Writing and publishing a novel takes creativity, craft, and grit, but sourcing reliable help shouldn’t be hard. Whether you’re drafting your first story or building a writing career, our curated list of recommended tools, websites, and services can help you.
Industry Insights & Publishing Advice:
Industry experts can help you understand the industry better, find the right path forward, and show you how to protect yourself from bad actors.
Jane Friedman: A book industry icon! Read her blog and subscribe to The Hot Sheet
Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI): News, advocacy, and a vetted service directory for authors
Reedsy: Practical insight on publishing and marketing, plus free education to fill in knowledge gaps
Writer Beware: Author advocacy and scam watch. Identifies bad actors (fake agents, vanity presses, services, etc.) so writers can avoid them
Wide for the Win Community: Learn from your peers who go wide! Ask questions about platforms, processes, service options, and selling direct
Marketing, Promotion, and Business Advice:
If you struggle with marketing and promotion, don’t worry. Seek to understand the best strategies and advice for finding your audience and selling more books.
Writers Helping Writers: Our vast collection of business and marketing strategies, handouts, promotional swipe files, and practical advice on finding readers
Build Book Buzz: Sandra Beckwith shares marketing best practices and advice
The Creative Penn: Joanna Penn leverages technology to help creatives build a sustainable author business
Bookbub Partners: A hub filled with discovery tools, industry data, and marketing advice
David Gaughran: Save money and maximize book exposure by signing up for his valuable marketing newsletter & taking his free course
Author Services and Resources:
Beyond writing a book, authors have a lot of hats to wear, and the right tools and services can make publishing, marketing, and accounting much easier.
Canva: Great tool for creating marketing materials. Free and paid plans available
DIY 3D Book Mockups: This incredible free tool is a lifesaver (thank you, Derek Murphy!)
JD Smith Design: An absolute treasure–quick and professional. Designs our covers and interiors
Publisher Rocket: Excellent tool for finding a book’s keywords for ads, comp books, and more
QueryTracker: Great organization & information software for your agent search
ProWritingAid: Affordable software to help you strengthen your writing
BetaBooks: Find beta readers and manage book feedback all in one place
ScribeCount: Track your book sales, bestseller rank & more
TechSurgeons: Terrific website host (specializes in author sites)
Web4Writers: A website designer & branding specialist who knows exactly what authors need
Freelance Editing and Coaching Services:
Quality books need quality editors, so if you are looking for a strong fit to help you get your book publish-ready, here’s a list to start you off.
Editors and Writing Coaches: Download our list of personal recommendations
Michael Dunne: Our proofreader, highly recommended
Heart of the Story: Sara is a former Resident Writing Coach and poetry expert
Stuart Wakefield: a compassionate writing coach and editor
Astrion Creative: Erica proofread The Conflict Thesaurus and did an outstanding job
Game-Changing Writing Tools:
The right tools can make planning, writing, and revising a story much easier. If you’d like to add a few game-changers to help you craft brilliant fiction, try these.
One Stop for Writers®
One Stop for Writers® is a powerhouse story support app that helps you master character creation, story structure, worldbuilding, and the art of show-don’t-tell, so you write stronger, more compelling fiction and improve your storytelling skills at the same time.
SHOW-DON’T-TELL THESAURUS DATABASE: Say goodbye to vague descriptions! This massive database helps you portray your characters’ emotions, personality, motivation, and fears, and it also provides you with non-stop ideas for writing conflict, setting, symbolism, and more.
CHARACTER BUILDER: Create layered, fully fleshed-out characters that feel real from page one
CHARACTER ARC BLUEPRINT: Map a powerful inner journey that fuels your protagonist’s transformation
TIMELINE TOOL: Track events, backstory, and key moments to keep your story world organized and consistent
STORY & SCENE MAPS: Plan scenes and plot points with intuitive visual tools
WORLDBUILDING SURVEYS: Develop immersive story worlds with guided prompts that uncover meaningful details
IDEA GENERATOR: Get unstuck using curated ideas for plot complications, character secrets, personal fears, internal growth, quirks, and more
WORKSHEETS & TEMPLATES: Focus on one thing at a time with helpful sheets that make it easier to understand characters, behavior, setting, and more
THE STORYTELLER’S ROADMAP: A writing coach without the price tag. Get step-by-step help as you plan, write, and revise
WRITING TIP AND CHECKLIST DATABASE: So much help in so many areas! Use these to take your fiction from good to amazing
One Stop for Writers® is your creative companion, packed with features and tools that take the guesswork out of planning, writing, and revising your story. Give the free trial a spin. The right tools make crafting stories so much easier.
