Blog Archives

5 Near-Indispensable Tools to Help Authors Write

18/10/2022

There are a variety of platforms (or tools) vying for our attention as authors. Sifting through these to find truly useful ones is a laborious task, and also subjective. Some authors will prefer tools to help them keep to a daily or weekly work count, some will prefer tools to help with character names, some will prefer tools to help with sentence structure, and so on. The following 5 tools are near-indispensable for helping authors write and complete manuscripts, in my opinion (8 books down in a mix of indie and trad publishing + a few in the oven!). They're tools I've personally used, and find helpful.

1. Microsoft Word

This software, or a very similar equivalent (such as Open Office, Google Docs, etc), is well worth the investment as a decent catch-all. If there was only one tool I could use to aid with my writing, it would be this processor. Its word and grammar checker is fantastic. Furthermore, once you become au fait with using it to write with, you will also probably begin to learn about using styles to create headings and other types of formatting that help you navigate the document (as that's what your book is!), and create your desired eBook or physical book template.

2. Grammarly

This is FREE and the next most important thing in terms of spell and grammar checking, after Microsoft Word. Before I pass my book to proof-readers, and certainly before it sees the light of day to anyone else such as an editor, I run my manuscript through Grammarly. It catches mistakes that Microsoft Word misses, and also finds different types of grammatical errors. There's no reason not to use it.

3. Hemingway

Hemingway has a similar overall sleek feel to Grammarly, but it's geared towards readability (as opposed to catching mistakes, per se). Therefore, you can use the two in tandem. Of course, you can disagree with a lot of what Hemingway comes up with, but it's still useful to gauge the algorithmic perception of your writing. Oh, and it's also FREE.

4. An app to take notes (I use Telegram)

Being able to jot down notes on-the-go is non-negotiable. You might wake up at night having had a useful dream, have a spark of inspiration on the tube or the bus, or realise something mid-conversation with a friend that you need to subtly note down. You need to be able to quickly take notes. Pretty much 1 billion apps offer this, but you need to find one that you're comfortable with. Personally, I use Telegram (saved messaged), since I have it synced to my phone and computer, so can write notes on-the-go and use/delete them later. I also believe it's highly encrypted (compared to many other messaging services).

5. Glossary Generator

This is also FREE, fast, and simple to use. It's a program I wrote in python to help authors create glossaries without having to trawl through their books for hours. You simply upload your manuscript (in Microsoft Word format), and a text file is created with glossary suggestions. Also, it helps authors find errors that aren't discovered by other software, like inconsistently named characters. Glossaries are so important, especially for Fantasy and Sci-Fi, and are increasingly in demand by readers. Give it a go!

Good luck!

3 Comments

5 Free Platforms Where Authors Should List Their Books

4/10/2022

8 Comments

It's vital that online "mentions" exist for you as an author. When a reader searches for you or your book, the more results that come up in the search engine, the better. Ensuring your book(/s) are mentioned online is even more important if you have not cultivated an email list of subscribers. They do not take a lot of effort, and once you've ensured the information is correct, you're pretty much done! Here are 5 of the most useful places for you to do this. These platforms are free, although some do offer various paid services (which I'm not 100% sure I'd recommend).

1. Goodreads

This is the most popular resource for readers to catalogue, keep track of and rate their books. Readers are able to put books into to-be-read lists, and much more. While Goodreads is a little clunky (even with the recent visual "overhaul" that I personally don't think is an improvement), it's a must have. Make sure to add your book(/s) here if the details have not been automatically pulled in, and create your author profile page.

2. BookBub

BookBub serves a similar purpose to Goodreads, although it is a little more niche, and more geared towards helping readers discover books (as well as informing them of fresh releases and price promotions). That said, it takes very little time to setup a profile on BookBub, so go ahead! Anyone who "follows" you on BookBub will receive an email whenever you publish a new book, providing you make sure that it appears on the BookBub platform.

3. LibraryThing

If I'm honest, I barely use LibraryThing. I hate its UI/UX and think it's a bit of a dead zone (maybe it will be retired or is in the process, I don't know). However, some readers do use it in a similar, even more niche way to Goodreads. Also, dislike aside, the more arrows pointing your way online, and in reputable book-loving places that have some degree of clout, the better.

4. Amazon Author Central

Amazon Author Central is an Amazon-owned platform where you can add information about yourself and your book(/s) to augment what's displayed by default. This information populates Amazon's product pages for (1) your book and (2) your author page (accessed if a reader on Amazon clicks your name). Overall, you and your work will appear more professional. Plus, Amazon Author Central gives you additional tools to monitor your progress (in terms of book ranks, reviews etc).

5. Your own website

Finally, but very importantly, you need a website if you are serious about writing. While the above platforms are easier to get started on (which is why I ranked them in that order), I believe this is the second most important platform to establish, after Goodreads. Websites can be pretty cost effective, and there are a variety of website builders to use, which are essentially drag-and-drop mediums. I use Weebly, for example. Take a look at high-flying authors in your genres and peruse their websites for inspiration.