Once you've got the basics down, a handful of smaller features can make day-to-day writing faster and more comfortable. None of these are essential to get started, but together they smooth out the rough edges of a long writing project. Here's what's worth knowing.
Status Tracking
Every book has a status field that lets you see at a glance where each project stands — especially useful when you're juggling several manuscripts at once. The available statuses follow the natural arc of a book from first words to publication:
- Draft — You're still figuring the book out; nothing is settled.
- In Progress — Actively writing new material.
- Revision — The draft is complete and you're reworking structure and content.
- Editing — Polishing prose, fixing line-level issues, tightening.
- Final — Done and ready, or out with an editor or proofreader.
- Published — Out in the world.
Keeping the status current gives you an honest dashboard of your whole catalog and a small hit of momentum every time you move a book forward.
Typewriter Mode
Enable typewriter mode in Settings to keep the line you're writing vertically centered on the screen instead of drifting toward the bottom. Your eyes and hands stay in one comfortable position, which many writers find reduces neck strain and helps them stay in flow during long sessions.
Zoom for Comfort
Use the zoom controls in the toolbar to scale the text up or down until it's comfortable to read. This is about your editing comfort, not your final formatting — zoom changes how the text looks on your screen only and has no effect on how your book exports. Your preference is saved automatically and persists between sessions.
Focus Mode
When you want to disappear into the writing, focus mode strips away the surrounding interface so it's just you and the page. Combined with typewriter mode and a comfortable zoom level, it turns Author's Forge into a distraction-free writing surface.
Show Your Files
Go to Help → Show Library in Files to open your library directly in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows/Linux). Because your work is stored as plain Markdown files on your own computer, this is handy for making manual backups, copying a manuscript somewhere safe, or opening a file in another tool. Nothing about your library is locked away in a proprietary format.
Getting Help
Found a bug? Report it at authorsforge.com/home/support/bug-report. The more detail you give, the faster we can fix it, so please include:
- What you were trying to do
- What happened instead
- Your operating system (Mac/Windows/Linux)
We'd also love to hear about books you've written with Author's Forge. Send us an email at contact@authorsforge.com — your stories are the reason we build this.