as a writing tool—they’ve thought of everything a writer might need to create and publish a book. You can import a book in DOCX or start from scratch. Drag and drop your chapters in any order and add front or back matter pages from templates. The formatting is truly impressive as you can use built-in templates or fully customize how your book looks, which you can preview at any time. 

Atticus Pros

• Import an existing book or write from scratch

• Set writing goals from the writing page

• Preview tool to see how your book looks in ebook format at any time

• Drag and drop chapters into any order

• Add front and back matter from templates

• Create ‘master pages’ that you use regularly, such as a bio or ‘also by’ pages

• Lots of fully customizable formatting settings

• PDF and Epub export that are fully ready to send to publishers

• Tools to combine books to create a box set

Atticus Cons

• To switch devices, you need to fully log out of one to sync your work properly

• Not all features are available at launch, such as dark mode

• Expensive one-off license

Living Writer

Best for writers who need some structure but want to customize how things are structured

Living Writer reminds me of Scrivener, but simpler. You can organize your chapters, subchapters, and scenes down the left-hand side in chronological order, or in a grid format with color coding. Writing pages have formatting options and a handy window to give you an overview of your notes, research, and descriptions. Living Writer’s plot planner has a unique feature where you can make it ‘free form’, displaying ‘cards’ like Scrivener but drag them wherever you like and connect them together in infinite ways.

Living Writer Pros

• Start projects from scratch or use a template for fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays

• Drag and drop book elements in the sidebar

• Plot planner has a traditional grid view or a free-form view

• Each element of your book has its own window to display related information and stats

• Turn book chapters into a screenplay layout

• Save notes and comments

• Writing goals and word count tools

• Auto-save feature

• Share with collaborators, with permission control

• Export in a variety of formats, including directly to Amazon KDP

Living Writer Cons

• It’s only available as a subscription, which could get pricey in the long run

Grammarly

Best for simple assistance with your writing

I use Grammarly every day for all of my writing, so I have a good grasp of its features and limitations if you’re looking to write a book. On the plus side, it’s available with free and paid plans, available on the web, and can sync with popular software like Google Docs. Using Grammarly’s writing editor is as easy as any word processor, minus formatting tools. You can set your writing goals, tone, and style, and Grammarly will scan your work and make suggestions. 

On the downside, it struggles to do its main job well at times, often missing blatant spelling mistakes and making incorrect suggestions. Overall, it’s a handy free tool, even if it’s on the simpler side.

Grammarly Pros

• Free and paid plans

• Integrates with other tools like Google Docs

• Chrome extension available

• Write from scratch or import an existing manuscript

Grammarly Cons

• I feel the paid plan doesn’t really give you much extra value

• It trips up on simple typos quite often

• There are no formatting or export options

• You must have an internet connection to use it

yWriter

Best for affordable book planning

At first glance, yWriter looks a bit outdated. Don’t let this put you off! I’m amazed that this is a free tool because it has so many useful features to help writers plan and write a book. Create chapters and scenes with a brief synopsis, then organize them in the side menu for easy reference. There are detailed character and world building tools. My favorite feature is that you can see how many times a specific character appears in your story and when. I just wish there was an auto-save feature or some kind of cloud-sync available.

yWriter Pros

• Logical interface for organizing your chapters

• Detailed character and world building tools

• Incredibly detailed chapter and scene settings, such as date and time it happens, ratings, importance, and type of scene

• Progress tracker including word count per day, in total, per chapter

• Free to use 

yWriter Cons

• Looks outdated

• Not available on the web, just as a download

• No auto-save

• Only saves your files locally—you could set up Google Drive or Dropbox on your PC to save files into that way as a kind of backup

ProWritingAid

Best for in-depth editing of your writing style

ProWritingAid is similar to Grammarly but in my experience, has much better suggestions based on more specific areas of your writing. You can use it as a standalone writing tool for the web—start a new document and it’ll provide a detailed report of what you should change to make your work more engaging, dynamic, and easy to read. You can also integrate it into other tools like Scrivener, Google Docs, and Word to enhance the capabilities of those tools. It’s quite expensive if you want to pay monthly for unlimited words, though—the free version won’t cut it for book writing.

