There are many writing websites that are useful hubs of information for aspiring authors of all types and genres.
Apart from the desire to become an author and a bit of determination, what makes a successful writer? According to veterans of the industry, it’s lots of reading, writing, and a supportive community.
The writing websites in this blog can provide you with all three. So, without further ado and in no particular order, let me introduce these top book writing websites to learn more about the craft, stay up-to-date with industry news, and find fellow writers in your network.
The 25 best writing websites
Here are our favorite writing websites that can help you perfect your craft:
1. selfpublishing.com
What kind of writing website would we be if we didn’t include ourselves in this list of writing websites?
At selfpublishing.com, we are proud of our educational blog and are always creating new content to help writers turn their dream of publishing a book into reality.
If you’re looking to improve your writing skills, learn how to self-publish a book, market a book, or even create your own author website – this is the ideal place to learn.
2. Self-Publishing School
Self-Publishing School is the leading educational self-publishing company. It’s our second choice for the best writing websites to keep on your radar.
If you’re interested in learning all about Amazon self-publishing to how to create an online course to build your author brand, Self-Publishing School produces informational articles, videos, and podcast content on a variety of topics.
In addition, there are several author education programs offered, depending on what your goals look like.
3. Self-Publishing Advice
Self-Publishing Advice is a watchdog community organized by the Alliance of Independent Authors. It aims to protect self-publishing writers from untrustworthy publishers. It also reviews other writing websites (mostly in the independent and self-publishing services spaces).
The site has a collection of reviews on various publishers, with rating scores ranging from “excellent” to “watchdog advisory”. The authors themselves report dishonest publishers and regularly update their base. However, the site’s usefulness isn’t restricted to that.
There is also a blog with loads of advice on self-publishing (obviously!), audiobook creation, inspiration, and everything of interest to an indie author.
4. The Book Designer
Joel Friedlander is a graphic designer with an extensive background in book design and advertising. He has created The Book Designer, which is a treasure trove of articles on book marketing, self-publishing, and, of course, book design (including book covers, typography basics, and text layout).
His series “eBook Cover Design Awards” is particularly instructive, since every nominated book cover is dissected with respect to genre aesthetics, intended audience, and all the minute details that can make a difference between a bestseller and an obscure title no one notices.
Even if you don’t create covers yourself, it’s always good to know what to look for when you outsource the task to a designer, which is what makes this one of the best writing websites.
Apart from valuable advice, Friedlander shares free book cover templates, a book launch toolkit, and a media kit for authors to optimize the marketing of your book.
5. Paper Help
Typos are the worst. I have yet to meet a writer who could be 100 percent sure their text was absolutely typo-free, even after rounds of editing. Because it never is.
Authors are notorious for their typo blindness because by the third draft, they know the text like the back of their hand and familiarization handicaps your ability to pick out mistakes.
That’s why we need editors – or at least editing services that will comb through the text for misspelled words and other pesky oopsies.
Paper Help is a service that specializes in writing and editing of all sorts of papers. If you need a second pair of eyes to go through your manuscript before its debut, it can be a nice low-cost compromise between a literary editor and doing it yourself, which has earned it a spot on our list of the best writing websites.
6. Grammar Girl
Of course, to make your editing less of a struggle, it’s better to make fewer mistakes in the first place. That’s why one has to have go-to writing websites for all things grammar. Mignon Fogarty’s blog is just the right sort of resource for that.
Grammar Girl is a section on the Quick and Dirty Tips portal devoted to everything that a writer needs to know about spelling and grammar.
You can read your daily dose of nicely summed-up linguistic wisdom and build your competency bit by bit – and have lots of fun in the process.
7. AutoCrit
Okay, with grammar off the table, you still need to edit your drafts with regard to consistency, adverbs, repetition, readability, useless filler words, etc. Here is where AutoCrit comes in.
This is not so much a book writing website, but a word-processing tool with editing features and guidance based on real-world publishing standards.
AutoCrit makes our list of writing websites because it analyzes your text and gives recommendations on how to improve it. For example, it can flag poor dialogue, misuse of adverbs, or relying on clichés. This tool has subscription plans with more robust professional features, but they also offer a free option with essentials that every author needs.
