Hi friends! Happy Sunday and Happy Easter (if you’re celebrating). For today’s blog post, I thought I would give you an inside peek at what programs, apps, websites, etc I use for writing, editing, marketing… Everything I use in my writing/author career. I frequently see new authors/writers asking what programs people recommend, so if you’ve ever wondered this question, keep reading!
When it comes to writing, Scrivener is my go to. I use both Scrivener for my desktop and the Scrivener app on my phone and iPad so I always have access to my manuscripts if an idea suddenly hits while I am not at my computer. I love Scrivener because it’s easy to organize my WIPs and move chapters around if I want to. I’m also able to keep all of my research, character sheets, and setting information right in the same document as my manuscript so I always can access the information easily without searching for it while I am writing. I also enjoy being able to set goals and targets for the day and the overall project to help me stay on track while I am writing.
For one of my first and last rounds of editing I use this free text-to-speech website to read my writing back to me. It helps me determine if what I have written actually makes sense and helps me catch misspelled or misused words: https://ttsreader.com/
When it comes time to format my books, I’ve started using Vellum, but because I have a PC, not a Mac, I also use MacinCloud, because Vellum is currently only available for Mac computers. I used Vellum for the first time while formatting my book PLAYING FOR KEEPS. It was incredibly easy to use and to format for both Kindle and Paperback. Buying the Vellum software is a bit of an investment upfront but it took all the stress away from trying to figure out how to format on my own while also not putting me in a position to hire out formatting.
I designed my website by myself, but I have absolutely no skills with coding or web design. This is why WordPress was the perfect choice for my website. Its easy to use and no fuss or hassle for layouts or web-hosting.
For my newsletter, I use MailChimp. MailChimp helps collect newsletter subscribers, create a layout for the newsletter, and recommends best times to send out the newsletter. I can sort and organize subscribers for different newsletters, and build customer journeys from when they first subscribe. MailChimp also integrates well with other programs that I use like my WordPress website as well as the program that I use to help recruit people to join my newsletter.
That website is called BookFunnel. BookFunnel is a place where you can join newsletter swaps with other authors, and attract readers to subscribe to your newsletter with free copies of your books, send out ARC copies, and provide reader magnets. With the help of BookFunnel I’ve built my newsletter up from a measly 12 subscribers to over 2000 subscribers and counting.
BookBrush is a website that I use mainly for creating 3D images and mockups of books and ebooks. There are a lot of other graphics and even videos that you can make with BookBrush, but I mainly use it just for the super quick creation of the 3D mockups that I will later add on to other graphics for marketing and sharing on social media.
Canva is hands down the best program/website that I have found for creating graphics to share on your social media, website, and newsletters. But you can do so much more than just create a basic graphic. With Canva you can create Reels and TikToks, collages, invitations, t-shirts, and so, so much more. You can even design your book covers in Canva! That’s what I’ve been doing recently. And it’s incredibly easy to use. Canva has a website for desktop use and an app for phones or tablets.
So, those are all the websites, programs, and software that I use most frequently for writing, editing, formatting, and marketing. Authors/Writers are these the same tools that you use in your writing career? Any other programs that you love that I haven’t included in this list? Let me know in the comments.
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Until next time, my friends!
XoXo,
Michelle C. Hillstrom - Author 
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