Imagine trying to dig a ditch with a shovel. Now imagine digging that same ditch with a backhoe. 

Using the right tool can make all the difference in how much you accomplish with the same investment of time and effort. Sure, renting a backhoe is expensive, but you can always make more money. You can never make more time. 

Your time is valuable, so put it to good use by using the best tools available. 

As an author, you don’t use a backhoe. You use a computer and the software it uses influences your productivity and success. There are many incredible pieces of software that can dramatically improve your writing efficiency, craft, and level of professionalism. 

In this article, I’m pleased to recommend software and hardware I have personally tested that will save you time and improve your craft.

But before we talk about software, let’s talk briefly about hardware.

Why should authors buy Apple Computers?

I recommend that authors buy Macs over PCs for several reasons.

Macs last longer.

The lifespan of a Mac is easily twice that of a PC, and Macs also have less day to day annoyances than PCs.

Macs cost less in the long run.  

Authors get sticker shock when they see the price of a $1000 Mac. However, during the lifespan of a Mac, you’d have to replace your $500 PC two-and-a-half times. That is a cost of ownership of $1250. The Mac will cost you less in the long run, and much of the Mac software for writers is less expensive than software for PC.

Software for writers runs better on Mac.

A lot of the software made for writers works best on Mac. Some of the software I recommend only runs on Macs. But in most cases, a PC alternative is available.

I would estimate that about 80% of the bestselling authors I work with use Apple computers. As an author, it is worth your money over the long haul to buy a Mac.

Ok now on to the software…

Writing: Scrivener 

Quick Facts:

* Cost: $49* Platform: Mac (Limited PC version also available.)* Official Website

The first time I tried Scrivener, it blew my mind. For the first time, someone had made a piece of software specifically designed for writing books rather than for writing memos. 

Scrivener had a mode that hid everything but the blank screen where you type. There were no icons and no distractions when you turned on “distraction-free mode.” 

That was 13 years ago, and Scrivener has come a long way since then. 

Scrivener features a research section where novelists can keep track of character information and worldbuilding details. If you’re writing nonfiction, you can organize your topical research.

Scrivener is great for managing longer works. Word Documents over a hundred pages long can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Not so with Scrivener. It has a great outline view where you can easily zoom in and out of your story. 

If you are using Microsoft Word to write your 300-page novel and keep track of your timelines and plot-lines, you are using a shovel and wasting a lot of time.  

The backhoe of Scrivener features tools that specifically help writers. For instance,