My Author Tech Stack Was Costing Me $350/Month. Here's What I Cut...

As an author, I've always been on the lookout for ways to streamline my workflow and save money. But when I realized my tech stack was costing me a whopping $350/month, I knew I had to make a change.

The Old Stack

My old stack consisted of 8 different tools, each serving a specific purpose:

• Scrivener: $50/year (writing)
• Wix: $300/year (website)
• ConvertKit: $600/year (email)
• Vellum: $250 (formatting)
• Canva Pro: $120/year (design)
• BookBrush: $180/year (promo graphics)
• Lulu: Variable (print-on-demand)
• Gumroad: 10% + fees (sales)

Total: $4,200+/year

The New Stack (AuthorKit)

I replaced all 8 tools with AuthorKit, a single platform that handles everything from writing to sales. Here's a breakdown of how it works:

• Everything above: $0-99/month depending on usage
• SAVES: $3,000-4,000/year

Tool Replacement Breakdown

Here's a detailed comparison of each tool replacement:

Writing: Scrivener → AuthorKit

• Old: Scrivener was my go-to writing tool, costing $50/year.
• New: AuthorKit's writing tool is included in the platform, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's writing tool is designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to publish and sell my work.
• What's different: Scrivener is a dedicated writing tool with more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tool is perfect for most authors' needs.

Website: Wix → AuthorKit

• Old: Wix was my website builder, costing $300/year.
• New: AuthorKit includes a website builder, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's website builder is designed specifically for authors, making it easy to create a professional-looking site.
• What's different: Wix has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's builder is easy to use and integrates perfectly with the rest of the platform.

Email: ConvertKit → AuthorKit

• Old: ConvertKit was my email marketing tool, costing $600/year.
• New: AuthorKit includes email marketing tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's email tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to create and send newsletters.
• What's different: ConvertKit has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

Formatting: Vellum → AuthorKit

• Old: Vellum was my formatting tool, costing $250.
• New: AuthorKit includes formatting tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's formatting tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to create professional-looking books.
• What's different: Vellum has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

Design: Canva Pro → AuthorKit

• Old: Canva Pro was my design tool, costing $120/year.
• New: AuthorKit includes design tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's design tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to create professional-looking graphics.
• What's different: Canva Pro has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

Promo Graphics: BookBrush → AuthorKit

• Old: BookBrush was my promo graphics tool, costing $180/year.
• New: AuthorKit includes promo graphics tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's promo graphics tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to create professional-looking graphics.
• What's different: BookBrush has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

Print-on-Demand: Lulu → AuthorKit

• Old: Lulu was my print-on-demand tool, with variable costs.
• New: AuthorKit includes print-on-demand tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's print-on-demand tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to create and sell print books.
• What's different: Lulu has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

Sales: Gumroad → AuthorKit

• Old: Gumroad was my sales tool, with 10% + fees.
• New: AuthorKit includes sales tools, with no extra cost.
• What's better: AuthorKit's sales tools are designed to work seamlessly with the rest of the platform, making it easy to sell books and keep 85% of the revenue.
• What's different: Gumroad has more advanced features, but AuthorKit's tools are perfect for most authors' needs.

The Hidden Cost of Tool Switching

When using multiple tools, there are hidden costs that add up quickly:

• Time lost moving between apps
• Data that doesn't transfer
• Learning curves for each tool
• Mental overhead

These costs can be significant, and can quickly outweigh any benefits of using multiple tools.

The All-In-One Advantage

Using a single platform like AuthorKit has several advantages:

1. Single login: No more remembering multiple passwords and logins.
2. Data flows everywhere: Book data flows seamlessly into the store, email, and analytics.
3. One learning curve: Master one system, not eight.
4. Better together: Tools are designed to work together, making it easy to create and sell books.

Conclusion

More tools doesn't mean more productive. Usually the opposite. By switching to AuthorKit, I was able to replace 8 tools with one platform and save $4,200/year.

This is just the beginning...

AuthorKit gives you everything you need to build a real author business:

• Writer (AI-powered writing tool)
• Publisher (one-click formatting & distribution)
• Store (your own bookstore, keep 85%)
• Marketing (email, blog, community tools)
• Analytics (see what's working)

No monthly fees. Pay 15% commission only when you make sales.

👉 See pricing & features