FICTBASE Pro: Importing Your Word Document as a Complete Novel in Minutes

You've Already Written the Book. Now Publish It.

One of the most common messages we get from FICTBASE users goes something like this: "I have a completed manuscript. I want to publish it serially online. But copy-pasting 80,000 words chapter by chapter sounds like a nightmare."

It used to be. With FICTBASE Pro's .docx importer, it's now a five-minute job.

How the Importer Works

The FICTBASE Pro importer reads your Word document and automatically detects chapters using three strategies:

Strategy 1: Heading Styles (Most Reliable)

If you used Word's built-in Heading 1 or Heading 2 styles for your chapter titles, FICTBASE detects them automatically. This is the most reliable method and the one we recommend for any manuscript longer than 50,000 words.

To apply heading styles in Word: select the chapter title text, then click "Heading 1" in the Home tab's Styles section.

Strategy 2: Text Markers

FICTBASE also recognizes common text patterns:

• "Chapter 1", "Chapter One", "CHAPTER I"
• "Part 1", "Part I"
• "Prologue", "Epilogue", "Interlude"

If your manuscript uses any of these patterns, the importer will detect them even without heading styles applied.

Strategy 3: Full Document Fallback

If no chapters are detected, the entire document imports as a single chapter. You can then manually split it in the FICTBASE chapter editor.

Step-by-Step: Importing Your Manuscript

1. Export your manuscript from Word or Google Docs as a .docx file
2. In WordPress admin, go to FICTBASE → Import Story
3. Upload your .docx file (max 10 MB)
4. FICTBASE shows a preview of detected chapters — review and edit titles if needed
5. Fill in story title, genre, and status
6. Click Import Story

That's it. Your story and all its chapters are now live, with word counts calculated per chapter.

What Gets Imported (and What Doesn't)

The importer handles all body text, chapter titles, and basic formatting (bold, italic, paragraph breaks). Word count and estimated read time are calculated automatically.

Images inside .docx files are not imported in the current version — add those manually via the chapter editor after import. This is by design: embedded Word images are often low-resolution and benefit from being re-uploaded with proper alt text for SEO.

Getting FICTBASE Pro

The .docx importer is a Pro feature. A FICTBASE Pro license costs $29/year and includes the importer plus all future Pro features. One license covers one WordPress installation for twelve months.

Get your license at fictbase.com/pricing.