Authors meet a surprising number of small technical questions on the way to a published book. How many pages will 80,000 words make at this trim size? How wide is the spine? Is this ISBN valid? What does a 4.99 dollar ebook earn on each platform? Is the cover readable as a thumbnail? How many words a day will finish the draft by March? Each question has an answer that can be worked out in a minute with the right tool, and getting it wrong costs money or time. These tools exist to answer those questions quickly and honestly.
Free tools for authors that save you hours and cost nothing
Free tools for authors are only worth using when they are accurate, private and quick, and every tool in this collection runs in your browser, so what you type is never uploaded. Fifty-four free author tools cover writing checks, print and ebook specifications, ISBNs and barcodes, royalties and pricing, names and descriptions and launch planning, and each one has its own page that explains the method, gives worked examples and answers the questions that authors ask. Pick a tool below and start in seconds.
Every tool is free to use, runs in your browser and keeps your text on your device.
- Fifty-four free tools
- Nothing is uploaded
- Open a tool in one click
Key facts
- 54Free tools for writing, formatting, pricing and publishing
- FreeNo cost, no account and no usage limit on any tool
- In your browserNothing that you type or paste is uploaded
Free tools for authors that explain how they work
Every tool on this page runs in your browser. The text that you paste, the images that you check and the figures that you enter never leave your device, so the tools are safe for unpublished chapters, client work and private numbers. There is no account to create, no email to hand over and no limit on how often you use them. Each tool page also says how the result is calculated, which formulas it uses, which figures come from platform rules and where those rules can change, because a number is more useful when you know what it means.
The tools fall into six groups. The writing checks look at the text itself: length, readability, adverbs, filler words, dialogue and chapter balance. The formatting and print tools handle trim sizes, page counts, spines, colour, image resolution and fonts. The ISBN and code tools validate numbers and draw barcodes and QR codes. The money tools work out royalties, prices, costs and budgets. The generators suggest titles, names, descriptions and bios. The launch tools plan a timeline, build keywords and hashtags and collect your buy links. When a job is bigger than a tool, the services further down the page take over.
Authors looking for free writing tools for authors will find them here, from word counters to royalty calculators. People who search for the best free tools for authors usually want tools that are accurate, quick and free of sign-ups, and that is how these are built. They are free tools for self-published authors, free author tools online that run in your browser and a set of free book writing tools for the drafting stage. The free book formatting tools help you with trim sizes, spine width and page counts, and the free self publishing calculators cover royalties, print costs and budgets. These work as free KDP tools for authors and free tools for indie authors, with free author calculators for money questions and free book marketing tools such as hashtag and keyword generators. There are free book design tools such as the font pairing and thumbnail preview, free word count and readability tools for editing, and free ISBN and barcode tools for your cover. If you want the best free writing tools for authors, start with the word count tool and the readability checker.
Writing checks and text analysis
Tools that look at your text and tell you something that you cannot easily see on the page, from length and readability to habits that thin out your prose.
Word Count Tool
Free word count tool: count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, with reading time, speaking time and a page estimate. No sign-up needed.
Open the tool →Word Frequency Analyzer
Free word frequency analyzer: paste a chapter or manuscript to see your most-used words, with counts and percentages. No sign-up needed.
Open the tool →Readability Score Checker
Free readability score checker: paste a passage for Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid grade level and four more scores, with a plain-English reading.
Open the tool →Adverb Passive Voice Checker
Free adverb passive voice checker: paste your writing to highlight -ly adverbs and passive constructions per 1,000 words. No sign-up needed.
Open the tool →Filler Word Finder
Free filler word finder: paste your text to find just, really, very, began to and other weak words and phrases, counted per 1,000 words.
Open the tool →Dialogue Ratio Calculator
Free dialogue ratio calculator: paste a chapter to see what share of your words is dialogue and narration, with the typical range for your genre.
Open the tool →Chapter Length Analyzer
Free chapter length analyzer: paste your manuscript to see words per chapter, the average and spread, and which chapters run long or short.
