Toolbox • Recommended Stack
The Best Tools for Authors: Writing, Editing, Formatting & Marketing
You don’t need 50 tools. You need a small stack you’ll actually use. This guide helps you pick that stack.
1. Writing & Drafting Tools
Your drafting tool should disappear while you’re writing. If you’re fiddling more than typing, it’s the wrong tool.
- Scrivener / Atticus / similar: Best for big, complex projects with lots of scenes, notes, and research.
- Google Docs / Word: Simple and familiar; great for collaboration with editors and beta readers.
Pick one primary drafting tool per project and stay inside it until the manuscript is done.
2. Editing Tools
Software helps, humans decide.
- Professional editor: the single best “tool” you can invest in developmental, line, or copy editing.
- Grammar & style checkers: good for catching basic issues before and after human edits.
Use tools to make your editor’s job easier, not to replace them entirely.
3. Formatting Tools
Good formatting is invisible. Readers notice only when it’s bad.
- Vellum / Atticus / similar: create clean ebook and print interiors with templates.
- Word templates: workable DIY option if you’re careful and follow a guide.
For a detailed process, pair this with How to Format a Book for KDP .
4. Cover Design & Visuals
Your cover is a marketing tool, not art for your wall.
- Professional cover designer: best choice if you can afford it.
- Canva / design tools: great for mockups, social graphics, ads, and simple landing page visuals.
Even if you hire a pro for the cover, these tools keep your visuals consistent everywhere else.
5. Email & Audience Tools
Your list is your long-term asset.
- Email service provider: choose something simple; you don’t need “enterprise” features.
- Landing page builder: capture reader emails from social, podcasts, and inside the book.
Commit to sending at least one useful email per month, even when you’re not launching.
6. Marketing & Analytics Tools
You can’t improve what you never measure.
- Link tracking: short links or tracking tools to see what actually gets clicked.
- Basic dashboards: even a simple spreadsheet that tracks sales, ad spend, and list growth is a “tool.”
Don’t chase fancy dashboards until you’re consistently using basic numbers to make decisions.
7. Your Starter Stack (One Line Each)
If you want the bare minimum that still works, try:
- One drafting app you like.
- One grammar checker + one human editor.
- One formatting solution (Vellum/Atticus or solid Word template).
- One cover designer or template you trust.
- One email platform + one landing page.
- One simple spreadsheet to track sales and marketing.
Then plug that stack into: The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing in 2025 and the 30-Day Launch Plan .