Charles Kriel

Today I'm beginning to prepare my afternoon keynote for the iPad Entertainment Summit hosted by C21 at BAFTA, 28 November in London.

Sweet!

If you follow my blog, you know I’m no stranger to digital. At the risk of confessing age, I’ve been making work with computers since 1984. Jeepers.

Despite that my writing process has been fairly analogue. Make notes in a notebook, write and review the text in Word -- digital yes, but a glorified typewriter at the end of the day.

The last couple of years, this has changed. I now blog, write fiction, children’s, scripts and books. And the tools have changed.

Here are a few of my favorite digital tools:

Scrivener

Scrivener is the best tool a writer can acquire. Any system based on a corkboard / index card system should make it possible to write your work in chunks, then rearrange text on the fly. Scrivener adds more.

Each index card can contain text, photos, videos, web links and a number of other research references. Cards can be organized into folders. Saving is automatic and instantaneous. And when you’re done, press “compile”, detail the format of your output, and spit out a book. No Word required.

And it outputs ePub.

Self Control

Self control does one thing -- shuts off all your favorite websites for a given amount of time. Once started, it can’t be stopped. You can reboot your computer, and it won’t make any difference. As a writer, you know how important this is.

Visual Thesaurus 3

I’m old school. I love Roget’s -- the process, the index numbers, the wafer-thin pages. Visual Thesaurus’ spider’s web-like navigation made that all go away.

Dramatica Pro

I hate this software. It’s clunky, complicated, looks like it was developed in 1995, and won’t run on OSX Lion. The developers seem to have gone AWOL (and seem to have some conflict going on, although it's hard to tell through the nets). Yet it’s the only software that will walk you through the Dramatica methodology for plot development. And that is invaluable. I use it to begin the plotting of every story I write. But please, developers, if you’re reading -- code a new version.

Google Earth

Finally, when I write fiction, Google Earth is usually running in the background. A derelict building in Selma, Alabama. The main road in Gibsonton, Florida. The route from St. Louis to Atlanta, and what the scenery looks like from the highway. They’re all in Google Earth. (And, try to ignore the horrible music in this video.)

My first novel, Tales of The Lobster Boy, is now a serialized novel on Facebook.

I'd like to say it's the first one, but it's very hard to know. Years ago, Penguin said they were serializing a novel, but to my knowledge, no blogger has been able to find it. What I can say is this: many novels have been part serialized there (there? Where are you when you're on the internet?).

This is one of (and maybe the) first to be completely serialized amongst the blue-shaded friends and followers.

As it has just launched, there's no URL, but search "Tales of The Lobster Boy", and you'll land in the right place. I'm 12 "likes" short of a unique URL, so give it a like.

And, I'll post later on how Facebook pages are so hard to navigate, and why it is in Facebook's best interest to make it difficult to become a Friend of a page.

You won't wander far on the web today without knowing there's a new publishing house / imprint / book label in town - Odyssey Editions, a cooperative venture between Amazon.com and the Wylie Agency.

Amazon.com now has exclusive rights to sell the e-book versions of some of the best-known titles from top literary authors Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike and more. In an announcement late Wednesday -- shortly after midnight Thursday, East Coast time -- the online retailer revealed that a deal with the powerful Wylie Agency will give Amazon.com the exclusive e-book rights for two years to books such as "Lolita." The e-books will only be available through the Kindle store.

Stephen Page outlines a few principles for digital publishing in The Guardian. Interesting read.

Here are some:

1. Creating the greatest value for writers should lie in keeping their print and digital publishing in one place, as it is crucial for the promotion, publicity and management of texts – and for fair pricing. Publishers have to be imaginative partners across print and digital.

2. Publishers have to be clear that they will offer a fair return long-term to authors, and review royalty rates sensibly as the market develops. (This is already widespread in new contracts).

3. In the digital world, price is flexible 24/7. Publishers need to become expert in managing, not just setting, price in international markets.

4. The web offers a connection to niche readerships that can be spoken to directly, but only with great care. Publishers need to have direct conversations with readers through all available means, despite the fact that they won't shop with us. Shopping's not the point, connection to audience is the point.

5. Publishers will need to be passionate about boring data and thrilling technology. Excellent metadata – the information that governs and accompanies every copyright in the digital world – is crucial, as is an understanding of new technologies and the creative opportunities they offer writers.

6. Traditional news media has long driven a great deal of book-buying. But the means by which people find reading recommendations have changed and publishers need to join this new conversation while supporting and respecting it.