Manuscripts

Track author work-in-progress from initial idea to publication-ready.

What is a Manuscript?

A Manuscript represents a work-in-progress - a book that’s being written but not yet published. Use a manuscript to monitor writing progress and manage file versions. It also tracks when a work is ready for publication.

Manuscripts vs Titles

Manuscript Title
Work-in-progress Published work
Has a working title Has a final title
Tracks word count progress Has page counts
No ISBN needed Has ISBN(s)
Internal tracking Public product

When a manuscript is complete, you can create a corresponding Title for it.

Manuscript Status

Every manuscript moves through stages:

Status Meaning
Idea Concept stage, not yet started
Outline Planning the structure
Drafting Writing the first draft
Revising Author self-editing
Editing Professional editing stage
Ready for Publication Complete, ready to publish
Published Has been published
Abandoned Project discontinued

Manuscripts do not have to move through these stages in order. You might skip Outline, or go between Revising and Editing several times.

Turning Manuscripts on

Manuscripts is a free add-on. It starts switched off, so new workspaces have no Manuscripts item in the sidebar.

A workspace Administrator or Owner turns it on. Click your workspace name at the top of the page. Choose Add-Ons from the menu that opens. Find Manuscripts under Free Add-Ons and click Enable.

Creating a Manuscript

  1. Navigate to Manuscripts in the sidebar
  2. Click New Manuscript
  3. Fill in the basic information:
  4. Working Title - What you’re calling it now (can change later)
  5. Status - Where you are in the process
  6. Optionally set targets:
  7. Target Words - How long should it be?
  8. Target Date - When do you need it done?
  9. Add context:
  10. Synopsis - What’s this book about?
  11. Notes - Internal notes and reminders
  12. Click Create Manuscript — this saves the manuscript and opens its detail page

The Contributors and Versions sections are not on the create form. The Assets section is there, but it only says Save the manuscript first to upload assets. All three become editable on the manuscript’s edit page, once the manuscript is saved. Create the manuscript, then click Edit to reach them.

Tracking Progress

Word Count

Track writing progress:

  • Current Words - How many words written so far
  • Target Words - Goal for the finished manuscript

Update the current count as writing progresses. Pubblish works out the percentage for you. It appears next to Word Count on the manuscript’s detail page, and as a progress bar in the manuscripts list.

Example: - Target: 80,000 words - Current: 45,000 words - Progress: 56% complete

Target Date

Set the Target Date to the date you want the manuscript finished. Use it to plan your editorial schedule and publication date.

Managing Versions

As manuscripts develop, you can track multiple file versions.

Version Types

Type Purpose
Draft Working drafts (first draft, second draft)
Revision Author’s revised versions
Edited Post-editorial versions
Final Publication-ready version

Adding a Version

Versions are added from the manuscript’s edit page — the detail page’s Versions table is read-only.

  1. Open the manuscript and click Edit
  2. In the Versions section, click Add Version
  3. Select the version Type — choosing it creates the version and unlocks the other fields
  4. Pick the file in the File box — it lists the documents you are allowed to see, including the ones filed under this manuscript. Correspondence and other confidential documents are listed only for Administrators and the Owner
  5. Enter the word count in the Words box
  6. Describe what changed in the Notes box

Changes save automatically — there is no Save button. Version numbers are automatically incremented within each type (Draft v1, Draft v2, etc.).

Why Track Versions?

  • History - See how the book evolved
  • Comparison - Compare word counts across drafts
  • Audit trail - Know when each version was created

Filing Files Under a Manuscript

A manuscript holds its own files. Use this section for the drafts, proofs and editorial letters that arrive before the book has a Title record.

Four categories are offered:

Category What goes in it
Manuscript The draft files themselves
Edition Files (marked Proof) A read-through or a review copy
Marketing Materials The synopsis or pitch a submission needs
Correspondence Editorial letters and reader feedback

All four are document categories. Nothing stops you dropping an image on the manuscript’s drop zone, but Pubblish files it as cover or promotional artwork. Those categories are not on the list above, so the file then disappears from the manuscript. File a cover under the book’s Title instead.

