Last updated: October 2026
Writing a book costs you time and the odd crisis of confidence. It shouldn’t cost a fortune in courses on top. This page gathers the free author resources on my site, plus the free tools and UK organisations I send new writers to, sorted by the stage your book has reached.
Whether you’re staring at a blank page or polishing a final draft, you’ll find guides with worked examples and places to send your short stories. Everything here is free to read, with no sign-up wall.
I’m Dr Aaron Mullins, a bestselling author and award-winning psychologist with over 21 years in writing and publishing. I started Birdtree Books Publishing and ran it as Editor-in-Chief, and I’ve taught Academic Writing at Coventry University. I built this list of free resources for authors because I wished it had existed when I first started out.
New here? Start with my Top 10 Writing Tips, then bookmark this page. I add each new guide as soon as it’s live.
Free Author Resources by Stage of Your Book
These free resources for authors run in the order most books get written. Jump to the stage you’re at.
Free Writing Guides for Authors
Start with craft. Each of these writing guides walks through one skill, with examples you can borrow for your own draft.
- Top 10 Writing Tips: the ten pieces of advice I’d give any writer starting a first book.
- How to Write a Book: a step-by-step creative writing guide to planning and finishing a story or novel.
- How to Describe People: lists for describing a character’s face, hair, eyes, body and clothes, plus how to tie each trait to personality.
- Average Book Lengths Guide: typical word counts for six forms of fiction, so you know how long your novel or short story should run.
- How to Write a Scottish Accent: how to spell Scots words in dialogue so they sound right to the ear, with lessons from my own Highland stories.
- How to Write a Children’s Book: twenty steps for writing a children’s book, each with an example.
- How to Write True Crime: a guide built on insights from Dahlia Cross, author of Contract Killers, on researching real cases and hooking readers with cliffhangers.
Free Book Editing Resources
A full self-editing guide is on its way; subscribe and you’ll get it first. Until then, this five-step checklist will take a first draft a long way, and the free editing tools sit in the tools table below.
- Rest the draft. Leave it for at least two weeks before you reread. Fresh eyes catch what tired ones skip.
- Fix structure before sentences. Check plot and pacing first. Polishing a chapter you later cut wastes a week.
- Read it aloud. Clunky rhythm and missing words jump out when you hear them. A text-to-speech tool works if your voice gives out.
- Hunt your crutch words. Search for “just”, “really”, “suddenly” and “started to”, then cut most of them.
- Find one honest reader. A writing group or critique partner costs nothing and spots the gaps you can’t see in your own work.
Free Publishing Resources for Authors
My full publishing guide is in the works. Here’s the short version of both routes, with free places to learn more.
Self-publishing
- Kindle Direct Publishing charges nothing to publish your ebook or paperback. Amazon keeps a share of each sale, and it can give you a free ISBN for the paperback.
- Draft2Digital is free to use and sends your ebook to many stores at once. It takes a cut of each sale instead of charging a fee.
- Reedsy Studio formats your manuscript into an ebook file and a print-ready PDF, free.
- Legal deposit: once you publish in the UK, you’re the publisher, and the law requires you to send one copy to the British Library within a month of publication.
Traditional publishing
- Find an agent. The Association of Authors’ Agents lists UK member agencies. Check each agent’s page for the genres they take and how they want submissions.
- Learn the submission package. The Writers & Artists website publishes free articles on cover letters and synopses.
- Get your contract checked. If an offer lands, the Society of Authors vets contracts for its members.
- Spot a scam. Agents and traditional publishers pay you. If a “publisher” asks for money up front, check Writer Beware before you sign anything.
Free Book Marketing Resources and Writing Competitions
Short stories in magazines and competitions are the cheapest way I know to build a writing CV. A win or a shortlisting gives agents a reason to read on.
- Writing Competitions List: short story contests in one list, so you can plan your entries for the year.
- Huge List of UK Literary Magazines: UK magazines that take submissions, so your stories find readers.
- How to Win Writing Competitions: how to give your short story its best chance with the judges.
Free book marketing basics
- Start an email list on day one. Kit’s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and a list you own beats any social platform’s reach.
- Claim your Amazon author page. Amazon Author Central lets you add your bio and photo to your author page for free.
- Join the Goodreads Author Program. It’s free, and it links your profile to your books.