ProWritingAid Pros

• Free version available

• Robust grammar and spell checker

• Analyzes your writing style, tone, structure, dialogue, and much more

• Helps improve your vocabulary with alternative suggestions

• Can aid in the editing of long form books and novels easily

• Offers an AI critique of your work, with strengths and weaknesses

ProWritingAid Cons

• Lifetime subscription is expensive—at least $399

• Doesn’t work so well with short stories as it struggles to identify tone and style

Ulysses

Best for writers who use Apple devices and want a minimal writing tool

Ulysses is a minimal writing tool made for books, short stories, and even essays and blog posts. For book writing, I find this is pleasant to use because you’ve not overwhelmed by features. I like that you can right-click a ‘sheet’ (Ulyssess-speak for document) and mark whether it’s part of your book or research materials. For me, the nesting feature is nice but it gets a bit confusing to identify scenes and subchapters as there’s no real way to differentiate them.

Ulysses Pros

• Supports Markdown

• Minimize sidebar and full-screen mode for distraction-free writing

• Dark mode

• Nest unlimited projects and sheets

• View words and reading time of individual sheets and whole projects

• Mark sheets as research materials

• Preview in various export formats

• Goal setting tool

• Built-in grammar checker

• Syncs with iCloud

Ulysses Cons

• Only available on Apple devices

• Monthly or yearly subscription with no lifetime option

• Lacking rich features such as character and world building tools

Vellum

Best for professional-grade formatting

Formatting can be a pain, especially using generic software like Word or Google Docs. Vellum can take your writing and make it into beautiful, ready to publish books. I love the simple layout for organizing your chapters and front and back matter pages. You can type your book from scratch or import a document and Vellum displays how it’ll look in eBook or print format. It does have basic grammar tools, but collaborating with your editor becomes difficult as Vellum doesn’t have version control or change tracking.

Vellum Pros

• Instant preview of your book in eBook and print formats

• Wide range of customizable, professional-grade formatting styles

• You can write from scratch or import a document

• Export direct to publishers like Amazon KDP and Apple Books

• Unlimited books and pen names, for life

Vellum Cons

• Restricted to Mac

• Lifetime license fee is pricey and doesn’t have a free trial

• Editing when writing directly in Vellum is tricky as it doesn’t support comments or tracked changes

• If your book has charts, tables, or images and you import it as a document into Vellum, expect to have to make significant changes to correct the formatting

Apple Pages

Best for making aesthetically pleasing book pages with no design knowledge

If you own an Apple device, you’re in luck—Pages is completely free to use. It’s a simple word processor that focuses more on the formatting of your pages, so it lacks more advanced book writing features like character development and world building. I love that across your devices, your projects look identical. Plus, you can collaborate with others via real-time changes and comments.

Apple Pages Pros

• Familiar word processor-type features

• Works seamlessly across your Apple devices with iCloud

• Collab with your editor, co-authors, and beta readers in real-time

• Export in various formats, including PDF, Epub, and Word

• Variety of templates

• Free for Apple users

Apple Pages Cons

• Limited to Apple users

• All collaborators must have an Apple ID

• No advanced writing tools—it’s more for formatting your book

Hemingway Editor

Best for simple editing suggestions

Along with Grammarly, Hemingway Editor is another tool I use daily. For writing a book, it’s meant to improve your writing and clean up sloppy prose. I find it just fine for non-fiction work, but things get tricky for creative writing, as your style might go against some of Hemingway’s suggestions. The interface is simple and I enjoy seeing suggestions as color-coded highlights. It’s just a shame that you can’t save multiple documents on the web version.

Hemingway Editor Pros

• Simple interface

• Color-coded suggestions

• Readability grade and writing advice is easy to see next to your written work

• Simple formatting tools for bold, italics, and headers

Hemingway Editor Cons

• Pricing is confusing—there’s a free web version, a subscription-based web version that includes AI suggestions, and a desktop version with a one-off fee that doesn’t include suggestions

• It’s buggy at times, when you click to edit a suggestion, it randomly jumps to another part of the document

• There’s no way to save multiple documents natively inside Hemingway

• No integration with other writing apps

LibreOffice Writer

Best for Word users that don’t want to pay monthly

If you’re comfortable using traditional word processing tools like Word to write your next bestseller, but you begrudge paying the subscription fees, LibreOffice Writer could be what you’re after. It reminds me of older versions of Microsoft Word but has a wide range of features to plan, write, and edit your book. 

