Bookish Tools We Use
The software we use on the regular.
Okay, this is a dry topic, but… possibly useful? Here’s a peek at the software we use in our day to day bookish work.
Writing
Vicky: I usually draft in Google docs and then move over to Microsoft Word when I get farther along (i.e. working with an editor.) I’m supposedly using Scrivener for my middle grade novels, but I still haven’t finished one, so I’m not sure if that counts.
Christine: Same here with Google docs and Word. I also sometimes write entire picture books or at least snippets in my notes on my iPhone. I used Scrivener to write TOP SECRET ANIMALS (my debut middle grade nonfiction) and it was great for when I needed to move things around between chapters. Once I got revisions though I used Word only.
Illustrating
Vicky: I’m full into Procreate with the Apple Pencil. I do sometimes purchase brush packs when I’m going for a certain look that doesn’t work with the standard brushes. I will also use Adobe InDesign to help me lay out text and images for dummy creation. The nice thing about InDesign is that you can connect all the text boxes so that they flow into one another, so if you need to delete or move text around, it just flows into the next box. For images, you can define the area for the image and it will resize you art to fit (or crop it, or whatever you want.) And then since it links to your images instead of embedding them, you can just update image files and they will update in your document. Like all Adobe products, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but I find it to be a helpful tool for dummying a mix of text and art. Here’s a peek at the InDesign dummy I created to pitch Ava Lin:
Editing
Vicky: I do text edits in Microsoft Word and use Adobe Acrobat to review illustration comments from the publisher and add my own. I also use Dropbox to transfer larger files to my editor or art director.
Website
Vicky: I’m using Wordpress.org hosted on Hostgator for my website at vickyfang.com. I’m probably due for a new hosting service, but I haven’t done a refresh in three years and this is where I landed then… suggestions welcome! I like the flexibility of Wordpress because there are a million plug-ins to support whatever you’re trying to do, but it is a bit annoying to make sure I’m keeping my plug-ins updated and to not break anything. I use plug-ins like Boxzilla (for my newsletter pop-up, which appears for new visitors after they have scrolled 50% down the page OR viewed the page for 8 seconds) and Mega Menu (for my fly-out drop-down menu with my book covers), and pay for ongoing services like SMTP.com (for my contact form). Note that wordpress.com (paid solution with support/service) is different than wordpress.org (DIY solution with more flexibility)!
Christine: I use Wix for my website. It’s easy to use and I understand that it’s similar to Squarespace. I don’t use it to its full capabilities and I’m sure there’s more I could do but it does the job I need it for! I made this page in a few minutes while in the middle of writing this post when I realized I wanted to link to a page about my newly announced book!
If you’re looking for some thoughts on designing your website, you can read our previous post here.
Promotional Materials
Vicky: I love Canva (who doesn’t?) because it’s so fast for creating promotional images, and I do subscribe for the Pro version, which gives me access to more fonts, resizing capability, and export flexibility. I will also dip into Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator if Canva won’t meet my needs, especially for creating stickers or other swag.
Christine: Canva Pro all the way for me too.
If you’re curious, you can take a peek at some of the book swag we’ve designed in the past here.
Social Media Posting
Vicky: I’m using Later.com, which is mostly free for my needs unless I want to post image carousels or videos. It’s a visual scheduler that lets you post across IG, FB, LinkedIn, and Threads. It’s pretty geared toward Instagram as a tool, so there’s no Bluesky support and limited LinkedIn ability, but it does the job for basic posting. (I’m also probably leaning most into Instagram these days.) I will sometimes pay for one month for the added features as needed when I’m heavy in a promotion cycle.
I also use the linkin.bio integration (free version) that lets me have a few sticky links up top and individual posts with their related links below.
Christine: I don’t currently use anything beyond the social media apps themselves (when I have to!) but I can see myself using Later when I next have a book to promote as it seems very useful.
Cost
Vicky: All in, I spend about $100-130 per month on software. For a long time, I didn’t really know what I was spending and just tried to keep it as low as possible (I operated on Google docs and Adobe alone for a long time.) As time went on, I recognized that some of this software makes my life much easier and is worth the cost.
Christine: Mine is a lot lower as I don’t have any illustration tools that I pay for. I think it works out at about $80 a month for me.
What software do you use on the regular?