You do not need one magical piece of software to write a book. What you need is the right combination of tools that suit your workflow, from planning and drafting through to editing, formatting, and publishing. The goal is simple: fewer tools, less friction, and more time spent actually writing.
Most “best writing software” articles rank tools in a numbered list, push affiliate links, and leave you none the wiser about what fits your situation. This guide takes a different approach. We have organised tools by the stage of your writing workflow so you can see exactly where each one fits, and we have included an ethical AI section because, as members of the AI for Authors Circle, that matters to us.
At the end, you will find our personal recommendation and a downloadable checklist to help you choose your own perfect setup.
| Tool | Best For | Price | Platforms | Formatting | Plotting | AI |
| Atticus | All-in-one writing, formatting, publishing | $147 one-time (~£117) | All (browser + desktop) | Full ebook + print | Planned | No |
| Scrivener | Pure drafting and manuscript organisation | ~$49 one-time (~£45) | Mac, Windows, iOS | Basic (complicated) | Corkboard | No |
| Dabble Writer | Cloud-based writing with visual plotting | From $10/month (~£8) | All (cloud-based) | Limited | Yes (Plot Grid) | No |
| LivingWriter | Template-based drafting and story mapping | From $9.99/month (~£8) | All (cloud-based) | No | Yes (story maps) | Yes (optional) |
| Campfire Writing | Worldbuilding and planning (fantasy/sci-fi) | From $2/month per module | All (web, desktop, mobile) | No | Yes (extensive) | No |
| Plottr | Visual plotting and story arc planning | One-time or subscription | Mac, Windows | No | Yes (core) | No |
| Sudowrite | AI-assisted fiction brainstorming | From ~$19/month (~£15) | Browser-based | No | No | Yes (core) |
| ProWritingAid | Deep editing and style feedback | Free / Premium ~$30/mo | All (integrations) | No | No | Yes (editing) |
| Google Docs | Collaboration and short projects | Free | All (browser) | No | No | No |
| Reedsy Studio | Free formatting and basic writing | Free | Browser-based | Yes (ebook + print) | No | No |
These are tools that aim to handle multiple stages of the book creation process in a single application. They save you from juggling three or four different programmes and the inevitable headache of moving files between them.
Atticus is, in our view, the strongest all-in-one option available to authors today. It combines writing, formatting, and exporting into a single application that works on every platform, whether you are on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, or simply using a browser. Your work syncs to the cloud automatically, so you are never at the mercy of a single device.
The standout benefit is pricing. Atticus costs $147 (approximately £117) as a one-time purchase, with all future updates included. There is no subscription. Your work is never held hostage to monthly payments, and you never risk losing access because you forgot to renew. Compare that to Vellum at $249 (Mac only, formatting only) and the value becomes clear.
Atticus handles ebook and print formatting beautifully, with a live preview that shows you exactly what your finished book will look like. You can export files ready for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and other platforms without leaving the app.
The one gap at present is plotting. Atticus does not currently include built-in planning tools such as character cards, story arcs, or timelines. However, this is on their development roadmap. In the meantime, pairing Atticus with a dedicated plotting tool like Plottr or Campfire gives you a complete workflow.
Best for: Authors who want to write, format, and publish from a single tool without a subscription.
Scrivener has been a favourite among authors for years, and for good reason. It offers a powerful drafting environment with a binder system for organising chapters, scenes, research notes, and reference material. Its Composition Mode provides a distraction-free writing space, and the corkboard view gives you a basic visual overview of your project.
Like Atticus, Scrivener is a one-time purchase at around $49 (approximately £45), which is appealing. However, major updates require a new purchase, and Scrivener is notoriously slow to release them. The Mac version typically updates years ahead of the Windows version.
The biggest drawback is complexity. Scrivener has a steep learning curve. People buy dedicated courses, some costing over £100, just to learn how to use it properly. Its formatting capabilities exist on paper but are so convoluted that most authors export their manuscript to a separate formatting tool anyway, which defeats the purpose of an all-in-one solution.
Best for: Authors who prioritise a powerful drafting environment and do not mind a steep learning curve. Be prepared to use a separate tool for formatting.
Dabble Writer is a clean, cloud-based writing tool that deserves more attention than it typically receives. Its standout feature is the Plot Grid, a visual system for organising storylines, character arcs, and subplots across scenes. If you are someone who likes to see your entire story laid out visually, this is genuinely useful.
Dabble also includes goal tracking, word count targets, and NaNoWriMo integration, making it strong for productivity-focused writers. The interface is modern and intuitive.
The downsides are that it is subscription-based (from around $10/month) and its formatting capabilities are limited. You will still need a separate tool to produce publish-ready files. It also lacks the depth of organisation that Scrivener offers for research and reference material.
Best for: Plotters and planners who want a cloud-based writing tool with built-in visual story organisation. Pair with Atticus for formatting.
Not every author writes by the seat of their pants. If you plan, plot, and build worlds before you draft, these tools are designed specifically for that stage of the process.
Campfire Writing takes a modular approach that is unlike anything else on the market. Rather than paying for a single monolithic application, you choose and pay for only the modules you need. Options include characters, timelines, maps, magic systems, species, languages, religions, and more.
