Steps before Compiling Part two
In part two of the Steps before compiling, we will start with step 6 which is Assigning Section Layouts. The Section Layout pane of the Compile Panel will give you a preview of how the Compile Output will appear. If what you see is not the result you want, then you will have to go back to the Compile Format Designer and tweak the Section Layouts until you have the desired result.
6. Assigning Section Layouts
One important step before you compile is to assign Section Layouts. This area is quite different in Scrivener 3 than in previous versions.
At the bottom-center of the middle panel of the Compile interace is a button that says “Assign Section Layouts”. Clicking on this will open a new screen with a list of section types and the list of possible section layouts you can assign to each one. This is where you’ll select the design for each “section type” or element of your book. You will have different styling options that can be applied to Chapters or Scenes. So you can choose among different choices to get the look you want. Do you want Scenes with just text, or do you want a title with the text?
Think of Section Types as different parts of a your outfit such as a shirt/blouse, pants/dress, shoes/hats. Think of Section Layouts as the types of pants you could have including jeans, dress pants, short skirt, or a full length one. The Section layout gives different ways to present Acts, Chapters, Scenes, or other elements like the Front and Back Matter sections in your Compile output.
Each Section Type must have a single assigned Section Layout. However, multiple Section types could be assigned the same Section Layout such as the As-Is Section Layout.
**** Check to make sure Section Types have been applied consistently.
If all chapters are not the same Section Type, then this can lead to an inconsistent Compile output.
There are two methods to check this. Using Outliner columns or Project Settings. Both were discussed in Part one of this series. I will review the second method again to make sure it is clear on how you should use it.
An example is shown below showing Acts, Chapters, and Scenes. To see your whole novel to check for the proper structure, you will have to open the Project Settings Panel and examine the Binder in small chunks. In this view, you cannot scroll the Binder to evaluate the different sections. You must exit this view shift your position in the Binder and check again.
Now that you know your novel is properly structured, you can assign Section Layouts confidently knowing the layouts will be applied consistently when you compile. (The Front and Back Matter folders were not shown in this example. It may be easier to check the Inspector’s Metadata Panel when you only need to check a few documents. Below you see the Compile Status and the current Section Type of the document in the Inspector Metadata pane. Clicking the dropdown caret allows you to change Section Types right here.)
In the example below, each Section Type has been assigned a Section Layout (which is the format which determines the appearance of the Section Type). The appearance of a Specific Section Layout is adjusted in the Compile Format designer.)
For a fiction book, these sections are pretty standard. They include things like Chapter Headings, Scenes, Front Matter, Part Headings (Acts), Table of Contents, etc.
The nice things about Scrivener’s Section Layouts is that if you change the style for one element (Section type), it will change it for all matching Section Types. That means that all your Chapter Headings, for example, will look uniform AS LONG AS every Chapter has the same Section Type.
Make sure that each Section type has an assigned Section Layout. Simply scan through what they have and select what looks good. Then hit OK. Each Section Type will have several different Section Layout styles to choose from. Click Ok when you have decided. Hitting ok will show the three pane view of the Compile Panel. In the second pane (below), you will see a preview of how the arrangement you have chosen will look when you compile with each Section Type labeled.
If you are not happy the preview appearance, click the Assign Section Layouts button again and choose a different arrangement. If you add placeholders other than for Chapter and Act numbers, the placeholder will appear in the section layout in the position where the object will be placed. If a placeholder runs into a title, hitting the return key will change the position of the placeholder and will usually fix this issue. Remember to hit save in the Compile Format Designer when you make changes.
Pro Tip: You can duplicate a Section Layout in the Compile Format Designer. Doing so will retain all the settings of the original without a name. As you experiment to get the look you want you could duplicate existing Section Layouts and create new versions. Example, such as Section Layout Chapter Heading version 1, 2, 3, etc. This way it becomes easy to go back to an earlier version of the Chapter Headings Section Layout and experiment with a different look WITHOUT having to remember how to reverse the changes you made.
