# Publishing & Export Support Reference

# Publishing & Export — Support Reference


This document explains how Novelium's publishing and export feature works. It is written to help the support chatbot answer reader and author questions accurately. Where a label is shown in quotes, that is the exact wording the user sees in the app.


> Note on language: When talking to writers, avoid the term "AI." Describe the writing-history feature as proof of **human authorship**, not as "proof it wasn't written by a machine." Follow the framing used in the app itself ("a human wrote this book").


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## 1. Where to find it


Publishing lives in the **Publish** hub. Authors reach it from the desktop toolbar ("Publish" button) or the mobile "More" menu ("Publish", described as "Export, editions, and publishing status").


The Publish hub has three tabs:


- **Format** — the Book Design workspace where you style the book and export it.
- **Book Teasers**
- **Author Website**


Inside the **Format** tab, the left rail has these sections: **Themes**, **Typography**, **Chapter Style**, **Page Elements**, **Footnotes**, **Front Matter**, **Chapters**, plus **Editions**, **Project Settings**, and the **Style** sheet.


There are two related but separate things:


1. **Book Design** — the visual styling of the finished book (fonts, chapter headings, scene breaks, table of contents, front matter, and so on). Saved per Edition.
2. **The Export dialog** ("Export Manuscript") — where you pick the file format and trigger the actual download. It has a checkbox, "Apply Book Design formatting," that decides whether the styled design is used or a plain fallback layout is used.


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## 2. Export formats


The export formats offered in the "Export Manuscript" dialog are:


| Format | Label in app | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Plain Text | "Plain Text (.txt)" | Simple text, no formatting |
| HTML | "HTML (.html)" | Web format with formatting preserved |
| Word | "Word Document (.docx)" | Microsoft Word compatible |
| EPUB | "EPUB (.epub)" | E-book format for e-readers and mobile devices |
| PDF | "PDF (Print)" | Print-ready format, opens the print dialog |
| Fountain | "Fountain (.fountain)" | Plain-text screenplay format for Final Draft, Highland |


Important details:


- **PDF is "print to PDF."** Choosing PDF produces a styled page and opens the browser/OS print dialog. The author saves it as PDF from there. On the iOS/mobile app it saves an `.html` file instead. There is a tip in the dialog reminding users to turn off "Headers and footers" in the browser print options so the page looks clean.
- **Word (.docx)** has full support for tracked changes and comments (see the Export Options below).
- **Fountain** is for screenplay projects, not prose novels.
- **Markdown** can be produced internally and is offered by the Style Sheet export, but Markdown is **not** one of the choices in the manuscript Export dialog.


### Export options in the dialog


Depending on the format and whether Book Design is applied, the dialog shows:


- **Edition** selector — which edition's design to use.
- **"Apply Book Design formatting"** — uses the styled book design (shows the active theme's name). When unchecked, a plain fallback layout is used.
- Fallback formatting (only shown when Book Design is **off**, for HTML/Word/PDF): **"Font Family"** (Times New Roman, Arial, Courier New, Georgia), **"Font Size"** (10/11/12/14pt), **"Line Spacing"** (Single, 1.5x, Double).
- **"Include cover as first page"** (HTML, EPUB, PDF).
- **"Include tracked changes"** (Word only).
- **"Include comments"** (Word only).


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## 3. Book Design — formatting your book


Book Design is the heart of the publishing feature. All settings are saved per **Edition**, so you can keep a different look for, say, a paperback edition versus a large-print edition. Each section below has a "Reset to theme" button so authors can revert one part at a time.


### 3.1 Themes (design presets)


Start by picking a base **Theme**, then override only what you want. Subtitle in the app: "Choose a base design, then override only what you need." There are 10 themes:


- **Classic** — "Traditional centered chapter heads with a fleuron and drop cap."
- **Modern** — "Minimal left-aligned heads with a clean rule."
- **Literary** — "Soft serif texture with an asterism and restrained spacing."
- **Romance** — "Decorative headings and a softer flourish ornament."
- **Thriller** — "Tight bold chapter starts with stark scene breaks."
- **Fantasy** — "Decorative serif heads with a dramatic ornament."
- **Vintage** — "Roman numerals, classic spacing, and antique rule work."
- **Minimalist** — "Low-ornament, sans-serif presentation with dot scene breaks."
- **Manuscript** — "Submission-style monospaced layout with simple separators."
- **Elegant** — "Measured serif treatment with ornamental emphasis."


