10 Great Resources for Indie Authors

Plus 16 More Self-Publishing Tools & Resources You Can’t Miss

As an indie author, you still have to publish, distribute, and promote your books. To support the independent author community, we’ve compiled a list of trusted resources that will help self-published authors create, design, edit, market, and distribute their books with less headache and hassle. Discover the self-publishing tools and websites (both free and paid services) that will streamline your workflow and help you sell more books.

Self-Publishing Resources for Writing & Editing

Even the most accomplished authors can benefit from writing tools and resources. Hone your craft with writing prompts, creativity tips, grammar resources, editing services, and more.

The Write Practice - A Blog Focused on Writing Practice

The Write Practice is a blog that focuses on helping writers develop and maintain a writing practice. They offer guides, writing prompts, courses, and a robust writing community for support and collaboration.

Daily Prompt - An App for Writing Practice

If blogs aren’t really your thing, but you’d still like help with starting your writing practice, Daily Prompt is for you. You can take part in their daily prompts, or you can choose one based on a genre in their prompt catalog. Their prompts are updated frequently and range from common tropes to unexpected, out-of-the-box ideas to help you develop range.

ProWriting Aid - A Toolkit for Enhancing Your Manuscript

This self-publishing service helps authors with a wide range of needs, including improving readability, enhancing language, smoothing transitions, and more. Whether you’re struggling with grammar, tone, pacing, or character development, ProWriting Aid is likely to have a feature designed to help you meet your goals.

Grammarly Authorship - Tool for Authentic Writing & Transparency

An extension of the popular writing tool, Grammarly, the Grammarly Authorship feature helps professional writers prove the originality of their work by tracking sources and documenting their writing and editing process – essential today in the age of AI.

Dabble - Book Writing Software

One of the most essential self-publishing tools for writers is software that makes the process of writing and story-crafting easier. Enter Dabble, a comprehensive suite of author resources that can assist with mapping out plots, developing character profiles, fine tuning details, and more.

Self-Publishing Tools for Designing & Formatting

Creating a professional-looking book involves many different steps, including designing cover art, formatting your manuscript, styling the layout, and more. Ensure the best-possible reader experience with the help of these self-publishing tools.

Reedsy - Freelance Marketplace

Reedsy is an amazing resource for indie authors that connects you with credible freelancers who can do editing, design, PR, marketing, ghostwriting, and web design. It’s like Fiverr, but just for books. The site also has a service called reedsylearning that offers courses (both paid and free) on writing and publishing for indie authors.

Interested in watching the replay of the Author's Republic x Reedsy webinar? Check it out here on YouTube: Marketing Strategies to Boost your Audiobook Sales with Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy.

Canva - Graphic Design Tool

This free tool can help indie authors with everything from book cover designs to website logos to promotional materials like social media posts and video trailers. Need help creating a visual asset for your work? Canva makes it easy for even the most design-challenged authors to create stunning graphics.

eBook Launch - Service for Book Formatting & Cover Designs

Need a self-publishing service that does it all, from cover to cover? eBook Launch is a great indie author resource that helps with book formatting, editing, and even covers. You can also select packages tailored to what you need and pay only for those services.

Book Brush - Social Media & Ad Image Creation Tool

This powerful graphic design tool helps authors easily create images for social media and promotional efforts, including Facebook ads, BookBub ads, new release promos, and cover reveals. Using a drag-and-drop editor and templated designs, writers can become design pros and make their work stand out with captivating visuals.

Atticus - Book Writing & Formatting Tool

This all-in-one book writing software helps streamline the process of getting your book ready for publication. This includes a built-in writing editor that helps you professionally format your work and optimize the reader experience across different devices.

Vellum - Book Creation Software

This piece of Mac software helps authors create, design, and style professional-looking print books and eBooks for platforms including Kindle, Apple Books, and more.

BookBaby - Comprehensive Range of Self-Publishing Services

For authors looking for a wide range of self-publishing services – everything from designing book covers to creating audiobooks to marketing and distribution – BookBaby has you covered. Get assistance with design, formatting, copy editing, proofreading, advertising, selling, and more.

Self-Publishing Services for Distribution

Once you’ve written your story, you need to get it out into the world. These self-publishing resources help authors streamline their distribution efforts and maximize profits.

Author's Republic - Audiobook Self-Publishing, Distribution, and Production

Author’s Republic specializes in audiobook production and distribution, helping indie authors broaden their readership base to audio storytelling enthusiasts. Sign up today and reach millions of listeners worldwide.