Plus, the site has a collection of articles with tips about the craft and the business of writing, from adding depth to your characters to DIY proofreading techniques.
8. Janice Hardy’s Fiction University
Janice Hardy, a teen fantasy novelist, is the founder of Fiction University. With the help of fellow writers and guest contributors, she has amassed more than 2,500 articles on fiction writing. They deal with every stage of penning a novel – from brainstorming ideas and developing a story to self-publishing your finished opus.
Starting soon the creators of the website plan to organize workshops where they will introduce some practice to go with the theory. Still, the scope of the material on the website is impressive as is, making it one of the best writing websites.
Fiction University is comprehensively organized by relevant topics, making it a true writing encyclopedia and a go-to place for anyone who starts their writing career or simply wishes to improve their skills.
9. 750 Words
You know what makes you a better writer? More writing. 750 Words is a simple website for writers that has just one goal – helping you to build a good habit of writing every day.
You have probably heard about the technique called “morning pages”. Morning pages are three pages of text (or 750 words) that you write, preferably in the morning to get everything distracting out of your head and shift focus on putting thoughts into words.
With gamification devices like badges and competitiveness (via anonymous statistics), 750 Words encourages you to stick to a schedule and write those pages every day. It’s minimalistic and private – no one will see your writing but you.
10. Build Book Buzz
Marketing strategy is often overlooked by self-publishing authors. Too bad, even the best books don’t sell themselves.
This website for writers has some tips on how to prepare the launch and how to promote a book when it’s already out and about. The blog section is full of detailed how-to guides on working with beta readers, coming up with promotion strategy, boosting sales via various social media channels, partnering up with influencers, and more.
Build Book Buzz is one of the best writing websites with just the right ratio of figures and statistics vs. insider tips on how to build an online presence.
11. Language is a Virus
With writing games and exercises galore, Language is a Virus makes a perfect playground for word enthusiasts. It never fails to spark imagination and get your creative juices flowing.
From the prompt of the day greeting you on the homepage, to avant-garde techniques of Jack Kerouac and Salvador Dali, this is one of those writing websites that is truly committed to getting you writing.
Poem visualization, surrealistic word definitions, generating reverse poetry from your text, or adding your line to a never-ending story by thousands of other writers – not one bizarrely mesmerizing activity here will leave you indifferent.
So next time you need a little writer’s block help, don’t waste your time and head here straight away.
12. Six-Words Memoirs
Six-Word Memoirs is a charming little project with a big goal. It aims to inspire the participants to get to the essence of who they are and what matters most. To do that, they have to answer some pretty existential questions in six words – no more, no less.
This can be quite a challenge even for experienced writers, which means it’s a great writing tool to get down to the basics. Sci-fi and fantasy stories in six words, seismic shifts in six words, your personal paradise in six words – a nice exercise in eloquence and one of the best writer’s block remedies I’ve seen.
13. The Writing Cooperative
The Writing Cooperative is a diverse resource for writers by writers. A piece of advice on any situation under the sun from writer’s block to existential crisis and burnout. Everything is specifically tailored for a fellow writer like yourself, so this is a true hub for diverse topics.
Anyone with something to say can submit a post and the community is quite diverse and supportive. There are also some secrets of the craft shared here, from where it is best to share your writing to why digression can sometimes be a boon for your story. These tips make The Writing Cooperative one of the best writing websites.
14. The Write Life
At first glance, The Write Life seems geared more towards bloggers and freelancers, yet it has much to offer to anyone whose livelihood depends on their writing talent. How to come up with great titles, how to find a critic to improve your text, how to self-publish your book, how to market it, how to hire a freelance editor, how to prevent burnout, and other secrets of the craft.
In the tools section, there are eBooks and courses for writing professionals as well as some handy tools, such as editing apps, invoicing software, marketplaces, and communities for freelance writers.
15. Helping Writers Become Authors
For those of you who have long been creating content for a living but never dipped your toes into long-form prose, Helping Writers Become Authors is a perfect boot camp.
Award-winning author K.M. Weiland tells how to create a compelling character with a story arc, what mistakes authors most often make, how to make readers love every page of your novel, and why even movies falling short of our expectations is always a bad writing problem.
If for some reason blog is not your preferred format, there are instructional eBooks, vlogs, and a podcast.
