This page will constantly be updated with programs, apps, sites, etc., that I, personally, have found useful or other authors have found useful and suggested to me. Sites, programs, and apps listed in blue are ones I’ve personally used, while those that have been suggested to me, that I haven’t tried yet, are listed in orange. (I’ll be slowly adding them as they come to mind so I don’t spend an entire day working on it!) I do not have any affiliations with any of the sites nor do I receive compensation for listing them. If you have a site you think others might find useful, please let me know. Also, if you’ve had a problem with a site, I’d like to know that too.
AllAuthor: Promotion site with lots of tools for authors. (Free & Paid)
BookBrush: An online site where you can make teasers images and short animated teasers for your books.
Calibre: A downloadable program that converts your Word documents into other formats, such as Mobi and Epub.
Canva: An online site where you can make book and teaser graphics.
Carbonite: Personal cloud backup
Cold Turkey: A program that blocks your access to the internet for set periods so you don’t get distracted while writing!
Deposit Photos: Stock photo site
Epub Validator: An online program that checks your Epub files for errors that may prevent it from being properly uploaded to sites like Kobo. (I used this a lot before I got Vellum and needed to check my Epub files converted through Calibre.
Goodreads Librarians on Facebook: Need help merging book listings? Got a question about your book cover? Prefer talking to someone on FB instead of Goodreads about it? Join the “I Need a Goodreads Librarian” Facebook group.
Grammarly: Browser extension for editing manuscripts.
Hot Damn Stock: Stock photo site
Legal Fiction Facebook Group: Great resource for legal questions that will make your storyline realisitc.
MacInCloud: If you only have a PC, but want to be able to access some programs that are only available to Mac users, then check out MacInCloud. You can “rent” access to Mac features through your PC and only have to pay for the time you’re actually using it. Just note that, now that I have a Mac, I notice how much slower certain programs were while using MacInCloud. But it is a great way to try those Mac-only programs before deciding if you want to splurge on a new or refurbished Mac.
Mailchimp: A newsletter creator and distribution site.
Mailerlite: A newsletter creator and distribution site. I moved from Mailchimp to this because I found it easier to use. I’ve found an even mix of authors who prefer one over the other.
Pacemaker: A Simple Flexible Goal Planner to keep you on track with your daily word counts.
Period Images: Stock photo site
Pic Monkey: Online image editing tool – great for teasers!
Promo: An online video trailer site
Pro Writing Aid: A grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package.
Scrivener: A wonderful downloadable app, available for PC and Mac (I prefer the Mac version) that you can write your book in. There are dozens of features to help you plot, write, and keep track of your characters. It took me 5 tries over two year to get comfortable with it (I was a longtime Word user), but with the updates they’ve made over that period of time, I find it a lot easier to use now.
Trauma Fiction Facebook Group: A great resource for medical procedures, illness, injuries, etc. for authors.
Vellum: A WONDERFUL formatting program to make your books look nice and pretty. It does all the proper conversions for you for ebooks and print. You can enter your own chapter heading images and scene break images. There are different styles you can play around with to find the right look for your book. Unfortunately, it’s only available for Mac computers at the moment.
Writer’s Detective Bureau Facebook Group: A resource for writing believable crime scenes and law enforcement procedures.