Scrivener for Self-Publishers: What Compile Can and Cannot Do

Scrivener's Compile feature can export ePub ebooks and PDF, per its overview page as read on 2026-11-08, so it can take a draft to a file if you accept more setup than a dedicated formatter needs. One version of the page also mentions Kindle ebooks. The page does not say the output meets any retailer's checks. The overview also lists Word, RTF and OpenOffice export. Its crossgrading page gives $59.99 for macOS or Windows as of 2026-11-08, while the store page shows only a Buy now button. Its FAQ describes paid major-version upgrades, with no price listed.

This page covers compiling for publication. For Scrivener as a place to write, see book writing software compared.

What Compile is

Compile gathers your project into a single document for printing, self-publishing or export, per the overview page. It also lets you set styles per output, for example formatting block quotes one way for an ebook and another for a PDF. That is the feature that matters here.

Outputs the page lists

• ePub (one version of the page also lists Kindle ebooks)
• PDF, with formatting that can follow submission guidelines
• Word, RTF and OpenOffice (one version of the page lists only Word, RTF and PDF)
• Final Draft and plain text
• Pandoc or MultiMarkdown for LaTeX and more, as an advanced route

The page states no export limits. It does not name MOBI, though Literature & Latte's ebook guide (June 14, 2023) says a .mobi option remains in the Compile For menu while pointing to ePub as Amazon's preferred format. The overview does not say whether Compile output meets any retailer's checks, so run your own checks. For KDP print, compare your PDF with the print formatting checklist. The overview lists import of Word documents, plain text, Final Draft scripts, images, PDFs, movies, sound files and web pages, so research material can sit in the project.

What a Scrivener ebook compile asks you to decide

Scrivener's Compile is a series of decisions rather than a template gallery, going by Literature & Latte's own ebook guide from June 14, 2023. It walks through:

• Format: ePub Ebook in the Compile For menu, then the Ebook format.
• Section layouts: the default Structure Based setting treats folders as chapters and the files inside them as scenes.
• Front and back matter: checkboxes that add folders you have prepared in the Binder.
• Metadata: title, author, contributors, subjects, description, publisher, publication date, language code and an optional ISBN as a custom book ID.
• Clean-up: options that remove comments and annotations by default, can strip highlighting and struck-through text, and can run text replacements.
• Cover and contents: a cover image chosen from the Binder and a generated HTML table of contents.

The guide points to Chapter 23 of the Scrivener manual for the full settings. We downloaded the manual but could not extract its text, so this page does not describe print settings such as trim size, margins or headers. If paperbacks matter, read that chapter and compile a PDF during the trial.

What else the overview describes

Besides Compile, the overview describes a binder for manuscript sections, notes and references; a corkboard where rearranging index cards rearranges the manuscript; an outliner with synopses and word counts; snapshots with a compare feature before a major revision; split screen with up to four documents on desktop; and word or character targets with a writing history. For an author who drafts and publishes from one project, these are the reasons to take the setup effort. We have not used any of them.

Platforms, price, trial and licence terms

The overview lists Scrivener 3.5.2 for macOS 11 or newer and 3.1.6 for 64-bit Windows 10 or newer; iOS is sold separately. The store page lists iOS and iPadOS at US$23.99. Its Mac, Windows, Educational and Mac-plus-Windows options show only a "Buy now" button. Literature & Latte's crossgrading page states that Scrivener for macOS or Windows is $59.99 and that owners of one can buy the other for $37.95, as read on 2026-11-08, with sales tax possibly added. Educational and bundle prices were not shown, so confirm the figure at checkout.

