Great article with a lot of good resources - but how secure are those? I know most writers are still VERY wary (ha, I'm an original Dr. Seuss) about posting their creative thoughts online.
For example, AU fanfiction writers who have had their original story lines completely knocked off. If you got copied, I think everyone would point and say it was your own fault.
edythemighty
· 2 months ago
I don't keep anything except the final product online. Creative Commons licenses and promoting your own work and tying it to your name help a lot. This is something I've gotten into arguments with writers of the 'old guard' as I call them. Not many are willing to embrace more relaxed forms of copyright.
Indy
· 2 months ago
Thanks for the input!
Made in DNA
· 2 months ago
Hahaha, I might be one of those 'old guards' because I'm not positively convinced as to why books need to be Creative Commons. I copyright all my work and yet still give it away (as you know well Edy ;) ). I think this is really a silly debate, but perhaps that's because I just don't get it. I'm always open to enlightenment. Until then, if it's being given away for free then copyright shouldn't be an issue, IMO.
Rick Canfield
· 2 months ago
That's where Creative Commons licensing comes to play, and should be a noted addition to these resources for copywriting.
Posting online for people serious about their work has some severe disadvantages. While there is always the notion of having your story ripped off, it isn't the only reason. With work good enough to be in print you will have a much harder time selling it if it has been online and publicly available.
From a creative standpoint there are benefits for fiction writers of online collaboration and feedback, but it is a slippery slope especially for unpublished fiction writers hoping to get published.
Indy
· 2 months ago
Thank you Bradhart. You pretty much confirmed my train of thought, as well. I appreciate it!
brettburky
· 2 months ago
That is a great tutorial on how to get writing. Is there any tips you can give on where to promote the book. I saw where you can send your work to AgentQuery, is that a good source?
I have considered doing this and was going to go through Celebrity Branding. They have a pretty good process and they give you press as well. Let me know if you have heard of them.
edythemighty
· 2 months ago
The best promotion is word of mouth from readers ;)
edythemighty
· 2 months ago
Zotero for research, NOTHING saved online, and Lulu for publishing.
skyaboveman
· 2 months ago
Excellent post.
brettburky
· 2 months ago
@edythemighty - that is true but we all know how long that can take to get going. I know it isn't an overnight thing. But just figured with all the interwebs stuff. That there was a place and way to really pump it up. Like through social media and the like.
But overall you are right.
Armen Shirvanian
· 2 months ago
I like how you broke it apart into the various steps, and how each one can be tackled online. MindMeister is solid for mapping ideas out online, and Google Books is an information-packed resource that is a speedy way to get some good research results. The publishing resources are cool to see, and are empowering for those who feel that publishing would be a difficult part of the process.
paramendra
· 2 months ago
Very helpful compilation.
PlayMusic
· 2 months ago
I can't believe you didn't mention the web app 'Write or Die'. Probably the most efficient writing/productivity app in the history of the web. http://tr.im/yUai
Chris
· 2 months ago
You still need a system that works with you and guidance of an existing author who can get you not only a published book in as few as 8 hours, but also mentor you through writing sessions and show you how to 'move the book' and monetize it after the fact...For that you must check out Jeremy Brown's www.automaticauthorprogram.net and enroll. Its a faster path than Lulu without the Bait and Switch (Free but not really). For under $250 you can be published, copywritten, and have a one time fee that can help you write the next 10 books your heart desires! www.automaticauthorprogram.net
bradhart
· 2 months ago
You have mistaken published for printed, there is a big difference...
Greg Pincus
· 2 months ago
That's a great list and nicely ordered, too. I'd add Twitter as an additional resource for a couple of those categories. It's a great research tool with the ability to ask question or search for information. Also, it's a wonderful place to connect: there are many writers, agents, editors, and readers on Twitter as well as many organized chats (#writechat, #kidlitchat (which I co-host with @BonnieAdamson), #askagent, #followreader, and more) with writing/publishing topics. And, after you have a book, Twitter can be a promotional tool, too. While it's not necessarily a writing medium, many folks do tweet works of fiction, including National Book Award nominee Kathleen Duey (@kathleenduey) who is writing a novel called Russet in real-time via tweets.
Audree
· 2 months ago
Josh,
These are great resources. I am a creative on crowdSPRING, and through the site I designed a book cover (The Chaos Scenario) that was just published. I am working on my own children's book and trying to figure out what to do with it when I get it finished. This will help. Thanks.
Source Control
· 2 months ago
I never thought publishing a novel is so easy. Thank u for sharing.
oliverbrooks
· 2 months ago
A couple of friends and I have been working on a service called completelynovel.com. This is a platform for a new type of socially managed publishing company combining communities of readers, writers, publishers and service providers.
It brings together all the essential parts of the industry in one social reading/writing network including the tools the industry uses (ISBN distribution, print-on-demand production, twitter and social marketing etc).
