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What I use to write/publish my books?


I know I am not an expert or anything to be giving these sort of “advices”, but this is not really an advice. It’s just that people often ask me what do I use to write and publish my games, either because I post a photo of the text processor, an illustration I am working on, or the process of laying out the book. So I will talk briefly about the tools that I use.

Pen and paper - The most obviously. When I think about something, I greab what I have nearby and jot down notes, sketches and what not. I usually have one of those small notebooks with me, or plain paper on the desk I work on to draw and write things. It’s useful not to let that idea run by you and get lost.

OneNote/EverNote - I used EverNote and now use OneNote on my phone. Basically this is a app that lets you make notes and organize them into categories. I use it to compile ideas, photos and whatever and then sort them out. I write down research I do on subjects related to my game, artists names to research or try to hire. I organized the whole Table of Contents of all my games there before I started writing it to have a clear notion of what I wanted to include in the book, and how I wanted it organized. Then all I needed to do is fill this table of content.

Google Docs - This is my text processor I use to actually write my stuff. It allow me to access the text anywhere I am, it saves the work automatically so I don’t lose anything I’ve written and let me share the project with others so they can help me with it, say what they think about it and what not. Also, having a Google Docs app on my phone I can literally write anywhere I go. I am in one of those boring classes that won’t be useful at all that my work makes me take? I am writing my game. Am I in a family dinner that is killing me of boredom? I am writing my game. I write my game on my way to work, coming back from it. Anywhere I have time to spare or kill.

Affinity Photo - I broke free from the chains of Adobe. Affinity Photo is a powerful yet affordable image software that lets me edit and adjust images to use in my books. I don’t use it to draw however.

Affinity Publisher - Currently at a beta version that is free, this is a software equivalent of Adobe InDesign. It has some small glitches that makes really large files and books occasionally crash, but I managed to layout a 454 pages book with it (Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells). I am really liking it and I believe it will be worth the investment if it cost something similar to what Affinity Photo does. It has lots of resources and so far does everything I need it to make.

Acrobat Pro - I have an older version of Adobe Acrobat Pro that still works, and I use it mainly to combine PDFs and Bookmark them. I am pretty sure there are Apps for phones and tablets that can do the same. I will try doing that with GoodReader 5. I am pretty sure it can at least put bookmarks.

Now, for drawing.

Sketchbook - I have some small and large sketchbooks that I use to draw sketches and ideas of scenes I want to draw. Nothing fancy.

Thick Bristol Smooth Paper - This is a very nice paper if you work with ink or markers. It has a sturdy surface, very good for drawing and black & white art like the ones I make. Very happy with the purchase.

Sakura Ink Liners - I use those Sakura Liners to ink my illustrations. They have a high contrast black and they last a good amount of drawings.

ProCreate on iPad Pro - I also use ProCreate on my iPad Pro occasionally, especially when the dead line of comissons is short. It has very good brushes that make the illustrations very close to the real deal on paper.

I guess this is pretty much it. No big secret. I know some of these are not cheap and I guess I am fortunate enough to be able to afford them, but I am sure there are more affordable alternatives for them. All in all, you don’t really need much to start publishing I guess.

Now, back to work on laying out Dark Streets & Darker Secrets and fulfilling artwork commissions!

If you like what you've just read, check out my books over RPGNow and Lulu.

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