- Cosmetic Supporter Pack Available Now! - 21 September 2026
Hello everyone!The launch went far better than I ever could have anticipated, and I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you for playing Author Sim. Seeing folks enjoy this little game that I've poured all my heart into creating means the world to me. Thank you so much for being here!This is going to be a very exciting week for Author Sim! Lots of things are under way:Author Sim Update (v1.1.0)To celebrate the release of the Supporter Pack, several new cosmetic items have been added to Author Sim, including the "Under the Sea" wallpaper, and the "Stars" and "Seasonal Hats" animated wallpaper elements. These cosmetic items can be unlocked through the money upgrade branch of the Items Skill Tree."Seasonal Hats" is a new type of cosmetic item that gives Essy a themed hat during certain holiday months to make it a little easier to keep track of the passage of time in the game.Another…
- Author Sim v1.1.0 - Patch Notes (2026/09/21) - 21 September 2026
Hello everyone!The DLC Supporter Pack containing exclusive cosmetic goodies is now available! Check it out here: To celebrate the release of the Supporter Pack, Author Sim has received a major v1.1.0 update featuring new cosmetic items and mini-game comfort options. Here’s a closer look at some of the changes:Added new cosmetic items, including the "Under the Sea" wallpaper, as well as the "Stars" and the "Seasonal Hats" animated wallpaper elements"Seasonal Hats" are placed on Essy during specific holiday months, making it easier for players to keep track of the passage of time in the gameAll new cosmetic items are unlocked through the money upgrade branch in the Items Skill TreeAdded "Comfort Options" to the Mini-Games Skill TreeThe new "Stop Time" and "Extend Time" options allow players to remove or extend each mini-game's time limit; if either option is active, the quality score is a…
- Author Sim v1.0.4 - Patch Notes (2026/08/26) - 26 August 2026
This patch includes the following changes and fixes:Added an "Auto Start Mini-Games" toggle option in the main menu settings for players who prefer the mini-games to start automatically, without the ready check introduced in the previous patch (v1.0.3)Added a "Skip Introduction" toggle option in the main menu settings that automatically skips the introduction scene when starting a new life; the option is automatically enabled when the skip button is used during the introduction sceneAdded a mini-tutorial introducing the fanfiction mini-game when players encounter it for the first timeUpdated the titles and descriptions of the reading mini-game achievements "Perfect Recall" and "Perfect Recall +" to "Speed Reader" and "Speed Reader +", respectivelyAdded an achievement unlock check at the start of the game to ensure any previously obtained achievements are unlocked on Steam; check was imp…
- Author Sim v1.0.3 - Patch Notes (2026/08/20) - 20 August 2026
In this patch, many quality-of-life improvements have been made, most of which were based on feedback from you guys! A huge thank you to the folks who took the time to let me know about the rough spots they encountered in the game. I'm very happy to see the in-game bug report function getting lots of use. Here's a look at some of the changes:Added a ready check before action mini-games start, allowing players to start the mini-game by pressing the start button or the enter keyImproved the distance-to-volume scaling of the proximity alert in the posting mini-gameAdjusted the fanfiction mini-game difficulty and extended its durationFixed the appearance of known synergies in the obtained synergies box in the writing assistantAdded an explanation for an empty obtained synergies box in the writing assistantAdded skip song buttons to the music windowRevised the description of "Dwarf" to remov…
- Author Sim v1.0.2 - Patch Notes (2026/08/14) - 14 August 2026
This patch is mainly to fix a bug accidentally introduced in the last patch (v1.0.1), changes include:Fixed an issue where posting on social media occasionally stalls at 100%, eventually causing the game to freezeDisplayed game version number in main menu
- Author Sim v1.0.1 - Patch Notes (2026/08/14) - 14 August 2026
Here's a small patch to fix a couple of bugs reported by a few players, changes include:Fixed an error where total followers can drop below zero, causing the game to freezeFixed the sentence formatting in the fanfiction writing mini-game (Word Precision), so that the word-type blanks are displayed properly after upgrading the mini-gameAdded green arrows pointing to Confirm button in the wallpaper and animated elements selection windows, in order to indicate that Confirm must be pressed to close the windowUpdated the formatting of several numeric displays to include thousands separatorsSpecials thanks to the folks who took the time to report these bugs! Just as a head's up, there is an in-game bug report option in the settings menu, both on the main menu and the main game. If you run into any issues, feel free to let me know and I'll get on it right away!
