Scrivener has been a key component to improving my productivity this year. I’ve recently written about various uses for Scrivener such as blog posts, newsletters and even template email messages. Additionally, I’ve shared about using Scrivener templates including some resources for these. In my last post I shared about managing templates.

Becoming an author is a project all its own whether you are self-publishing or going the traditional route through publishers. Aside from writing content an author has a host of needs for their writing endeavors. The amount of resources a writer requires today can be confusing.

Many writers already use Scrivener to manage their various writing projects. But I recently started thinking about using something to manage my writing resources more thoroughly and Scrivener came to mind. My idea was to use the software not to publish from this project but to use it to manage the project.

For example, I recently shared my Newsletter template where you can manage as many newsletters as necessary over a long period of time. Other’s have shared blog templates that function much the same way. I use one of these myself. However, this author management template is not meant for compiling writing. Instead, it’s meant to manage the business of writing.

If you are just starting out you can use the folders to organize the various elements of your writing career as well as record target dates to complete various tasks and projects. If you are setting up your website you’ll need to track your goal from idea to launch along with costs, hosting, website development, etc. The same goes for your social media accounts and blogging development.

But there are many other pieces of information that an author may need to track. Suppose you have an agent. You may need to track information related to your agent. If you are developing a book launch you may need to create a sub-folder to keep your plans organized. You can copy files into various locations in your project that may relate to any of your business plans and functions (can anyone say taxes?). With the flexibility of Scrivener, an author can use it to manage just about everything they do including their writing inventory and deadlines.

I’ve created this template to be a starter for newer authors. If you already have much of what you need developed you can still plug in aspects of your career and manage the information or link to ongoing work. This Author Management template is free to download starting today. Try it out and let me know if you have any suggested changes.

Are you trying Scrivener templates out? Are you already using them? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.

Also, in no way do I represent Scrivener or sell the product. All questions about the product, its sales, support and licensing for your own computing needs should be referred to the company.