Open the tool →Title Case Converter
Free title case converter: paste titles and convert them to AP, Chicago, APA or MLA title case, sentence case, upper case or lower case instantly.
Open the tool →Book Blurb Analyzer
Free book blurb analyzer: paste your book description to check length, hook, readability and clichés, with a checklist and score. No sign-up.
Open the tool →Writing Goal Calculator
Free writing goal calculator: find the words you must write each day to hit a target by your deadline, or the date you will finish at your pace.
Open the tool →Get a fixed-price quote
Not sure which option fits your book? Tell us about the project and we will recommend the right service and send a fixed price, with no obligation and a named specialist to answer your questions.
Request a quote →Browse every service
Formatting, cover design, conversion, platform set-up and author websites are all listed in one place, with fixed prices and a calculator on every page, so you can compare options before you decide.
See all services →Formatting, print and cover specifications
Tools for the numbers behind a printed or digital book, such as page counts, trim sizes, spines, colour, image resolution, fonts and file size.
Book Trim Size Guide
Free book trim size guide: pick your genre to see the sizes readers expect, in inches and millimetres, with a page estimate at each size.
Open the tool →Page Count Estimator
Free page count estimator: turn your word count into an estimated page count for your trim size, font and spacing, with the matching spine width.
Open the tool →Page Count Reducer
Free page count reducer: see how font, spacing and margin changes shorten your book so you reach a lower print cost without cutting words.
Open the tool →Page Count Rounding Calculator
Free page count rounding calculator: find the next valid page count for print on demand or offset, and how many blank pages it adds.
Open the tool →Spine Width Calculator
Free spine width calculator: enter your page count and paper to get the spine width and full cover size with bleed for KDP or any printer.
Open the tool →Color Converter For Print
Free color converter for print: turn a hex or RGB screen colour into CMYK, check total ink coverage and preview how it may print. No sign-up.
Open the tool →Image DPI Checker
Free image dpi checker: choose an image or enter its pixels to see the effective DPI at your print size, and the largest size for each quality.
Open the tool →Book Cover Thumbnail Preview
Free book cover thumbnail preview: upload your cover to see it at 40, 80, 120 and 200 pixels wide, in colour and in greyscale, on your own device.
Open the tool →Book Font Pairing Tool
Free book font pairing tool: pick a genre and see tried title and body font pairs with a live preview of your own title and text. No sign-up.
Open the tool →Typography Unit Converter
Free typography unit converter: convert points, picas, pixels, inches, millimetres, centimetres, em and rem for print and web layouts.
Open the tool →Book Margin Calculator
Free book margin calculator: find your profit per print copy from price, page count and print cost, and the lowest price that keeps royalty above zero.
Open the tool →Ebook File Size Calculator
Free ebook file size calculator: estimate your ebook size from word count and images and see the delivery charge on a high-royalty plan.
Open the tool →ISBN, barcode and subject codes
Tools that check, convert and format the identifiers that retailers and libraries use, and that draw the codes that go on your cover.
ISBN Validator Converter
Free isbn validator converter: check an ISBN is valid, convert between ISBN-10 and ISBN-13, or calculate a missing check digit. No sign-up.
Open the tool →ISBN Hyphenation Tool
Free isbn hyphenation tool: format an ISBN-13 with hyphens to match your copyright page, with auto-detect for common ranges or manual lengths.
Open the tool →ISBN Barcode Generator
Free isbn barcode generator: turn an ISBN into a scannable EAN-13 barcode with an optional price add-on and download it as an SVG for your cover.
Open the tool →QR Code Generator
Free qr code generator: create a QR code for a web address, text, Wi-Fi, email or phone number and download it as a crisp SVG. No sign-up.
Open the tool →BISAC Code Finder
Free bisac code finder: search a starter list of BISAC subject codes by keyword or group, then copy the code and heading for your book metadata.
Open the tool →Get a fixed-price quote
Not sure which option fits your book? Tell us about the project and we will recommend the right service and send a fixed price, with no obligation and a named specialist to answer your questions.
