Plotiar documentation/Docs

Import & Export

Bring your existing manuscripts in and export in publication-ready formats

Plotiar makes it easy to bring your existing manuscripts into your workspace and export finished work in publication-ready formats. Whether you are migrating from another tool, importing research material, or preparing a final manuscript for submission, the import and export system handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on writing.

Import Formats

You can import files in six formats, each handled differently to preserve as much of your original content as possible.

TXT (Plain Text)

Import plain text files with automatic paragraph detection. Plotiar recognizes blank lines as paragraph breaks, so your text arrives neatly structured even without any formatting metadata. This is the most universal format and works well for manuscripts exported from any writing tool.

MD (Markdown)

Import Markdown files with headings, lists, emphasis, and links converted into native editor blocks. Useful for content authored in Obsidian, Bear, VS Code, or any Markdown-based workflow.

DOCX (Word)

Import Microsoft Word documents with formatting preserved. Bold, italic, underline, headings, lists, and basic table structures carry over into the Plotiar editor. Embedded images are extracted and placed inline. This is ideal for manuscripts written in Word or Google Docs (exported as DOCX).

PDF

Import PDF files using text extraction. Plotiar reads the text layer from your PDF and converts it into editable document content. Formatting is approximated based on the extracted structure. This works best with text-based PDFs -- scanned documents or image-heavy PDFs may not extract cleanly.

EPUB (Ebook)

Import EPUB ebook files directly into Plotiar. Chapter structure, headings, and text formatting are preserved during import. This is useful when you want to edit or revise a previously published ebook, or when you are working from an EPUB reference copy of your own work.

Scrivener (.scriv / .zip)

Import Scrivener projects directly. Plotiar reads the .scriv package (or a zipped Scrivener export) and recreates the binder structure as folders and documents inside your project. Useful for migrating from Scrivener without re-typing or copy-pasting.
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If your original file uses unusual formatting or custom styles, review the imported document after import to make sure everything looks right. Minor adjustments to heading levels or list formatting may be needed.

Split Import

Split import lets you break a single file into multiple documents during the import process. This is especially useful when you have a full manuscript in one file and want to organize it into separate chapters, scenes, or sections inside your Plotiar project.

  1. 1

    Choose your file

    Start the import process and select the file you want to split. Split import works with all supported formats (TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, EPUB, Scrivener).

  2. 2

    Select a split method

    Choose how to divide the file. Six split modes are available: by headings, by chapter keywords (Chapter, Part, Section, Book, Act, Volume, Prologue, Epilogue, Introduction, Conclusion, Appendix), by page breaks, by blank lines, by separator/rule lines, or by custom patterns. EPUB files can also use their own pre-segmented section structure.

  3. 3

    Configure custom patterns (optional)

    If you choose custom patterns, define a rule using "starts with" or "contains" matching. For example, split on any line that starts with "Chapter" to create a document for each chapter.

  4. 4

    Set naming and destination

    Choose how the resulting documents are named -- automatically from headings, numbered sequentially, or with a custom prefix. Select the destination folder within your project, or create a new project to hold the imported content.

  5. 5

    Review and import

    Preview the split results to make sure the divisions look correct, then confirm the import. Each section becomes its own document in the content tree.

  • •Split by headings auto-picks the shallowest heading level present in the file (typically H1) and splits at that level
  • •Split by chapters matches common chapter keywords like Chapter, Part, Section, Book, Act, Volume, Prologue, Epilogue, Introduction, Conclusion, Appendix
  • •Split by page breaks uses explicit page break markers in the source file
  • •Split by blank lines treats runs of empty lines as section separators
  • •Split by separator lines splits on horizontal rules (e.g., --- or ***)
  • •Custom patterns support "starts with" and "contains" matching against each line of text
  • •You can name documents automatically from their first heading, or apply a numbered naming scheme like "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2", etc.
  • •Choose any existing folder as the destination, or create a new project during the import flow
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Split import is the fastest way to move a novel from a single Word document into a chapter-per-document structure. Try splitting by "Heading 1" for books with chapter headings.

Import Limits

Plotiar supports batch imports so you can bring in multiple files at once. Here are the limits to keep in mind.

  • •You can import up to 100 documents in a single batch
  • •Each file is capped at 5 MB of document content; anything beyond that is silently truncated
  • •The total import batch is capped at 50 MB; imports larger than 50 MB are rejected
  • •All supported formats (TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, EPUB, Scrivener) can be mixed in the same batch
  • •Large batch imports may take a moment to process -- a progress indicator shows the status of each file

If you need to import more than 100 files, run the import process multiple times. There is no limit on how many total documents a project can contain.

Export Formats

Export your work in four formats depending on your needs. TXT and DOCX export are available on the Free plan. PDF and EPUB export require Plus.

FormatBest ForPlan
TXTPlain text backups, simple sharing, universal compatibilityFree
DOCXSubmitting to editors, agents, or publishers who expect Word formatFree
PDFPrint-ready manuscripts, formatted documents for reviewPlus
EPUBEbook distribution, self-publishing platforms, digital readersPlus

All exports preserve the formatting you have applied in the editor -- headings, bold, italic, lists, tables, and images are included in the exported file. DOCX and PDF exports maintain your page layout and pagination. EPUB exports generate a properly structured ebook file with a table of contents.

Export Options

Plotiar offers flexible export options so you can export exactly what you need, from a single document to an entire project.

Single Document Export

Export the document you are currently viewing. Open the export dialog from the document menu or the toolbar, choose your format, and download the file. This is the quickest way to get a single chapter or piece of content out of Plotiar.

Multi-Document Export

Select multiple documents from your project and export them together. You can choose the order in which documents appear in the exported file by reordering them in the export dialog. All selected documents are bundled into a single output file -- one DOCX, one PDF, or one EPUB.

Entire Project Export

Export every document in a project at once. Plotiar uses the content tree order to determine the sequence of documents in the output. Folders become logical sections in the exported file. This is the best option when you want a complete manuscript ready for submission or printing.
  1. 1

    Open the export dialog

    From the project workspace, open the export dialog via the project menu.

  2. 2

    Choose what to export

    Select a single document, pick multiple documents, or choose the entire project. For multi-document export, drag items to reorder them.

  3. 3

    Select a format

    Choose from TXT, DOCX, PDF, or EPUB. Each format shows a brief description of what it produces.

  4. 4

    Download your file

    Click "Export" and your file downloads automatically. For large exports, a brief processing step generates the file before the download begins.

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Multi-document bundling is especially powerful for novels and anthologies. Select your chapters in order, export as a single DOCX or PDF, and you have a submission-ready manuscript without needing to copy-paste between files.

Smart Content Pages

Smart Content automatically generates professional front and back matter for your exported manuscripts. Instead of manually creating tables of contents or bibliographies, Plotiar generates them for you based on your document's content and metadata. See the dedicated Smart Content documentation for the full set of generators (TOC, bibliography, character index, glossary, back-of-book index) and the Pro AI variants.

Covers from Cover Studio

Design your cover in Cover Studio, available on every plan. Exports can use it automatically: as the EPUB cover image, and optionally as the first page of PDF and DOCX files.

Table of Contents

Automatically built from your document headings. Page numbers are calculated from the actual exported page layout, so the TOC is always accurate.

Bibliography

Generate a formatted bibliography section from your references. Useful for academic papers, research documents, and non-fiction manuscripts.
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Smart Content is a Plus plan feature. It works with all export formats (DOCX, PDF, EPUB) and is especially useful for multi-document exports where you want a polished, complete manuscript file.