7. Review Front and Back Matter
Write your Front Matter (ex. Dedications, Copyright and Title Page) and Back Matter (ex. About the Author, Future Projects, Glossary if needed), and a cover photo which should be the first image in the Front Matter Folder.
Front and Back Matter
1. Click the Checkboxes to add Front and Back Matter.
2. Click the caret and you will see everything to be compiled included for the Front Matter at the top of the listed files, and the Back Matter at the bottom.
3. Click the Lock Icon to lock the settings to prevent any changes, if you are satisfied. Pro Tip: You could keep a series of books in one Scrivener project and have custom Front and Back Matter folders for each one, depending on your needs.
4. When you are satisfied, click and hold the Alt key and the Compile button in the lower right will change to Save. Clicking this will save any changes you made to the current Custom Compile Format.
This is why it’s important to have this setup earlier while you’re constructing your novel. If you’ve done this properly, all you need to do is select the appropriate folder. You can also have different Front and Back Matter folders based on what Format you are compiling to. For example, with Ebooks you have the option of including a cover image.
8. Back up and save your project in at least two different save locations BEFORE COMPILING or adjusting your Compile Format Designer.
Again, Compiling does not alter your actual Project, but it is best to always back up your project in at least two different locations before making significant changes, or doing anything you are not familiar with.
9. Look at the Settings icon in the third Compile panel.
Here you will decide what to include or not include when you Compile. Choices to exclude or include are Footnotes, Comments, Annotations, Highlighting, text color, hyperlinks, etc. Options on what to include or not vary by what your final Compile output format is. When you are satisfied, hold the Alt key and the Compile button in the lower right footer of the Compile Panel changes to a Save button to save the changes you made to your custom Compile Format.
You can also change options on how things are exported or converted as well.
10. Final Checklist before Compiling
1st-Make sure that all the documents you want to appear in the compiled project are actually checked. Carefully look at the checkboxes in the Outliner, Editor, Inspector, or in the third panel of the Compile interface.
2nd-Only have one manuscript in your draft folder. If you have multiple manuscripts, it can be confusing as to which gets compiled in which book. If you have a series of books, make sure you clearly identify your current Compile target. Make sure you have chosen the right Front and Back Matter folders for the book you are Compiling. If you have different Front and Back Matter folders per output, then make sure these special output folders are clearly labeled. All Chapters and Scenes in the Draft/Manuscript folder are usually included in the compile process but do not have to be.
3rd-Move old folders from the revision process into research. You can put them in individual folders based on the stage of the revision. (This will avoid confusion during the compile process.)
4th-Make sure all filters in the third compile panel are off. It is rare for someone to use filters when compiling the full project.
5th-Is the Compile target in the third panel correct? By default, your target should be your Draft/Manuscript (#1 below) (or a custom name you assigned to this folder). If your target to compile is correct make sure everything you want included is checked to compile and you have not missed anything that you want to include in your novel. (see below)
The Filter (#2) should generally be off.
The current selection (#3) is generally not the option used to Compile your project.
Collections (#4) will not normally contain your whole project
Pro Tip: Consider a special collection to test the Compile process. A small collection including an Act, Chapter(s) (at least two to check numbering protocols), several Scenes, and Front and Back Matter allow rapid compiling of this small group of files so you can change Compile settings to get the visual result you want. In this preliminary stage there is no need to compile the whole book multiple times.
6th-Make sure the Section Types have been assigned appropriately. Side note: make sure that the section types you have created in your novel match the ones in your layout for this particular project that you are compiling.
7th-Look at your separators and make sure the settings don’t inadvertently use a page break where you intend to use a single line of return. (A Page Break triggers entries into your Table of Contents.)
8th-Make sure you are using the correct placeholders when you set up your Section Layouts. A single misplaced letter can throw off your entire layout.
9th-Under Settings in the third Compile Panel you can choose to remove text colors and highlight colors when you Compile the project. You can also remove hyperlinks. (This is important because Amazon will want you to include hyperlinks to their site, which will not be welcome on other platforms. (In the Right Compile windowpane is the Setting’s wheel icon where you will see the ability to exclude/remove the various Scrivener tools you used to mark your document while creating it.)
