The Best Writing & Self-Publishing App Has NO AI

I tested every writing app and there’s a clear winner.

I’ve been self-publishing for over 20 years and I’ve tested just about every writing app out there. The first book I self-published was written entirely in Word. It was 2003 and I had to order them in batches of 100 from the printer and I kept a box in the trunk of my car to sell at events.

My next set of books were created in Pages and exported in PDF. That was the extent of the formatting available in the 2010s. At least by then I could print them with KDP instead of paying 10x that at a vanity press.

In the 2020s I’ve used Ulysses, Scrivener, Atticus, Reedsy and Kindle Create. I’ve hated them all. I still had to pay for formatting or purchase Vellum (another $250 on top of the writing tool and only available on Mac).

Using any of these required a multi-step process to get a book ready for print and eBooks into a proper re-flowable format. Write in one app, format in another and export from a third.

Deckle = Everything in One Place

I went looking for an all-in-one solution that wasn’t going to add another subscription to my expense column. Deckle was my stand-out favorite. I wanted an app I can purchase and I never have to pay again. I found that with Deckle.

Deckle is the all-in-one writing, formatting & self-publishing tool I was dreaming of. This is the Outliner view.

Writing in Deckle

I love visual organization, the outliner view in Deckle reminds me of the felt boards all over the walls in my office. I use them to plot out my entire life, not just my creative work. There’s something so satisfying about seeing the bones of your book on a kanban board.

I like writing on a dark page. It’s easier on my eyes.

From the outliner page I just click into each chapter to write. There’s a big non-feature I want you to notice.

If You Don’t Use AI to Write, You Need Deckle

Deckle has zero AI tools. None. You are the writer and there’s no chance of “that’s AI-generated” accusations arising from using Deckle. This is important, y’all. If you want an AI-free software that provides a paper trail for your books, Deckle is all you need.

Deckle helps protect your book from piracy too. One of the major security risks of other platforms is the cloud. When you use cloud-syncing or a browser-based service (like Scrivener, Ulysses, Atticus) that syncs from device to device, your project files are exposed to third-party data scrapers and AI training models. Deckle keeps your project files stored on your local device, not in the cloud.

Formatting a Book with Deckle

So far though, you’re probably thinking, “it’s just another writing app.” The magical part is the formatting. If you’ve ever tried to format an eBook for Kindle you know how difficult it is to get it to look the way you want it to.

Deckle has professional typesetting tools baked right in. There are dozens of presets and the advanced features give you complete control at every level of your book. You can even upload custom fonts.

Self-Publishing a Book with Deckle

Converting eBooks to the correct format for each platform is a huge pain point for self-published authors. If this step is done incorrectly it can prevent your book from getting published at all, or worse, bad reviews because it looks choppy and doesn’t reflow on an eReader.

Export your books in 4 eBook formats, print-ready PDF and even as a Word Docx

Deckle spits out the right format for each eBook platform, automatically. One and done. The exports are ready to publish.

Watch Me Format & Export a Book in 5 Minutes

I was so excited, I made a video. Watch this to see me format and export an eBook in 5 minutes.

How Much Does Deckle Cost & How Do I Get It?

Deckle replaces Scrivener AND Vellum/Atticus combined. Scrivener with Vellum alone is $300+, and Vellum is for Mac users only. Deckle does it all for $197, on Mac & PC with formatting for every platform. And you never pay again, all future updates are included.

Look, I know everything feels like it nickel and dimes the shit out of us. You do not need a stack of subscriptions to self-publish, you just need Deckle. A one time purchase for a lifetime of self-publishing unlimited books — without AI accusations.

Questions? Drop them in the comments.

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