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Preferences

Preferences is where you shape both the document and the workspace around it. Settings are grouped into five tabs, and they travel with your account so a manuscript opens the same way on any device you sign in on.

Opening Preferences

On a computer, open Preferences from the toolbar button, or from the File menu. On a phone or tablet, open the Document sheet and choose Preferences. The dialog uses a tabbed sidebar: Document, Editor, Export, Author Info, and Offline & Storage. Every change applies at once, so there is no separate Save step inside the dialog. Close it when you are done.

Opening Preferences and clicking across the five tabs: Document, Editor, Export, Author Info, and Offline and Storage
The Preferences dialog. The sidebar switches between the five groups of settings.

Document

The Document tab sets the page layout your spread labels are calculated from.

  • First content page: the page where your story begins, commonly page 4 in a 32-page book. An even first page opens on a full spread; an odd first page opens on a single right-hand page.
  • Total pages: your page total, chosen from the standard industry counts of 24, 28, 32, 40, 48, and 64 pages. This sets the limit on how many spreads a manuscript can hold.
  • Allow exceeding spread limit: lets you keep adding spreads past the page limit while you draft. Scriblit still warns you on export so an over-length manuscript never leaves quietly.

For the conventions behind these numbers, see Picture Book Basics.

Editor

The Editor tab tunes the writing surface itself. None of these choices change your exported file; they change how the manuscript looks while you work.

  • Editor mode: choose Rich text for bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough, or Plain text for a distraction-free surface with no inline formatting.
  • Icon bar: show or hide the row of one-click tools, and enlarge it with the Large icon bar toggle when you want bigger targets.
  • Illustration note color: set the tone of art notes on screen to Blue, Grey, or Black.
  • Paper shade: pick the color of the writing surface from Cream, Sand, Wheat, or White.
  • Spread divider color: color the active, draggable divider between spreads as Purple, Ink, Sienna, or Clear.
  • Word count warning: turn on a threshold that highlights your manuscript word count in red once you pass it. Set the number yourself, which is useful for staying under the typical 500 to 600 words of a modern picture book.

Export

The Export tab controls how a manuscript reads once you share it. These settings shape the DOCX, PDF, plain text, and Google Doc output, not the on-screen draft.

  • Spread label position: place the page-range labels on the Left, Center, or Right of each spread.
  • Include pitch: add the pitch text from your front matter under the title and byline.
  • Include backmatter section: add an optional backmatter section after the final spread.
  • Show total page count in spreads: print a running header that shows the page position, such as 2 of 5.
  • Include full contact information on first page: add your contact block and word count to page one. Even with this off, the last word of your name still appears in the running header on later pages.
  • Google Drive default folders: set the folders new project files and new exports go to when a document-specific or last-used folder is not already in play. See Saving & Exporting for how Scriblit resolves the destination.

Author Info

The Author Info tab holds the contact details that identify you as the author. They are document metadata, so they are stored with the manuscript.

  • Name, Email, Phone, URL, and Optional: fill in as few or as many as you like. The Optional field is a good place for a social handle, an agent, or any other line you want on the manuscript.
  • The full contact block on page one is optional and is governed by the Export tab. The last word of your Name is always used as the running header last name on pages 2 and later, so headers stay blank until you fill Name in.

Offline & Storage

The Offline & Storage tab governs what Scriblit keeps on the device in front of you and your connection to Google Drive.

  • Store manuscript recovery on this browser: when on, this device can remember unsaved work for your account so a crash or accidental close does not lose it. Leave it off on a public or shared computer.
  • Clear stored data: removes the saved manuscript and your subscription token from this browser. You will need to reconnect to the network to re-verify your subscription and reopen the editor.
  • Google Drive connection: Disconnect revokes Scriblit’s access to your Google account. You can reconnect at any time the next time you open from or share to Drive.

Your manuscript text is never stored on Scriblit’s servers. See Saving & Exporting for how offline editing and recovery work in practice.

How settings differ across devices

Most preferences follow your account, so the writing surface and export choices you set on a computer are waiting for you on your phone. Two groups are deliberately local to the device: the recovery toggle and the Clear stored data action only ever affect the browser you are using, because they concern data physically held on that machine. For a fuller picture of the interface differences, see Mobile & Desktop.