Import your manuscript

To import a manuscript, click Import manuscript on your dashboard, drop in your file, check the chapters NovelCanon found, and click Import. NovelCanon creates a new project with your chapters and scenes, then reads the book in the background to build your Story Bible and check it for contradictions.

Which files can I import?

DOCX (Word), PDF, EPUB, Markdown (.md), plain text (.txt) and Scrivener (.scriv, or a .zip of it), up to 10 MB per file. Your original file is only read, never changed.

How do I import a manuscript?

1. On your dashboard, click Import manuscript.
2. Drag your file onto the window, or click Browse files.
3. Check the preview: the title NovelCanon detected, and each chapter with its scene and word counts. If the chapters look wrong, see how chapters and scenes are detected, fix the file, and click Back to try again. Otherwise click Continue.
4. Confirm the Project Title and, if you like, add a Genre.
5. Click Import.

Importing needs a connected AI key, because building your Story Bible runs on your own provider account. If you haven't connected one, the import window offers Connect OpenRouter right there. It then shows the most the build will cost on your key before you commit. On OpenRouter, the build needs credit on your account: if you have none, add some, then click I've added credit — check again. See Connect an AI key.

How are chapters and scenes detected?

Each format has its own signals:

• DOCX: text in Word's Heading 1 style starts a chapter, and Heading 2 starts a scene. A document with no headings is read like plain text (below).
• Markdown: # starts a chapter and ## a scene. If the file opens with a single # book title followed by ## chapters, then ## is a chapter and ### a scene. A line of --- or *** is a scene break.
• Plain text and PDF: a line such as "Chapter 1", "CHAPTER ONE" or "Chapter 1: The Storm" starts a chapter. Two blank lines in a row, or a line of only ***, * * *, --- or ___, is a scene break. A single blank line is a paragraph break. In PDFs, running headers, page numbers and hyphens at line ends are removed.
• EPUB: each chapter document becomes a chapter; the book's table of contents is skipped.
• Scrivener: each folder in your Draft becomes a chapter and each document inside it a scene. On Windows, zip the .scriv folder first. More detail in How to import a Scrivener project.

What happens after the import?

Your chapters and scenes are ready to write in as soon as the import finishes. In the background, NovelCanon reads every scene of at least 100 words and:

• Records the facts your book states and checks them against each other. When the build finishes, the import window tells you how many possible contradictions it found, each one checked against both passages, with a See contradictions button.
• Drafts your Story Bible: characters, locations, world rules, relationships, plot threads with their key moments, and timeline events, plus a short summary for any scene that doesn't have one. This step is part of the Manuscript and Pro plans, and of the 14-day Pro trial.

You can close the window and keep writing while this runs; NovelCanon lets you know when your Story Bible is ready.

How do I review my Story Bible suggestions?

Open Story bible in the project's sidebar; the number beside it is how many suggestions are waiting. Nothing joins your Story Bible until you accept it.

• Accept or Reject each suggestion, or use Accept all / Reject all for a whole group.
• If a suggested character looks like someone already in your Story Bible, NovelCanon says so and offers Add as alias of that character instead of creating a duplicate.

Later, after you've written more, Scan for new entries (Manuscript and Pro) finds the characters, places and threads you've added since.

Why did only part of my book import?

On the Free plan you have one project with up to three chapters. If your manuscript is longer, the import offers Import first 3 chapters or an upgrade to import the whole book. If you already have a project on Free, importing would create a second one, so you'll need to upgrade or delete the existing project first. See What happens when my trial ends?

Why does my import say the file is too large?

The limit is 10 MB per file. Large files are usually large because of embedded images: save a copy without images, or export the text as DOCX or plain text, and import that.