Resourceful Websites for Authors | NY Book Editors
‹ Back to blog

The Best Websites for Writers

FEATURED IMAGE New York Book Editors 8 30 2021 The Best Websites for Writers

On your mark, get ready to bookmark. Below, we're sharing our absolute favorite online resources for writers. These websites will help you grow as an author and build a self-sustaining career.

Below, you'll find blogs, tools, and communities that will help you improve as a writer and future author extraordinaire. In these sites, you’ll find creative writing advice, inspiration, camaraderie, and support.

Here’s a roundup of the top 50 websites for authors.

Let’s check them out now:

1. 750 Words - The mission behind this website is simple: It helps writers establish and maintain the habit of writing every single day. You're tasked with writing 750 words every day. This site turns the “chore” of daily writing into a game. You accumulate points to maintain motivation. It also gives you insight into your writing process, including your distractions.

2. Abbie Emmons - Abbie is an author and YouTuber who shares tips on how to master storytelling. In her blogs and videos, she also discusses how to maintain a balanced lifestyle (something that writers often struggle with).

3. Advice to Writers - This is a simple website that shares daily wisdom from fellow writers, including Toni Morrison, George Orwell, and others. You can subscribe to the newsletter to receive a unique quote each day in your inbox.

4. Agent Query - If you'd like to get published with a traditional publisher, you need an agent. Enter AgentQuery, a free database that you can use to find literary agents to represent you.

5. Alessandra Torre Ink - This website is a treasure trove for new authors, especially the self-published variety. Along with general writing tips, you'll find plenty of information for marketing your book.

6. Almost an Author - This site helps you learn how to become an author. It includes everything from setting up your office space to improving your creative skills to building your author platform.

7. Association of Writer & Writing Programs (AWP) - If you're interested in finding conferences, contests, and communities of other writers, this is where to start. AWP has a comprehensive list of resources that will help you grow as a professional author.

8. Author Media - With the help of this website, you can build a platform, get publishing advice, and learn how to promote your book.

9. Authors Guild - The Authors Guild is America's oldest organization for professional writers. If you become a member of this guild, you'll have access to a large resource library along with legal help, and exclusive discounts on scholarly journals and magazines.

10. AutoCrit - While AutoCrit is editing software, it does not replace a human editor. What it does provide is editing reports and a library of resources to help you improve as a writer.

11. Bang2Write - This site provides writing tips for both novelists and screenwriters. If you're interested in writing from a cinematic perspective, you'll love this website because it often merges the two.

12. Bookends Literary Agency Blog - BookEnds is a literary agency that maintains a helpful blog on how to navigate the world of publishing. It specifically tackles how to market yourself to literary agents.

13. Calmly Writer - Calmly Writer is a distraction-free text editor. Use this tool to simplify your writing process. You can choose colors, add typewriter sounds, and display your word count to ensure that you're hitting your daily (or weekly) goals.

14. Career Authors - Career Authors promotes itself as an online author's conference. Here, you'll find various tips to improve your writing skills, including tackling procrastinating, balancing work and life, and navigating the publishing world.

15. Elizabeth Spann Craig - Elizabeth Spann Craig is a cozy mystery novelist who maintains a new (but growing) website for authors. Come for the weekly writing roundup and stay for her valuable advice on the writing business.

Websites for Authors

16. Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo - Do you love podcasts? Check out Savannah Gilbo's Fiction Made Easy podcast that shares writing advice in audible form. Great for learning on the go.

17. Goins, Writer - From bestselling author and speaker Jeff Goins, this website contains hundreds of articles to help writers improve. Jeff has also started a podcast that you can listen to directly from his site.

18. Grammarly - Grammarly bills itself as a free online writing assistant. You can use Grammarly online or as an extension with Microsoft Word or Google Docs. It's useful for spotting spelling and grammatical errors. It also provides suggestions for vocabulary and sentence rewrites.

19. Helping Writers Become Authors - From author K.M. Weiland, this website gives you literary advice on how to structure your novel and write your best story. The Story Structure Database is a useful resource for helping you understand the science behind beloved stories like Ben Hur and The Matrix.

20. Hemingway - Hemingway is a simple but incredibly useful app. You can use the app online or download it onto your desktop. Copy and paste your content into the app to see opportunities for writing improvement. Hemingway grades your content's readability. It also notifies you of adverbs and passive voice, which can drag down your writing.

21. IngramSpark - IngramSpark is a self-publishing company that enables you to print and globally distribute your book. But IngramSpark also maintains a blog on all things you care about, including self-publishing, writing and editing, and book design.

22. Jami Gold - Jami Gold is an award-winning paranormal author who provides literary advice as well as workshops and worksheets to fellow authors.

23. Jane Austen Writing Lessons - Are you a fan of Jane Austen novels? This website provides over three dozen creative writing lessons that use Jane Austen's novels as examples.

24. Jane Friedman - With over 20 years of experience, Jane Friedman is a legend in the publishing industry. She has provided a wealth of information about publishing and book promotion on her website. This is one of my go-to sites for all things publishing.

25. Janice Hardy's Fiction University - Consistently voted among the best websites for writers, Janice Hardy's Fiction University provides a thorough education in writing. There are almost 3,000 articles on this site about writing, so it's filled with a ton of information. Additionally, you can take part in workshops, attend events, and subscribe to the newsletter.

26. Jerry Jenkins - Jerry Jenkins is a multi-genre writer with almost 200 titles to his name. He has a ton of advice for fellow authors, which he shares generously on his website.

27. Kindlepreneur - This website provides marketing advice for self-publishing authors, specifically those on the Amazon Kindle Platform. It includes articles (over 200 and counting), courses, videos, and more to help you grow as an author.