It can open and save DOCX format and even shows tracked changes like Word, making it ideal for collaborating with your editor. I’m a fan of the customization options that allow you to change how the interface looks. Tools you won’t use? Hide them in a click. If I’m not working in Google Docs, I use this instead, but I tend to miss the auto-save feature of a web tool.

LibreOffice Writer Pros

• Free and open source

• Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux

• Wide range of editing and formatting options

• Customize your workspace

• Familiar feel of Microsoft Word

LibreOffice Writer Cons

• No real-time collaboration

• You have to manually check for software updates

• It’s not the prettiest

• Not made for book writing specifically—lacks some advanced features like plot planning and world building

Bibisco

Best for beginner authors to develop believable characters

Bibisco is a character development tool, first and foremost, with all the tools you need to plan and write your book. I like that instead of a blank slate like other apps, it’s more of a guide to help you bring out the details of your primary and secondary characters. It helps you figure out your plot, timeline, and pace, too. Then, you can write directly in Bibisco, just like a regular word processor. It looks a little basic but it’s easy to navigate.

If you need a solid structure to actually finish your book, Bibisco could be a helpful tool.

Bibisco Pros

• Robust character development tools

• Features to structure your premise, fabula, setting, objects, and relationships

• Written guides and tips to accompany your writing experience

• Backs up your work into a folder of your choosing whenever you close the program

• Goal setting tracker

• Minimal interface

• Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux

• Free version

• Paid version is a one-off fee of $47

Bibisco Cons

• No mobile app

• Lots of features are behind a paywall

• Updates are only free for two years, after which you have to pay again

Novlr

Best for simple, cloud-based writing

When I tested Novlr, I instantly liked the fact I could start all kinds of writing projects with a click. Novel writers won’t necessarily like the same layout and option as a flash fiction writer, for example, so I like that you can set it up for your preference. 

You get the option between light and dark modes, with some control over font and size. You can organize infinite chapters in order by dragging and dropping in list or grid mode. It has cute motivational messages too, when you hit a goal. For the price, it’s fairly basic but if you’re after a less structured writing app, this could be a great option to support your writing.

Novlr Pros

• Minimal interface for distraction-free writing

• Pro includes ProWritingAid as a spell checker and grammar suggestions

• Infinite chapters and notes

• Grid layout for chapters

• Cloud-based for easy access on any device

• Automatic backup to Google Drive or Dropbox

• Export in a variety of formats like PDF, ODT, and Epub

• Different templates for novels, short stories, poems, and more

Novlr Cons

• Menus feel a little clunky, particularly when adding new notes it keeps the new ‘blank’ notes stacked and hidden

• No full-manuscript view

• Only available as a subscription

• No collaboration tools

• No formatting options

Focus Writer

Best for writers who procrastinate

Focus Writer is exactly what it says—a basic writing tool to help you focus. The interface is extremely minimal, though you can edit the background and text. It takes up your entire screen and hides the toolbar unless you hover your cursor over the top of the window. 

There are a few writing tools like basic formatting and spell check, but you won’t like it if you need some structure to your work. Focus Writer has a cool feature that I’ve never seen anywhere else that I found surprisingly helpful—the ability to blur out the text you’ve already written and only focus on the sentence you’re writing. If you ‘write in editing mode’ like I often do, it’s crazy how productive this will make you.

Focus Writer Pros

• Completely free to use

• Customizable look and sound effects

• Timers and alarms

• Supports DOCX, ODT, TXT, and PDF export

• Distraction-free writing space

• Hidden toolbar

• Can blur text you’re not working on to further help with distractions

• Simple writing features such as basic formatting, spell check, and word counter

Focus Writer Cons

• Can feel buggy when changing formatting

• Lacks advanced writing tools

• No Mac support

Squibler

Best for writers who want guidance while working on their story

If you dream of writing a book but you feel clueless about the process, Squibler is like a writing coach and word processor in one. It organizes your acts, chapters, and characters into an easy to navigate menu similar to Scrivener, with templates for all different genres. Squibler fleshes out your workspace with a default ‘beat sheet’ and prompts you to start writing.