Request a quote →Royalties, pricing and budgets
Calculators that show what a price earns, what a book costs to make and how many copies it must sell, for ebooks, print, audiobooks and ads.
KDP Royalty Calculator
Free kdp royalty calculator: estimate KDP royalties for ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, including print cost, rates and the ebook delivery charge.
Open the tool →IngramSpark Royalty Calculator
Free ingramspark royalty calculator: estimate compensation per copy from list price, wholesale discount and print cost, or from your ebook share.
Open the tool →ACX Royalty Calculator
Free acx royalty calculator: estimate audiobook royalties for exclusive or non-exclusive ACX distribution, with royalty share or pay per finished hour.
Open the tool →KENP Calculator
Free kenp calculator: convert Kindle Unlimited pages read into earnings, or work out how many page reads equal one sale, at the rate for the month.
Open the tool →Kindle Unlimited Vs Wide Calculator
Free kindle unlimited vs wide calculator: compare income from Kindle Unlimited exclusivity with going wide, using your own sales and page reads.
Open the tool →Book Pricing Calculator
Free book pricing calculator: compare royalties at several prices for an ebook and a print edition, or find the price for your target royalty.
Open the tool →Print Cost Comparison Calculator
Free print cost comparison calculator: compare print on demand platforms side by side and see your profit per copy and author copy costs.
Open the tool →Royalty Split Calculator
Free royalty split calculator: split book income between author, illustrator, editor or co-author after costs are recovered. No sign-up needed.
Open the tool →Book Break Even Calculator
Free book break even calculator: add your production costs to see how many copies you must sell and how many months it takes to break even.
Open the tool →Self Publishing Budget Calculator
Free self publishing budget calculator: build a low and high budget for editing, cover, formatting, ISBN and marketing with editable ranges.
Open the tool →Audiobook Production Cost Calculator
Free audiobook production cost calculator: estimate finished hours from your word count and the cost of narration, editing and mastering.
Open the tool →Audiobook Sales Calculator
Free audiobook sales calculator: estimate audiobook earnings across Audible, Amazon and other stores from your sales, price and royalty rates.
Open the tool →Amazon Book Sales Calculator
Free amazon book sales calculator: turn a best sellers rank into rough daily and monthly sales, or find the rank a number of sales might give.
Open the tool →Amazon Ads ACOS Calculator
Free amazon ads acos calculator: work out your ACOS, break-even ACOS, cost per click, conversion rate and profit from your spend and sales.
Open the tool →Get a fixed-price quote
Not sure which option fits your book? Tell us about the project and we will recommend the right service and send a fixed price, with no obligation and a named specialist to answer your questions.
Request a quote →Names, titles and descriptions
Generators that give you ideas to react to when you are stuck on a title, a series name, a pen name, a character name, a description, a bio or a dedication.
Book Title Generator
Free book title generator: enter keywords, a character or a plot summary to get title ideas in patterns that suit your genre, from fantasy to nonfiction.
Open the tool →Book Subtitle Generator
Free book subtitle generator: give your topic, readers and result to get nonfiction subtitle ideas in proven patterns, with character counts.
Open the tool →Book Series Name Generator
Free book series name generator: enter a few themes and a genre to get series name ideas in patterns readers recognise, from sagas to mysteries.
Open the tool →Pen Name Generator
Free pen name generator: get pen name ideas from your own name, genre and the feel you want, with initials and anagram options. No sign-up.
Open the tool →Character Name Generator
Free character name generator: create names for fantasy, elven, dwarven, Nordic, Celtic, medieval, modern and Japanese characters, with optional meanings.
Open the tool →Book Description Generator
Free book description generator: fill in your story's key points to get a description with a hook, stakes and closing line, ready to edit.
Open the tool →Author Bio Generator
Free author bio generator: answer a few questions to get several third-person author bios in your tone and length, with no AI and no sign-up.
Open the tool →Book Dedication Generator
Free book dedication generator: choose who the book is for and the tone to get dedication ideas, from a short line to a longer note.
