Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
You could be a novelist as well as a games writer and you may want to
separate the two to concentrate your marketing in different directions. Of
course, the alternative may be preferable - if you have established yourself
under your own name and want to use that to help expand your career into
games, then branding yourself differently will possibly reduce the marketing
strengths you have established. I imagine that if Stephen King or J.K. Rowling
wanted to get into game writing they would want to use their respective
established names.
Another branding possibility to consider is to find a few like-minded
writers and form some kind of collective.This does not have to be anything
more formal than the creation of an umbrella 'brand' that you all market
yourselves under, though if you each felt it was right you could set it up as a
proper scripting agency. If each member of the group has talents that
complement one another, the brand has more to offer the potential client
than each writer could individually.
Build a website
Because the internet is such an important part of all our lives, especially for
the games industry, it is important for the game writer to maintain a strong
presence there. A game developer or publisher looking for a writer will, if
they do not already have the right contacts, conduct a search online as a first
step. If you do not have a strong online presence you could lose out on
potential clients finding you in this way. If you have any doubt about the
importance of this, I can assure you that some of my best writing jobs were
as a result of the clients discovering my details when conducting an online
search for game writers.
Not only should you have your own website, you should also consider
obtaining your own domain name, which helps to establish your internet
identity and maintain your professional image. What sort of impression will
you give to the world if your site and e-mail address is provided by a cheap,
or free, hosting service, which may also insist on your site carrying banner
advertisements? People can be very judgemental at times and when they are
being cautious about spending money on the services of a writer, will often
be put off by anything which might suggest that you are not as professional
as you could be. If necessary, you should get some advice on domains and
hosting, either through researching the subject or by consulting an expert.
Creating a look for your site that is visually appealing is important, too.
Games are a very visual medium, so if a developer visits your website you do