A theme sets sensible defaults for every option below. Anything you change overrides just that piece.


### 3.2 Typography (section: "Typography")


**Body Typography**


- **Font** — 21 choices: Aboreto, Beau Rivage, MonteCarlo, Cinzel, Lora, EB Garamond, Playfair Display, Crimson Text, Inter, Montserrat, Libre Baskerville, Noto Serif, Merriweather, Lato, Roboto, Source Sans Pro, Raleway, Bitter, Open Sans, Courier New, Times New Roman. (The same list is used for body, headings, and page numbers.)
- **Font Size** — 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28 pt.
- **Line Spacing** — 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.65, 1.7, 1.8, 2.0.
- **Text Color** — eight swatch presets plus a free color picker.
- **Text alignment** — left, justify, center.


**Paragraph Formatting**


- **Quick Presets** — None, Novel Standard, Manuscript, Word/Docs Style. Each one sets a sensible combination of indent and spacing.
- **Paragraph Indent** — free value, e.g. `0`, `0.5in`, `1cm`, `18pt`, `2em`.
- **First-Line Indent** — free value, e.g. `0`, `1.5em`, `0.3in`, `24pt`.
- **Paragraph Spacing** — slider from 0 to 3 (stored in em units).


### 3.3 Chapter Style (section: "Chapter Style")


**Chapter Heading**


- **Font** and **Size** (same lists as above).
- **Heading Content** — "Number Only," "Title Only," or "Number + Title."
- **Number Format** — "Chapter One" (words), "Chapter 1" (numeral), "Chapter I" (roman), or "No number."
- **Prefix** — free text, e.g. "Chapter ".
- **Alignment** — left, center, right.
- **"Uppercase chapter headings"** checkbox.


**Chapter Header Art** — upload artwork for chapter openings. Subtitle: "Upload artwork that can replace the chapter title, sit above it, or appear behind it."


- **Placement** — "Before heading," "Replace heading," or "Behind heading."
- **Display Height** — 0.75, 1, 1.1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, or 2 inches.
- Accepts PNG, JPEG, WebP uploads.


**Drop Caps**


- **"Enable drop caps"** checkbox.
- **Style** — drop, small-caps, or none.
- **Drop-cap lines** — slider from 2 to 5 lines tall.


### 3.4 Page Elements (section: "Page Elements")


**Scene Break** — the ornament/divider shown between scenes. Authors choose from 16 built-in ornaments, grouped by category (All, Novelium, Minimal, Rules, Fantasy, Geometric, Ornamental, Romance, Sci-Fi). Examples: "Novelium Classic," "Three Dots," "Fine Rule," "Compass Star," "Hearts & Vines," "Circuit Lines." Authors can also **upload their own SVG ornament**.


**Page Numbers** — subtitle "Add running folios to the preview and exported design config."


- **Format** — "1, 2, 3" or "I, II, III."
- **Font** and **Font Size**.
- **Bottom Margin** — None, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75, or 1 inch.
- **"Show on chapter-opening pages"** checkbox.


**Layout Presets** (running headers/footers) — Classic ("Author & title in headers, page numbers outside"), Centered ("Centered page numbers, no headers"), Modern ("Page numbers outside with author & title in footer"), Minimal ("Page numbers bottom-right only"), None ("No headers or footers").


**Header & Footer Layout** — fine-grained control. Each page side (Even/Left and Odd/Right) has a six-slot grid: header and footer, each with left/center/right positions. Each slot can show nothing, the page number, the pen name, or the book title. A "Mirror pages" checkbox mirrors the even side onto the odd side.


### 3.5 Footnotes (section: "Footnotes")


Choose where footnote text appears. Subtitle: "Choose where footnote text appears in the formatted manuscript."


- **"End of chapter"** — "Notes appear at the close of each chapter."
- **"End of book"** — "All notes collected into a single section at the back." (Only available when a back-matter file exists; then you pick which file to append them to.)
- **"Bottom of page"** — true bottom-of-page footnotes. Available for Word and PDF only. Reflowable formats like EPUB fall back to end-of-chapter.


