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Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Inkwren in under 10 minutes.

1. Create Your Account​

  1. Go to app.inkwren.com
  2. Click Sign Up to create a new account
  3. Enter your email address and password
  4. Verify your email by clicking the link sent to your inbox
Already have an account?

Click Log In instead to sign in with your existing credentials.

2. Complete Onboarding​

After signing in, you'll go through a quick two-step process:

Step 1: Choose Your Account Type​

  • Author: For individual writers managing their own stories and submissions
  • Publisher: For small presses and editors managing publications with multiple contributors
Don't Worry

You can always add more workspaces later or adjust your settings. This just sets sensible defaults.

Step 2: Review Your Setup​

Review your workspace configuration and click Complete Setup to finish.

3. Explore Your Dashboard​

Your dashboard is your publishing mission control:

  • Statistics Cards: Track stories, publications, submissions at a glance
  • Needs Attention: Items requiring action (deadlines, tasks)
  • Quick Actions: Fast access to common tasks

The dashboard starts empty—it'll populate as you add content.

4. Navigate Inkwren​

The main navigation gives you access to:

SectionWhat it's for
DashboardOverview and mission control
StoriesManage stories and manuscripts
PublicationsTrack books, anthologies, magazines
ContributorsManage authors and pen names
PublishersTrack publishing houses and markets
SeriesOrganize publications into series
Power User Shortcut

Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+/ (Windows/Linux) anywhere to open the command palette for instant navigation and search.

5. Create Your First Story​

  1. Click Stories in the navigation
  2. Click + Add Story
  3. Fill in the Story Details:
    • Title: Your story's title (required)
    • Subtitle: Optional subtitle
    • Type: Short story, novella, novel, etc.
    • Status: Draft, In Progress, Complete, etc.
    • Word Count: Current word count
    • Due Date: Optional deadline for the story
  4. Add an Author:
    • Type in the "Add Authors" search field
    • Select an existing author from the dropdown, OR
    • If no match exists, click Create new author '[name]' to create one
  5. Select at least one Genre by clicking on the available options
  6. Optionally add Tags and assign to a Series
  7. Add Synopsis and Notes in the Additional Information section (supports rich text formatting)
  8. Click Create Story

Click your story's title to open its Command Center—a management hub with tabs for overview, publications, submissions, editing, rights, and notes.

6. Create Your First Publication​

If you're tracking published works or anthologies:

  1. Click Publications in the navigation
  2. Click + Add Publication
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Title: Publication title
    • Publisher: Select or create one
    • Type: Book, Anthology, Magazine, etc.
    • Publication Date: When published
  4. Click Create Publication

Click the title to open the Publication Command Center for managing contents, tracking editorial progress, and viewing statistics.

Once you have stories and publications:

  1. Click a publication's title to open it
  2. On the Overview tab, click Link Existing Story (or Add New Story to create one)
  3. Select a story and fill in appearance details (page range, original/reprint)
  4. Save

The story now appears in the publication's table of contents.

8. Try the Command Palette​

The fastest way to navigate:

  1. Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+/ (Windows/Linux)
  2. Start typing to search across all content
  3. Results are grouped by type
  4. Press Enter to navigate
Bonus Features
  • Recent items appear when search is empty
  • Type "new story" to jump to story creation
  • Type any page name to navigate instantly

Next Steps​

You're set up! Here's what to explore:

Need Help?

Join the Inkwren Discord to ask questions and share feedback.