This program is FAR TOO COMPLEX for the average Joe Schmoe. The whole interface needs to be updated and redone.
I’m even reading “Schrivener for Dummies”, and it is only barely scratching the surface of it all. I selected the “Manuscript (with Parts)”, and it does not even compile correctly. After I compile my book into the EPUB format, the contents are all screwed up, showing Part 1: (Title); but skipping chapter one altogether and then going on to chapter two and so on and so forth. It’s a bloody mess!
I thought I found the solution in S4D when it told me about “Groups”. But I followed the steps, and it still did not compile correctly.
Can anyone please tell me what I am doing wrong? And if this IS a glitch for the Windows version, can someone on the tech team please confirm this for me and promise to fix this problem?
I paid $40 for this software and am now wondering if I wasted my money.
Don’t despair. Scrivener has a long learning curve, but worth to walk.
I just created a Novel With parts project and printed it with the defauls settings with no problem. Could you post a screenshot of your binder to see if that gives a better understanding of the situation?
I found Scrivener one of the easiest programs to use --when used on the BASIC LEVEL
You maybe be trying to tackle too much at once.
Try using it in its most basic mode before moving on to the complex possibilities.
Try going through some of the many video tutorials available on youtube. I find videos easier understand than any book when it comes to trying to understand any new software
I was where you are for about a week when I first got into Scrivener.
I finally realized I just didn’t “get it,” and as a last resort before chucking the whole thing,I got into the videos and actually spent an entire day going through every single one of them, following every single step.
Now I use it for a high-volume, high-complexity reporting job, stories, books and fragments, and notekeeping for a variety of loosely-related projects.
I’d recommend taking a step back from compiling, which is a pretty complex subject, and get the basics down first. Once you have that “Aha!” moment, everything falls into place. I’m not an evangelist and when it’s all said and done, Scrivener’s not for everyone – but I think if you stick with it, carefully go with the online videos from dead basic up through complex, and not try to grok the entire thing at once, you’re going to suddenly discover you can’t do without it.
That’s been my experience, at any rate. Good luck!
Thank you all for your encouragement. I really do like the fact that this allows you to keep everything (e.g. manuscripts, references, character sketches, notes, settings, etc.) in one program. So maybe I won’t rush to give up on it.
But here is a copy of my Binder. I find it strange that the first folder does not appear to be on the same level as the others. Am I supposed to put my first chapter inside that very first folder with the rest of them? I just don’t know what I am doing wrong. Here is the pic:
The folders will only be on the levels that you have told then to be on. If they are strange, it is down to you
If you want The Killer on the Highway and The Killer off the Highway to be on the same level as The Girl on the Highway, you can move the folders (and their contents). You have complete control.
I think that’s pretty much it. You seem to have used the Novel template (not the Novel with parts).
On the Novel template every chapter is supposed to be a folder on the first level. If you keep it that way, and then compile with either the E-book, Paperback Novel or Standard Manuscript Format presets (not the with parts versions) it should be OK.
photos, pdfs, articles, character bios, location descriptions, music and videos are supposed to be the research folder. Not above it
scroll down and see what I mean on my screengrab
I have my novel separated into acts I, II, and II, but when I compile, I untick the 3 folders (making sure that only what is INSIDE the folders is compiled)
It appears as if the two “Killer” folders are not at the same level as the “Girl” folder. To see this for yourself, click the arrow to the left of “The Girl on the Highway”. That action will hide all the documents in that folder, and the “Killer” folders as well. If they were on the same level, then collapsing the “Girl” folder would leave the two “Killer” folders visible.
Try selecting the two “Killer” folders (click on the first, then ctrl-click the second), and use the menu item Documents->Move->Left.
From there, does the compile work out as you had hoped?
Marta, You are getting excellent advice from RDG, so I won’t adding anything more there. As you get more used to Scrivener, you might prefer not to use the Binder to contain so much information. The units there should just be chapter titles, though sometimes they might contain sub-document “bits” that you want to add to that chapter.
The three different views you can see of the same material are very helpful for maintaining a sense of order while you engage in the crazy business of drafting. Scrivenings shows what you’ve drafted, Corkboard shows the index cards that contain synopses of the draft units, and Outliner shows labels, status, and lots of other possible data.
If you keep all three parts of the interface visible (Binder, Editor, Inspector) and then click on those center icons in the tool bar, you’ll start getting ideas about how to use those elements. If this is all self-evident to you and you’re heaving a weary sigh, then I apologize and return to my abode deep within the roots of a giant oak tree.
I understand you’re using the Windows version. To move the folder “level” just click it once to highlight it and use Ctrl or Ctrl to change the level and Ctrl and Ctrl to rearrange the order. Any folder moved this way will drag all of its subfolders with it. Give it a try. HTH…
Asbestos_Dust, it appears that YOU win the toaster though!
What I really needed all along was the input you provided me, to help me get all of my chapters on the same level. Then it was only a matter of me putting all my chapters in the “Part” folder. Then when I went to compile, it was placing the “Part” on the same page with Chapter One, not allowing Chapter One to be recognized in the Table of Contents.
So after playing around in the Compile screen, I finally figured out that I needed to order a page break before each chapter in order to fix it. And it worked!
Thank all of you for not giving up on this new user of Schrivener. If it had not been for you guys, I certainly would have given up on this wonderful new program. God bless you guys!
After I compile my book into the EPUB format, the contents are all screwed up, showing Part 1: (Title); but skipping chapter one altogether and then going on to chapter two and so on and so forth. It’s a bloody mess! 