### 3.6 Trim size and print bleed (in the live preview toolbar)


These two are set in the preview toolbar, not in a left-rail section, so they are easy to miss:


- **Book Size** — 5 x 8, 5.25 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9 (default), or 8.5 x 11.
- **"Print bleed (+0.125")"** — adds 0.125 inch of bleed on each edge for print-on-demand services like KDP and IngramSpark.


The preview also has an "Actual size" pop-out, chapter/page navigation, and the **Export** button.


### 3.7 Per-chapter overrides (section: "Chapters")


Chapters are grouped into Front Matter, Manuscript, and Back Matter. Any single chapter can override the book defaults:


- **Drop cap** — Default, Drop, Small-caps, or Off.
- **Chapter number** — Default or Hidden.
- **Body alignment** — Default, Left, Justify, or Center.
- **Chapter art** — Default or Custom (Custom reveals the art picker and placement options).
- **"Reset to book default"** per chapter.


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## 4. Table of Contents


The optional **"Inline Table of Contents"** adds a visible "Contents" page to the exported book. Subtitle: "Add a visible Contents page to your exported book. EPUB and DOCX entries are clickable; PDF entries can include page numbers."


It is built **from the chapters in the manuscript** (one entry per chapter), and can optionally include front-matter and back-matter files. It is **off by default**.


Controls (under Front Matter → Inline Table of Contents):


- **"Include a Contents page"** — the on/off toggle.
- **Heading** — the title text, default "Contents."
- **Placement** — "Start of front matter" (first page after the cover) or "Before chapter 1" (between front matter and the main text).
- **Depth** — "Chapters only" (one entry per chapter) or "Chapters and sections" (also includes the H2 section headings inside each chapter).
- **"Include front matter"** checkbox.
- **"Include back matter"** checkbox (on by default).
- **Page numbers** — "PDF only" (default), "Always show," or "Never."
  - In EPUB the entries are always clickable links, with no page numbers, because e-readers paginate dynamically.
  - In Word, the native Word Table of Contents field is used and refreshes when the document opens.
  - In PDF, page numbers can be shown.
- **Leader style** — "Dot leaders" (`Title . . . . . 12`) or "Spaces." (Hidden when page numbers are set to Never.)


How each format handles it:


- **EPUB** — gets a visible Contents page plus the standard navigation document, so e-reader "go to chapter" menus work.
- **PDF/HTML** — renders a styled Contents page, with optional page numbers and leaders.
- **Word** — uses Word's built-in Table of Contents field with proper heading bookmarks, so it stays live and updatable.


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## 5. Front Matter and other generated pages


The **Front Matter** section generates three optional pages: the Table of Contents (above), a Copyright Page, and the "Authored by Humans" page.


### 5.1 Copyright Page


Subtitle: "Add an editable copyright page to the front of your exported book."


- **"Include a copyright page"** toggle. When first enabled, it seeds the text from your project details.
- **Heading (optional)** — defaults to no heading.
- **Copyright text** — a full editable text box. The default includes the copyright line, all-rights-reserved notice, fiction disclaimer, ISBN lines, "Published by…", and an edition label.
- **Placement** — "Start of front matter" or "Before chapter 1."


### 5.2 Title pages, dedications, about-the-author, etc.


There is **no automatic generator** for the title page, dedication, epigraph, foreword, preface, acknowledgments, about-the-author, or "also by" pages. These are **authored as regular files** in the project and tagged as front matter or back matter. When importing, the classifier sorts them automatically:


- **Front Matter** — "Title page, dedication, preface — appears before the story."
- **Back Matter** — "Afterword, acknowledgments, about the author."


So if an author asks "how do I add a dedication page," the answer is: create a file for it and mark it as front matter, then it flows into the exported book in order. The only pages Novelium generates for you are the Table of Contents, the Copyright Page, and the "Authored by Humans" page.


### 5.3 Screenplay title page


Screenplay projects have a separate **"Title Page"** modal with fields: Title (required), Written by, Draft, Date, Contact Information. This is only for the screenplay template, not prose books.


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## 6. "Authored by Humans"


This is one of Novelium's signature features. It adds a printed page to the book certifying that **a human wrote it**, backed by real writing-history data rather than a simple claim.


Subtitle in the app: "A printed statement that a human wrote this book, backed by a greyscale, day-by-day record of the words you wrote and revised in Novelium."