Uploading a file

  1. Open the manuscript and click Edit
  2. Go to the Assets section at the bottom of the page
  3. Drag one or more files onto the drop zone, or click browse to pick them from your computer

Each file is filed for you. Pubblish reads the filename to pick the category. A file with “proof” in its name goes to Edition Files, marked with the Proof status. One with “letter” or “correspondence” in its name goes to Correspondence.

A file with no keyword in its name is filed on its extension. A .docx, .md or .txt goes to Manuscript. Any other document — a PDF or an EPUB, say — goes to Uncategorized. That is not one of the four categories above, so the file is missing from the list on the manuscript’s detail page. It is still in the Assets section of the edit page. Move it to Manuscript there, as below.

To move a file, find its card in the Assets section. Click Show details on that card. The File details panel opens on the right. Change the Category box under Filing.

Seeing what is filed

The manuscript’s detail page lists its files under category headings. That section is read-only, and it only appears once at least one file is filed. Use the Edit manuscript to manage assets link below it to add or change anything.

Correspondence is confidential. Only Administrators and the workspace Owner see it on the manuscript’s detail page, and only they can open those files. Editors see everything else filed here — Manuscript, Edition Files and Marketing Materials.

Crediting Contributors

You can credit as many people as you like on one manuscript. Co-authors, editors and translators each get their own role.

You add credits on the manuscript’s edit page. Open the manuscript, click Edit, and find the Contributors section.

Adding a credit

  1. Choose the person in the Contributor box
  2. The Role box defaults to Author — change it if the person is an editor or a translator
  3. Click Add a Contributor to start the next credit

The credit saves the moment you choose the person. This section has no Save button.

The Role box stays grayed out until you have chosen a contributor. Hover over the box and a tooltip reads “Select a contributor first”.

The Contributor box only lists people who are already contributors in your workspace. If someone is missing, add them under Contributors in the sidebar. Then return to the manuscript’s edit page.

Order, and which name comes first

Every saved credit has Move up and Move down arrows in its Order column. Use them to set the order the names read in.

Author credits always come first, in every list of names. The arrows set the order among the Author credits. They set a separate order among everyone else. The rows on the edit page stay in the order you arranged them.

The first Author credit is the primary name. Pubblish shows this name in any place that displays only one name, such as the Author column of the Manuscripts Pipeline report. If nobody holds the Author role, the first credit on the list is used instead.

Credited names appear in the Contributors column of the manuscripts list. They also appear in the Contributors field on the manuscript’s detail page. Each name there links to that person’s contributor page.

Removing a credit

Click the bin icon at the end of the credit’s row. Its tooltip reads Remove.

Removing a credit does not delete the contributor. It only takes them off this manuscript.

Linking to the Published Title

When the book is published, open the manuscript’s edit page. Choose the book in the Published Title field. The manuscript’s detail page then links through to the title.

Best Practices

Getting Started

Do: - Create a manuscript as soon as you have a concrete project - Set realistic word count targets - Credit the author as soon as you know who it is - Write a synopsis to help stay focused

Don’t: - Wait until the book is finished to track it - Set impossibly tight deadlines - Leave a manuscript with nobody credited

During Writing

Do: - Update word count regularly (weekly at minimum) - Move through statuses as work progresses - Add versions when you have significant milestones - Keep notes updated with key decisions

Don’t: - Let status get out of sync with reality - Upload every tiny change as a new version

Managing Multiple Manuscripts

Do: - Use status consistently across all manuscripts - Narrow the manuscripts list with the status dropdown to see one stage at a time - Review your manuscripts list on the Manuscripts page regularly

Don’t: - Leave manuscripts with an outdated status - Delete manuscripts (change status to Abandoned instead)