10th-Review the Page Setup-File > Page Setup. See the Page Setup page if you are printing the Compile project.
11th Backup your project in a safe place before you Compile AND before you start this process.
12th Backup any custom Compile Formats you have created for this Compile project for safe keeping. Saving all of these in one folder in a single folder to hold all your Scrivener customizations makes it easy to find them.
Remember: You can click the + sign in the upper right to duplicate a Section Layout. A duplicated Section Layout will retain all the settings of the layout it is based on. If you are experimenting, then making several versions of a Section Layout while working out the kinks allows you go back to a previous version of the Section Layout if a change does not produce the desired result and you do not know how to reverse the changes you made.
11. Compile and Check Output
Lastly, it’s time to compile and check your file. From the compile settings, simply hit compile, and Scrivener will produce a file for you.
Ebooks can be checked through an Ebook reader software program like Calibre or Kindle which now only will read epub files. Amazon now ONLY accepts ePub3 files for their ebooks. You can use the free Amazon Kindle Previewer to upload and convert ePub3 files to a format that any Kindle software can read and allows you to preview how the ebook will look.
Calibre download site
Kindle Previewer download site
Now you will be able to use the kindle reader to see how your ebook looks.
Print books can be checked with any PDF reader.
Because Scrivener is such a complicated program, you will likely find elements of your book that you will want to change. Perhaps you don’t like the font, or you need to adjust the margins, or your table of contents is not showing up the way you expected.
There will undoubtedly be some tweaking that will need to be done. But the good news is that almost all of this can be done from Scrivener’s compile settings. Simply go to File > Compile, find your specific book format, and play around with it until you have what you need.
Pro Tip: Use a small Compile collection which contains an example of every type of file in your future Compile project to work out the kinks in getting the look you want. Remember after you assign the Section Layouts to the Section Types, then the second panel of the Compile panel gives you a preview of what your Compiled Project will look like.
You’ll have your book in the hands of readers in no time!
12. Possible reasons why you may not be Compiling the full Draft folder and Front and Back Matter:
Documents may look to be inside the Draft folder, but in fact are located at the same root-level as the Draft Folder in the Binder. Scrivener will not include these documents in the compilation.
You removed documents from the Draft Folder since a previous Compile attempt.
You unchecked individual documents in the right-hand side column of the Compile Overview window.
You unchecked documents in batch in the Outliner View Mode with the "Include in Compile" column visible.
You clicked the down caret in the Compile window in the third pane and selected either Current Selection, a Collection, or a Project Search rather than the Draft Manuscript. (see above image)
You accidentally applied the filter to the manuscript before Compiling resulting in documents being left out. (This last possibility is a frequent cause of incomplete compilations.)
13. Consider Exporting the Compile Format for safe keeping.
Pro Tip- Consider Exporting your Compile Format if you tweak the Compile settings, then save the Compile format as a new version. You could give each version a letter or number such as My Compile v1, v2 etc. In this way you can go back and not have to remember what you did to achieve a previous result.
Right click on the Compile Format and click the edit button. You will open the Compile Format Designer and can rename it as a version of a previous Compile Format. The default naming convention when you duplicate a current Compile Format Scrivener by names it the original format name and adds the work copy. You can click on this temporary name and edit it any way you want.
Now Right click on this again after the Compile Format Designer is closed and click Export and save to a Folder for future use.
Steps before compiling Part one
1. Clean up your text
Use the Menu command Edit > Text Tidying for several essential aids.
1. Replace Multiple Spaces with Single Spaces is one that can be a cause for spirited discussion among writers. Accidental double spaces definitely need removing and this feature can do that, however some writers subscribe to the double space after end punctuation philosophy. It is a hangover from typewriter and mono-spacing days and while modern computer fonts may make it superfluous, some find reading easier with double spaces after punctuation.
2. Remove Empty Lines Between paragraphs strips out any additional blank lines between paragraphs to make spacing uniform.
