Books & Titles

What is a Title?

In StorytellerOS, a Title represents a single book or work. Each title contains:

• Basic information (name, description, genre)
• Metadata for publishing (blurb, keywords, categories)
• Chapters and scenes (your manuscript)
• Characters and story notes
• Variations (ebook, paperback, audiobook, etc.)

Creating a New Book

1. Go to Project Studio → Books
2. Click + New Book
3. Enter the working title
4. Select the pen name
5. Optionally assign to a series
6. Click Create

Basic Book Fields

Publishing Metadata

When you are ready to publish, fill in the metadata section:

Blurb

Your book description that appears on retail sites. Write compelling copy that hooks readers without giving away the ending.

Formatting a description

The book's synopsis and each format's blurb keep the same formatting Amazon accepts in a book description: paragraphs, bold, italics, underline, headings and bulleted or numbered lists. Use the buttons above the box, or paste formatted text in. Press Shift+Enter for a new line inside the same paragraph.

We keep two copies in step: the formatted one, and the same words as plain text with their paragraph breaks. Stores and tools that only take plain text get the plain copy. If something later replaces the words with plain text (for example, updating the book from its retailer details), the formatting is set aside and the plain words are kept, so you can format it again.

If your descriptions were imported and now run together with no space between sentences ("countryside.Fresh from"), a note under the description offers Restore from book details, which puts the paragraph breaks back when the book's listing has them. If it can't, the note shows where to add the breaks yourself.

Keywords

Search terms that help readers find your book. Amazon allows 7 keywords or phrases. Choose terms readers actually search for.

Categories

BISAC categories that determine where your book appears in store catalogs. You can select multiple categories.

Age Range

Target reader age (Adult, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children's). This affects which store sections show your book.

Book Variations

A variation is a different format of the same book:

• Ebook — Digital download (Kindle, ePub, etc.)
• Paperback — Print-on-demand soft cover
• Hardcover — Print-on-demand hard cover
• Audiobook — Narrated audio version
• Large Print — Larger text for accessibility

Creating a Variation

1. Open your book
2. Go to the Variations tab
3. Click + Add Variation
4. Select the format type
5. Add format-specific details (ISBN, price, etc.)
6. Save

Autocomplete Title Details

If you have an ASIN or ISBN, StorytellerOS can automatically create all available variations for you:

1. Open your book
2. Go to the Variations tab
3. Click Autocomplete Title Details
4. Enter an ASIN or ISBN
5. StorytellerOS fetches all available formats from Amazon and Audible
6. Review and confirm the variations to create

Variation Fields

Book Status

Track where each book is in your workflow:

The Titles page shows every title except retired ones. It says how many retired titles it is hiding, with a link to show them, and the status filter has Retired and All, including retired choices. Retired titles also stay off the dashboard and out of the “Also by” pages in your other books. Sales Studio always includes them, so your history is complete. To put a book back on sale, set its status to Published.

The Book Page

Click on any book to see its detail page with tabs for:

• Overview — Summary and quick stats
• Chapters — Your manuscript structure
• Characters — People in this book
• Story Bible — World-building notes
• Variations — Format details and links
• Marketing — Blurb, keywords, categories

Co-authors: one book under several pen names

If you write a book under two (or more) of your own pen names, keep it as one title. Open the book and, in the Authors card, choose Edit authors. Add the other pen name, pick its role (Co-author, Editor, Illustrator, Translator or Contributor), put the names in the order you want them printed, and choose Save authors.

