The Novelist

A focused space
for your next novel

Plan, write, and bring your stories to life. Organize your ideas, build your world, and stay focused from the first draft to the final chapter.

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  • Designed for fiction writers
  • Local and private on your computer
  • Free core features with optional Pro tools

Download

Get The Novelist for your platform

Version {version} Free to use Read the install guide
Platform details

Features

Everything you need to write great stories

Bring writing, worldbuilding, and organization together — from your first ideas to the final draft.

Items / Objects

Free

Organize important objects with descriptions, Story Links, and contextual Quick View.

Reference Library

Free

Collect words, phrases, dialogue, names, and excerpts. Reuse entries across your books.

DOCX & Markdown export

Free

Export your manuscript and keep working in your favorite tools.

Books & chapters

Free

Give your manuscript structure with parts, chapters, covers, and writing goals.

Images in the draft

Free

Add and resize images, wrap text, and keep comments close to your words.

Book Previewer

Free

Read your book in print, iPhone, iPad, and Kindle preview layouts.

Story Bible

Free

Characters, locations, events, organizations, secrets, and Authors — in one place.

Notes & media

Free

Keep ideas and images nearby. Rename images and open a larger viewer.

Story Context & links

Free

Connect your draft to your story world. Find Missing Connections without rewriting your prose.

Inside The Novelist

Write without losing your world

Your chapters, book details, and story material stay within reach. Move from the big picture back to the sentence you were writing.

View screenshots

People worth remembering

Build a cast with histories, relationships, and a place in your books.

A home for the next idea

Keep notes, research, and small discoveries beside your manuscript.

Places with a story to tell

Organize locations and their parent places, from a whole world to a single room.

Stay with the sentence

Write and format your chapters with comments and story references close at hand.

Keep your discoveries nearby

Collect research material in your workspace and return to it while shaping your story.

See how your world connects

Pro

Explore connections between your books and story entities. Search, zoom and focus on a book.

The Novelist Pro

Go further when your story needs it.

Deeper story insight, richer publishing tools, and optional AI assistance for the world you’re building.

See your whole story

Pro

Explore your story’s connections in Graph View, across books, characters, locations, items, references and more.

Understand your writing

Pro

Follow your progress with full Stats & Journey. Explore manuscript patterns with AI Manuscript Analysis, and review your draft with Grammar & Clarity.

Publish your way

Pro

Shape your manuscript for the web, print or e-readers with HTML, PDF and EPUB exports.

DOCX and Markdown stay Free.

AI on your terms

Pro

Keep AI assistance local with Ollama or LM Studio, or choose a supported cloud provider. Brainstorm, draft or review only when you want a helping hand.

Earn additional Pro themes as your Author Journey grows.

The core writing experience stays Free.

Explore The Novelist Pro

Privacy by design

Your manuscripts and project content stay on your computer. Optional anonymous analytics are off by default and can be disabled at any time in Settings → Privacy.

What anonymous analytics shares

May include

A temporary session ID, timestamp, locale, operating system, Electron/engine information, app version, and SDK version. The session ID is not a persistent user or device identifier.

Never includes

Manuscript text; book or chapter titles; Character, Location, or Event names; Notes; Research; comments; AI prompts or responses; file paths; or license and customer identity.

If you choose a cloud AI provider, selected writing context is sent to that provider for your request. This is separate from analytics.

Questions?

Make room for your next story.

A desktop app for writers who value their ideas, their privacy, and their creative freedom.

Read the install guide
What export formats are supported?

DOCX and Markdown are Free. Pro / Early Access includes HTML, PDF, and EPUB. Device layouts are Preview presets, not export formats.

Does it store my books in the cloud?

Your books live in a folder on your computer. No cloud account is required. You choose whether to use an online AI provider.

Which platforms are supported?

Windows 10/11 x64, macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel Beta, and Linux x86_64 AppImage. Choose Apple Silicon for M-series Macs.

Is there a Free version?

Yes. Writing, books, Story Bible, Items, Reference Library, notes, media, comments, and DOCX/Markdown export are Free. Pro adds advanced tools.

Does it work offline? Can I use local AI?

Core writing works offline. Pro can connect to local models through Ollama or LM Studio; cloud AI needs internet and your chosen provider.

How do updates and backups work?

Windows supports automatic updates; Mac and Linux use manual downloads. Your workspace is separate from the app. Keep regular backups in another safe location.