28. Language is a Virus - Cure writer's block with this cleverly named website. Each day, this site provides a new writing prompt, making it a go-to for all of you daily writer's out there. It also shares exercises, techniques, games, generators, and more.

29. Marion Roach Smith - Are you writing a memoir? Marion Roach Smith is a memoir coach who can help you unblock and unlock. She offers online classes, a podcast, and an informative blog. Even if you're not a memoirist, you'd still benefit from checking out her site.

30. NaNoWriMo - Short for National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo is the non-profit organization behind the annual challenge to write a novel in one month (specifically the month of November). NaNoWriMo provides resources, encouragement, and a community of fellow writers to help you churn out the rough draft of a novel in 30 days.

31. Nathan Bransford - Nathan Bransford is an author and former literary agent who maintains an insightful and actionable blog for fellow writers. If you need advice on writing, editing, or publishing your book, This site has it all. Nathan also provides coaching. Check out our recent interview with Nathan here.

32. Now Novel - Get the tools, resources, and motivation to finish your novel now. That's the sentiment behind this website. Now Novel offers individual and group coaches, courses, and guides. But we also love the free advice on the Now Novel blog.

33. NY Book Editors’ Blog - Hey, that’s us! In addition to our comprehensive suite of editorial services, we offer a blog for authors of all genres. Gather inspiration, learn how to develop your storytelling skills, and discover tips on how to build your author's platform from scratch.

34. ProWritingAid - ProWritingAid is a grammar checker that helps you improve your writing as you go. This tool points out repetitive phrasing, passive voice, run-on sentences, sentence length monotony, and more. Although the most powerful features are only available through a premium subscription, there is a limited version that you can try for free.

35. Publishers Weekly - Publishers Weekly is one of the biggest names in the literary industry. On this site, you can find book reviews, news about book publishing, and bestseller rankings. It's a go-to for publishers, literary agents, and booksellers, which is why you should be there if you're interested in navigating this industry as a professional author.

Websites for Authors

36. Query Tracker - Use this website to find over 1,700 literary agents. You can also organize and track your queries. In addition to checking this site, sign up for our literary agent alert service. We send out aggregated alerts directly to your email inbox whenever a reputable agent says they're ready for book queries. Learn more about literary agent alerts here.

37. Quick and Dirty Tips / Grammar Girl - We always focus on spelling, but grammar is a silent killer. This is why you need to subscribe to Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips. This site offers grammatical advice on things like the difference between i.e. versus e.g. It may not be the most exciting content, but it's definitely the most necessary for every writer.

38. Rachelle Gardner - Rachelle Gardener is a literary agent who represents both fiction and nonfiction authors. In addition to representation and coaching, this website provides resources on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing.

39. Reedsy - Reedsy is an author services company based out of the UK. Check out the Reedsy blog for a solid education in marketing your book and improving your skills as a writer.

40. Scribophile - This is a popular and active online writing group. Here, you can find beta readers who will critique your work as you're still fleshing it out. You can participate in a writing workshop, post in their busy forum, or peruse their blog for educational content.

41. Self Publishing Advice.org - This website is maintained by the Alliance of Independent Authors and offers self-publishing advice, from book production to distribution. They also produce an informative and inspirational podcast that’s worth checking out.

42. Self Publishing Formula - Mark Dawson's vibrant website is perfect for authors who'd like to turn their passion into their paycheck. On this site, you'll find a podcast, a blog, free ebooks, courses, and a community of fellow self-publishing authors.

43. TCK Publishing - TCK Publishing is a publisher, but it's also an incredible resource for writers. The blog provides valuable insight into the world of publishing, including self-publishing and hybrid publishing.

44. The Book Designer - The Book Designer doesn't just offer advice on book design. On this site, you can also find professional advice, such as how to build your platform and promote your book.

45. The Creative Penn - If there's one site on this list that you need to check out, it's this one. Joanna Penn is a best-selling author and a creative entrepreneur who shares her experiences. This site contains over 1,000 articles, along with podcasts, videos, and other goodies that will help you grow as an author.

46. Thesaurus.com - A writer needs a thesaurus like peanut butter needs jelly. I’ve used many thesauruses over the years, but nothing beats this oldie, but goodie.

47. Well-Storied - Well-Storied has all the tools you need to turn up your creativity and tell the story you were born to tell. There are articles, tutorials, podcasts, and more.

48. Write to Done - This website provides tips on how to overcome your block and finally get to writing. This site is filled with motivation, inspiration, and usable writing advice.

49. Writer's Digest - Writer's Digest contains an ever-expanding (and almost overwhelming) library of information for all writers, whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Go here to improve your skills as a writer.

50. Your Writer Platform - This website shares a lot of great tips on how to build your website and author platform. It also shares marketing strategies to establish and grow your fanbase.

Have We Missed One?

Do you have an additional resource for writers that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Subs panel temp
Make sure your book isn’t a "long shot"

Enter your email for your FREE 7-Day Bootcamp and learn:

  • 5 Unconventional Techniques to help you finish your Draft
  • The Key to Getting Readers to Care About Your Characters
  • How to Master Dialogue, even if you’re a First-Time Writer
  • What You Need to Know to Hold Your Reader’s Interest
Thank you!

We've sent you an e-mail, thanks for subscribing!

You might also like...
The editorial process a book goes through can seem mysterious, especially to first-time writers....
Read More
Here are tips for writing whole, authentic characters that stay true to their gender. In this case, we’re talking about ...
Read More
Emotion is one of the hardest things to write....
Read More