3. Strip Leading Tabs removes manual tabs entered so that formatting is uniform.
2. Decide your output format and practice.
It is important to decide how you want to export your project and practice as you are writing to get the look you desire by the time you have finished your novel or project.
First, start with a preset default format. Try different options and, if not satisfactory, then chose the one closest to what you want, and then tweak to modify a copy of this to obtain the look you want.
Use a smaller version of the project to practice on. For example, with a novel in Ebook format-You will need a cover image, front and back matter (often are formatted As-Is to preserve the special needs for those sections), and pages representing (Acts/Parts-if use) Chapter Headings (do you want them numbered in order or titled?) and Scenes (where you will set the base text and font settings for your novel). This will allow you to see a abbreviated version of your output which contains all the functional elements of your project. This version can be compiled quickly so you can easily make multiple adjustments to get the look you want.
I will discuss the Layout panel of the Compiler later. Here is where you choose how each type of book part (Section Type) will appear. This Layout Section of the Compile Panel will show you a rough preview of your output after you assign Section Layouts to each Section Type in your Project you are using.
2 A. Check your metadata settings in the third panel of Compile for completeness and errors.
Metadata is a crucially important step, because the slightest typo can easily mean that your book’s name is spelled wrong across every page of your print book, for example. This starts with the default Title being your project name. However, this can be changed to any title you want to Compile with, without affecting the Project Title.
Note: the metadata is not the same as the Title Page of your book, which you should have setup in the initial manuscript. Instead, the metadata here is what Scrivener uses to fill in the information displayed in the headers or footers of your book.
2 B. Make Sure you are including what you want in your novel and it has the correct Compile Status and Section Type.
1. In the lower right footer, the small file icon will have a check mark if included in the compiling process, or you can check this in Inspector metadata settings.
2. A quicker/more efficient way to check on the Compile status of documents is to view your whole manuscript in the Outliner View and add the column Include in Compile. (see below) This Column has a check in the checkbox if it is included to be compiled. In this view, click inside the outliner view and collapse all files by using the collapse icon in the toolbar (if added), Menu command View > Outline > Collapse All, or keyboard shortcuts. Now expand all the files to fully open the Outliner View with the toolbar icon (if added), Menu command, or keyboard shortcut. Now you can review the Include in Compile column and look for any unchecked items. If a document is unchecked, is that what you want or an error? This becomes a quick way to make sure all of your novel documents you intend to Compile will be compiled.
3. While in this view, also add the column for Section Type. This way you can view this information next to the Include in Compile status and make sure all items in the Manuscript have the correct Section type (see below) and will be compiled. This becomes a quick way to ensure the Section Types in your project are assigned to the correct files/folders. Ie Acts have the same heading (ex Part Heading/Acts), Chapters all have the same heading (ex. Chapter heading), Scenes all have the same setting (Scene), Front and Back Matter all have the same setting (Front Matter- or another unique Section Type name for these folders). Note: The last sections often use the (As Is) Section Layout type to preserve the formatting for these sections.
In the Picture below, it becomes easy to rearrange Outliner columns to make sure these two columns are visible and adjacent to each other. This arrangement allows you to quickly check the Compile Status and Section Type of every file/folder in the novel to ensure a consistent approach.
Clicking the Section Type column allows you to change the order of documents from Binder order to Section Type order. In this view it is easy to see if you have assigned the correct Section Types and if all documents in the Draft (Manuscript) are set to be compiled.
If you need to change the compile status, you can click/select multiple Binder items at once and change their Compile status by clicking on the Compile icon in the Editor Footer and changing as a group from not compile to compilewhile in the Editor view.
will NOT be compiled
Check means document will be compiled
The organization of your Binder outline is of crucial importance when compiling your book. A strictly regular structure is best, but Scrivener can deal with exceptions to the rule as well.
These Units of structure can be renamed (Even Default Section Structure names) to make sense to you.
Parts (Acts) -
Used only if your writing contains separate parts (Acts).
Chapters -
A normal folder with a collection of text documents.
Scenes or Sections -
A series of text documents in a folder. If multiple scenes are contained in a chapter, then you will need a separator, be it an empty space, #, ***, or some small image divider that occurs as a transition between files in one folder. You can also give individual Scenes a title to use as the separator between multiple scenes in one chapter.