Writers Helping Writers® Thesaurus Series
Trusted by authors and editors worldwide with over 1.3 million copies sold, these bestselling thesaurus writing guides are essential tools for strong, immersive fiction.
The Writers Helping Writers® Thesaurus series is comprised of practical, easy-to-use books that help fiction creatives master show-don’t-tell. Part how-to, part brainstorming ‘thesaurus’ list, each book focuses on a key element of storytelling—emotion, conflict, settings, character traits, etc.—and shows writers exactly how to use it to power their fiction. If you’re looking for trusted guidance on how to write breakout fiction, this is it.
Questions you may have about Writers Helping Writers thesaurus books:
Nope! Each volume covers a topic writers often struggle with, such as showing character emotion, crafting compelling story conflict, writing sensory settings, and the like. So, start with the thesaurus book topic that matches your area of struggle.
Yes! You can download a free PDF sampler that includes one thesaurus entry from each book in the Writers Helping Writers® series. It’s a quick way to see how these guides help with show-don’t-tell, character development, conflict, emotion, and more.
More Writing Help
Million Dollar Outlines: David Farland’s (mentor to mega-bestselling authors) book is a must-have
Writer’s Secret Weapon Page: Get help with EVERYTHING you need as a writer and author
Scrivener: A “does it all” writing & organization tool
Writing for Life Workshops: Featured courses and workshops by bestselling author and editor C.S. Lakin
Jami Gold’s Worksheets for Writers: A plethora of excellent writing & editing tools
The Writer’s Knowledge Base: A search engine for writers
Story Structure Database: Movie breakdowns to help you master story structure
Word Frequency Counter: Find your overused words quickly with this counter
Online Writing Communities
Looking to find other writers for support, help, and connection? Try these communities:
Fictionary Community: Learn craft, network, and find resources
The Creative Academy: Find your people, build relationships, and grow together
Scribophile: A community for critique swaps and open discussion
The Critique Circle: A terrific critique exchange community (where Becca and I met!)
Insecure Writers Support Group: A supportive community for all writers
Angela’s Vault of Wonders: Useful and Inspiring Resources
In her internet travels, Angela comes across some interesting finds. Check out some of these gems:
MythBank’s World Mythology 101: a compendium of myth and folklore
Litcharts: a directory of literary devices and terminology
Reverse Dictionary: A great tool for finding a better word option
Action Verb List: Lose the bland and get specific
The Skeptic’s Dictionary: weird and wonderful story inspiration
Author Name Pronunciation Guide: Helpful for conferences, author interviews, etc.
Rainy Mood: Write to the sound of rain
Silk: Create something beautiful while thinking through writing problems
One Stop For Writers® Pinterest Board: best of the best writing articles
Writers Helping Writers® Pinterest Board: our most popular articles in one place
Great Article Thanks For Sharing Information…..
Do you sell the different thesaurus books together as a bundle?
Hi Jackie, We do not sell the guides as a bundle in print, just as this would be a bit costly for most people and typically Amazon will have our books on sale at at better price (as people get free shipping). As far as ebooks, Becca and I opted to keep our ebook prices a a fair price across the board rather than do what traditional publishers do and slap on the same price as the print. However, we did create one ‘bundle’ for the Positive and Negative Trait books so we could hyperlink them together, making it easier to move between positive and negative traits. You can find that one here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/the-character-trait-boxed-set/
I hope this helps answer your question. YOu can find out where all of our books are and your preferred stores here: https://books2read.com/ap/njVQWn/Angela-Ackerman
Hi Becca and Angela, first: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Second: I have a specific question relating to one of your Thesauri.
My one question is, in response to what you have written in The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, that of the LIE being the key component in a character’s arc, is it possible that “Emotional High-Points” (I don’t exactly know how to define them, but I imagine them to be the opposite of Emotional Wounds) ALSO carry their own lies?
Thank you so much for everything you do. I recently bought four brand new copies off your thesaurus list.
Ignacio
Hi, Ignacio! I’m so sorry to just now be getting back to you; somehow, your comment slipped by me :).
