Can Scrivener export directly to EPUB?

Yes — Scrivener 3 can compile to EPUB 3 and EPUB 2 directly (File → Compile → choose EPUB format). However, Scrivener's EPUB output requires manual setup of front matter, cover, and section layout. For a quick proofreading read, compiling to PDF first and then converting with toolkit.bot is faster and requires less configuration. The EPUB toolkit.bot produces is clean and reflowable, suitable for proofreading on any e-reader.

Why proofread a Scrivener draft on an e-reader?

Reading your own writing in a new medium — e-reader instead of monitor — activates a different mode of reading. You read more slowly, more as a reader and less as a writer, which makes errors, awkward phrasing, and pacing problems more visible. Many authors swear by printing manuscripts for the same reason. E-reader proofreading achieves the same effect digitally, and you can highlight problem passages with the e-reader's built-in annotation tool.

How do I compile a PDF from Scrivener for proofreading?

In Scrivener: File → Compile. In the 'Compile For' dropdown, select PDF. Choose a format (Default, Novel, or your custom format). Click Compile and choose where to save the PDF. The compiled PDF reflects your current formatting and structure. Upload this to toolkit.bot to convert to EPUB for e-reader proofreading.

What Scrivener projects work best with this workflow?

Long-form prose projects benefit most: novels, memoirs, narrative non-fiction, long-form essays, and thesis chapters. The proofreading-on-e-reader technique is less useful for highly formatted documents (screenplays with specific formatting requirements, academic papers with equations) but excellent for flowing narrative text.

Can I use Scrivener annotations and comments in the converted EPUB?

Scrivener inline annotations and comments are excluded from the compiled PDF by default (they're author notes, not manuscript content). The converted EPUB will contain only the manuscript text. After reading the EPUB on your e-reader, bring your observations back into Scrivener as inline annotations or inspector comments in the relevant documents.

Scrivener Workflow: Export Your Draft as PDF and Convert to EPUB for Proofreading on an E-Reader (2026)

Updated June 2026 · Research

Scrivener is the standard writing tool for novelists, non-fiction authors, academics, and screenwriters. Proofreading your draft on an e-reader — rather than the same laptop screen where you wrote it — is a widely recommended technique for catching errors and improving flow. Here's how to go from Scrivener draft to e-reader EPUB in a few minutes.

Scrivener → EPUB proofreading workflow

Step	Action	Tool
1. Compile PDF	File → Compile → PDF	Scrivener 3
2. Convert to EPUB	Upload PDF, download EPUB	toolkit.bot
3. Transfer to e-reader	Email to Kindle or USB to Kobo	Kindle / Kobo
4. Read and highlight problems	Read as a reader; highlight awkward passages	Kindle / Kobo
5. Export highlights	Highlights → Readwise or Kobo CSV	Readwise / USB
6. Revise in Scrivener	Work through highlighted passages	Scrivener

Why e-reader proofreading works

New medium, new eyes — your brain processes familiar text differently on an e-reader than on the screen where you wrote it. Errors become visible again.
Reading speed naturally slows — e-readers encourage a reading pace, not an editing pace. Slow reading finds different problems than fast editing.
Pacing issues surface — when reading feels slow on an e-reader, the prose is slow. When you want to put it down, the chapter ending is weak.
Non-destructive — you can't accidentally change anything on an e-reader. You observe, highlight, and revise in Scrivener later.
Portable — read the manuscript in a different physical space (sofa, coffee shop, garden) for additional perspective shift.

Scrivener compile settings for best EPUB conversion

Use a clean, simple formatting preset (Default or Novel) rather than complex custom layouts
Set a readable body font (Times New Roman, Georgia, or Palatino) at 12pt — toolkit.bot's EPUB output will use its own reflowable styling anyway
Include page breaks between chapters (Section Layout → Page Break Before)
Exclude inline annotations and comments from the compile (they're off by default in PDF compile)
For non-fiction, include your chapter headings in the compile — toolkit.bot will use these to build the EPUB table of contents

Frequently asked questions

Can Scrivener export directly to EPUB?: Yes — Scrivener 3 can compile to EPUB 3 and EPUB 2 directly (File → Compile → choose EPUB format). However, Scrivener's EPUB output requires manual setup of front matter, cover, and section layout. For a quick proofreading read, compiling to PDF first and then converting with toolkit.bot is faster and requires less configuration. The EPUB toolkit.bot produces is clean and reflowable, suitable for proofreading on any e-reader.
Why proofread a Scrivener draft on an e-reader?: Reading your own writing in a new medium — e-reader instead of monitor — activates a different mode of reading. You read more slowly, more as a reader and less as a writer, which makes errors, awkward phrasing, and pacing problems more visible. Many authors swear by printing manuscripts for the same reason. E-reader proofreading achieves the same effect digitally, and you can highlight problem passages with the e-reader's built-in annotation tool.
How do I compile a PDF from Scrivener for proofreading?: In Scrivener: File → Compile. In the 'Compile For' dropdown, select PDF. Choose a format (Default, Novel, or your custom format). Click Compile and choose where to save the PDF. The compiled PDF reflects your current formatting and structure. Upload this to toolkit.bot to convert to EPUB for e-reader proofreading.
What Scrivener projects work best with this workflow?: Long-form prose projects benefit most: novels, memoirs, narrative non-fiction, long-form essays, and thesis chapters. The proofreading-on-e-reader technique is less useful for highly formatted documents (screenplays with specific formatting requirements, academic papers with equations) but excellent for flowing narrative text.
Can I use Scrivener annotations and comments in the converted EPUB?: Scrivener inline annotations and comments are excluded from the compiled PDF by default (they're author notes, not manuscript content). The converted EPUB will contain only the manuscript text. After reading the EPUB on your e-reader, bring your observations back into Scrivener as inline annotations or inspector comments in the relevant documents.