Note: Only text documents that are outside the Draft or Manuscript folders can be used for front matter or back matter and they are not compiled UNLESS you click the box at bottom of compile in the third pane on the right and choose specific folders to include when you Compile.
2.C Make sure your Section Types are right. (Another Method)
Scrivener allows you to see the default Section Types in your Binder using the Project Settings Panel.
1. Use the Menu command Project > Project Settings > Section Types > Default Types by Structure. First click the Root Folder (or Manuscript in this case). Clicking the Root Folder will highlight the Manuscript folder.
2. Now clicking on a Level Folder or File group will highlight any document on that particular level in the Binder that is visible. (You cannot scroll the Binder once you do this in the Project Settings panel.) To view the entire Manuscript you will create the view below, then check for the correct Section Types, exit, scroll the Binder further down and repeat this process until the entire Manuscript has been viewed and the Front and Back Matter folders have been checked.
3. You may need based on the Novel (Project) structure to click the plus button in the footer to add more levels to see various items in your Novel. (see below)
All my Level 1 folders are Acts. You want every Act (or Part) to be on the same level and also be the same Section Type.
All my Level 2 folders are Chapter(s) and I will view different sections of the Manuscript in the Binder to make sure every Chapter is on the same level.
All my Scenes are at Level 3 or deeper and are files.
Pro Tip- Consider using the built in Windows Snipping tool to capture images of the whole Binder Manuscript. First setup a Search collection based on Section Types and use the Scene Section Type. Now use the Windows Snip Tool (Use the Keyboard Shortcut Windows Key + Shift + S, followed by the Keyboard shortcut for the Clipboard Viewer Windows Key + V. If you open a blank document and then click on the captured image in the Clipboard viewer it will appear in the blank document where your cursor is. You can capture your scene list in a few images within a single document. Open this as Quick Reference Panel to compare as you the Scene Section Types in the Project Settings panel to ensure all your scenes have the correct Section Types as shown in Project Settings. (see above and below)
2.D Understand your Placeholders
Scrivener has an extensive list of Placeholder that can assist with auto-numbering Parts/Acts and Chapters for example. These can also provide word counts and so much more. Review these in Scrivener. These can also be used to insert images into your project and the Compile output as well.
3. Backup your project
Save a copy on an external drive, online storage, or USB key prior to starting in the rare case where this is a problem before playing with the Compile process, changing compile status values, or Section types, especially when you first begin. This strategy should be in place during the whole writing process to prevent losing your work. There are several articles on Project Backup on this Site.
4. Understand your Table of Contents (TOC)
The Table of Contents (Toc) points ONLY to documents with a page or section break.
Documents outside the Manuscript folder are essentially invisible to the compile command and are not included in your compile output unless you make certain choices such as:
Using an <$include> placeholder.
Use the Current Selection choice to Compile the items currently highlighted in the Binder.
Compiling a specific collection. Collections can include files from anywhere in your project depending on your search criteria, or files you added to a static collection.
Note: The Front Matter and Back Matter sections are added to the Compile process separately and are outside the Manuscript.
5. Recheck.
Again, check your Manuscript Structure, Compile Status, and Section Types. Now when you choose a Compile Format you will assign Section Layouts to your Section Types and edit a Custom Compile Format if any additional formatting of Section Layouts is needed. You can only use a Default Scrivener Compile Output if you do not need to edit the Compile Format.
Ask yourself these questions. Have you?
A.) Correctly structured your Project: Make sure the organization in your Binder has a sensible hierarchy—it can be simple, rather complex, or anywhere in the middle.
B.) Correctly applied Section Types: As needed, override Scrivener’s defaults to better match the structure of your project.
C.) Correctly assigned Section Layouts: As needed, override Scrivener’s defaults to determine how Chapter titles display, how the body text appears in your Scenes and whether to include a Scene title, and Front and Back matter often saved As Is.
D.) Do you need to edit the default Section Layouts formatting? If you don’t like the section layout choices available, you can create your own.
