Import a story from a PDF

Bring a manuscript you've already written into Storiando from a PDF, check its chapters and details, and open it as a story.

If you've already written some or all of your story, you can bring it into Storiando from a PDF. Your words stay exactly as you wrote them: Storiando splits them into chapters, Ando fills in your story's details, characters, locations and outline from what your manuscript says, and you check everything before your story opens.

Before you start

A PDF with text you can select, as your word processor exports it. Scanned pages can't be read yet.
Up to 25 MB, 1,000 pages and 300,000 words. A long novel is about 150,000 words.
Room on your plan for one more story. An import becomes one of your stories as soon as it starts, and the Free plan holds one story. If your plan is full, Storiando says so before you choose a file.
AI credits. Opening your PDF is free. Ando uses AI credits as it reads your chapters and story details, and you see an estimate before anything is charged.

Import your PDF

Select All stories in the sidebar, then select Import PDF at the top of the page.
Drop your PDF on the page, or select Choose PDF and pick it from your device.
Select Start import. Storiando uploads your PDF and opens its text, leaving out page numbers and running headers. Nothing is charged for this.
Read the Estimated cost: about how many AI credits the rest of your import will use, based on your manuscript's length, beside how many you have. It's an estimate, not a price: you're charged only for what Ando actually uses.
Select Continue import. Ando finds your chapters and reads your story's General information: its title, genre, point of view and other details your manuscript shows.

The top of the page shows where you are in the import's five steps: PDF, Manuscript, Story details, Questions and Finish.

Check your manuscript

On Review your manuscript, you see your PDF's parts in order, with General information below them. Start with anything listed under Before you confirm: parts Ando wasn't sure about, and parts that won't be in your chapters.

For each chapter, you can:

Select Rename chapter to change its title.
Select Adjust where it starts to move its first line.
Select More changes to start a new chapter inside it, merge it into the part before, choose its heading lines, or leave it out of your chapters as Front matter, Table of contents or Back matter.

Parts you leave out, such as a title page or acknowledgements, aren't deleted: they stay with the import, outside your story's chapters. Nothing in your manuscript is rewritten or finished for you.

When it looks right, select Confirm manuscript. Your chapters are saved as you confirmed them, and Ando reads them for characters, locations and the outline, using AI credits as it goes.

Answer Ando's questions

If something in your manuscript is unclear, such as whether two names belong to the same character, Ando asks. Choosing one of the answers is free. Writing your own uses a few AI credits while Ando reads it. If your manuscript doesn't settle it, choose My manuscript doesn't say yet or I haven't decided yet, and everything stays as it is.

If nothing is unclear, there are no questions to answer.

Finish your import

In the last step, check what Ando found: your General information, characters, locations, relationships and outline. Ando only fills in what your manuscript says; anything it doesn't say is left empty for you.

Correct anything Ando got wrong, then select Save changes.
Select Leave out beside anything you don't want in your story, or Include again to bring it back.
Select Finish import, then Open story.

Your story opens like any other, with your chapters in the Outline tab, ready for you to keep writing.

Take a break or stop

Save and exit, at the top of the page, keeps your import for later and pauses Ando until you come back. While Ando is reading, Pause import stops it without leaving. Everything done so far is kept, and nothing is charged while it's paused.
To come back, open All stories and select Resume import beside your import. Its story opens in the editor once the import is finished.
If your AI credits run out partway, the import pauses with everything kept. Top up on AI credits, or wait for your monthly allowance, then select Resume import.
An import nobody comes back to for 90 days is closed.
Discard import deletes everything done in the import, including your corrections and answers, and it stops counting as one of your stories. This can't be undone, and any AI credits it used aren't refunded. The PDF on your device isn't touched, so you can import it again.

If your PDF can't be imported

A PDF Storiando can't read costs nothing. Here's what each message means:

What you see	What to do
This PDF's pages are pictures of text	Your PDF was scanned. Export your manuscript as a PDF from your word processor, so its text can be selected, and import that copy.
This PDF needs a password	Save a copy of your manuscript without a password and import that copy.
This PDF couldn't be opened	The file may be damaged. Export your manuscript as a PDF again and import the new copy.
This file isn't a PDF	Export your manuscript as a PDF from your word processor and import that file.
This PDF is too long to import	Import a shorter PDF, such as one part of your manuscript.
No room for another story on your plan	Delete a story you no longer need, or see Plans.

Still stuck? Select Help → Contact support in Storiando and tell the Storiando team which message you saw.