• One book, one set of formats and sales. The book keeps its main pen name. Its formats, store links and sales stay on that one title, so your account totals never count a sale twice.
• Shown under every pen name. The book appears in each pen name's title lists and pickers, on the pen name's page under Co-authored titles, and in each pen name's sales view, where it is marked Co-author.
• Printed with every author. Publishing Studio puts the co-authors on the title page, the copyright line, the running head and the Also By heading, in your order ("Terri Grace and Misty Shae"). The Also By list gathers the other books of every co-author. Editors, illustrators, translators and contributors are credited in the ebook's details but not in the author line.
• Changing the main pen name. Choose Make main pen name next to a co-author. The old main pen name stays on the book as a co-author.
• Teammates. A teammate who works on one of the co-authors' pen names can see and read the book, its chapters and formats. Editing it needs edit access to the book's main pen name.

If you delete a pen name that co-authors a book, the book stays with its main pen name and that credit is hidden. Restore the pen name from Recently deleted and the credit comes back.

Book Covers

StorytellerOS provides flexible cover image management with automatic fallbacks and variation-specific covers.

Title Cover Image

The Title Cover Image serves as the default cover for all variations that don't have their own cover uploaded. This saves time when you want the same cover across all formats.

How to Upload a Title Cover

1. Open your book detail page
2. Click on the cover image area (or "No cover image" placeholder)
3. Select an image file from your computer
4. The image uploads automatically to your GitHub repository
5. The page refreshes to show the new cover

Variation-Specific Covers

Each variation can have its own unique cover image. For example, your paperback might have a different cover than your ebook, or your audiobook might have a square format optimized for audio platforms.

How to Upload a Variation Cover

1. Open your book detail page
2. Go to the Variations tab
3. Find the variation you want to update
4. Click on the cover image in the 3rd column
5. Select an image file from your computer
6. The image uploads automatically and updates

Cover Display Priority

StorytellerOS uses a smart priority system to decide which cover to display:

1. Variation Cover — If the variation has its own cover, use it
2. Format Cover — If not, use the format-specific cover (Ebook Cover, Paperback Cover, Hardback Cover)
3. Title Cover Image — If not, use the title's default cover
4. Placeholder — If no covers exist, show a placeholder

Where Are Cover Images Stored?

All cover images are stored in your private GitHub repository, not on StorytellerOS servers. This aligns with our privacy-first architecture where you own and control all your data.

• Storage location — Your GitHub repo at storytelleros-data/cover-images/
• Filename format — <recordId>.<extension> (e.g., rec123456.jpg)
• Privacy — Images are accessed through an authenticated proxy
• No size limits — Limited only by GitHub's file size limits

File Requirements

Replacing Covers

To replace an existing cover, simply click on it and select a new image. The old image is overwritten in GitHub, so keep backups of your original files if you might need them later.

Deleting a Title

To delete a title, open it, choose Delete Title at the bottom of its details and confirm. The title and its chapters leave your library right away.

It is not lost straight away. For 30 days it is kept under Titles > Recently deleted:

• Restore puts the title back in your titles as it was when you deleted it: its chapters, scenes, notes, version history, any chapters you had deleted earlier, its formats and store links, its translations and its files. Choose Restore, then confirm.
• Show files lists the title's chapter and scene text, uploaded manuscripts, covers and format files. Choose Download next to any of them.
• Download saved details gives you one file with the title's chapters, scenes, notes, version history and any chapters you deleted earlier, including their text.
• Each title shows how many days it has left.

If something the title was linked to was deleted after the title, it stays deleted. A deleted series or pen name means the title comes back without one, and links to a deleted character, place or box set are left out. A SKU that another format uses now is left blank. Work that was still running when you deleted the title, such as a manuscript report or narration, comes back stopped, and you can start it again. After a restore we tell you about anything like this. If something was still running on the title when you deleted it, such as a book file being made or narration, Restore may ask you to wait a few minutes.

Best Practices

• Complete metadata early — Fill in genre, keywords, and categories while writing so you understand your market.
• Update status regularly — Accurate status helps you track your pipeline.
• Add all variations — Even if you only sell ebooks now, add paperback when you publish it.
• Keep covers organized — Use consistent file names and upload final versions only.
• Link to series — Always connect series books for better organization and reporting.