After you assign and format Section Layouts, click the Save button to save your changes to the current layout assignment or formatting within the current Compile Format Designer. This will save these changes for future use. When you reopen a Compile Panel the assigned Section Layouts will appear in the order they will appear in the book and give you a preview of what the final Compiled product will look like. (Front Matter, Acts, Chapters, Scenes, Back Matter). Placeholder tags will appear, but not any added images or separators.
E.) Choose a Compile Format, either from a Scrivener premade Format, a Standard Default format or a Custom one you have created or imported.
Available Compile Formats Include:
Default
Meant as a very simple format, its layouts will pass through editor formatting and “glue together” the pieces in your draft folder with little alteration or complexity.
— Folders will still generate page breaks by default, and it comes with a few layout choices for adding additional headings as need be.
— The current page number will be added to the center of the page footer. No other headers or footers will be applied.
— This is a good starting point for your own formats, or as a basic way to export projects that do not require any special compilation options.
— It’s also a good option if you’d rather defer formatting for work in another word processor or desktop publishing program.
The following Compile Formats are for Word processing and Web Outputs
These formats pertain to the print, PDF, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT and HTML types.
Enumerated Outline (titles only)
— If you need a basic outline of topics (taken from the binder titles) alone in an indented list, this format is a good starting point.
— Unlike most formats, it will not export any text, only the titles of documents.
— The four section layouts that come with this format provide different spacing and numbering schemes for your outline.
— The placeholders used to generate numbering are set in the “Title Options” tab.
— The amount of indent applied per level can be adjusted with the Add indent per outline level setting, in the Transformations format option pane. (You must assign a Section Layout to create some formatting for EACH Section Type in your Project.)
(Windows Tip: In outline formats you may want to make sure separators you choose for this format are single line and NOT page breaks between folders or files.)
You can use any mix of styles for different types of documents in your project. To create your own numbering schemes, duplicate the format and use one of the existing Section Layouts as a starting point.
Full Indented Outline (Can include BOTH Titles and a Synopsis)
— This format presents an indented, easy to read outline that includes titles and synopses for all binder levels.
— The provided layouts provide a choice between alphanumeric numbering, hierarchical or no numbering at all.
Refer to “Enumerated Outline” in the previous section for tips on adjusting the indent and numbering styles. (As with the above format, you must choose a Section Layout for EACH section type and decide which ones will include a synopsis with the title. Every Section Layout has a number of checkboxes to decide what is added to the layout. One of those checkboxes is for the Synopsis. Notice you also have chosen a numbering scheme as well.) If you do not see an included synopsis with some titles, again check the Section Layouts you have assigned with this output.
(In outline formats you may want to make sure the separator options you choose for this format are single line and NOT page breaks between folders or files.)
Manuscript (Courier)
— Formats your book using standard Courier 12 pt type and a number of common conventions such as scene separators as hash marks, double-spacing, underlined emphasis (instead of italic), page numbers, standard page headers and so forth.
— It has a broad set of section layouts capable of handling a book with parts, chapters, scenes and titled sections.
— It is thus equipped to work with all of our built-in book generating project templates, fiction and non-fiction alike.
Common Alterations include empty lines instead of a hash mark. By default, the stock compile formats considers empty lines that you create in the editor signify minor breaks in the text, such as scene transitions or changes in topic. Some formats, such as submission manuscripts, require a more clear signal of such a break than a mere empty line, and commonly use a single hash mark (#) to do so.
Manuscript (Times)
— Functionally very similar to the Courier manuscript format, only using Times New Roman, another commonly required typeface for submission manuscript.
— Italics will be rendered as italic text rather than underscored.
Scene separators remain hash marks, double-spacing, page headers and so forth. It provides the same array of layouts as the Courier format.
Modern
— Provides a fresh look, this layout is designed for printing your own copies or generating PDFs for proofing.
It includes a full complement of layout designs, working with all of our book generating project templates.
Outline Document
— This layout is designed for printing full outline information (title and synopsis), but in a standard document layout rather than an indented outline format.
