Tools I Use in My Self Publishing Business

by Shelley Hitz

I know how helpful it's been for me to find out from other successful entrepreneurs the tools they find helpful and use in their business. I've even started using several of the tools based upon the recommendation of others.

And as a published author, I highly recommend that you truly see your book as a business. And with any business there are a few tools you'll need and others that aren't necessary but sure do make life a lot easier. :)

Below is a list of a few of the tools I use below (not comprehensive though). Some of the paid tools are my affiliate links. However, I only recommend high quality, useful products that I believe in. And any product you purchase through my link helps support this site so I can continue to give you tons of free resources.

Okay here's the list...

Free:

Gmail - manages all my e-mail accounts...love it! I import my business e-mail addresses into one Gmail account which saves me a lot of time.

NoteTab Light - I think I use this everyday. A great text editor with multiple tab functions and basic HTML editing

Evernote - I keep copies of all my e-mails that are business receipts organized here. I also keep information about our speaking engagements so I can access it easily from my phone.

Dropbox - A must-have if collaborating on any projects. This is great to use when working with an editor, cover designer, etc. on your book project.

iTunes - Listen to trainings and podcasts, but also enjoy some music while I work. :)

PDF995 - A free PDF conversion tool I use often.

x3Watch - Accountability software (not a filter, but sends a list of questionable sites to people you list).

Audacity - The best audio editing software out there...and it's free!

HootSuite - Love HootSuite for organizing my social media. You can add up to 5 accounts for free and update Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all from one spot.

Arachnophilia - HTML editor

Filezilla - FTP software

One-time fee:

Photoshop Elements - My favorite graphic editing tool.

Box Shot 3D - The software that I use to create my 3-D ecovers and CD covers.

Studiopress Genesis Themes - Great themes with SEO in mind as well that I use.

WP Sales Engine - I use this WP plugin to build my salespages. If you have a lot of products, this can be very helpful!

Camtasia - This is not cheap, but is something I use all the time! If you follow my videos on Facebook and YouTube, you know that I create a lot of tutorials where I show my screen. I've done that using Camtasia. You can create similar videos with the JingProject.com under 5 minutes for free.

Microsoft Office (Word, PPT, Excel) - All my basic word processing needs. However, OpenOffice.org has some great free tools if you can't afford Microsoft Office.

Clickbank - I use Clickbank as my payment processor for my digital products

EasyClickMate - Creates an affiliate center where I can manage all my Clickbank products. By the way, are you an affiliate with me yet? If not, you can sign up to get paid 50% commissions for my products.

Logitech HD Webcam - I use mine to make "talking head" HD videos with the convenience of a webcam. Highly recommended.

Recurring fee (monthly or yearly):

Roboform - I wouldn't do business without Roboform now. This keeps me sane by managing all my logins, passwords and bookmarks. Plus, I can access it on any computer and on my phone.  Try their free trial here.

AudioAcrobat - Love this tool for how simple it is to get a podcast online! I almost gave up before I found them because I didn't want to hire someone to do what AudioAcrobat does for me at a fraction of the costs! Also hosts all our audios/videos and is great for recording interviews or any audio from my phone.

Amazon s3 - A very cheap way to host videos and file downloads.

Backblaze - Gives me peace of mind knowing ALL my files on my computer are backed up online in case anything ever happens. Hopefully I never need to use it.

Aweber - I thought I could do business without paying extra for a tool like Aweber, but I've found it to be invaluable. I use Aweber for so many things! My newsletter, autoresponder lists, webinars, trainings, etc.

SBI - I love SBI and use it to host my information websites like Self-Publishing-Coach.com. Before I started my first SBI website in 2004 I didn't know anything about HTML or online marketing. They not only provide web hosting and a bunch of great tools, but they also give you the training and support you need to succeed. I won't lie to you, it does have a pretty steep learning curve, but it's been worth it 100 times over.

Bluehost - I use Bluehost to host all my non-SBI websites and blogs. This includes our speaking website/blog as well as all my salespages.


If you use a Mac, check out this list too.


Do you use any of these tools? What tools do you find most helpful in your author business?

~Shelley Hitz