Press Kit

Everything you need to cover Bookshaper.

Product overview

Bookshaper is a desktop writing application that gives fiction authors everything they need to take a manuscript from first draft to publication-ready file. It combines a scene-based writing editor, structural organization tools, character and location tracking, interactive visual dashboards, a research notebook, a full typographic style system, and export to EPUB and PDF.

Bookshaper is designed for the full spectrum of fiction authors, from first-time novelists learning the craft to experienced published writers managing complex, multi-POV narratives.

Key facts

Product	Desktop writing application for novels and long-form manuscripts
Audience	Fiction authors at every stage—from first-time novelists to experienced published writers
Platform	Desktop application (macOS, Windows, Linux)
Pricing	Bookshaper Basic $9.99/month ($7.99/mo billed annually); Bookshaper Pro $14.99/month ($11.99/mo billed annually). 7-day free trial, no credit card required.
Status	Available to download now
AI approach	Refinement, proofreading, and style profiling for manuscripts. Marketing blurb generation and Cover Studio for designing front covers, back covers, and spines. All changes require author approval. Bookshaper does not authorize AI providers to train on manuscripts, and configures available no-retention controls on every request; because these features run on third-party AI platforms, this relies on each provider honoring its API terms.
Data policy	Manuscripts stored locally with encrypted cloud sync. The synced copy is encrypted on the author’s device before upload, so the server stores only the encrypted copy, and it stays encrypted on cloud storage.

Capabilities

Scene-based writing editor with rich text, autosave, inline comments, and manuscript preview
Outline, Beat Cards, Thread Health, and drag-and-drop manuscript organization
Series management for multi-book projects with shared characters and locations
AI revision, line edit, and expansion in one Refine panel, plus a chapter-level Dialogue check — all with diff review
Style profiles (ESP) extracted automatically, conditioning Revise, Line Edit, Expand, Dialogue check, and proofread output on the author’s voice — and each new result discloses whether it was styled that way or produced generically
Character profiles, presence matrix, relationship map, and location management
Interactive charts: word counts, chapter balance, POV distribution, and dialogue ratios
Research notebook with folders, tagging, file attachments, and scene linking
Proofread mode with spelling, grammar, and style checks
Snapshots and version history, split editor, writing goals, and typewriter scrolling
Automatic ZIP backups on a configurable schedule with retention management
Encrypted cloud sync — manuscripts encrypted on device before upload
Formatting editor with dozens of typographic targets and ornament library
AI-powered marketing blurb generator with analysis and refinement feedback
Cover Studio—design front covers, back covers, and spines with AI-generated or custom artwork
EPUB, PDF, and DOCX export with full formatting control

What makes Bookshaper different

Complete writing environment: Unlike tools that focus on one part of the workflow, Bookshaper integrates writing, organization, styling, and export. Authors don’t need to switch between apps.
AI that refines and helps you publish: Targeted editing tools—Expand, Revise, and Line Edit in one Refine panel, plus a chapter-level Dialogue check—with side-by-side diff review and full undo/redo. A style profile extracted from the manuscript conditions those suggestions on the author’s voice when one is available, and each new result says whether it was styled that way or produced generically. It also generates marketing copy, and Cover Studio lets authors design front covers, back covers, and spines with AI-generated or custom artwork. All output is editable and requires the author’s explicit approval.
Privacy by design: Manuscripts are stored locally on the author’s device and synced to the cloud — encrypted on the author’s device before upload, and staying encrypted on cloud storage. Bookshaper does not authorize AI providers to train on manuscripts, and configures available no-retention controls on every request; because these features run on third-party AI platforms, this relies on each provider honoring its API terms. Authors retain full ownership and all rights to their work.
Built for every author: Bookshaper serves the full spectrum—from first-time novelists who need guidance on story structure to experienced published authors managing complex narratives.

Brand guidelines

Product name: Bookshaper (one word, capital B).
Descriptor: A desktop writing app for novels and long-form manuscripts. Write, organize, style, and publish in one place.
Correct usage: Bookshaper is a writing environment with built-in editing and publishing tools. Bookshaper helps authors write, organize, and publish their manuscripts.
Incorrect usage: Do not describe Bookshaper as writing or ghostwriting manuscript content. It generates marketing copy (blurbs), not prose. Do not position it as AI-only—it is a complete writing tool.

About the founder

Ryan Howard

Novelist, 30+ year software engineer, and founder of Bookshaper

Ryan Howard writes horror and psychological thrillers, and he’s been building software for over thirty years. His debut novel, Black Machetes (2014), was a short-list finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Award and carries a 4.5-star rating across 179 reviews; its audiobook is narrated by Peter Berkrot. His shorter work includes The Aparting (narrated by James Simenc), The Express (narrated by Alex Hyde-White), and the novella Error Code (narrated by Julie McKay).

His engineering career spans from self-taught beginnings out of borrowed coding books to principal and architect roles at companies including Microsoft, Nordstrom, Technicolor, Deloitte, and a string of startups. At Microsoft he worked across the Developer Platform and product-security teams, and to this day, he still works on compliance-driven security products. Working for decades inside various professional developer tools left him with strong opinions about how a writing environment should feel when you live in it forty to eighty hours a week.

Bookshaper came out of self-publishing Black Machetes — doing the editing, the formatting, and the marketing himself, and learning firsthand how much traditional publishing quietly provides. He wanted one tool that covers the whole arc from concept to finished book, built with the focus on craft in a productive environment, while leveraging modern AI to give independent authors one tool to get structured feedback, formatting, and marketing support without needing a slew of separate products and services.

Ryan writes code and prose from his five-acre homestead in North Texas and enjoys spending time with his wife, three tuxedo cats, and a loyal AmStaff puppy-dog.

Brand & media assets

A single download with the Bookshaper logo (vector SVG, PNG, plus macOS .icns and Windows .ico), product screenshots covering the editor, organization, the Formatting editor, export, and the marketing suite, and a README with key facts and approved boilerplate.

Download press assets (.zip)

Need higher-resolution assets or a demo video? Email press@bookshaper.com.