I’ll keep this page updated with some of the tools that are helping me manage my time. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning that if you order using them, you pay no extra but I receive a small percentage for introducing you to the company. I only recommend items on this page that I personally use and love. I hope they help you!
Vellum is the tool I use to format my eBooks and paperbacks. When you consider the cost of this tool, consider it against the long term costs (time or money) if you choose to pay a formatter or do it yourself over the course of your writing career. For me, that made it a no brainer. The software is easy and intuitive.
Publisher Rocket (formerly KDP Rocket) is research software, focusing on keywords, categories, competition and AMS keywords now too.
K Lytics provide market trend reports by genre, compiling masses of information and presenting it in one easy to read report. You can get a quick overview of your genre’s tropes, the lengths and prices of the bestsellers, and more. You can buy the individual reports that interest you, or pay for an ongoing membership.
BookBrush is a dream come true for people like me who are graphically challenged! I create all of my book promo images using the software, which is web based and easy to use. With community templates and an ever expanding range of services (as I type this, they’ve just added the box set creator), they have lots to offer.
Write or Die is designed to combat writer’s block by letting you punish yourself for any moments when your fingers stop flying aross the keys. At its most extreme, your words begin to delete – irreversibly – if you stop typing.
Freedom is an app and website blocker, designed to help you avoid tech distraction and stay focused on what’s most important to you.
Text Expander lets you insert words, phrases or whole chunks of text that you frequently have to type, by way of shortcuts you create.
Boomerang is an email delay tool, currently only available for Gmail. It allows you to type out an email, and click send later instead of send. It’s a great way to get a task off your list without entering into the endless loop of replies that one email can create.
PaceMaker is an online tool that allows you to track your writing projects, set targets and quickly see your progress.
Cleanfox is a mass unsubscribe tool, perfect for those inboxes that have got out of control.
My favourite quick and easy cook books are The Roasting Tin and Cook Once, Eat All Week.
KDP Description Generator is a free online tool that allows you to write in your blurb, add the font variations, bold sections, etc, then have it generate the code to copy into your KDP dashboard to create the exact same effect.
National Day Calendar is my go to when I’m not sure what to talk about in my reader groups. I check on here and pick a couple of random upcoming dates to chat about.
ReaderLinks is an online tool that tracks your writing income, your ad spend, and it does much more besides that I haven’t even delved into.
BookLinker is a way of creating custom links for your books and your author page. You can then not only have an easy to remember link for each book, but you can track the number of clicks each link gets.
BookFunnel distributes books to your review team, allows you to promote your list builders, and lets you take part in group promos. They handle the customer service, so a person on your review team who can’t access the file or open it directs those queries right to BookFunnel, not you.
Mention tracks when you’re, erm, mentioned online! Great for keeping up with mentions of your pen names and books so you can dive in the conversation, thank people and see what’s being said.