This makes it particularly brilliant for fantasy and science fiction authors who need serious worldbuilding capabilities. The character module lets you build detailed profiles. The timeline module helps you track events across multiple storylines and eras. The maps module lets you create and annotate visual maps of your fictional world.
Pricing is flexible. Individual modules range from around $0.25 to $2.00 per month, with lifetime purchase options available. All 17 modules together cost $12.50/month, $125/year, or $375 for lifetime access.
Best for: Fantasy and sci-fi authors who need serious worldbuilding tools. Also strong for any author who wants modular, pay-for-what-you-use planning.
Plottr is a dedicated visual plotting tool that helps you organise scenes, story arcs, characters, and timelines in a drag-and-drop interface. It pairs particularly well with Atticus, since Atticus handles the writing and formatting while Plottr handles the planning.
Plottr offers templates based on popular story structures (such as the Hero’s Journey and Save the Cat), which can be helpful for authors who want a framework to build from. It is available as both a one-time purchase and a subscription.
Best for: Authors who want a focused, visual plotting tool to complement their writing software.
LivingWriter is a cloud-based writing tool with a modern interface and built-in story planning features. It includes story templates, visual story maps, and scene cards that let you rearrange your narrative structure easily.
One of its more interesting features is an optional AI integration for outlining and research assistance. It also supports manuscript import and has a clean, distraction-free writing mode.
The downsides are the subscription model (from $9.99/month, with a lifetime option at around $400) and the lack of formatting capability. You will still need a separate tool to produce a publish-ready book.
Best for: Authors who want a modern, cloud-based writing environment with built-in story templates and optional AI assistance.
This is where the AI for Authors Circle’s perspective genuinely differs from most software guides. We do not simply list AI tools and move on. We believe it matters how you use them.
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) has published clear ethical and practical guidelines built around five principles: Clarity, Consent, Compensation, Curiosity, and Creativity. These apply to both AI developers and authors. The core message is straightforward: AI is a tool for ethical creators, not a replacement for them.
Amazon KDP now requires disclosure of AI-generated content. Industry bodies are increasingly drawing a line between using AI as a creative aid and using it to mass-produce content without genuine authorial input.
At AIFAC, we advocate using AI for supportive tasks:
What we do not advocate is handing your book over to an AI and publishing the output as your own work. Your voice, your craft, and your creative decisions are what make a book worth reading. AI should support that process, not replace it.
Sudowrite is the most author-focused AI writing assistant for fiction. It is built specifically for creative writing and offers tools for brainstorming, expanding scenes, generating descriptions, and working through plot problems. However, it should be used lightly. Over-reliance on Sudowrite (or any generative AI) can result in writing that feels generic and loses your distinctive voice. It is subscription-based, starting at around $19/month (approximately £15).
Claude and ChatGPT are general-purpose AI tools that many authors already use for brainstorming, character development, research, and plotting. They are not built for book writing specifically, but they are versatile and powerful when guided by good prompts. At AIFAC, we teach ethical prompting techniques to help you get the most from these tools without compromising your creative integrity.
ProWritingAid is not a generative AI tool, which is precisely why we rate it so highly. Instead of writing for you, it analyses your writing and provides deep feedback on pacing, repetition, readability, sentence variety, filler words, and style. It helps you become a better writer rather than replacing you. A free tier is available, with premium plans offering more detailed analysis.
Best ethical approach: Use AI to support your creative process, not to bypass it. Always review, edit, and curate AI-generated content. Be transparent with readers about your use of AI. Let your voice remain the voice of your book.
Not every author is ready to invest in premium tools, and that is perfectly fine. These options will get you started without spending a penny.
Google Docs is free, works in any browser, and excels at collaboration. If you are working with co-authors, editors, or beta readers, the real-time commenting and suggestion features are hard to beat. The limitations become apparent with longer manuscripts. It slows down noticeably with large documents, offers no chapter organisation, and cannot produce formatted ebook or print files.
Reedsy Studio is a free, browser-based tool that offers basic writing features alongside genuinely useful formatting. You can export formatted ebooks and print-ready PDFs at no cost, which makes it a solid starting point for authors on a tight budget.
LibreOffice Writer is free and open-source, but it feels dated. If you are going to use a free tool, Google Docs is more modern, easier to use, and better for collaboration.
We have tested a lot of writing tools, and the one that consistently delivers the best experience for authors is Atticus. Here is why:
As the founder of AI for Authors Circle, I personally use Atticus for every book project and would highly recommend it to any author, whether you are just starting out or have several titles under your belt.
For a complete author toolkit, I recommend pairing Atticus with:
That combination covers every stage of the writing and publishing process, without the bloat, without recurring subscriptions eating into your budget, and without compromising your creative voice.
We have created a free downloadable checklist to help you evaluate which tools are right for your writing workflow. Download it from the link below.
Download the Free Checklist Here
This article is published by AI for Authors Circle. We help authors harness AI tools ethically and effectively, without losing their creative voice. Join our community for practical tutorials, ethical AI techniques, and a supportive space for authors at every stage of their journey.