Build configurations

You write the book once. Each way of building it, as a manuscript for an agent, a reading copy for friends, or an ebook for the stores, is a build configuration.

A configuration says what to build and how:

• Its formats: PDF, Word, EPUB, or a print-ready interior.
• Which scenes go in, by status: a submission might take only revised and final scenes, a reading copy every draft. Stashed scenes are never built.
• How it looks: standard manuscript format, a theme for an ebook or a printed book, the trim size, chapter headings and more.

A new book comes with four: a submission manuscript, a reading copy with drafts, an ebook and a paperback. Choose one in the Publishing sidebar and click Build; the page lists what was written, with Open and Show in Finder beside each file, and any problems the build found.

Making and changing configurations

Edit… under a configuration’s name shows all its settings on one page:

• Its name, which scenes go in by status, and whether an ebook or a printed book has its front and back matter.
• What it makes: one or more outputs, each a format and the file it’s written to. A printed book adds its theme, binding, trim size, paper, type, contents page and where chapters start; an ebook, its theme.
• The edition it makes, and the edition’s own ISBN.
• How a manuscript looks: font and size, line spacing, paper, margins, running header, chapter headings, scene breaks and the end marker. Leave a setting empty and standard manuscript format applies, shown in grey.

+ New Configuration at the foot of the Publishing sidebar starts a blank one (a PDF manuscript in standard format), or a copy of any configuration you have: a large-print copy of the paperback is a couple of changes away. A copy writes to files of its own, so its builds never overwrite the original’s. Right-click a configuration to edit, duplicate or delete it, or to make it the default the preview shows first.

Changes are saved with the book, like any other. Configurations live in the book’s project file, book.xml, a few readable lines each, so you can also change them in any text editor.