### What it looks like


The page shows a greyscale grid, similar in spirit to a contributions calendar: one square per calendar day. Each square is split on the diagonal. The upper-left triangle is shaded by the number of words **written** that day, the lower-right triangle by the number of words **cut**. Shading bands: none, under 500, 500 to 1,500, and 1,500+ words. The idea is that a book that was only drafted shows an empty lower band, while a genuinely revised book fills both. The page also carries a short caption summarizing the totals (the span of days, number of writing days, words written, words cut), a legend, and a provenance line: "Composed and revised in Novelium · novelium.com."


There is **no logo, badge, seal, or graphic stamp.** The "certificate" is this data-backed page itself.


### How to turn it on


Under Front Matter → Authored by Humans:


- **"Include an 'Authored by Humans' page"** toggle (off by default).
- **Placement** — "Before front-matter files," "Before a front-matter file" (then choose which file), "Before chapter 1," or "Back matter" (as a colophon at the very end).


### Eligibility (this is the part support gets asked about)


The page is only printed if the writing history can actually back the claim. If the project does not meet the bar, the page is silently left out of the export, and the app shows a note explaining why. The requirements are:


- **At least 80% of the manuscript's words were written inside Novelium.** This is the main gate. If an author imported a finished book from elsewhere, coverage will be low and the page will not appear. The app shows: "Only {N}% of this manuscript was written in Novelium so far ({80}% needed). The page will be left out of your export until then."
- **At least 5 writing days logged.**
- **At least a 3-day span** between first and last writing day.


When the project does not qualify for other reasons, the note reads: "There isn't enough writing history in Novelium yet to back the claim. The page will be left out of your export until there is." When it does qualify, the note reads: "{N} writing days logged · {N}% of the manuscript written here."


Coverage is words-written divided by manuscript words, and it is intentionally **not capped**, so heavy revision (lots of cutting and rewriting) does not hurt eligibility.


### Format support (important caveat)


The "Authored by Humans" page currently appears in **EPUB and PDF/HTML exports only**. It is **not** included in Word (.docx) exports. If an author exports to Word and the page is missing, that is expected behavior, not a bug. The Word export still builds a Table of Contents; it just does not include the writing fingerprint page.


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## 7. Editions


All Book Design settings are saved against an **Edition**. This lets an author maintain more than one design for the same manuscript (for example a 6x9 paperback and an 8.5x11 large-print version) without re-styling. The Export dialog includes an **Edition** selector so the author picks which edition's design to export.


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## 8. Common questions / troubleshooting


**"Where did my Table of Contents go?"** — It is off by default. Turn on "Include a Contents page" under Front Matter. Also note EPUB shows it as clickable links rather than page numbers.


**"My 'Authored by Humans' page isn't showing up."** — Three likely causes, in order: (1) the project doesn't meet eligibility yet (needs 80% of words written in Novelium, 5+ writing days, 3+ day span), (2) the author is exporting to **Word**, which does not include the page, or (3) the toggle is simply off. The app shows an eligibility note explaining which it is.


**"How do I save my book as a PDF?"** — Choose "PDF (Print)" in the Export dialog. It opens the print dialog; select "Save as PDF" there. Turn off the browser's "Headers and footers" option for a clean result. On the mobile app it saves an HTML file instead.


**"How do I add a dedication / title page / about-the-author page?"** — These are not auto-generated. Create a file for the content and mark it as front matter or back matter, and it will flow into the exported book in the right place. Only the Table of Contents, Copyright Page, and "Authored by Humans" page are generated automatically.


**"Can I set headers and footers with the author name and book title?"** — Yes, under Page Elements. Use a Layout Preset for a quick setup, or the Header & Footer Layout grid for full control over each slot (page number, pen name, book title) per page side.


**"Why doesn't my chapter have a drop cap / different alignment?"** — Check the per-chapter overrides under the Chapters section; a single chapter may be overriding the book default. Use "Reset to book default" to clear it.


**"What trim sizes can I publish at?"** — 5x8, 5.25x8, 5.5x8.5, 6x9, and 8.5x11. Set this and the print-bleed option in the preview toolbar. Turn on print bleed for print-on-demand services like KDP and IngramSpark.


**"Do tracked changes and comments export?"** — Only to Word (.docx), via the "Include tracked changes" and "Include comments" checkboxes in the Export dialog.


**"Which format should I use for an e-book?"** — EPUB. It is the standard for e-readers and mobile devices, with clickable navigation and a Contents page.

Updated on: 29/06/2026