Free Resources for Writing and Publishing
There are a lot of free writing and publishing resources available for authors, but sometimes they cam be hard to find. The idea of this page is to put them all in one place to make them easily accessible for writers, no matter what part of the process they're in. Below you will find resources for planning and outlining, writing, editing and proofreading, formatting, cover and interior design, and publishing.
*This is a work in progress! I will be constantly adding/updating links as I go. Eventually I will try to organize them into subcategories, but this is what we're working with for now. Not all of these sites have been vetted but I have at least heard good things about all of them. If you are an author who knows of a free resource that would be good to include on this page, or if any of the links below stop working and/or are not free anymore and need to be revised, please contact me at jaydenthompsonauthor@gmail.com to see about changes.
Planning/Outlining
Outlining Your Novel - YouTube playlist
Plot Diagram Templates - PDF templates
The 7 Best Ways to Outline Your Novel - article
The Best Character Template Ever - article/template
Free Novel Outline Templates - templates for novel outlining with different ones for specific genres
Bubbl - outlining tool
MindMeister - mind mapping
Plot Factory - online story planner
Family Echo - family tree maker
Writing
Google Docs and Microsoft Word - word processing sites
Ellipsus - anti-AI word processing site for writers
How to Write a Book: Complete Step-By-Step Guide - article
How To Write A Novel with the 3-Act Story Structure - YouTube playlist
Brandon Sanderson Lecture Series on writing sci-fi and fantasy - YouTube videos
Reedsy Studio - novel writing software to draft and typeset your book
Evernote - note-taking app
How to Write a Book: 13 Steps From a Bestselling Author - YouTube video
Editing and Revising
Editing Your Novel - YouTube playlist
How To Edit A Book - article + checklist
Book Editing Basics - article
How to Edit a Novel: The Foolproof 9-Step Book Editing Process - article
Manuscript Formatting - *different from interior formatting, but here's an article on it nonetheless
Formatting and Interior Design
Sites such as Reedsy and Draft2Digital have book formatting tools included
Chapter Headings Tutorial - YouTube video
Format Your Paperback - article from KDP Help Center. Follow the links on the lefthand side of the page to see formatting for hardcovers and eBooks as well
Cover Design
Canva - design software with an extensive free version
Adobe Express - design software
GIMP - open-source photo editor
How I Designed the Cover for Diamond in the Rough - video tutorial for how I designed the cover of my debut novel using the free version of Canva
Publishing
Kindle Direct Publishing - free Print on Demand publishing service provided by Amazon
Also, the KDP Help Center, which not only has tips and troubleshooting for KDP, but also includes articles on how to format you book and has cover size calculators for designing book covers.
IngramSpark - Print on Demand publisher and distributor, but tricker to use than KDP and starts charging for revisions 60 days after your book is created. Otherwise, completely free
Draft2Digital - publishing platform
Marketing
Do I Need Social Media to be an Author? - article
The Art of *Subtle* Book Marketing - YouTube video
How to Market Your Book in 7 Simple Steps - article
19 Ways to Market a Book - article
50 Free Book Marketing Ideas for Writers & Authors - article
Grants, Funds, and Writing Contests
Lists and Miscellaneous
Self-Publishing Guide - really great comprehensive guide on how to do everything from writing to editing to figuring out Goodreads, KDP, and IngramSpark
Campfire - storytelling platform
Directory of Writing Organizations
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