Dear reader,
This list is not exhaustive of all the tools and resources available to self-published nonfiction authors. The ones listed here are not all necessary or even advisable for all writing and publishing situations.
Though I have personal experience with many of these, most of the included resources came to my attention through recommendations from other authors. I do not necessarily endorse everything here. Do your own due diligence before purchasing or using anything listed here, especially as these resources (and self-publishing best practices) are subject to change.
I have attempted to keep this list short and appropriate for new authors who don’t already have their own preferred resources in place. I have made efforts to avoid including anything unnecessarily or prohibitively expensive. You may still decide it is wiser to accomplish certain tasks on your own or to source your own talent at a lower cost.
Remember that this list is just a timely sampling of the many, many author resources that exist and continue to be generated. I encourage you to conduct your own exhaustive research and discover what else is out there or what new resources have been made available since this book was published.
To your success with influential authorship,
Gregory V. Diehl
All-Purpose Freelancer Platforms
Damongo – http://www.damongo.com/
Fiverr – https://www.fiverr.com/
Freelancer – https://www.freelancer.com
Guru – www.guru.com
iFreelance – https://www.ifreelance.com/
People Per Hour – https://www.peopleperhour.com/
Upwork – https://www.upwork.com/
Category and Keyword Research
Google Keyword Planner – https://adwords.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
KDP Rocket – https://kdprocket.com/
KDSpy – https://www.kdspy.com/
Keyword Tool Dominator – https://www.keywordtooldominator.com/k/amazon-keyword-tool
Kparser – https://kparser.com/amazon-keyword-tool/
Merchant Words – https://www.merchantwords.com/
Ranktracer – https://ranktracer.com/best-selling-books.php
The Sonar – http://sonar-tool.com/us/
Yasiv – http://www.yasiv.com
Drafting, Editing, and Proofreading Software
After the Deadline – https://www.afterthedeadline.com/
Grammar Check Online – http://www.grammarcheckonline.net/spelling-and-grammar-check-online/
Grammarly – https://app.grammarly.com/
Hemingway App – http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
iA Writer – https://ia.net/writer
Prowriting Aid – https://prowritingaid.com/
Spellcheck Plus – https://spellcheckplus.com/
Ghostwriting Services
Association of Ghostwriters – http://associationofghostwriters.org/find-ghostwriter/
Ghostwriters Central – https://www.ghostwords.com
Ghostwriting LLC – https://ghostwritingllc.com
Hot Ghostwriter – https://hotghostwriter.com/
Reedsy – https://reedsy.com/
Editing and Proofreading Services
Dragonfly Freelance – http://writingeditingservices.com/
Kibin – https://www.kibin.com
Postscripting – https://postscripting.net
Reedsy – https://reedsy.com/
Scribendi – https://www.scribendi.com/
Wordy – https://www.wordy.com/
Dictation and Transcription Software
Dragon Naturally Speaking – https://www.nuance.com/dragon.html
Sonix – https://sonix.ai/
Speech Notes – https://speechnotes.co/
Speech Texter – https://www.speechtexter.com/
Cover Design Software
Adobe Illustrator – https://www.adobe.com/sea/products/illustrator.html
Adobe Photoshop – https://www.photoshop.com/
Canva – https://www.canva.com/create/book-covers/
KDP Cover Creator – https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates/
Placeit – https://placeit.net/
Cover Design Services
100 Covers – http://100covers.com/
1106 Design – http://1106design.com
99 Designs – https://99designs.com/
Design Crowd – https://www.designcrowd.com/
Reedsy – https://reedsy.com/
Print and E-Book Formatting
Adobe InDesign – https://www.adobe.com/sea/products/indesign.html
Apple Pages – https://www.apple.com/lae/pages/
Blurb – http://www.blurb.com/bookmaking-tools
Jutoh – http://www.jutoh.com/
Kindle Create – https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GHU4YEWXQGNLU94T
Microsoft Word – https://products.office.com/en-us/compare-all-microsoft-office-products/
Reedsy – https://reedsy.com/