16. Association of Ghostwriters
If you want to find a ghostwriter or are just curious to know more about this particular specialization, Association of Ghostwriters has answers to your questions. Although it has paid membership plans, lots of valuable information is free for grabs, making it one of the best writing websites.
How to write a memoir, what to do when your work on a big project slows down, and why ghostwriting might be an intermediate step between freelancing and getting a good publishing deal on your own book. If you want to learn how to publish a book traditionally, Association of Ghostwriters has you covered.
17. NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo (National Novel-Writing Month) is an epic creative writing event where participants work towards writing a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. Although professional writers are ambiguous about this marathon, it can work for some authors who understand how speed drafts fit into the entire writing process.
The NaNoWriMo website was created especially for the event. Here you can track your progress, set milestones, and get pep talks and support from other writers in an ever-growing community. There are online and offline events that help you finish your novel.
Whether you are a seasoned writer or an enthusiastic beginner, NaNoWriMo is one of the best writing websites, with inspirational posts, a company of fellow contestants, tips, tools, resources, and encouragement. Just remember, if your word count is lower and you didn’t get that badge – you are still a writer. It’s only a game!
18. Scribophile
Every writer needs feedback to improve, and it’s always better when this feedback is detailed, informed, and comes from someone who knows what they are talking about.
Better still, if you get this feedback before you publish your work and start receiving bad reviews from underwhelmed readers. (That’s what beta-readers and writing workshops are for.)
At Scribophile, you will find a supportive community of writers like yourself. Here, they are willing to give you feedback to improve your text with their critique instead of tearing you down.
If you are still tentative, there are writing tutorials and publishing tips available without even signing in.
Do clichés and passive voice actually have a place in your prose?
How to start writing poetry if you never had done it before?
Come and have a look at one of the best writing websites.
19. Self-Publishing Formula
Mark Dawson is an author who makes a living by self-publishing. On Self-Publishing Formula, he shares his journey with other writers who want to take this path.
Blog posts with valuable tips, resources, and guides are available for everyone and there are free, paid, or limited-access courses you can subscribe to.
Mark also co-hosts weekly free podcasts with James Blatch where they interview top-selling indie authors, successful debutants from traditional publishing, and industry insiders to shed light on the process of publishing and promoting a book independently.
20. Almost An Author
Almost An Author provides a wealth of resources for writers at various stages of their careers. It has new content every day, from writing tips and craft advice to publishing insights and author interviews. You can get genre-specific advice or emotional support to get you through your publishing journey.
21. Creativity Portal
As the name suggests, Creativity Portal is a treasure trove of inspiration and resources for writers looking to tap into their creativity. It offers writing prompts, exercises, and articles on topics like mindfulness and overcoming creative blocks, making it an invaluable resource for writers and one of the best writing websites around.
22. Writer’s Digest
Writer’s Digest might just have more resources than any of the other writing websites on this list. It’s like an encyclopedia of knowledge for writers, after all, the magazine has been around for almost a century! You’ll discover a plethora of articles, events, competitions, webinars, templates, tutorials, and various other resources neatly organized by genre and vocation.
23. Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Writing can be a solitary and often daunting endeavor, and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group aims to provide a supportive community for writers grappling with self-doubt and insecurity.
Through blog posts, forums, and online events, members of the group can connect with fellow writers, share their experiences, and receive encouragement and advice, creating a nurturing environment for writers to grow and thrive.
24. LitReactor
With its focus on the craft and business of writing, LitReactor offers a range of courses, workshops, and articles designed to help writers hone their skills and navigate the publishing industry. Whether you’re looking to improve your writing craft, learn about the latest trends in publishing, or connect with other writers, LitReactor provides a valuable platform for writers at all levels.
25. Now Novel
Now Novel is a comprehensive platform that helps writers plan, outline, and write their novels. With tools like step-by-step writing courses, personalized feedback from experienced coaches, and a supportive community of fellow writers, Now Novel provides the structure and guidance that writers need to turn their ideas into finished manuscripts.
Make use of the best websites for writers
So there you have it! Those are 25 writing websites that you should absolutely be following.
Of course, in the sea of online blogs, there are plenty of other valuable writing websites to follow. We just had to choose our favorites.