Writing for New Media: The Essential Guide to Writing for Interactive Media, CD-ROMs, and the Web (Wiley Books for Writers Series) [Paperback]

Andrew Bonime (Author), Ken C. Pohlmann (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471170305 | ISBN-13: 978-0471170303 | Publication Date: December 1997 | Edition: 1

Discover the creative and career possibilities of writing for new media

The market in new media is booming, and writers are scrambling to take advantage of myriad new opportunities. If you've ever thought about producing a CD-ROM, creating a Web page, or writing interactive content for any of the new electronic media, this is the book for you. Written in down-to-earth, nontechnical language that even computer novices will understand, this unique guide gives you the knowledge and skills you need to write for all forms of digital media —including CD-ROMs, Web pages, and online magazines.

Writing for New Media will bring you up to speed on:

• Learning to think interactively
• Integrating multimedia elements into your work
• Designing flowcharts and writing interactive script
• Mastering interactive storytelling—including story branching and the psychology of interactive characters
• Utilizing key terms and concepts—hot spots, pop-ups, rollovers, navigation, screen metaphors, and inouns and iverbs
• Presenting your interactive idea to a developer or publisher
• Adapting linear material for new media and much more

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It is common knowledge among writers that the new media have opened up all kinds of writing opportunities, many (but not all) of them considerably more lucrative than their print alternatives. Writing for New Media is a basic guide for writers with little knowledge in this field who would like to jump on the bandwidth bandwagon. By book's end, readers will be conversant in applets and assets, drilling down and hot spots. They will have a handy working knowledge of hardware and software. And they will have been reminded so many times of the basics of writing for interactive media--what is depressingly defined here as "designing the perfect data chunk"--that they will never forget. "Keep it short, keep it self-contained, think multimedia, use creative interactivity, think sidebars, [and] integrate footnotes, bibliographies, and supporting material." --Jane Steinberg

From the Publisher

The market in new media is booming, and writers are scrambling to take advantage of the creative and commercial possibilities of this digital bonanza. Written for anyone who wants to write for new media, this unique guide quickly gets readers up to speed with all the knowledge and skills they need to write for all forms of digital media, including multimedia CD-ROMs, Web pages, and on-line magazines. And it does so in down-to-earth, non-technical language that even computer novices will understand. It also gives aspiring writers expert advice on how to break into this fast-growing field.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471170305
• ISBN-13: 978-0471170303
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,476,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The book gives an overview of writing for new media., June 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing for New Media: The Essential Guide to Writing for Interactive Media, CD-ROMs, and the Web (Wiley Books for Writers Series) (Paperback)

I am somewhat disappointed in what the book covers. It is fine for those who are completely new to the media. It informs readers about the terminology and general methods of communications of interactive media. Unfortunately it falls short for the more experienced writers. It is simply too basic and lacks detailed examples and instruction.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too Simplistic, Unfortunately, April 18, 2000

By 

an amazon.com customer (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing for New Media: The Essential Guide to Writing for Interactive Media, CD-ROMs, and the Web (Wiley Books for Writers Series) (Paperback)

This book may be useful to someone who either: (1) has no experience using the Internet or CD-ROMs; or (2) has no access to free Internet articles about writing for the Web. For everybody else, spend your money on something else. So much of what's written here is elementary and common sense! (For example, hyperlinks are explained at least 3 times.) Perhaps this book was timely in 1998 but it's just ho-hum now. You'll find better information by searching the Internet for the latest in this subject; the Internet articles go more into depth and are much more insightful. (E.g., see Jacob Nielson's Alertbox for October 1, 1997, [...] this article says more about Web writing than the entire Writing for New Media book, and interestingly, was printed before the Writing for New Media book was even published). Crawford Kilian's Writing for the Web book is a better read than this elementary book too. I only wish I would have discovered how simplistic the Writing for New Media book was before Amazon's 30-day return period had expired....

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding; should be on the desks of every online writer, July 12, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing for New Media: The Essential Guide to Writing for Interactive Media, CD-ROMs, and the Web (Wiley Books for Writers Series) (Paperback)

The authors of this book make a very difficult and often misunderstood subject a breeze to understand. As a teacher of interactive writing I find this book to be the 'Bible' for all struggling to make sense of the rapid-fire technology as we embrace the ever-changing way we communicate. I now have a waiting list for my interactive writing course, thanks to the application of the authors' principals. From the beautifully-crafted analogies in the introduction to the realities of limitations on bandwidth I sail through lectures. But this is not just a "teacher's aid." The principals in this book can be applied by both newbies and expert e-commerce professionals. The difference between linear and nonlinear writing - which is the real heart of new media - is perhaps the key to the success of this book. Not to mention the variety of examples on interactivity and the role this plays in the field of online publishing. And this may be the only book that doesn't ASSUME the Internet is the only medium that supports interactive documentation. Where would we be without the effects of CD ROM technology? At least one chapter is dedicated to writing for this medium. I have scoured the bookshelves for two years, hoping to add to my 'portfolio' of interactive publishing something more worthwhile than this book. I've yet to find it.

Pamela James Adjunct Professor Writing for Interactive Publishing El Centro Community College, Dallas, Texas