Information Center Archives

Archive for the ‘Information Center’ Category

Guest Post: Instagram For Authors

by Mary Rosenblum

How can I advertise my book with photos?
I hear that all the time when I suggest Instagram to author clients, followed by the sound of the exit door slamming on the author’s heels…

But Instagram is a huge and well established social media platform, and if you’re writing for teens through mid-twenties readers, this is the social media you want to master. Even Forbes Magazine has taken note of Instagram’s role with an article Can Instagram Keep People Reading Books?

Tools for Online Collaboration

by Stewart C Baker

In the past decade, web-based applications have really come into their own. This is great for authors, because it makes collaborating much easier, especially when your co-author doesn’t live nearby. The tools in this list run the gamut from online chat software to fully-fledged cloud-based authoring software. And, of course, many of them can be wonderful productivity boosters for solo authors, too.

How to Write with a Co-author

by Stewart C Baker

Fiction writing is often presented as an intensely solitary pursuit, but look at the end of a published novel some time and you’ll see the author thank at least a dozen people for their help. And then there’s co-authoring…

Don’t Tweet Your Rejections

by Shanna Swenson

Rejection is one of the worst parts of writing. When you get a story or novel rejected by an editor or agent, it stings. Your first instinct may be to go online and seek comfort and commiseration by letting your followers know what you’re going through. But stop and think before you spread the news of your rejection all over social media.

Finding That Elusive Writing Time

by Anthony Izzo

Next to people wondering where a writer’s ideas come from, the question I hear most is “How do you find the time to write?” Currently, I’m working on my 18th novel. Like many other writers, I hold a day job. With a 9-5 job, family obligations, and other responsibilities, how do you find time?

The Art of Story Mechanics

by Kate Heartfield

That moment of freeing myself from rigid concepts of right and wrong was also a useful reminder about storytelling.

Paying Your Bills with Copywriting

by Joshua Sky

Writing is fun, but it can also be a tough way to make a living. The wait times for checks can be a drag, and the dry spells between one sale to another can be Saharan. Even if a sale is made, too often the money can be nominal. However, an avenue in the field where writers can potentially make a comfortable living, while working on their passion projects, is copywriting, also known as writing for advertising.

Interview with Lucien Soulban, Ubisoft Montreal

I think game developers, both in tabletop and in videogames, don’t necessarily need to be good writers, but they do have to be good storytellers. At the very least, an emphasis on storytelling creates a common language. Developers need to understand how a story comes together, and how to work in partnership with the writer, to craft something cohesive and meaningful.

Writer’s Guide to Twine

by Aidan Doyle

Twine was created by Chris Klimas in 2009 and is “an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.” Simply put, it’s a program that makes it easier for writers to make their own “Choose Your Own Adventure” style fiction. There are a number of tools for writing interactive fiction, but Twine is one of the simplest and most popular.

Working Comic Conventions

by Cat Rambo

Make sure you have a business card. This should have your contact information, your social media presence (you’ll see why in the at the convention tips) and at least one way to find your books.