AI is taking over—it’s infiltrating almost every corner of the web. Personally, I see this as a huge opportunity, though I know some still resist AI’s rapid advance. But as I always argue, whether we like it or not, AI is reshaping the world as we know it, and the best thing we can do is adapt, adjust, and refine our teaching and working methods to stay relevant.
In this post, I’m sharing a handpicked collection of tools that, based on my long experience reviewing EdTech and AI tools, I believe are some of the best for bringing your next book project to life—or tackling any serious academic writing.
I start with word processors, breaking down the ones I rely on and why. Then, I dive into AI-assisted editing platforms, exploring how they can help refine your writing. Finally, I wrap up with a selection of tools for creating book visuals, including book covers and illustrations.
Online Book Creator Tools
Here are some of the best tools to use help you write your next book:
1. Microsoft Word
Despite the rise of EdTech advancements and AI-powered writing tools, Microsoft Word remains one of the best options for long-form writing, particularly for academic and scholarly work. Its versatility, ease of use, and practicality make it hard to beat. I personally relied on Word—alongside Google Docs—to write both my doctoral dissertation and my book, ChatGPT for Teachers, and I have no plans to switch to another platform anytime soon.
For extensive writing projects, Word is my primary tool, but I also use Google Docs as a backup and secondary editing platform. After once losing a chapter of my dissertation, I’ve made it a habit to copy all my Word drafts into Google Docs for safekeeping. Plus, I find that editing and collaboration are much smoother in Google Docs.
2. Google Docs
If you’re deep into the Google ecosystem, Google Docs is a solid alternative—especially with its latest updates. It now supports page headers, tabs, and built-in AI features. Google’s Gemini AI is integrated directly into Docs, making it easy to brainstorm, edit, and refine your writing without leaving the platform.
Since it’s part of Google Drive, you can seamlessly pull in data from Sheets, Forms, Drawings, and other Google tools. And because it’s cloud-based, you can access your documents from anywhere with an internet connection (plus, there’s an offline mode for when you’re working without Wi-Fi).
Collaboration is another huge plus—Google Docs makes it effortless to work with others in real time. As I mentioned before, I use Google Docs alongside Word, and this combo has worked perfectly for me for years.
3. Scrivener
Scrivener is a bit different from other writing tools—it’s designed for those who need advanced features and deep organization. I highly recommend it for non-fiction writing, though it works well for all types of writing projects.
One of its biggest strengths is its powerful organizational system, which lets you break writing into sections, rearrange content easily, and structure complex projects. It also includes visual tools for planning and reshuffling content, making it great for writers who like to see the big picture.
Beyond that, Scrivener offers templates, goal tracking, and a distraction-free full-screen mode to help you stay focused. If you’re looking for a writing tool that goes beyond basic word processing, Scrivener is definitely worth exploring.
4. Pages
If you’re a fan of Apple products, Pages is Apple’s answer to Microsoft Word. It’s more than just a word processor—it’s also great for creating visually appealing documents. I’ve used it on and off for some time now, but like with any word processor, once you get used to one, it’s hard to switch completely.
That said, I do use Pages for certain projects, especially those that require a strong visual element. It offers a wide variety of templates, making it a great choice for professional-looking educational materials and student projects. Its intuitive interface also makes it easy to use for all ages and skill levels.
5. Ulysses
Ulysses is another great alternative to explore. Similar to Scrivener, it offers a range of advanced features tailored for professional writers. It provides a minimalist writing interface with a distraction-free environment, making it ideal for focused writing.
Some of its key features include powerful organization tools for managing large projects by structuring chapters, scenes, and notes, seamless syncing across Mac, iPad, and iPhone, and an AI-powered grammar and style checker. It also offers goal tracking and supports multiple export formats, allowing you to save your work as a PDF, Word document, ePub, or even publish directly to platforms like WordPress and Medium.
6. Notion
Notion is a versatile tool that covers note-taking, project management, team collaboration, knowledge organization, and document creation. It blends the flexibility of a wiki, database, and task manager into one seamless platform. Its customizable templates make it easy to create professional-looking documents.
My experience with Notion has mainly been for note-taking and journaling, and I love how intuitive it is. You can also use it for extensive writing projects like books and research papers. With Notion AI now integrated, you can get instant help with ideation and editing as you write. Its collaboration features are also a major plus, making it easy to work with others in real time.
7. Canva
Canva is more than just a graphic design tool—it also offers powerful writing features. With Canva Write and Canva Docs, you can work on extensive writing projects while seamlessly integrating design elements.
I’ve used Canva to create several free AI books, including Best AI Tools for Teachers and Teaching with AI, and while it’s not as robust as Word or Google Docs, it’s a great option if you already use Canva for design. The ability to combine writing and graphic design in one platform makes it incredibly convenient. That said, I wouldn’t recommend it for long books (over 100 pages)—for those, I stick to other dedicated writing tools.
AI Writing & Editing Assistants
When it comes to editing your drafts, these tools are some of my favourite ones. I must admit, though, that I currently use AI Chatbots for editing and refining my writing and rarely do I feel the need to use other tools.
1. AI Chatbots
Since their introduction, AI chatbots—especially ChatGPT and Claude—have become my go-to tools for editing and refining my writing. If you use them, you might find that you no longer need any other editing tool. They do more than just correct grammar and style—they can also provide constructive feedback on your writing, and in my experience, their suggestions are usually spot-on.
