Digital Storytelling Platforms for Genre Novelists with Kilby Blades

This class is now over and is unavailable for purchase. Sign up to receive announcements about upcoming classes.


The digital storytelling industry has introduced new disruptors. Learn how you can benefit and advance your career.

Just as ebooks disrupted the print market, the digital storytelling industry has introduced another round of disruptors: serial story apps, interactive story apps, and story-based games. As consumer habits skew mobile, the market (and the target demographic) for story consumerism is changing. The creative talent behind much of this emerging, app-based content? Novelists.

This class will introduce some of the emerging storytelling formats that authors are using to distribute their work—such as chat-based stories, choose your own adventure, and immersive games—and will analyze the trajectories of platforms like Radish, Tap by Wattpad, Hooked, Choice of Games, Chapters, and KISS. It will be part commentary and emerging industry analysis, part overview of the submission process, and part intel culled from interviewing product managers at these organizations as well as current authors.

In this 75-minute class with bestselling author Kilby Blades, you’ll learn:

  • Why the market for mobile story apps exists and how the mobile story space is growing
  • Which apps are key to the space and how the companies that own them make money
  • How authors are creating, recycling, or reworking content for relevant platforms
  • What genres and narratives work best for various structures (e.g., chat-based vs. interactive vs. serial, etc.)
  • Advances, royalties and compensation models for authors, as well as intangible benefits
  • How to get noticed and be financially successful on story apps and games, with profiles of authors who have been financially successful
  • How to find out what platforms are acquiring, and how to pitch effectively—including pitching through literary agents
  • Drawbacks, risks and considerations around managing rights
  • Outlook and predictions about how the space will evolve

Who should take this class

  • Authors of genre fiction who are looking to monetize their stories beyond standard ebook and paperback publishing
  • Authors of genre fiction who want up-to-date information and analysis around a handful of pre-eminent story-based apps
  • Authors of genre fiction who are interested in gaining a better understanding of app and gaming subrights
  • Authors of genre fiction who are already published on app and gaming platforms looking for insights around financial success
  • Game developers with storytelling chops who may want to enter the story app arena

Who should NOT take take this class:

  • Authors of general fiction, literary fiction, or nonfiction/memoir
  • Authors of short-form genre fiction with no appetite to write longer stories
  • Authors who have published stories on several or all of the platforms, who may already have a solid understanding of the space and business models of the platforms

How do I know if this webinar is worth the cost?

This is an important question, and it’s a tough one to answer—especially since so much online education is available free of charge. Furthermore, every student is different, and a valuable webinar for one person can end up being a disappointment to another. For this reason, we offer full refunds if you register, attend the entire class, and fail to get the information you were looking for. Please email us directly to request a refund.

Do I have to attend the live class?

No. Everyone who registers will get access to the recording.

How do I attend the live class?

This class uses Zoom webinar technology. You will join through your Internet-connected computer or mobile device. When you register, within 1 hour you will receive information via email on how to join the class. If you registered for the live class but didn’t receive a confirmation email from Zoom, please contact us.

  • When: Thursday, May 6, 2021
  • Time: 1 p.m.–2:15 p.m. Eastern Time / 10 a.m. Pacific Time
  • Fee: $25

The webinar is broadcasted via the internet with live audio delivered through your computer or mobile device speakers. The visual presentation is displayed directly from the presenter’s computer to your computer screen. The Q&A is managed through a chat-style submission system with questions read and answered by the presenter for the entire class to hear.

Closed captions are provided during the live class. For students joining the class through the Zoom app on a mobile device, you can disable the closed captions by going to your settings and turning off closed captions.

Kilby Blades

About the instructor

Kilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women’s Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for “easing feminism and equality into her novels” (IndieReader) and “writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal” (Publisher’s Weekly). Kilby is a feminist, an oenophile, a cinephile, a social-justice fighter, and above all else, a glutton for a good story.


You’ll receive the following

  • Access to the 75-minute interactive class. After 60 minutes, Kilby will take questions using in-class chat/text. The class will end after roughly 75 minutes.
  • A recording of the class—audio and video. This is especially helpful if you have a conflict with the class time or something comes up and you can’t make the session. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 30 days. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation.
  • Presentation slides. All participants receive a copy of the slide presentation in PDF form.
  • Rough transcript. We use Otter to create an automated transcript of the entire webinar, which we’ll share with you in addition to the audio and video recording.

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee, presenter, or staff—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

  • That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
  • That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be disconnected from the live event.

System Requirements to Join the Webinar

We will be using Zoom webinar technology.

You’ll need:

  • An internet connection: broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
  • Speakers: built-in, USB plug-in or wireless Bluetooth

Recommended bandwidth:

  • 600kbps (down) for high-quality video and 1.2 Mbps (down) for HD video
  • If you connect through audio only: 60-80kbps (down)

Supported operating systems:

Supported tablet and mobile devices:

  • Surface PRO 2 running Win 8.1
  • iOS and Android devices
  • Blackberry devices

Supported browsers:

  • Windows: IE 11+,  Edge 12+, Firefox 27+,  Chrome 30+
  • Mac: Safari 7+, Firefox 27+,  Chrome 30+
  • Linux: Firefox 27+,  Chrome 30+

For a detailed listing of system requirements, check Zoom’s site.