If your book has more complexity, we recommend reading the full guide below to ensure a smooth import process. If you are just looking for our quick guide, please refer to the Google Doc or MS Word import process here:
Import a Google Doc
Import a .docx Word file
Important note: Before you begin, we recommend turning on the document outline. It helps you confirm your chapters are set up correctly before you export.
Turning on Document Outline
To turn on the outline, click the three dots to the right of your Tab and choose Show Outline.
The outline appears on the left side of your document and lists everything formatted as a heading, so you can jump between chapters quickly. Any chapter title that is missing from the outline isn’t set to Heading 1.
You can also turn on Show non-printing characters
Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + P
Mac: Cmd + Shift + P
This shows paragraph breaks, page breaks, and other formatting marks, which makes the next steps easier.
It’s important to understand that your entire manuscript will import into the Body section of Atticus.
Getting Started Essentials
Every book is different, but a few simple steps help your chapters split correctly and prevent formatting hiccups.
Front Matter
Atticus automatically creates a Title Page, Copyright Page, and Contents page, so remove these from your Google Doc before exporting.
If you have a dedication, introduction, or other front matter content, leave it in your document. After importing, drag and drop it into the Front Matter section. Your chapters will renumber automatically in the Body.
Page Breaks
Page breaks make sure your chapters split correctly during import. To add one between chapters, place your cursor at the end of the chapter, then click Insert > Break > Page break.
Setting Chapter Titles
Setting your chapter titles to Heading 1 tells Atticus where each new chapter starts. It also puts each title in Atticus’s left navigation menu and in the auto-generated table of contents.
To apply it, select the chapter title and click Format > Paragraph styles > Heading 1. Headings also appear in your document outline, which makes it easier to navigate your manuscript.
If you don’t use chapter titles, a simple page break between chapters works perfectly.
Specialty Formatting
This section only applies if your book includes the elements below.
Subheadings
If your book has subheadings, apply Heading 2 through Heading 6 (Format > Paragraph styles). They import into Atticus as distinct subheading styles, and you can set how each looks in your custom theme settings after importing.
Scene Breaks
If you use three asterisks (***) with no spacing or other formatting between scenes, Atticus automatically converts them into placeholder scene breaks. You can then swap in an ornamental design with one click and apply it to every scene break in your book.
Important: Keep your asterisks left-aligned. Centering them will prevent the scene breaks from importing correctly.
Footnotes
If you want footnotes in your final book, add them in Google Docs using Insert > Footnote. Atticus imports them, and you can choose their placement in your theme settings on the Formatting tab.
Google Docs doesn’t have an endnotes feature, so no conversion is needed. If you pasted your text in from Word and it contained endnotes, convert them to footnotes in Word before bringing the text into Google Docs.
Images
If your book has images, we recommend saving them separately and exporting your manuscript without them. Depending on how many images you have and how large the file is, the import can time out before the images fully load. Once your manuscript is in Atticus, you can insert the images exactly where you want them.
Hyperlinks
If your document has links, we recommend adding them after your book has been uploaded. Link formatting from other programs doesn’t always import well into Atticus.
Exporting Your Google Doc as a .docx
Atticus only imports .docx files, so this step is required.
Open your Google Doc.
Click File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).
Save the file somewhere you can find it, then upload it in Atticus.
Make sure the file ends in .docx. The “x” is important, and other file types won’t import.
Importing and Customizing in Atticus
Beyond these simple settings, it doesn’t matter much how your manuscript is formatted in Google Docs. You can set font styles, paragraph settings, line spacing, and more inside Atticus.
Happy formatting!