Scrivener – https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
Vellum – https://vellum.pub/
Audiobook Narration Software
Adobe Audition – https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html
Amadeus Pro – https://www.hairersoft.com/pro.html
Audacity – https://audacity.en.softonic.com/
MixPad – https://www.nch.com.au/mixpad/index.html
Reaper – http://reaper.fm/
SpeakPipe – https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder
Audiobook Narrators
Audio Creation Exchange – https://www.acx.com/
Voice123 – https://voice123.com/
VoiceBunny – https://voicebunny.com/
Voices – https://www.voices.com/
Nonfiction Book Review Bloggers
20 Something Reads – https://www.20somethingreads.com/
Book Geek – https://www.bookgeeks.in/
Book Reporter – http://admin.bookreporter.com/book-submission-inquiry/
Bookstoker – http://bookstoker.com/genre/non-fiction/
Consumed By Books – http://www.consumedbybooks.com
Rachel Reading – https://rachelsreading.com
SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews – http://smsnonfictionbookreviews.com/
Thirsty4Health – http://thirsty4health.com/
Promotion for Free and Discounted E-Books
Awesome Gang – http://awesomegang.com/
Book Goodies – https://bookgoodies.com/
BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/
Books Butterfly – https://www.booksbutterfly.com/
Buck Books – http://buckbooks.net/
Choosy Bookworm – http://choosybookworm.com/
Digital Book Today – https://digitalbooktoday.com/
Free Booksy – https://www.freebooksy.com/
Kindle Nation Daily – http://kindlenationdaily.com/
The Fussy Librarian – https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/
E-Book Publishing Platforms
Barnes & Noble Press – https://press.barnesandnoble.com/
Bibliotheca – https://www.bibliotheca.com/
Draft2Digital – https://draft2digital.com/
IngramSpark – https://www.ingramspark.com/
Kindle Direct Publishing – https://kdp.amazon.com/
Kobo Writing Life – https://www.kobo.com/en/p/writinglife/
Lulu – https://www.lulu.com/
PublishDrive – https://www.publishdrive.com/
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/
StreetLib – https://www.streetlib.com/
Print-on-Demand Printers and Distributors
IngramSpark – https://www.ingramspark.com/
KDP Print – https://kdp.amazon.com/
Lulu – https://www.lulu.com/
Nook Press – https://press.barnesandnoble.com/
Print Trail – https://printtrail.com/
Audiobook Publishing Platforms
Audio Creation Exchange – https://www.acx.com/
Author’s Republic – https://authorsrepublic.com/
Findaway Voices – https://findawayvoices.com/
ListenUp – http://listenupaudiobooks.com/
Podium Publishing – http://podiumpublishing.com/
Scribl – https://www.scribl.com/
Book Review Assistance
Book Review Targeter – https://bookreviewtargeter.com/
Choosy Bookworm – https://www.choosybookworm.com
Enas Reviews – http://enasreviews.com
Happy Book Reviews – http://happybookreviews.com/
IndieReader – https://indiereader.com/
NetGalley – https://www.netgalley.com/
Reading Deals – https://readingdeals.com/reviews
Your New Books – https://www.yournewbooks.com/
Foreign Language Translation
Babel Cube – https://www.babelcube.com/
Click for Translation – https://clickfortranslation.com/?
Harcz & Partner Ltd. Translation Company – http://www.translationcompany.org/
MINCOR – http://mincor.net/
Translators Base – https://www.translatorsbase.com/
Book Social Networking Sites
Book Talk – https://www.booktalk.org/
BookCrossing – http://www.bookcrossing.com/
BookLikes – http://booklikes.com/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/?
LibraryThing – http://www.librarything.com/
Shelfari – http://www.shelfari.com/
Press Release Distributors
24-7 Press Release – https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
eReleases – https://www.ereleases.com/
Free Press Release – http://www.free-press-release.com/
Online PR News – https://onlineprnews.com/
PR Newswire – https://www.prnewswire.com/
PR.com – https://www.pr.com/
SB Wire – http://www.sbwire.com/
Online Course Platforms
Coursera – https://www.coursera.org/
Lynda – https://www.lynda.com/
Skillshare – https://www.skillshare.com/
Teachable – https://teachable.com/
Thinkific – https://www.thinkific.com/
Udemy – https://www.udemy.com/