— The page footer contains the title of the work, author’s name, date and page number, separated from the page with a dividing line.
— It also has several layouts to choose from that only export the title. (This could be useful for some projects where larger categorical groupings like parts and chapters may not have any specific synopses of note and just need to insert a sectional break.)
(As with the above formats (Full Indented and Enumerated Outlines) you must choose a Section Layout for EACH section type and decide which ones you want to have a synopsis to be included with the title by clicking the Synopsis checkbox. You can choose Section Layouts with a numbering scheme for this option as well.) If you do not see an included synopsis with some titles, again check the Section Layouts you have assigned with this output.
(In ANY of the outline formats you may want to ensure the separators you choose for this format are single line and NOT page breaks between folders or files.)
Paperback (6′′ x 9′′)
— Functionally similar to the previous, this Format is optimized to work with standard paperback sizes in the U.S.
Paperback (5.06′′ x 7.81′′)
— A format designed to produce a typographically pleasing layout that could be taken into a word processor or desktop publishing program for self-publication with little effort.
As with the other book generating formats, it is designed to provide a full spread of layouts to accommodate many different book styles and structural setups.
(By using logical “Heading 1”, “Heading 2” and so forth styles your document will have an outline which some software may use for navigation aids, as well as facilitating the construction of a dynamic table of contents.)
Proof Copy
— A useful preset for internal proofing. It will reformat your script to double spacing so you can easily take notes and prints a disclaimer after each section heading as well as in the header. Thus making it easy to send out “Not for distribution” copies to your proofing team.
Script or Screenplay
— This format is also available to the Scriptwriting formats and will not be discussed here. (Please refer to the Manual for further information.)
Vellum Export (Mac OS only)
Available only to the DOCX file type, this Format is designed to convey your work to the Vellum book creation tool.
Ebook Publishing (ePub 2 Ebook, ePub 3 Ebook, and Kindle Ebook .mobi)
Since most Ebook readers will handle the majority of the typesetting, choosing a format will be more about getting the basic building blocks together, rather than exerting total control over the appearance.
Ebook
A suitable format for Ebook design.
Electronic books generally require basic and flexible designs in order to be displayed on many devices, from cellular phones to tablet computers to dedicated black & white e-ink displays. This is a good starting point for your own formats when creating Ebook formats. If you have a lot of experience in Ebook design, you may find starting from a simpler default to be easier, as this format is built to be used with very little customization, and thus assumes a lot.
Currently you should use ePub 3 to output your books. This is the format required by Amazon. Kindle books do NOT natively read ePub3, but you can download and use the (free) Kindle Previewer 3 from Amazon to convert the ePub 3 file to a format that can be read on Kindle devices and software. If you publish on Amazon, then they will convert your submitted ePub 3 file for you.
Ebook Screenplay
When publishing a screenplay intended for display on an Ebook device or reader software, you’ll want to use this format, which has a stylesheet designed to print the various scripting elements in a format mimicking a screenplay.
Since the average reader won’t have a screen large enough to truly display a standard screenshots, some of these elements will be estimated, or designed to merely suggest what they would look like on a typical printed page.
Other Options depending on your Compile output include:
(Ebook) Outline Document
And specific Compile Formats for Scripts/Screenplays and Markdown/Pandoc documents.
As you Apply Section Types —-Think about the elements of the last book you read.
The cover was probably followed by various bits of front matter: copyright page, title page, introduction, and table of contents. After the front matter, the book probably had chapters. Back matter may include an afterword, notes, and an index. Each element has a specific formatting. The copyright page may have centered text in a small font size, and chapters may have title pages, or specially formatted chapter titles.
We will continue this in Part Two of the steps before compiling. This will be published in the next several weeks.
A Compiling Philosophy
The easiest way to think about compiling your project is that Scrivener give you multiple preset outputs for different ways to export your project. You can export it as a PDF, a simple text file, several different Microsoft Word formats, screenplays and various e-book formats. You can also use multi-markdown as well. These preset compile settings cannot be edited, however they can be duplicated. A duplicated copy of the default Compile Format settings can be edited and adjusted to fit your needs.