I believe what you’re asking is if really big positive moments in the character’s life can result in a lie the same way wounds do. So, winning a coveted prize or having a baby, for instance. This is very interesting question. I think that any big, impactful moment can change the character. But I don’t believe positive moments will have the hugely negative impacts that a wound does. The reason a wound gives birth to the lie is because it’s the brain’s way of trying to make sense of what happened so it can ensure that horrible thing never happens again. Whose fault is this? How did I let this happen? What’s wrong with me? This whole thing could’ve been avoided if I’d just done X, Y, or Z.
But positive moments are different. They build confidence instead of self-doubt. They make the character feel powerful instead of weak. These events build the character up instead of tearing them down. There’s no need to try and keep these keystone moments from reoccurring, so there’s no need for our brains to try and make sense of it to try and protect the character.
I’m sure there are exceptions. Someone who comes out #1 in a challenging competition may begin to believe that they’re better than everyone else, that others are inferior. But the process of that lie forming is different and will have different factors leading up to it than an emotional wound does. So I think the two situations are very different.
This was a thought-provoking question. I hope I answered it to your satisfaction. Thanks for bringing it up!
WOW! Thank you so much for responding!
Yes, this makes a lot more sense. The reason I asked this question is because recently I read Oedipus Rex by Sophocles; since it mentions how Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, this made me think if previous achievements also set up the character to believe a lie about themselves.
Thank you!
– Ignacio
I am just now revisiting a post you published in October of 2015 titled ” Planning a Novel: Character Arc In a Nutshell.” It is extraordinary! Thank you for such an informative article!
So glad you found that post helpful! These four things are really four cornerstones of a story, and when we figure them out, everything else becomes much easier. 🙂 Happy writing!
Good post guys
I have used WHW for a couple of years. I am amazed every time I take a couple minutes to explore the site. My solution: SET A REMINDER IN MY PHONE CALENDAR!
Thanks, again!
Mike Emminger
Wow! what an awesome one-stop info for all the prerequisites and requirements for authors.
I have bought most of your books and gifted to a good friend too.
Please share with us more info to help us be self-published successful authors soon.
Thank you 🙂
I am just a wannabe amateur writer, and I am grateful for all your invaluable resources that you have enlightened us with. Honestly speaking, your first thesaurus is like the first glimpse of light in a long dark tunnel where I was stuck and lost for a long time. I am deeply thankful for your great effort. I would love to see like everybody else out there more thesaurus. If you plan to release thesauruses on outer and inner conflicts I do believe that would be one of the greatest gift one can experience as a writer. I hope you will take my request under your kind consideration.
Thanks & Regards
What a lovely note–we are so happy we are able to help you! And I don’t know if you are aware, but in addition to our books, we have a site that houses ALL our thesauruses – 14 in all. I mention this because today we just put up a Character Motivation thesaurus that looks at the internal and external motivations of a character. LOL, how’s that for good timing? The link is here if you wish to check it out: https://onestopforwriters.com/character_motivations
It’s fantabulous !!!! 😍
That’s terrific—so glad it will help!
I am seeking help to write my book
Hi there, Bakari. 🙂 You’ve come to the right place because this site is filled with articles and tools to help you write. If you have a specific problem you need help with, try to give me as much detail as possible so I can direct you to the right articles or tools, or you can use the search function in the right side toolbar. 🙂
The Dick Tracy watch for writers.
Thank you!! 🙂
What an amazing collection of resources! Thank you so much!
Thanks. That is a lot of good info. I appreciate you! 🙂
Thanks for a very helpful post.
Love your books. This resource page is a treasure for writers. Thanks for your generosity.
So glad you’re enjoying it, Jeff!
What a great resource! Thank you for sharing.
Happy to share, Sue! Thanks for your visit. 😉
Wow! Great lineup of resources. Thanks so much for sharing them!
<333
I am constantly looking for resources for writers and I must say that this is such an amazing list. Thank you for taking the time to put this together!
Vary happy it helps! 🙂
What an incredible list! Thank you so much for sharing.
Happiness is mine,indeed!
This is generosity!
Happy you found us, Edgardo!
This is such a helpful list. thank you so much. I will check them out.
I love everything about your site. Lots of info for a newie!
Thanks,
Richard Freeze
Thank you so much for this massive list.