Terms from the FAQ, as read on 2026-11-08:

• Trial: the full version for 30 days of use, counted by days you use it, not calendar days.
• Licence: each licence covers one platform, and a macOS licence will not unlock the Windows version. A household licence covers machines you own where you are the primary user, and family members' computers in the same house.
• Upgrades: minor updates are free; occasional major updates are paid, with the price not listed. The licensing page says a licence covers the version you bought, forever, on a compatible operating system, that a future major version would need a new licence at a discount, and that upgrading is optional. If you stay on an old version, Literature & Latte says it is up to you to confirm it still runs on a new operating system.
• Crossgrades: licences older than five years and Mac App Store purchases do not qualify for the $37.95 price.
• Refunds: within 30 days of purchase, except App Store purchases, which Apple refunds.

Cost over time, as a labelled estimate from those listed prices, before tax. One platform is $59.99, and the five-year cost stays $59.99 if you keep the version you bought. Both Mac and Windows through the crossgrade is $59.99 + $37.95 = $97.94; the bundle price was not shown, so compare it at checkout. Adding iOS at US$23.99 to one platform is $83.98.

No major-upgrade price is listed. As a guide only, the last upgrade, to Scrivener 3, was free for recent buyers and 45% off for others, with the same terms on Windows. The same 45% off $59.99 would be about $32.99, for $92.98 in total on one platform. A future upgrade may be priced differently.

Lock-in and switching

Compile to Word, RTF or plain text gives you portable text. What Scrivener's binder, snapshots and annotations become in other software is not documented on the pages read; see Scrivener alternatives for what other tools document about import. If you plan to hand a Compile to a formatter, Vellum's help says it imports .docx and names Scrivener as a program that can create one, which is a point in favour of the Word route.

If Compile is not enough: handing off to a formatter

Scrivener can stop at a DOCX and let a dedicated formatter do the layout, and both main formatters have a documented route. Literature & Latte's Export to Vellum page describes compiling to Word with a "Vellum Export" format, on macOS from version 3.0.3, and asks you to use styles such as Block Quote and Verse so Vellum recognises them. Vellum's help describes the same format. Atticus's help (November 18, 2025) gives a recipe: compile to Word, set custom separators to three asterisks and delete header and footer text.

All are one-time prices as listed on 2026-11-08, before tax. A formatter only earns its cost if Compile's output or setup does not suit you, so try Compile first.

What to check in the 30-day trial

Scrivener's trial is the full program for 30 days of use, so unlike a formatter that locks its output, it lets you make real files before paying. iOS has no trial, per the FAQ.

1. Compile a complete EPUB from your real project, with front matter, metadata, a cover and a table of contents.
2. Open the EPUB in Kindle Previewer and your other retailers' readers.
3. Compile a PDF at your trim size and compare it with the print formatting checklist.
4. Compile a DOCX and read it through. If you may hand off to a formatter, Vellum's free download can import it without a purchase.
5. Note how long the setup took. That is the real price difference against a template-driven formatter.

Downsides

• Not a formatter first. It is a writing app, so templates and presets are not the headline feature as they are in Atticus or Vellum.
• Setup effort. Per-output styles give control, and control means decisions.
• Price is not on the store page. The $59.99 figure comes from the crossgrading page, so confirm it at checkout.
• Separate licences by platform, and a possible paid major upgrade.
• Different version numbers. Mac and Windows are listed at different versions (3.5.2 and 3.1.6); the pages do not say how they differ.
• Unchecked output. The pages do not say what a compiled EPUB passes.

Decision table

Who should use it, and who should not

Use it if you already write in Scrivener and want one program for both. Skip it if you want a fast, template-driven formatter. Windows users can also see Vellum alternatives for Windows.

If you plan an audiobook

Check that your compiled EPUB has a working table of contents. For Google Play's auto-narration, the policy page asks for an .epub, uploaded or taken from your Partner Center account, and you must own the audiobook rights; see also the Learning Center page. KDP's Virtual Voice beta, invite-only, requires a reflowable title with an NCX or Kindle Interactive table of contents. See prepare a manuscript for AI narration. More tools are in the formatting software hub.

Last verified 2026-11-08. Rules and prices change: check the linked primary page before you rely on this.