That said, uploading your documents to AI platforms comes with privacy risks, as your content could be used for model training. If you’re using ChatGPT or Claude, you can opt out of model training. In ChatGPT, you need to manually adjust the setting under Data Controls, while with Claude, opting out is enabled by default. Always double-check your settings if privacy is a concern.
2. Grammarly
Grammarly is another great editing tool to help you refine your writing. It goes beyond basic spell-checking and offers grammar corrections, style suggestions, clarity improvements, and even tone adjustments. I find it especially useful for catching mistakes that slip through during quick writing sessions (Mind you, I no longer use it because I use AI Chatbots).
Grammarly offers this awesome feature which is real-time editing which helps you fine-tune your work as you type. It also provides detailed explanations for suggested changes, so you can actually learn and improve your writing over time. While the free version covers the basics, the premium version unlocks advanced style and plagiarism checks.
3. Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor is another great tool to help you improve your writing, especially if clarity and readability are your priorities. It highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and unnecessary adverbs which can help make your writing more concise and impactful.
I like using it when I need to simplify my text and make it more engaging. The color-coded suggestions make it easy to spot areas that need improvement, and the readability score helps ensure your writing is clear for your audience.
4. Quillbot
Quillbot is an AI-powered tool to use to help with paraphrasing and sentence rewording. It uses AI to rewrite text while maintaining the original meaning, making it useful for improving clarity, avoiding redundancy, or generating alternative phrasing.
I often use Quillbot when I want to reword sentences for better flow or simplify complex ideas. It also offers grammar and style suggestions, making it a great all-in-one assistant. While the free version is useful, the premium version unlocks more paraphrasing modes and deeper customization.
5. WordTune
WordTune is another great AI-powered tool to help you refine and enhance your writing. It goes beyond grammar correction by suggesting alternative ways to phrase sentences, helping you improve clarity, tone, and style.
WordTune is similar to Quilbot for they both are great for rewording sentences for better flow or impact. It offers multiple rewriting suggestions, so you can choose the version that best fits your intent.
AI Design & Illustration Tools
For creating visuals and graphics to illustrate the content of your book or for creating book covers, these tools are worth considering:
1. Canva
Canva is by far the easiest and most accessible design tool out there. It has revolutionized graphic design, making it effortless for non-specialists like me to create stunning visuals. With a vast library of pre-made templates, AI-powered features, and design elements, you can bring your book to life without needing advanced design skills.
For book covers, a simple search on Canva’s platform pulls up a wide variety of customizable templates, allowing you to design a professional-looking cover in minutes. While the free version is great, the Pro version unlocks more features, premium assets, and advanced design tools, making it worth considering if you’re serious about design.
2. Midjourney
I like Midjourney, and I find the visuals it generates truly impressive—especially if you know how to craft well-structured prompts. Sometimes, I even use ChatGPT or Claude to refine my prompts before running them through Midjourney for better results.
I used to rely on DALL-E in ChatGPT, but it doesn’t come close to what Midjourney can produce in terms of detail, creativity, and realism. Midjourney also offers various editing options, allowing you to fine-tune images, upscale resolutions, and adjust styles to better match your vision.
Keep in mind that I always use Midjourney alongside Canva. I often generate visuals in Midjourney and then import them into Canva for further editing and customization. Since Midjourney doesn’t always render text well, I use Canva to refine typography, add logos, and make final adjustments. For me, Canva remains an essential tool in the process, ensuring that the final design is polished and professional.
3. Leonardo AI
Leonardo AI is a solid text-to-image alternative to Midjourney, and I’ve used it multiple times with great results. Like Midjourney, it requires precise and detailed prompts to generate visuals that closely match your creative vision. One of its strengths is its versatility—it offers various styles, editing options, and customization features to refine images.
Same thing with Leonardo, I use it alongside Canva to refine and enhance AI-generated visuals. After creating an image in Leonardo, I import it into Canva for editing, adding text, logos, and other design elements. This combination allows me to fine-tune the visuals and make them more polished and personalized.
4. Adobe Express
This one is for those who want more sophisticated visual features while still keeping things simple and accessible. Adobe Express offers a wide variety of templates, making it easy to create professional-quality book covers, graphics, and illustrations without the complexity of full Adobe software like Photoshop or Illustrator. It also includes AI-powered design tools, quick editing options, and seamless integration with Adobe’s ecosystem, allowing you to enhance visuals effortlessly.
5. Fotor
Fotor has been around for a long time, even before the rise of generative AI, and it remains a reliable tool for quick and easy photo editing and design. It offers AI-powered enhancements, pre-made templates, and a range of creative effects, making it a great option for designing book covers and promotional materials.
With its one-click editing features, background removal, and AI-driven retouching, Fotor is perfect for those who want fast, high-quality visuals without needing advanced design skills.
Final thoughts
There you have it—a curated selection of what I believe are some of the best tools, including AI-powered options, to help you bring your book to life. I’ve covered word processors for writing, editing tools for refining your work, and graphic design platforms for creating visuals and covers.
While AI is rapidly transforming the creative process, some tools—like the ever-reliable Microsoft Word—are here to stay. AI may eventually offer strong alternatives, but for now, these tried-and-true tools remain essential for any writer.