Open the tool →Get a fixed-price quote
Not sure which option fits your book? Tell us about the project and we will recommend the right service and send a fixed price, with no obligation and a named specialist to answer your questions.
Request a quote →Launch and marketing
Tools that plan a launch, find keywords and hashtags, estimate reading time and gather your buy links into one tidy list.
Book Launch Timeline Planner
Free book launch timeline planner: enter your launch date to get a dated checklist from twelve weeks before to four weeks after launch.
Open the tool →Book Keyword Generator
Free book keyword generator: build keyword phrases for KDP and other stores from your topic, genre and tropes, and check each against the limit.
Open the tool →Hashtag Generator
Free hashtag generator: get broad, genre and topic hashtags for a book launch, an event or a custom topic, with a note on how many each platform handles.
Open the tool →Universal Book Link Builder
Free universal book link builder: paste your retailer links and ISBN to build a clean list of buy links in HTML, Markdown or plain text.
Open the tool →Reading Time Calculator
Free reading time calculator: find how long a book, article or manuscript takes to read from words or pages, at slow, average and fast speeds.
Open the tool →Get a fixed-price quote
Not sure which option fits your book? Tell us about the project and we will recommend the right service and send a fixed price, with no obligation and a named specialist to answer your questions.
Request a quote →How to choose the right free tool
Start from the question
Ask what you need to know, such as how long, how wide, how much or how readable, and pick the tool that answers it. The group headings above follow those same questions, so you can scan them quickly.
Check the method on the tool page
Each page explains how the result is worked out, so you can judge whether the method fits your book and your platform before you rely on it for a decision that costs money.
Use two tools together
Many questions need a pair. The page count estimator and the spine width calculator answer one question between them, and a royalty calculator and a pricing calculator answer another, so try the neighbours of the tool you open first.
Confirm with the source
Printers and stores publish their own templates, calculators and rules, and those are the final authority. The tools get you close, help you plan and tell you which questions to ask the platform before you upload.
Save your figures as you go
Note the page count, trim size, price and royalty that each tool gives you in one place. These numbers feed into your cover brief, your listing and your budget, and keeping them together prevents mismatches later.
Come back after every change
Edits to the manuscript change the word count, the page count and therefore the spine and the print cost. Re-run the relevant tools after any major revision, so that your plan always reflects the current text.
When a free tool is not enough
The tools answer questions, and a specialist finishes jobs. If you want finished files, a fixed price and a named person who owns the work, these are the services that follow from the tools.
Professional Book Formatting
When the manuscript is ready, a professional formatter builds the print interior and the ebook, using the same trim, margin and spine figures that these tools work out.
See the service →Book Cover Design
A cover designer turns your title, trim size, spine width and genre into a cover that reads at a thumbnail size and prints correctly.
See the service →eBook Formatting Services
An ebook specialist builds one validated EPUB that reads well on Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and every other store.
See the service →Book Publishing Support Services
Publishing support handles the platform setup, ISBN entry, metadata and file checks that the tools help you plan.
See the service →Author Website Design
An author website gives your books, your email list and your buy links a home, and it can carry the same tools that you use.
See the service →Book Landing Page Design
A landing page turns a launch into a single page with a sample, praise, buy links and an email sign-up.
See the service →What authors say about our author tool kit work
Verified reviews from authors who used our formatting service for a author tool kit after reading about it.
Historical fiction requires a formal, unhurried typography that feels appropriate to the period. The specialist understood this without me having to explain it at length. The result is elegant and exactly right.
My textbook had 200 footnotes, 45 tables, and a detailed index. Every element was formatted to academic publishing standards. My publisher accepted the files without requesting any corrections whatsoever.
Tight, clean, and exactly on brief. The chapter openers had the tension-driven feel the genre demands without being overdone. Upload to KDP was approved without a single correction requested.
YA formatting needs to feel energetic but readable. Every chapter felt like an invitation to keep going. The page numbers, headers, and spacing all contributed to a fast, engaging reading experience.
