Narrowing down my favorite resources is HARD!
When I began the journey toward being a self-publisher consultant in 2017, I had a lot of grammatical know-how but not a lot of publishing knowledge or entrepreneur experience. Through an amazing professional network and a lot of research, I’m pleased with these resources (which, I’ve realized, I recommend over and over), so I want to make these easier for YOU to access if you need them.
These resources themselves are a mix of free and paid. Some of these programs are ones I have an affiliate relationship with — meaning, if you purchase something after clicking my link, I’ll be compensated — but most are just plain good stuff.
All of the following humans I list are individuals I have worked with directly. They not only know their stuff, they are an excellent caliber of human to work with. However, please do vet all professionals yourself to be sure you are comfortable working with them.
Cover design/book layout
Jonathan Lewis
Jonathan Lewis of JonLinCreative.com is an excellent nonfiction cover designer. He also does interior book layouts and social media graphics.
Kara Starcher
Kara Starcher of Mountain Creek Books offers multiple levels of editing as well as cover and book designs.
James Woosley
Founder of Free Agent Press, James Woosley handles cover and book design as well as custom-coded ebooks and publishing advice. He also offers website design and audiobook consultations.
Writing/editing help
Amber Helt
Amber Helt runs Rooted in Writing, a full-tiered author service with everything from writer coaching through editing to book design and marketing.
Jennifer Harshman
Jennifer and her team at Harshman Services are rocking the internet with their content repurposing right now! They can turn blog posts into books (or vice versa) and so much more. She also offers writer and editor coaching services.
Beth Wojiski
Beth Wojiski of Wojiski.com is a fantastic copy editor and proofreader, specializing in cozy mystery.
Terry Stafford
Terry is a ghostwriter and editor who also chats with authors about project management. Find out more on TerryStafford.com.
Kent Sanders
Kent Sanders offers author coaching and ghostwriting, and he also hosts the Daily Writer podcast, all on KentSanders.net.
Lisa Thompson
Lisa does structural editing as well as writer coaching, and I love proofreading manuscripts that have been through her hands! Find her at WriteByLisa.com.
Writer and editor tools
Vellum
One of my favorite resources for indie authors who need to format their own books, Vellum has an amazing typesetting algorithm (which I’d love to have in my custom InDesign formats! No joke–it does in milliseconds what takes me at least a couple hours manually!!)
If you purchase Vellum through my affiliate link, they give me a few dollars as a thanks for sending you their way. 🙂 Here’s the link:
ProWritingAid
Build your self-editing skills with ProWritingAid. For helping writers learn some of their strengths and weaknesses and become better writers, I highly recommend ProWritingAid! Generate reports on filler words, “pet” words that may be overused, and even check your sentence length variety. Oh. And grammar.
Free web access (500 words), or upgrade for desktop or Word plugin. (PC and Mac). Save 20% year-round with code WV3DAXOAY1
LibreOffice
A truly free word processor: LibreOffice. Do you need a word processor that can handle heavy edits … but Microsoft Office is just expensive? Give LibreOffice a try! It’s an older interface but has all the editing tools you need. (PC and Mac)
Quick links for writing and editing
CapitalizeMyTitle.com — Choose “Chicago” to check your title caps according to book publishing style, or select one of those other options if you aren’t writing a book. 😉
CitationMachine.net — Choose Chicago style (17th edition) for book publishing, or use their APA and MLA options for
Merriam-Webster.com — Many American book publishers default to Merriam-Webster as their chosen reference for correct spelling, hyphenation, and other usage choices.
KhanAcademy.com If you’re wondering how your grammar skills stack up, sign up at Khan Academy as a learner for a custom evaluation with lessons directly tailored to your strengths and weaknesses. Did I mention it’s FREE?
Courses and other web goodness
Amazing WordPress hosting: Lyrical Host — My former web hosts (Bluehost and Wix) don’t offer discounts past initial signup promotions, so I switched to Lyrical Host, which won’t increase prices on me, has AMAZING client service, and includes up to five email accounts (which I formerly paid extra for). Highly, HIGHLY recommend!!
Save 10% on your first hosting payment with code LyricalSave10.
Free course: Start a Money-Making Blog — Kimi Kinsey provides SO much great information for new bloggers! She’s a genuinely helpful person and she’ll shoot straight with you. If that sounds like what you need to get your blog off the ground, start with her free blogging course.
Best virtual book design training: LinkedIn Learning) — Check your local library to see if they include a subscription to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). (They’ve recently updated my favorite book design course and you can also be a typography nerd with me.)