Sonar is a free program for writers to keep track of their manuscript submissions. If you’re a writer, whether in print media or online, keeping track of where you send manuscripts to and what their status is can be a difficult job. You could create a spreadsheet, Word document, database application, or even just a text file with which to keep track of all of your manuscript submissions. Instead, you could just use this free program Sonar.
Manuscript Submissions program with Easy Download and Installation:
The download for Sonar is quite small, at less than a megabyte. In fact, I was quite surprised when I saw the size, which might put a few people off, 666 kilobytes. Luckily, the author, Simon Haynes, was thoughtful enough to provide a zip file version of the download, which is smaller, at 450 kilobytes. The application has a fairly small footprint while running after installation, at just about seven and a half megabytes.
Installation is quick and painless, taking less than a minute. The installer has no nasty surprises for you while you install the program. No changes to your browser settings are made or attempted, and no unwanted toolbars are installed.
User Interface Not Intuitive, Useful Help File:
The user interface for the program isn’t well set up, nor is it intuitive. The steps required to input and update a specific record aren’t very obvious. I had to read through the limited, but helpful help file that Simon has put together, for the previous version of Sonar, in order to figure out how to change one of my article or manuscript submissions from unsold to sold and published. If you don’t use the program on a daily basis, you’re most likely not going to remember how to do everything you will want and need to do in the program. To me, that’s a hassle, because it means I’m going to have to take extra time to read the help file. Personally, I prefer to have my help files locally, not online. Yes, it takes up a little extra space, but I also don’t have to have an active Internet connection to get help with the program.
You can also check out StoryBook or Celtx free software we reviewed for professional writers for writing and organizing novels.
To Register or Not to Register:
Sonar is a totally free product, and registration is not required. As the author states, registration helps to ensure that he can afford to put more time and effort into improving the program. Also, it shows your appreciation for the program. Unlike the trial versions for a large number of commercial applications, registration doesn’t unlock any special features. All that happens when you register and enter the code is that the “Unregistered Version” will no longer be displayed.