My memoir had photographs on almost every other page alongside the text. The image placement, captions, and page flow all look natural and professional. The print proof was exactly what I hoped for.
Good work overall. The formatting was clean and the file passed KDP first time. I would have liked slightly more communication during the process but the end result was exactly what I needed.
My spiritual book had Arabic quotations alongside English text. The bidirectional text layout was handled correctly and respectfully. The result reads clearly in both languages and the overall design is dignified.
The interior was formatted cleanly and the file passed KDP without corrections. I had one request during revisions about the callout box styling and it was updated promptly. Overall a good experience.
My paranormal romance had an unusual chapter structure with alternating POVs. Every transition was formatted cleanly. The visual rhythm of the page keeps readers moving through the story naturally.
Every intentional white space, line break, and stanza pause survived the formatting process exactly as I had written them. Poetry is where formatting can make or break the reading experience. This got it right.
My coaching workbook had exercises, worksheets, and reflection prompts alongside regular chapters. Every element was formatted to serve both digital completion and print. The result looks professional and functional.
My romance novel needed a warm, readable layout with consistent chapter styling. The specialist understood exactly what I was after and the finished file exceeded my expectations on every page.
Every recipe page has the right visual hierarchy — ingredients clearly separated from method, clear serving sizes, and consistent styling throughout. My readers can use the book comfortably in the kitchen.
My business book had 14 chapters, 38 tables, and 22 figures. Everything was formatted cleanly and consistently. The specialist flagged two source document errors I had not noticed. Thorough and professional.
The bleed formatting on my picture book was handled exactly right. The full-colour spreads print edge to edge without any white borders. The final book looks like it came from a major publisher.
Professional, fast, and thorough. My book had 22 chapters and a detailed appendix. Every element was formatted consistently. I received the draft three days ahead of the agreed deadline.
Very good understanding of academic formatting requirements. One heading level needed adjustment in revisions but the overall standard was exactly right for a scholarly publication. My publisher was satisfied.
Solid formatting work. The chapter headers and page numbers were all clean and the file passed IngramSpark first time. Communication was good throughout. Minor revision was turned around same day.
Free Tools for Authors: questions answered
These are the questions authors ask most about free tools for authors, including the steps, the files and the cost. If your question about the author tool kit is missing, request a quote and a specialist will reply.
Are the free tools for authors really free?
Yes. Every tool is free to use, needs no account and has no usage limit, and nothing that you type is uploaded.
Do the tools upload my text or images?
No. Each tool runs in your browser, so your text, images and figures stay on your device.
Which free tool should I use first?
Start from the question that you need answered. The writing checks help with a draft, the print tools help before formatting, the code tools help before upload and the money tools help before you set a price.
How accurate are the royalty calculators?
They apply the published structure of each platform's royalties and let you edit costs and rates. Platform terms change, so check the current terms before you set a price.
Can I use the tools on a phone?
Yes. They work on phones, tablets and computers, and the layouts adapt to the screen.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no sign-up, and you can use any tool as often as you like.
Are the generators powered by artificial intelligence?
No. The generators fill fixed patterns with your own words in your browser and do not use a language model.
Can I download the results?
Many tools have copy buttons, and some provide a download, such as an SVG barcode, a QR code, a calendar file or a CSV list.
What if a tool gives a result that does not match my printer or store?
Trust the printer or store. The tools are planning aids, and each page tells you where to confirm the figures with the source.
Can I suggest a new tool?
Yes. Send a message through the quote form and tell us what you need, and we will consider it for the collection.
Do you offer paid services as well?
Yes. We format interiors and ebooks, design covers, fix files, publish books and build author websites, each at a fixed price.
Is it safe to use the tools with unpublished work?
Yes. Because the tools run in your browser and send nothing anywhere, they are safe for unpublished chapters and private figures.
From free tools to a finished book
The free tools cost nothing, and so does asking what a specialist would do with your book. When you are ready for finished files, a fixed price and one person who owns the job, we are ready to start.
