2025.
Reedsy Studio gets author collaboration feature
Cloud-based ebook creation platform
Reedsy has renamed its book editor for authors to Reedsy Studio. It now features boards for plot planning, research and world-building, now features for automating routine operations and the ability to collaborate on a book for two or several authors. You can invite your co-author, editor or proofreader to work on your book. Studio lets you view edits, respond to comments and revise in real time. The app’s core functionality (writing, formatting, collaboration) is free. The paid version starts at $4.99/month and provides advanced statistics, goal management, version history and a dark theme. The $7.99/month version includes unlimited boards and notes and structure templates.
2023.
Dabble now allows to add book covers and in-book images
Fiction writing program
Dabble has released version 2.3. The main new feature is the ability to add cover image for your book. This image will appear also on the project card. Additionally, you can now insert full-page images between chapters, add title images to chapters and include images in scenes or notes. Dabble now also allows to selectively share a book or its chapter with specific readers using the new Share Online feature. By creating a unique link tied to a specific part of the work, author can distribute a read-only copy. Additionally you can now assign text and color labels to scene cards and link them to other cards, making it easier to navigate the project.
2023.
Reedsy adds cats to its Writing App
Famous writers - Stephen King, Doris Lessing, Jorge Luis Borges, Alice Walker and Mark Twain - all had a common source of inspiration: their cats. Now writers using
Reedsy Book Editor can also enjoy working with the new "Reedsy Cats" feature. Switch to CAT mode after starting a new project and you'll see a cute cat on your virtual workspace, ready to keep you company as you reach your daily word count goals. These virtual kittens will sleep and groom themselves, just like real ones, while you focus on writing and boost your productivity.
2022.
Storyist adds support for right-to-left languages
In a galaxy not entirely unlike our own, the latest incarnation of the Mac OS tool for scribes of the grand narrative arts,
Storyist 4.2.6, has made its debut with a host of enhancements designed to tickle the fancy of even the most particular of wordsmiths. Among its triumphs is a Writing Direction menu option hidden away in the Format > Text menu—perfect for those moments when you need your words to elegantly stroll from right to left in languages like Arabic or Hebrew. Meanwhile, strikethrough aficionados can now gleefully obliterate text with surgical precision by navigating the labyrinthine Format - Font - Show Fonts path and activating the fabled Strikethrough button. And, as a cherry on this proverbial software sundae, Storyist now plays nicely with Apple Books, gracefully exporting ePub files that won’t cause the app to throw its digital toys out of the pram over pesky HTML character restrictions in metadata. All in all, quite a feat of coding wizardry!
2022.
Squibler adds editable corkboard
Book writing platform
Squibler has added several useful features. Corkboard view now offers an overview of the content along with its summary. Previously, users had to navigate to the appropriate section to view summary in the right sidebar. Now users can not only view but also edit summary directly in Corkboard. Another new feature is file and folder structure, which allows to create unlimited hierarchy. Additionally, the platform now includes a recycle bin in the editor, allowing users to delete and restore individual files or folders. Previously, only entire projects could be restored.
2021.
Scrivener 3 for Windows gets simple and beautiful interface
The latest version of Scrivener 3 is now available on Windows, bringing with it a variety of new and improved features. The update includes a modernized and simplified interface, a redesigned and more flexible Compile feature and a full styles system in the text system. Other enhancements include the ability to view index cards on colored threads, improved ebook export and the addition of Writing History to track daily writing progress. Custom Metadata has also been improved, allowing for checkboxes, dates and list boxes to be added to the Inspector and outliner. Additional features include enhanced outlining, a new Quick Search tool, progress bars and a Dark Mode, among others. The Bookmarks feature also replaces Project Notes, References and Favorites, making it easier to access frequently used documents. Furthermore, the Dialogue Focus feature allows users to easily locate all dialogue within their text.
2020.
LivingWriter now allows to set writing goals for your story
Writing software
LivingWriter has introduced a new feature called "Writing Goals" which allows users to set word count goals for chapters or entire book. By setting a deadline for completing a story or chapter, LivingWriter automatically calculates the daily word count needed to reach the final goal. Users can also uncheck weekends and the program will evenly distribute the daily word count across writing days. This feature is especially useful for those writers who have deadlines such as the National Novel Writing Month challenge, where participants must complete their novels within a month. However, even without a deadline, setting goals is truly beneficial for personal progress as a writer.
2016.
Manuskript is now available on Mac OS
In a universe where writers wrestle with chaos and creativity in equal measure, the beloved writing software
Manuskript has landed on Mac OS, bringing with it a delightful arsenal of features previously celebrated by Windows users. This ingenious tool is like a galactic organizing companion for scribblers who’d rather plot the trajectory of their magnum opus than flounder in a black hole of disarray. It lets you stack your ideas and snippets in a hierarchically pleasing manner, shuffling them about with the finesse of a Vogon poet rearranging his verse. The snowflake method—undoubtedly the Hitchhiker’s Guide-approved way to turn a nebulous notion into a narrative marvel—prods you gently along with philosophical questions worthy of Deep Thought itself. And as you weave your literary masterpiece, you can keep meticulous tabs on the quirks of your characters, the twists of your plot, and the bewildering settings that you’ve dreamed up. A tool so handy, it might just have been designed by the mice.
