Resources for Independent Authors
So you want to self-publish? Here are some of the best resources for independent authors and aspiring writers, broken down by topic.* Please note that a lot of the websites mentioned also include links to buy books written by those authors about more specific topics.
*I categorized these resources based on my own experiences with them; if you believe any of them have been placed in the wrong category or not placed in a category they belong in, please feel free to let me know.
Update on 6/21/2026: After switching to Linux full-time last year, I realized what a major part of authorpreneurship software actually is, and how important it is to be able to find software that does what you want on the system you use. To that end, I reorganized this list to include a Software section at the top. If you just want to hone your skills, though, you can skip straight down to Resources.
Software
Software that can help you get work done. I have divided software into use-based categories at the top, but beneath them you can find a breakdown of which software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Writing Software
- FocusWriter – writing software by Graeme Gott that runs on Windows and Linux
- Scrivener – writing software by Literature and Latte that runs on Windows and Mac (see the Note About Scrivener below for more information)
Editing Software
- Scrivener – writing software by Literature and Latte that runs on Windows and Mac (see the Note About Scrivener below for more information)
Graphic Design Software
For designing your book covers or illustrations.
- Adobe Photoshop – professional graphic design software by Adobe
- Adobe Illustrator – professional vector design software by Adobe
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, or software for editing images
- Krita – professional digital painting software that is free and open source
- Inkscape – free and open source vector design software
Layout Software
For laying out your print book’s interior.
- Adobe Indesign – professional layout design software by Adobe
- Scribus – free and open source desktop publishing and layout design software
- LaTeX – a technical system for typesetting and preparing documents for publication. LaTeX is usually associated with mathematical or scientific publications, but it can be used to generate publishable PDFs for fiction or narrative non-fiction with the Memoir document class
- TeXstudio – a LaTeX editor with live previews
E-Book Software
For designing, creating, and organizing your e-book files.
- Scrivener – writing software by Literature and Latte that runs on Windows and Mac (see the Note About Scrivener below for more information)
- Sigil – an ePub editor
Windows Software
- Scrivener – writing software by Literature and Latte that runs on Windows and Mac (see the Note About Scrivener below for more information)
- Adobe Photoshop – professional graphic design software by Adobe
- Adobe Illustrator – professional vector design software by Adobe
- Adobe Indesign – professional layout design software by Adobe
- Scribus – free and open source desktop publishing and layout design software
- LaTeX – a technical system for typesetting and preparing documents for publication. LaTeX is usually associated with mathematical or scientific publications, but it can be used to generate publishable PDFs for fiction or narrative non-fiction with the Memoir document class
- TeXstudio – a LaTeX editor with live previews
- Sigil – an ePub editor
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, or software for editing images
- Krita – professional digital painting software that is free and open source
- Inkscape – free and open source vector design software
Mac Software
- Scrivener – writing software by Literature and Latte that runs on Windows and Mac (see the Note About Scrivener below for more information)
- Adobe Photoshop – professional graphic design software by Adobe
- Adobe Illustrator – professional vector design software by Adobe
- Adobe Indesign – professional layout design software by Adobe
- Scribus – free and open source desktop publishing and layout design software
- LaTeX – a technical system for typesetting and preparing documents for publication. LaTeX is usually associated with mathematical or scientific publications, but it can be used to generate publishable PDFs for fiction or narrative non-fiction with the Memoir document class
- TeXstudio – a LaTeX editor with live previews
- Sigil – an ePub editor
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, or software for editing images
- Krita – professional digital painting software that is free and open source
- Inkscape – free and open source vector design software
Linux Software
- FocusWriter – writing software by Graeme Gott that runs on Windows and Linux
- Scribus – free and open source desktop publishing and layout design software
- LaTeX – a technical system for typesetting and preparing documents for publication. LaTeX is usually associated with mathematical or scientific publications, but it can be used to generate publishable PDFs for fiction or narrative non-fiction with the Memoir document class
- TeXstudio – a LaTeX editor with live previews
- Sigil – an ePub editor
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program, or software for editing images
- Krita – professional digital painting software that is free and open source
- Inkscape – free and open source vector design software
Resources
Learn more about writing and the variety of skillsets you need to be a successful independent author.
Writing Resources
- Helping Writers Become Authors – K.M. Weiland’s blog
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
- Goins, Writer – Jeff Goins’ website
Editing Resources
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- Helping Writers Become Authors – K.M. Weiland’s blog
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Book Designer – Joel Friedlander’s website
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
Cover Design Resources
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Book Designer – Joel Friedlander’s website
E-Book Formatting Resources
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
Print Layout Design Resources
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Book Designer – Joel Friedlander’s website
Publishing Resources
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- Kindle Direct Publishing – publish your books on Amazon (e-books and print books)
CreateSpace – publish your print books on Amazon(CreateSpace has now been absorbed by Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (see above))- Draft2Digital – distribute your e-book to a variety of e-book retailers
For alternatives to Amazon, see Alternatives to Amazon below.
Marketing Resources
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- Your First 10,000 Readers – Nick Stephenson’s website
- Prolific Works (formerly Instafreebie) – a site where you can offer free books to readers as an incentive to join your mailing list, as well as collaborate with other authors to do cross-promotions
Entrepreneurship Resources
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- Your First 10,000 Readers – Nick Stephenson’s website
- Goins, Writer – Jeff Goins’ website
- Melyssa Griffin – Melyssa Griffin’s website
- Michael Hyatt – Michael Hyatt’s website
Author Platform Resources
- Write. Publish. Repeat. – a book by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant with David Wright
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- Your First 10,000 Readers – Nick Stephenson’s website
- Goins, Writer – Jeff Goins’ website
- Michael Hyatt – Michael Hyatt’s website
List Building Resources
Developing an e-mail list is a big part of Marketing and Author Platform, but it seems to be the most confusing (and perhaps also most important) part, so I decided to make a new category for it here.
- Your First 10,000 Readers – Nick Stephenson’s website
- Melyssa Griffin – Melyssa Griffin’s website
- CreativIndie – Derek Murphy’s website
- MailChimp – a list building service
- Listmonk – a free and open source mailing list manager you can self-host
- Prolific Works (formerly Instafreebie) – a site where you can offer free books to readers as an incentive to join your mailing list, as well as collaborate with other authors to do cross-promotions
Websites and Blogging Resources
- The Creative Penn – Joanna Penn’s website
- Goins, Writer – Jeff Goins’ website
- Melyssa Griffin – Melyssa Griffin’s website
- Michael Hyatt – Michael Hyatt’s website
Note about Scrivener
Before you decide it’s not worth the money or the effort, get the free trial, go through the tutorial, and give it a fair shot. Scrivener has an intense learning curve and it took me about three hours to get through the tutorial, but being able to use Scrivener in every stage of production (planning, writing, revising, and publishing) has revolutionized the way I write and made me a much more effective writer than I ever would have thought possible before I used it.
Alternatives to Amazon
There are other options besides Amazon, but I don’t have enough personal experience with them to feel confident recommending them. If you’re willing to do the research yourself, here are some of the alternatives I’ve heard bandied about:
Publishing and Limited E-Book Distribution (only to their own brand stores)
Wider E-Book Distribution (distribution to a variety of e-book sellers)
- Smashwords
- Draft2Digital – Update: I’ve started using Draft2Digital, but am still including it in this list so you can find it grouped with other e-book distributors.
- BookBaby