Our one-stop shop features self-publishing services that help authors:

Distribute audiobooks to retail, streaming, and library platforms
Find, hire, and securely pay audiobook narrators
Learn how to self-produce and self-record audiobooks
Retain audiobook rights, no matter how it is produced
Opt for a fully managed production by a team of industry experts

Draft2Digital - Print and eBook Self-Publishing Service

Draft2Digital is similar to Author’s Republic, but instead of audiobooks, they specialize in producing and distributing indie eBooks and print books. With their services, you can easily convert your manuscript to an eBook or a POD (print-on-demand) paperback book.

Lulu - Print-on-Demand Self-Publishing Service

Want to create affordable, high-quality printed books? With Lulu’s print-on-demand services, it’s easier than ever to self-publish books and sell books across the globe. Whether you need a bulk order or a short-run print, Lulu makes it simple to get your book in the hands of readers.

IngramSpark - Printing & Distribution Services

Create professional-quality print books and eBooks with IngramSpark. In addition to self-publishing services, they also offer assistance with promotion and selling so you can reach the widest audience possible.

Indie Author Resources for Marketing & Promotion

Make sure you’re spreading the word about your book far and wide with help from these marketing-focused indie author resources. From social media promotion to email marketing and everything in between, these self-publishing resources help you get it done.

BookBub - Book Promotion Tools for Authors & Publishers

BookBub allows authors to promote their works through its reader-facing site and via email campaigns. They target your promotion toward readers who have expressed interest in your book’s specific genre or topic, which means a strategic opportunity for you to connect with an engaged audience and boost book sales.

Chirp - Audiobook Promotion Tool

Chirp is BookBub’s audiobook retailer that lets authors promote discounts on their audiobooks. It offers many of the same features as BookBub’s promotions and is widely praised by indie audiobook authors. Author's Republic has a direct partnership with Chirp, so we can help you distribute to Chirp and submit your audiobook for special promotions on their site.

StoryOrigin - Marketing Tool for Indie Authors

StoryOrigin is the place for indie authors to start building both their network and audience. It’s a cross-promotional marketing tool and community where independent authors compile their resources to build better mailing lists, increase sales, and grow their reviews.

Interested in watching the replay of the Author's Republic x StoryOrigin webinar? Check it out here on YouTube: Marketing Strategies Webinar with Evan Gow from StoryOrigin

Written Word Media - Book Promotion Tool

Written Word Media helps improve indie author discoverability and visibility in an increasingly crowded market. Its dual-purpose goal includes helping readers discover great books and assisting authors in finding their audience. Similar to Goodreads, Written Word Media takes its services one step further, with specially branded sites to help ensure your books are promoted to highly engaged readers in your niche.

Books2Read - Indie Book Discovery Site

With a 100% focus on indie books, this site helps readers find new reads tailored to their specific interests. Its self-publishing services include new release notifications, author pages, book tabs, and more.

Indie Author Community Resources

Writing can be a lonely craft – but it doesn’t have to be! Join one of the organizations below and benefit from the support of a dedicated community of like-minded indie authors.

Alliance of Independent Authors - Organization Dedicated to Indie Authors

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and providing assistance to independent authors. ALLi's team is composed entirely of working indie authors, making them experts in their field. The group’s self-publishing services include an advice center, contract assistance, and a watchdog desk that alerts authors about bad actors in the industry. Author’s Republic is a proud ALLi Partner Member.

Funds For Writers - Paid Gigs and Funds for Indie Writers

Funds for Writers helps indie authors get paid for their work, via grants, crowdfunding, contests, and freelance job opportunities. Their free website showcases paid-only jobs, saving you time sifting through unpaid gigs and scams, and their weekly newsletter compiles and shares indie author advice and work opportunities.

Indie Author Project - Indie Author Publishing Community

This group includes authors, curators, readers, and librarians, with everyone working together to get indie-published books in the hands of eager library patrons. IAP has helped get more than 25,000 indie eBooks into local libraries, substantially increasing the exposure for hundreds of self-published authors. They are also the creators of Indie Author Day—learn more here.

Author’s Guild - Services & Resources for Professional Writers

This member-based organization helps authors with a wide range of services, including marketing resources, contract and copyright advice, legal help, website building, and more. They host local chapter events, literary programs, and educational events to support the indie author community.

Reddit (Self-Published Authors) - Reddit Community for Self-Published Writers

Gain insights into the world of self-publishing directly from other indie authors with this dedicated Reddit community. Get support, feedback, advice, and answers to your questions with this indie author forum.

Additional Helpful Indie Author Resources for Audiobook Publishing

At Author’s Republic, we love supporting the indie author community in any way we can. That’s why we’re constantly sharing new posts on our blog – everything from industry trends to practical how-to advice. If you’re an indie author looking for tips on self-publishing and marketing, especially for audiobooks, you won’t want to miss these self-publishing resources.

5 Author Resources for Audiobook Creation

5 Author Resources for Audiobook Promotion

Let us help you with your audiobook journey!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally written on February 28, 2024. It has been substantially revised as of January 26, 2026.