Importing your novel from Word

You can import your manuscript from Word into The Novel Factory.

To do this, log in to your account. Then go to the Manuscript section and look for the ‘import’ icon in right-hand side of the toolbar.

This will bring up a pop-up with a number of settings. The following sections will guide you through how to configure these for your novel.

Using scene dividers

First you need to establish your scene divider.

The Novel Factory can automatically generate scenes to match those in your Word manuscript. However, for the software to be able to do this, it needs to know where your scene breaks are.

This is done using ‘scene dividers’ – bits of text which are inserted in your manuscript to indicate that there is a scene break.

The default scene divider is #Scene#.

To use this, open your manuscript in Word and type #Scene# anywhere you want a new scene to start.

IMPORTANT: Scene dividers are case sensitive. This means that if you’re using the default one, it must be #Scene# and not #scene#.

If you prefer to use a different divider, simply enter that into the Import Manuscript pop-up. However, you must ensure it is not text that appears elsewhere in your manuscript, otherwise it will be interpreted as a scene break.

Using chapter dividers

Chapter dividers work in exactly the same way as scene dividers – see above. You simply enter the text you would like to use in the pop-up and then make sure it is added to all the relevant places in your Word manuscript.

Linking characters, locations and items to scenes

The Novel Factory allows you to link things like characters, items and locations to scenes.

If you’re not sure how linking related items works, please read this first: Related Info Sidebar.

When you import a manuscript, The Novel Factory can scan the text and try to automatically set up these links. For example, if a character’s name appears in a scene, then The Novel Factory can link that character to that scene.

Please note that the link currently only works on mentions. This means that a character will be linked if their name is mentioned even if they are not present (or not linked when they ARE present if their name is not mentioned).

In addition, in order to be linked, the desired characters, locations and items must already be set up in your Novel Factory novel when you import your Word novel.

If you would like to link characters, locations or items to your imported scenes, tick the relevant boxes in the pop-up.

Selecting your document for import

Once you have gone through all the above settings, click ‘Select Document’ and choose the Word document you wish to import.

Once selected, its name will appear on the pop-up beneath the grey button. If you change your mind, you can use the same button (which will now say ‘Change Document’) to select a different document.

When you are ready, click ‘Proceed’.

Document approved

Hopefully, your document will be approved. If it is, you will see a message that says ‘your document has been successfully processed’, along with how many scenes and chapters have been detected. Double check this to see if it looks right.

If it does, click ‘Import Selected Items’ and your manuscript will be imported.

Import manuscript error

If you get an import manuscript error, please check the following issues:

• That the text in the manuscript has been correctly split up using scene dividers and that no one scene is excessively long. There is a maximum limit on the size of a scene, and the software will not import a document which exceeds this limit.
• Check that the scene dividers are entered correctly. Remember that they are case sensitive, so if a capital letter is used in your divider it must be used in all instances.
• Check that you are importing a Word document rather than any other type of document.

If you’re still having trouble then please contact us. The more information we have, the easier it will be for us to resolve the issue quickly, so please share as much as possible in your message, including:

• Details of your device and browser
• A screenshot of any error messages
• A copy of the document you are trying to import
• Any other information about the process that might be relevant