Writing Tools

Writing a novel is monumental enough without fighting your tools. This guide covers the essential software, planning tools, formatting apps, and hardware that independent authors use throughout the writing and publishing process — from blank page to publish-ready files.

Atticus is the only mainstream tool that combines a writing environment with professional ebook and print formatting output — and it runs on Windows, Mac, and Chromebook. For Windows authors who've envied Vellum's output without access to it, and for authors who want to simplify their tool stack, Atticus is the answer.

Your manuscript is written. Now it needs to become a book — an ebook that looks clean on every Kindle, Kobo, and iPad, and a print PDF that KDP and IngramSpark will accept. Four tools dominate this step for indie authors: Atticus, Vellum, Lacuna, and Kindle Create. This guide tells you which one belongs in your workflow.