AuthorNotebook is a local-first writing app built for long-form fiction authors. It helps you organize chapters, characters, worldbuilding, plot notes, and story ideas in one place. Instead of scattering everything across documents and note apps, writers can plan and write inside a dedicated workspace. It also supports English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Love that it's local-first, that's a big deal for me. One thing that would make it even better is a distraction-free fullscreen mode that hides everything except the current chapter text, so I can really get into the zone when drafting long scenes.
Hi @glayeg2g ! You just successfully read my mind! 😉 We actually already built that exact feature!
If you click the 'Focus Mode' button in the top right corner (or use the shortcut), the sidebars will vanish, leaving you with a completely pure, distraction-free writing space.
Give it a try, and happy drafting! Let me know how it feels!
Author Notebook — July 2026 Beta Update
This update focuses on stability, easier navigation, and a smoother writing experience.
We fixed major issues affecting returning users, character fields, mobile menus, chapter actions, PDF import, onboarding, Chinese translations, deployment, and unwanted demo projects.
We also improved the Character profiles, Writing Desk, mobile navigation, World Building layout, timeline events, sidebar, login page, and overall feature organization.
New additions include the Reference Library, CHM import, Template Center, custom tags, cross-references, World Binder, World Map, cloud workspace support, offline mode, and desktop app improvements.
Thanks to everyone who reported bugs and shared feedback.