The flow for the writer is 1) Self publish: online (via BookStreamer embeddable online reader) and in print (via print-on-demand). 2) Improve: readers, writers and editors give impartial feedback 3) Market/Sell: the hottest books on the site whizz up the charts as readers read & buy them encouraging even more sales. 4) Get published: Use your books performance and feedback as a basis for presenting the business case for your book to traditional publishers (2 writers have already been published).
We're still very new but some pretty cool things are already happening. We'll put a press release together soon but would love to hear your thoughts in the mean time!
s morgan
· 2 months ago
It was great to see that one of the key areas you mentioned was organization. I've found quite a few programs that help with creating storyboards, formatting manuscripts, writing prompts, etc. What I feel is missing is a tool that allows the user to easily store and organize detailed data about of the peripheral information and to then be able to categorize, filter, search and link those pieces together, so they can all be easily found at one time.
Since we couldn't find anything like that, we decided to build it. We're not quite ready yet, but we will be launching an online program at the end of October that will support storage of detailed information related to characters, locations, facts, attributions, tasks, etc.
It's not a sharing program and the user would still use their preferred method or software for writing. Woubie, our product, is simply a great way to organize and re-use all of the peripheral information.
Regards, Sue
100woman
· 2 months ago
写的不错啊
Kaylen
· 2 months ago
don't self publish.
IDEA: gather all your literary friends and get on etherpad.com. They can read the story, revise it, and change it all while talking together in a chat window and discussing what you've written
Ed
· 2 months ago
Fantastic article on writing! These are great resources that I will be checking out.
MIX IT UP Magazine
phreanix
· 2 months ago
FYI, Highrise has no free option anymore.
Alejandra Quiroz
· 2 months ago
Wow, awesome post! Great resources, I've nver heard of many of them, but I can see they are going to be really helpful!
bradhart
· 2 months ago
Highrise doesn't appear to support free accounts anymore
bradhart
· 2 months ago
N/M they hide the link in little bitty text
Paul Hassing
· 2 months ago
Very very helpful. Thank you very much! :)
Paul Hassing
· 2 months ago
Sorry. Double handled there. Feel free to delete this one.
Rocky Reichman
· 2 months ago
Thanks for this informative and badly needed article. Websites like Lulu have certainly made publishing easier. But for the actual writing part, I prefer purposefully not using the Web. Research and marketing may benefit from these websites and apps, but ultimately, fiction writers need as much privacy and "space" as they can write. So while the Web helps a great deal, the actual Writing part of the process could benefit from less distractions and just plain old text document.
suziwollman
· 2 months ago
Thanks so much for all your wonderful info. I went to every site, signed up for most, and bookmarked them all.
Henry
· 1 month ago
useful information i like reading novle after reading your "How to",i still think i have not the talent to write one :(
neilkevin
· 1 month ago
Thanks for sharing such fantastic tips for how to write novel. All are really mind blowing. I was wondering this stuffs only . It is really easy to write novel by using this tips.
All Comments
For example, AU fanfiction writers who have had their original story lines completely knocked off. If you got copied, I think everyone would point and say it was your own fault.
http://creativecommons.org/
From a creative standpoint there are benefits for fiction writers of online collaboration and feedback, but it is a slippery slope especially for unpublished fiction writers hoping to get published.
I have considered doing this and was going to go through Celebrity Branding. They have a pretty good process and they give you press as well. Let me know if you have heard of them.
But overall you are right.
These are great resources. I am a creative on crowdSPRING, and through the site I designed a book cover (The Chaos Scenario) that was just published. I am working on my own children's book and trying to figure out what to do with it when I get it finished. This will help. Thanks.
It brings together all the essential parts of the industry in one social reading/writing network including the tools the industry uses (ISBN distribution, print-on-demand production, twitter and social marketing etc).
The flow for the writer is
1) Self publish: online (via BookStreamer embeddable online reader) and in print (via print-on-demand).
2) Improve: readers, writers and editors give impartial feedback
3) Market/Sell: the hottest books on the site whizz up the charts as readers read & buy them encouraging even more sales.
4) Get published: Use your books performance and feedback as a basis for presenting the business case for your book to traditional publishers (2 writers have already been published).
We're still very new but some pretty cool things are already happening. We'll put a press release together soon but would love to hear your thoughts in the mean time!
Since we couldn't find anything like that, we decided to build it. We're not quite ready yet, but we will be launching an online program at the end of October that will support storage of detailed information related to characters, locations, facts, attributions, tasks, etc.
It's not a sharing program and the user would still use their preferred method or software for writing. Woubie, our product, is simply a great way to organize and re-use all of the peripheral information.
Regards,
Sue
IDEA: gather all your literary friends and get on etherpad.com. They can read the story, revise it, and change it all while talking together in a chat window and discussing what you've written
MIX IT UP Magazine
i like reading novle
after reading your "How to",i still think i have not the talent to write one :(
gifts for men