Here’s where Squibler is different—it has a built-in AI powered assistant to help guide the writing process. Simply ask it about elements of your story and it can write, rewrite, generate scenes, and visualize anything you ask for.

Squibler Pros

• Beautifully structured acts, chapters, and elements that you can view in list, grid, or editor mode

• AI Smart Writer can help you visualize, write, or expand on a scene

• Several font and formatting options

• Version history

• Export in a variety of formats, including PDF, TXT, DOCX, and Kindle

• Day and night modes

• Add elements for characters, places, objects, and more

• Native grammar checker

• Writing templates for different genres

Squibler Cons

• Some bugs—for example, when switching from light to dark mode, the text remained too dark to see

• Sometimes laggy when switching between chapters

• Lacks advanced formatting options

• There’s only a subscription-based model, which may get expensive the longer you use it

How to Use Dictation Software to Write a Book

Writing a book is a long-winded process—between your very first draft and several rounds of edits, that’s a lot of typing! To speed up the writing process while avoiding things like repetitive strain injury and fatigue, have you considered dictating your book instead?

It’s quite simple. We talk faster than we type, so speaking your book aloud into your book writing software gets those chapters completed far quicker than using your keyboard.

Here are three ways you can write a book using dictation.

Notta

1. Log into your Notta on the web or app and go to your Dashboard.

2. Click ‘Record an audio’.

3. Speak, and Notta dictates and transcribes what you say.

Google Docs

1. Create a new document—it can be helpful to make one doc per chapter.

2. Plug in your microphone and go to ‘Tools’ and ‘Voice Typing’.

3. Choose your language from the floating menu and press the ‘Microphone’ icon to begin dictating. Make sure to stay on the tab or Google Docs will stop listening.

4. Click the ‘Microphone’ icon again when you’ve finished to end dictation.

Evernote

1. Create a new note in Evernote.

2. Switch on your system’s dictation feature. For Mac, go to Apple menu  > System Settings > Keyboard > toggle on Dictation. For Windows, it’s Windows Key + H.

3. Move your cursor to the beginning of your new Evernote note.

4. Begin speaking and dictation converts speech to text in your Evernote note.

The Best Book Editing Software

While there are a wide range of options when you’re writing a book, it’s hard to pinpoint a single best book writing software, simply because every author's needs are different. I’ve narrowed down my favorite 4 writing apps for their unique strengths and features.

Google Docs

While Google Docs isn’t specifically made to help you pen that bestseller, I do think it’s the easiest software to pick up and start writing with. Its main benefits for me as a writer are that it saves your work instantly, you can share it with anyone, and work from any device without worrying about licensing.

Google Voice Typing on the desktop makes writing so much quicker, which most other writing software lacks (at least as a native option). Best of all, it's free!

My advice if you need some kind of structure for your work: Create a master folder on Google Drive, where you store individual folders for chapters, objects, and more. You can color-code folders to make it easier. From there, create individual Docs as chapters and use headings in your document as scenes.

Atticus

Yes, Atticus is an expensive initial outlay, but it’s as if Scrivener and Vellum had a baby—powerful organizational features with professional-grade formatting tools. Atticus can effectively take your story from concept to published, all in one piece of software.

ProWritingAid

I feel as though ProWritingAid is more than just a grammar tool. If you’re serious about improving your writing and honing your craft, it acts almost as skilled as a human editor, which is great news if you don’t yet have access to editing staff for your book. The suggestions about improving your writing style are very specific and the critique option is very impressive.

Bibisco

The whole idea of writing a character-driven story instead of a plot-driven story is one I hadn’t previously considered, yet Bibisco’s whole premise is exactly that. I’m including this software because the lengths it goes to help you develop complex characters, then entwine them within your story, is truly impressive. The layout feels easy to navigate, too.

Conclusion

Each software in this list has its own unique flair, so I’m sure that you’ll find one that supports your writing style! If you can, try out free trials and even check YouTube to see how other authors in your niche are making the most of these tools. Hopefully, with the right software, you’ll not only bring your story to life but give it the professional polish it deserves. Happy writing!