Tools of the Trade
With so many incredible paid and free “tools of the trade” options currently in the market for authors, it’s difficult to navigate through the sometimes hundreds of possibilities. With that in mind and so very aware how precious your time is, I’ve gathered a short list of resources and “tools” I make regular use of myself.
Check out my five go-to resources below. Disclosure: I have no affiliation with any of the businesses below, and my recommendations derive from my personal experience.
Combin Scheduler - https://www.combin.com/product/free-instagram-scheduler/
I am in love with this desktop scheduler app. I discovered it a while back and immediately paid the monthly fee for the single-account service. I would have happily continued paying, too; however, a few weeks ago my monthly payments were cancelled and I’m now receiving this service for free! Even better.
The interface is user-friendly and the app so easy to use. I especially love the layout, which helps with planning the visual impact of posts. What’s more, you can schedule stories too!
Dictionaries
US: https://www.merriam-webster.com/
UK/AU: https://www.lexico.com/
This may be a case of granny and eggs, but I urge you all to always have your specified-language dictionary open when you’re writing, and without fail when editing. It’s an absolute no-brainer, especially as it will help you be more aware and thoughtful of word use. Not only that, but it will ease your editing process too—possibly saving you time and money.
Self-Edits
Grammarly - https://app.grammarly.com/
I’m a big fan of Grammarly with the important proviso: use it conservatively. Grammarly is absolutely not a replacement for a professional editing team. What it is, however, is a great tool to help you pick up more basic spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. This can ease the editing process for your team, and additional improve your self-editing process.
Promotions
BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/
BookBub offers a wealth of opportunities and resources to authors. There are regular blog posts, which are super helpful, plus the marketing opportunities can be lucrative. If you’ve yet to claim your free account, be sure to do so. My initial advice is to try and build your number of followers to 1,000, which sounds scary but is absolutely possible—I did so in 5 weeks.
Amazon Categories
BKLNK - https://www.bklnk.com/categories5.php
I discovered this fabulous free resource a few months back. It’s a must-use tool for collating Amazon categories, which you can then email across to Amazon, requesting them to add your book(s) to the categories you provide. It’s easy to navigate too.
Be sure to reach out to me if you’re looking for one-to-one support and guidance.