Resources for your next book

No less than 19,039,660 articles and books to rummage through when researching your next book. If you need up-to-date information to create authentic settings, this is a really good place to start.
Since 2003, the Free Library has offered free, full-text versions of classic literary works from hundreds of celebrated authors, whose biographies, images, and famous quotations can also be found on the site.

Looking for the classics? This is where you'll find the complete works of the greatest literary minds to download and read at your leisure. Project Gutenberg was the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or e-books. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented e-books in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of e-books and related technologies today. Project Gutenberg is the place where you can download over 30,000 free e-books to read on your PC, iPhone, Kindle, Sony Reader or other portable device.

WordWeb is a one-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows that can look up words in almost any program. It works off-line, but can also look up words in web references such as the Wikipedia encyclopedia.
Features of the free version include: Definitions and synonyms; related words; 5000 audio pronunciations; 65,000 text pronunciations; 150,000 root words; 120,000 synonym sets; look up words in almost any program.

Storybook is a free (open-source) novel-writing tool for creative writers, novelists and authors, which will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines while writing books, novels or other written works.
Store all information about your characters and locations in one place. Then use Storybook features to manage chapters, scenes, characters and locations. A simple interface is provided to enable you to assign your defined characters and locations to each scene and to keep an overview of your work with user-friendly chart tools.

Literary South Africa

BOOK Southern Africa
This is the online hub of the South African literary/publishing world. It is here that you'll find the latest news, reviews, and information on authors, book events, Twitter updates, and so much more. A place to browse; definitely a place to bookmark.

www.litnet.co.za
This must be the online hub for Afrikaans literature, despite the fact that it also caters to the other languages in our country. Well worth a visit and a leisurely browse, no matter what language you dream in

Centre for the Book
Centre for the Book supports the development of local writing and emerging writers. Their website offers resources for aspiring writers, including a list of writing teachers and courses, universities offering creative writing tuition, and possibilities for publishing your own work.

Publisher’s Association of South Africa (PASA)
This association is the official body representing more than 120 publishers in South Africa, with as many as 101 small publishers. Their site features a Publishers Directory, a Freelancers Directory, issues concerning copyright, publishing workshops and upcoming events.

Publishers Marketing Association (PMA)
Education starts here. PMA is a trade organization with a mission to advance the professional interests of independent publishers by offering cooperative marketing, education and advocacy programs. Ideal candidates for PMA are independent publishers and authors who wish to learn more and stay informed about our dynamic industry.

Useful software – and it's free

Many non-IT folk don't know that there's a source of free software for Macs and PCs that is safe to download and use. Visit SourceForge and find open-source software in various categories, but most especially this graphical mind-mapping application – what better way to map out your next book! If you want a more character and plot-driven application, try this novel builder.

Adobe reader: PDF reading software
PC Inspector: File recovery software
7Zip: Compression software
PDF Camp: PDF creation software

MORE LINKS? As we find them, we'll add them. If you find them first, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll add them.