Free Tools for Writers
These free tools for writers cover drafting, editing, formatting and promotion. I checked every free plan in October 2026, but plans change, so confirm the terms before you rely on one.
| Tool | Use it for | What’s free |
|---|---|---|
| Google Docs | Drafting with automatic saves, and sharing chapters with beta readers | Everything, with a Google account |
| LibreOffice Writer | A full word processor that opens and saves Word files | Everything (open source) |
| Wavemaker | Planning and outlining a novel with cards and timelines | Everything (open source, donations welcome) |
| Hemingway Editor | Spotting long sentences and passive voice | The web version, no sign-up (it won’t save your text, so paste in and copy out) |
| Grammarly | Catching spelling and grammar slips | The basic plan, no card needed |
| Reedsy Studio | Writing and formatting an ebook and a print-ready PDF | Writing and formatting (add-ons are paid) |
| Canva | Book promo graphics and social posts | The free plan, with millions of templates and stock images |
| Kit | Running an author newsletter | The Newsletter plan, up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Project Gutenberg | Reading public domain classics in your genre | Everything |
| British Library | Research and quiet writing space in the reading rooms | A Reader Pass, free for over-18s (register in person in London or Yorkshire) |
UK Organisations That Help Writers
Looking for resources for writers in the UK? These organisations give free advice or funding, and a few pay you money you’re already owed.
| Organisation | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Society of Authors | The UK trade union for authors: contract vetting and advice for members, plus grants for works in progress |
| Writers’ Guild of Great Britain | The trade union for writers in TV, film, theatre, radio, books and games |
| ALCS | Collects money owed to writers when their work is copied or reused |
| Public Lending Right | Pays UK authors each year when libraries lend their books; registration is free |
| Royal Literary Fund | A charity helping authors since 1790, with grants for professional writers in hardship |
| National Centre for Writing | Free resource packs for early-career writers, written by award-winning authors and industry experts |
| Scottish Book Trust | New Writers Awards and support for writers living in Scotland |
| Literature Wales | Lists writers’ groups and literary societies across Wales |
| National Association of Writers’ Groups | A directory of writing groups across the UK |
| Arts Council England | Project funding for writers based in England |
Writing Inspiration, Prompts and Free Stories
When the words dry up, a change of scene helps, even an imaginary one.
- Beach Writing Prompts: seaside settings to kick-start a scene.
- 5 Places in Paris for Writing Inspiration: my five favourite Paris spots for settings and story ideas, including the Metro and Montmartre’s street art.
- Writing Dystopian Fiction in a Pandemic: keeping your writing mindset when real life starts reading like fiction.
Free stories and poems
Read my short fiction free, and see the craft advice above in action.
Join 2,000+ Writers Getting Free Author Resources
Pop in your email and I’ll send each new guide and free story as soon as it’s live. You’ll join over 2,000 readers and writers already on the list.
Love social media? Follow along and send me your questions on any of these:
How to Write Fiction: my creative writing guide
Want everything in one place? How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors takes you step by step through writing a novel. It also shows how psychology can help you stand out in writing and publishing, including my approach to euphonics: choosing words for their sound as well as their meaning.
Get How to Write Fiction on Amazon
The perfect author companion – designed to guide you through your complete story journey, step-by-step, from the very first sentence to a completed novel – achieve success with your writing!
Free Resources for Writers: Your Questions Answered
Where can I find free resources for authors?
Start with this page: every guide here is free, and together they cover writing, editing, publishing and marketing. For wider support, UK bodies such as the National Centre for Writing and Scottish Book Trust publish free advice, and your local library lends craft books and gives you free access to quiet writing space.
What tools do new authors need?
You need far less than adverts suggest. A free word processor such as Google Docs or LibreOffice Writer and a free checker like Hemingway Editor cover the basics, as long as you back up your files in two places. Add a free newsletter account once you have readers to email.
Can I publish a book for free in the UK?
Yes. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Draft2Digital charge nothing to publish an ebook or paperback; they take a share of each sale instead. KDP can supply a free ISBN for paperbacks. Your real costs are editing and cover design, and trading skills with other writers can bring those down.
How long should a novel be?
Anything over 50,000 words counts as a novel, but if you want an agent or publisher, aim for between 75,000 and 90,000 words for your first one. Epics can reach around 200,000 words, usually in fantasy or historical fiction. My Average Book Lengths Guide covers six forms of fiction, flash fiction included.
How do I find a literary agent in the UK?
Use the Association of Authors’ Agents website, which lists UK member agencies, then check each agent’s page for the genres they represent and how they want submissions. Most ask for a cover letter and synopsis plus your opening chapters. A real agent never charges a reading fee.
Are writing competitions worth entering?
Yes, if you choose well. A shortlisting gives your cover letter a credit agents notice, and deadlines push you to finish work. Weigh the entry fee against the prize, and avoid contests that claim rights over every entry. My Writing Competitions List gathers short story contests in one place.
Happy writing. Bookmark this page of free author resources and come back each time your book reaches a new stage.
Aaron Mullins is a bestselling author and internationally published psychologist with over 21 years in writing and publishing. A former Editor-in-Chief, he partnered with the Worldreader charity and taught Academic Writing at Coventry University. His book How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors has become a staple reference for writers.