- Launch Day! - 12 August 2026
Hello everyone, and welcome to launch day!Author Sim Is ReleasedAuthor Sim is officially here, releasing with a 10% launch discount.Have you ever dreamed of becoming a world-renowned author? Now's your chance!✍️ Craft Narratives. Write imaginative stories to impress critics and readers alike. Your writing quality, your internet popularity, and the compatibility of your chosen storytelling elements will determine whether your novel turns a profit.💡 Employ Powerful Synergies. Discover tropes that work well together to boost your novel's rating.📖 Study Masterpieces. Read esteemed works by famous fantasy and science fiction authors to discover new genres and literary tropes that you can incorporate into your own stories.📈 Build a Following. Post on social media to build a following and generate hype for your upcoming novels.✨ Dream or Reality? Strive to become a bestselling author—learn,…
- Author Sim Demo v1.0.0 - Patch Notes (2026/08/12) - 12 August 2026
Author Sim is now officially released with a 10% launch discount! Check out the full game here:Alongside the full game's release, the demo has also received a major v1.0.0 update! Here's a look at some of the changes:Actions & Mini-GamesReplaced the old reading mini-game (Recall) with a new mini-game (Reading Comprehension), where players identify the correct trope reflected in a passage with missing segmentsUpdated the Mini-Games Skill Tree so that early upgrades partially (RC I) or fully (RC II) reveal the missing segments of the passageReworked the old posting mini-game (Photo Editing)Replaced the brightness and sharpness sliders with a movable knob inside an adjustment box, and players must drag the knob within the box to adjust the post's brightness and sharpnessUpdated the Mini-Games Skill Tree so that early upgrades (PE I and PE II) reduce the size of the adjustment box, while a…
- Release Date Announcement - 25 June 2026
Hello everyone!I'm very happy and excited to announce that Author Sim will be releasing on August 12, 2026 on Steam (Windows). Get ready to start your writing careers and become bestselling authors!Thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far. Your feedback on the demo has been invaluable to improving the game, and I can't wait for you all to experience the full game.Hope to see you at launch!
- Steam Next Fest Begins! - 15 June 2026
Hello everyone!Steam Next Fest begins today (June 15-22), featuring many upcoming Steam games with free demos for players to try out! This edition of Next Fest might be the biggest yet with almost 5,000 participating titles to try. Go check out the demo of Author Sim! If you already played the demo, thank you so much for playing and hope you get the chance to explore the other exciting demos featured in Next Fest.Happy exploring!
- Author Sim Demo v0.2.4 - Patch Notes (2026/05/07) - 7 May 2026
This demo patch includes the following changes and fixes:Added an information panel to every app window, providing detailed explanations of each window’s contents, including helpful tips, icon definitions, and moreReworked the first reading mini-game upgrade (Recall I) to reveal a short book summary instead of greying out an incorrect option after 6 seconds Added several new random eventsAdded a sales data page to books displayed in the blog appRevised wording and corrected calculations on the statistics pageDisplayed disabled time buttons during the tutorialUpdated the manuscript app toolbarDisabled the bank app while the store app is openFixed time resuming and tag description resetting after using the return button in the manuscript appFixed the keyboard shop item imageFixed tag highlights being cut off
- InterfaceX26 Is Here! - 27 April 2026
Check out Author Sim and other featured Fake OS games in InterfaceX26! The event starts today and runs until May 4—don’t miss it!InterfaceX26 celebrates Fake OS games—games that take place within desktops, mobile devices, chat logs, and other operating systems. Discover over 150 games, enjoy great discounts, and tune in to the live showcase.Author Sim will be featured in the InterfaceX26 Showcase airing on Twitch and YouTube this Saturday, May 2 at 10 AM PDT. The showcase is hosted by GameSpot’s Kurt Indovina and Lucy James and an amazing panel consisting of Jesse Cox, Dodger, Nookrium and Stormfall33. Be sure to tune in on Twitch or Youtube this Saturday!See you at InterfaceX26!Coordinated Push to Recognize the Fake OS GenreTo help define the Fake OS genre, we developers are taking a community-driven approach by asking players to tag these games on Steam. Consistent bottom-up tagging w…
- Author Sim Demo v0.2.3 - Patch Notes (2026/04/23) - 23 April 2026
Here are the minor updates included in this demo patch:Added multiple book cover patterns, title fonts, colour-coded tag highlights, and rating stars to the books display in the blog appUpdated the acknowledgements in end creditsFixed numerical rounding issuesFixed loading screen sound effect issue
- InterfaceX26 Event Announcement - 14 April 2026
Hello everyone!Author Sim will be featured in the upcoming InterfaceX26 event, running from April 27 to May 4! Be sure to check out the landing page here: https://interfacex.net/InterfaceX26 celebrates Fake OS games—games that take place within desktops, mobile devices, chat logs, and other operating systems. Discover over 150 games, enjoy great discounts, and tune in to the live showcase on May 2. To help define the Fake OS genre, we developers are taking a community-driven approach by asking players to tag these games on Steam. Consistent bottom-up tagging will encourage Valve to recognize “Fake OS” as an official tag and make games within this genre easier to find.Join us and support this campaign by tagging these games on Steam with the “Fake OS” tag. Here's a useful tool to make tagging fast and efficient: https://interfacex.net/tag/Hope to see you at InterfaceX26!
