Best book writing apps for Mac

Being a writer isn't that fancy as people imagine. This work often comes with writer's block, inability to focus, and, let's admit it, routine and monotony. This article took a couple of hours and a cistern of coffee to focus on writing!

Fortunately, with little helpers – book writing software for Mac in particular – we can combat distraction, lack of concentration, and creativity at zero. 

This article reviews the book writing software for Mac available via Setapp. Which means free to try. Each of these apps is used by professionals and most are expensive if purchased individually, so Setapp is an amazing deal. Now, to the apps. 

The best writing programs for writers 

Depending on your writing flow and level of expertise, you probably have your own unique expectations. Our list satisfies most of the needs, whether you look for free book writing software for beginners or professional writing software for best-selling authors. 

AI assistant to polish your writing 

We have zero doubt you’re an amazing writer. But with Craft’s AI assistant, you can be a much more efficient writer! Essentially a document creator, Craft gives you a beautiful space to craft documents with text, media, tables, and more. There are tons of layouts and customization options to polish the look. 

And what we love the most, AI assistant can completely rewrite your text in a different style, answer the questions you pose in your writing (sounds creepy, we know), and check grammar. 

Writing and publishing app with markdown support 

Ulysses is an award-winning application (Best of Apple Design Awards 2016, Best of App Store 2016) for writing and markdown editing. Indeed, its simple and sleek design replaces an old-fashioned typewriter and makes you feel like Hemingway. Just you and a plain piece of paper: what can be better?

Ulysses offers a built-in markdown editor that will turn your plain text into the markdown code if you're writing for the web. Also, the application allows you to export your text in popular formats like PDF, EPUB, HTML, and .docx. Finally, Ulysses integrates with WordPress and Medium, so you don't need to prepare your blog posts for publication. The application uploads the post automatically, keeping the formatting. 

What else can we say? If you haven't used Ulysses on your Mac, you can hardly be considered a real writer. Jokes ahead, this book writing app for Mac allows you to focus on the important and manage web content with a built-in markdown editor like a pro. Our marketing team totally recommends it.

The ultimate PDF client for Mac

Nitro PDF Pro is like a Swiss army knife for PDF documents and paperless document flow. If you're composing a book in a PDF format, this app will help you out. Here's what you can do with Nitro PDF Pro:

• Add page numbers, headers, and footers
• Add watermarks to protect the copyright
• Add new text blocks, images, and signatures
• Add and remove pages, images, text blocks, and more with a simple drag-and-drop feature.

If you decide to go paperless, the built-in OCR will help you turn scanned documents into digital copies. Just like with a real scanner, you can set up an optimal resolution, contrast, and image quality.

Final verdict: Nitro PDF Pro is an ultimate PDF editing and OCR tool that helps you compose a book, guide, manual, or anything you need in a digital format.

Live markdown previewer 

Sometimes we wonder, what classic books would be like if their authors had tools like Marked? One thing is for sure: they would spend less time writing and editing, but the result would be just as good!

Luckily, we have Marked. Marked is one of the best book writing software on Mac that lets you preview Markdown and other markup languages. 

Additionally, Marked keeps track of the number of words and symbols, detects spelling and grammar inconsistencies and recommends sentence optimization. It's like a little Hemingway on your Mac, but better. Hemingway didn't know the languages like Markdown in HTML!

Minimalist journaling app 

The best book writing software is not necessarily the one with tons of bells and whistles. Sometimes, you just need a cozy nook for writing — the space where you can clear your mind and let your imagination fly. Journaling apps like Diarly are usually a great fit. 

In the past, people would keep a journal to self-reflect and keep good memories at hand. Today, therapists recognize the benefits of journaling. This practice helps relieve stress, improve memory, and boost creativity. But you can also use journaling as a writing exercise! 

With Diarly, journaling becomes even more pleasant and faster. Get this beautiful minimalistic application to write your thoughts on the go, set journaling goals, and track your writing progress. 

Remember old-fashioned diaries with a lock and a key? Diarly protects your journals even better with cross-device password encryption. 

The most effortless and minimalist writing app

Finally, let us show you an effortless and minimalist writing app MonsterWriter. If you’re looking for an app that enables you to think about your writing and not how to make the writing program work for you, MonsterWriter is a perfect choice.

Although the app is geared towards academic writing, you can still use it for other kinds of writing. You can only write in MonsterWriter and then export to whatever format you want (HTML, Markdown, PDF, and LaTeX). The advantage of this method is that you don’t have any choices to make; you only have to write and focus on what you’re doing.

Writing software for authors, all in one pack

So what writing software do authors use to achieve their boldest goals? The answer is they probably use a combination of tools. If you’re the type of person who needs a minimalist editor, you can try Diarly, Ulysses, or MonsterWriter. Want some AI magic? Get Craft. Work with markup languages? You need Marked. PDFs? Nitro PDF Pro is the way to go.

Luckily, on Setapp, everyone – from a student and amateur writer to an academic and professional writer – can find the best book writing software for Mac. Sign up today and try all the mentioned apps for 7 days free.