FastPencil Releases New Features For End-to-End Book Writing and Publishing Service

CAMPBELL, Calif. — November 19, 2009 — FastPencil which allows aspiring authors to easily write, share, publish and sell their books, today announced major upgrades to their free writing tools and publishing platform. FastPencil (www.fastpencil.com) now offers over 50 new templates, 30 background textures, and themes for projects such as children’s books and photo books, as well as forums and additional author roles to encourage collaboration.

New template layout options include collages and scrapbooks while new themes have seasonal backgrounds for photo books, gifts and memoirs. FastPencil has enabled full flexibility of photo and text placement within all templates and now allows users to create their own templates for more control over the design of their project.

FastPencil has created Co-Author and Project Manager roles and added forums to facilitate conversation. Project Owners can complete the publishing process while Co-Authors and Project Managers are able to approve and reject changes and view revised project versions. FastPencil forums provide a venue for users to pose questions and provide answers to the community on topics such as connecting with others, writing, editing, publishing and selling.

“FastPencil makes the book-writing process easy, fun and accessible for all aspiring authors,” said Steve Wilson, FastPencil Co-Founder and CEO. “Our new book templates, themes and advanced image tools provide even more ways to help spark the imagination and the new collaboration features encourage anyone with a ‘book in them’ to achieve their dreams.”

With FastPencil, writers have access to an end-to-end solution that enables them to write a book, share their work, connect with other users for editing or illustrations and publish to hardcover, paperback, Kindle or e-book. Once the book is complete, the FastPencil self-publishing wizard offers a step-by-step process for formatting projects. FastPencil’s distribution functionality then allows writers to sell their books through over 32,000 online retail outlets such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

For writers who are looking for additional services, FastPencil has simplified pricing for publishing packages and offers new “a la carte” services, such as custom formatting, cover options and illustration.

New FastPencil Features:

• New book templates and themes including journaling, collages, scrapbooking, seasonal themes and the ability to create your own
• Image management: rotate photos, add colored frames around images, upload multiple images at once
• New intuitive navigation including flip-book preview and project zoom
• New roles: Project Managers and Co-Authors can edit and accept changes, view revisions but cannot publish projects
• FastPencil forums

FastPencil Features:

• Select from a variety of book templates including the personal memoir, the Great American Novel, cookbooks and children’s books
• Blog to book
• Connect and share through Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo and MSN
• Publish to e-book formats with iPhone reader and Kindle support
• Distribution at over 32,000 online retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble
• Author services including consulting, design services and formatting
• Integrated self-publishing wizard for step-by-step assistance
• FastPencil Classics: access to many royalty free titles including Tarzan of the Apes and Cinderella

Pricing and Availability
The FastPencil self-publishing platform is available at http://www.FastPencil.com. The FastPencil Basic service is free and includes book templates, writing platform and ability to connect with the community. Additional publishing packages are available at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels and include consulting, author and editorial services, custom formatting and distribution. For more information on publishing services visit http://www.fastpencil.com/company/pricing.

About FastPencil
FastPencil simplifies the entire book-writing process from concept to finished product. The FastPencil publishing platform enables writers to create their books online, share their work with a trusted network of friends and professionals, and publish their books on demand as hardcover, paperback or e-books.

For regular FastPencil updates follow us at www.Twitter.com/FastPencil, become a Fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FastPencil and for more information, please visit www.FastPencil.com.

FastPencil is a registered trademark of FastPencil, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.