- Author Sim Demo v0.2.2 - Patch Notes (2026/04/09) - 9 April 2026
Here are the minor updates included in this demo patch:Slowed the normal game speedAdded a “Reset Demo” option after completing the first lifeAdded a warning that all game data will be deleted when resetting the demoUpdated the visuals of the “Feedback Forum” and the “Reset Demo” buttonsAdded a reminder that mini-game difficulty can be adjusted via the Mini-Games Skill Tree; this reminder appears if the player receives a low mini-game score during the tutorialAdded five animated sea creatures to the computer wallpaper that will occasionally spawn and swim across the screen
- Author Sim Demo v0.2.1 - Patch Notes (2026/04/01) - 1 April 2026
Several minor changes have been made to the demo, including:Added an optional practice round for every action mini-game during the tutorialSlowed game speed during the action tutorialsAdjusted the formulas used to calculate book ratings, book sales, and follower growth to improve overall game balanceAdjusted the difficulty of several action mini-gamesAdded new achievementsUpdated the objectives and descriptions of several achievementsLowered the volume of loading screen sounds
- Author Sim Demo v0.2.0 - Patch Notes (2026/02/27) - 27 February 2026
Hello everyone!As always, thank you everyone for your support, feedback and ideas! I truly appreciate it! Based on your feedback, I split the original skill tree into a Mini-Games Tree and an Items Tree. Below are the more specific changes included in this update:Spilt the old skill tree into two separate trees:The Mini-Games Tree consists of five upgrade branches, one branch for each action mini-game; each upgrade progressively reduces the mini-game’s difficultyIn Relaxing mode, the difficulty of each mini-game can be adjusted freely without spending skill pointsIn Realistic mode, skill points must be spent to unlock upgrades that make the mini-games easierThe Items Tree consists of four upgrade branches; each upgrade unlocks certain in-game element/s, such as the fanfiction writing action, fanfiction tags, books, social media posts, starting funds, and shop items Added current difficu…
- Author Sim Demo v0.1.1 - Patch Notes (2026/02/13) - 14 February 2026
The following minor changes have been made to the demo:Adjusted formulas for calculating book ratings, book sales, and follower gain to improve game balanceAdded book rating detractor icons to the top of novel publication emailsDarkened text in the bank app, bank window, and progress sticky notes for improved readability Added colour-coded highlighting for compatible tags in the bookshelfAdded keyboard sound effects to the statistics dropdown Blocked improper text inputs in novel title and writing mini-game text input boxesAdded a current difficulty icon in the settings windowRefreshed book and award displays in blog window after closingFixed writing skill display in the blog window on loadFixed shop items display in the shop window on load
- Author Sim Demo v0.1.0 - Patch Notes (2026/02/10) - 10 February 2026
Hello everyone!Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who played the demo—and a special thanks to those who took the time to share their thoughts with me! As a solo developer, it genuinely means a lot to me to see people playing a game I've made. Based on the feedback I've received so far, I decided to add a game difficulty setting, which is the most significant change in this demo update. Below are the more specific changes included in this update:Added game difficulty options to the main menu settings: Relaxing mode features easier action mini-games, slower happiness decline, and a bigger starting fundRealistic mode features harder action mini-games, faster happiness decline, and a smaller starting fundAdded a new prompt asking players to select a difficulty at the beginning of the gameLocked game difficulty settings while a life is still activeAdjusted formulas calculating book ratin…
- Author Sim Demo v0.0.1 - Patch Notes (2026/02/05) - 5 February 2026
The following minor changes have been made to the demo:Added an explanation for the greyed out “Start Writing” button in the manuscript windowAdded an “Exit To Menu” button to the settings windowAdded a warning message when selecting “New Game” while a life is still active, warning that the current save will be deletedRevised the wording in tutorial explanations and timed event instructions for improved clarityAdded an explanation regarding the scope of the demo (limited to one lifetime)Updated playlist artwork in the music windowFixed issues with improper keyboard navigation