This series will review some of the same information in several different ways. By doing this, I hope this complex topic will become easier to understand. If one of my explanations does not make sense, then looking another way may help you understand.
The Compile command is probably the safest place in all of Scrivener to experiment with. It can’t and doesn’t change the underlying project, and you can’t change the Compile Formats that come with Scrivener only duplicate and then edit them.
My strong suggestion is to try one of the default templates for a sample output in any of the different formats you are thinking of outputting to. Look at the results to see if they already meet your needs. If the result is way off of what you want, then try a different one of the default templates. First check the Section Types and the Include in Compile status of all the documents in the Manuscript/Draft. The easiest way to do this is in the Outliner view and check the Include in Compile and Section Type columns. It should like the image below.
Now check the third panel to make sure you have chosen the Manuscript to Compile and NOT something else.
#1. This is what you are compiling. Normally you are choosing the Draft/Manuscript folder for your novel. (A). However, you can choose the Current Selection (B) which will be the currently highlighted files in the Binder. Or you could choose (C) which is a Collection. This can be useful if you set up a test Compile collection. (see below)
#2. This is the Filter Icon and using this will further refine what documents are included to be compiled. There are various settings here which will be discussed later in this series.
Don’t leave setting up the compiler to the last minute, close to a deadline. Use Collections to create a mini version of your book elements to test the Compile Formats ahead of your deadline to work out the kinks. Include one or two chapters, your Front and Back Matter, any cover art, and an Acts (or Parts) page if have one. Having a small slice of the future book to practice on allows you to fine tune the appearance of the Compile output quickly and make adjustments as you go.
For example, for e-book formatting you should include a cover image, front matter, back matter and at least an Act, 1-2 Chapters, and several scenes with text. This will give you all the main elements you would find with an e-book. Trying a sample Compile will allow you to customize how your book outputs. The key point to remember with e-books is that each reader will view your file differently and may use different fonts as well so don’t worry so much about the perfect font. With e-books, the other element’s appearance, such as Chapters with Scenes with or without titles, is more important.
For more choices and freedom about how you format your output other programs are available as well. Basic formatting for sharing projects for editing and beta reading are all well within Scrivener's capabilities. The basic settings for e-book should function reasonably well also.
These compile formats can be saved for just one project or be used systemwide. Project Formats are specific to one project. My Formats are systemwide. Whenever you are finished saving a format, you have the option to save it either as a Project Format or as a My Format.
You should export these custom Compile Formats and save them in a folder on your computer. Over time, Compile Formats can degenerate and begin to have errors. Keeping a pristine copy to use again and again will be helpful.
Pro Tip- As you are experimenting with a Compile Format, consider naming the versions, in case you decide you actually like an earlier version. By having the versions numbered or lettered, you can go back and select a version that you want rather than remembering what steps/settings you used to create it. When you are done, you can delete the version copies.
Essentially all settings not related to a specific Output type (word, pdf, ebook), are hidden when you switch file types. Any settings that would conflict or are not available for your current output type will not be shown in the Compile Format Designer, which is for editing aspects of the current format you are using. So, for example, the CSS pane will vanish when you switch to a PDF output format, but available if you switch formats. But if you change the font size for your Chapter Heading layout in one output, this will then change settings across various outputs. Settings which are universal across all Compile outputs will change if modified for a specific format. In most cases that is considered desirable. You wouldn’t want to have to redo everything if you switched from RTF to ODT for example.
When you are creating a project in Scrivener, you are creating CONTENT. You can give it (while writing) attributes that make it easier to create, such as comfortable fonts for you, spacing, notes, tags, etc. Those are for YOU (only) while you CREATE.
But sharing with others is a whole separate thing, and Scrivener knows it. That's why Compiling tends to be rather complicated. Here are some examples of different targets for compiling:
A submission to an editor or publisher using their required formatting rules
Putting the manuscript into the format required for Kindle Direct Publishing
Submitting just a section of your work to a critique group
Submitting the required first chapter to a writing contest using the required formatting