BookCatalyst - Complete User Guide

Everything you need to master BookCatalyst writing software

Table of Contents

Getting Started

Welcome to BookCatalyst

BookCatalyst is a professional Windows desktop writing application designed for authors, screenwriters, and technical writers who need a distraction-free Markdown editing environment with powerful features.

First Launch

When you first launch BookCatalyst:

  1. Choose Your Storage Mode: Select how you want to store your documents:
    • Database Only: Fast, lightweight, ideal for most users
    • File-Based: Creates .md files on disk, good for version control
    • Hybrid: Both database and files, maximum flexibility
  2. Select a Theme: Choose from 11 beautiful themes to match your preference
  3. Create Your First Project: Start with a blank project or use a professional template

System Requirements

Installation

BookCatalyst is available from the Microsoft Store. Search for "BookCatalyst" and click "Get" or "Buy" to download and install automatically.

Project & Document Management

Understanding the Hierarchy

BookCatalyst uses a three-level hierarchy:

Project
├── Folder (optional)
│ ├── Document
│ └── Document
├── Folder
│ └── Document
└── Document

Creating a New Project

Method 1: From Welcome Screen

  1. Click "New Project"
  2. Enter project name
  3. Choose optional description
  4. Select storage mode
  5. Click "Create"

Method 2: From Menu

  1. File → New Project
  2. Follow the same steps

Creating Documents

Quick Create:

With Template:

Storage Modes Explained

SQL-Only Mode

Best For: Fast performance, single-computer use

  • ✅ Lightning-fast save and load
  • ✅ Automatic backups
  • ✅ No file system clutter
  • ❌ Not accessible outside BookCatalyst

File-Based Mode

Best For: Version control (Git), external editors

  • ✅ Standard .md files on disk
  • ✅ Compatible with other editors
  • ✅ Easy to backup with standard tools
  • ❌ Slightly slower than SQL-only

Hybrid Mode

Best For: Maximum flexibility

  • ✅ Best of both worlds
  • ✅ Files for backup/external access
  • ✅ Database for fast performance
  • ❌ Uses more disk space

Note: You can switch storage modes at any time in Settings.

Markdown Editor

Editor Overview

BookCatalyst uses AvalonEdit, a professional-grade code editor optimized for Markdown. The editor provides:

Markdown Syntax Quick Reference

Headers

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Text Formatting

**Bold text**
*Italic text*
***Bold and italic***
~~Strikethrough~~
`Inline code`

Lists

Unordered List:
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Sub-item 2.1

Ordered List:
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Links and Images

[Link text](https://example.com)
![Image alt text](image.jpg)

Editor Features

Auto-Save

Find and Replace

Distraction-Free Mode

Writing Tools

Writing Goals

Set and track writing goals to stay motivated and on schedule.

Setting a Goal

  1. Open Goal Manager: Tools → Writing Goals
  2. Click "New Goal"
  3. Configure Goal:
    • Goal Name (e.g., "Chapter 3 Draft")
    • Target Word Count (e.g., 5,000 words)
    • Target Date (deadline)
    • Starting Word Count (usually current count)
  4. Click "Save"

Tracking Progress

Goal cards display:

Word Count Tracking

Real-time counter located in the status bar (bottom-right):

Focus Mode Tools

Spell Checking & Dictionary

Real-Time Spell Checking

BookCatalyst uses Hunspell for professional-grade spell checking.

Enable/Disable Spell Check

Spell Check Options

Right-click on misspelled word (red wavy underline):

  1. Suggestions: Top 10 alternatives
  2. Ignore Once: Skip this instance
  3. Ignore All: Skip all instances in document
  4. Add to Dictionary: Add to custom dictionary
  5. Auto-correct: Set automatic replacement

Custom Dictionary Management

Keep your personal words, character names, and technical terms in your custom dictionary.

Accessing Dictionary Manager

Open: Tools → Custom Dictionary (or Ctrl+D)

The Custom Dictionary Manager window shows:

Adding Words

Method 1: From Spell Checker

Method 2: Manually

  1. Open Custom Dictionary Manager
  2. Type word in "Add Word" field
  3. Click "Add" or press Enter
  4. Word appears in alphabetically sorted list

Word Requirements:

  • Must contain only letters, hyphens, or apostrophes
  • Case-insensitive (stored as lowercase)
  • No numbers or special characters
  • Maximum 50 characters

Exporting Your Dictionary

Save your custom dictionary as a backup or to share with others.

  1. Open Custom Dictionary Manager
  2. Click "Export" button
  3. Choose location and filename
  4. Select export options

Export Options:

Importing Dictionaries

Add words from other dictionaries or previous backups.

  1. Open Custom Dictionary Manager
  2. Click "Import" button
  3. Select .txt file
  4. Choose import mode

Import Modes:

Version History & Backup

Automatic Version History

BookCatalyst automatically saves versions of your documents, providing a complete history of changes.

How Version History Works

Viewing Version History

Access Version History:

  1. Open document
  2. Tools → Version History
  3. Or right-click document → View History

Version History Window shows:

Comparing Versions

Compare Any Two Versions:

  1. Open Version History
  2. Select first version
  3. Hold Ctrl and select second version
  4. Click "Compare"

Comparison View shows:

Partial Content Restoration

Restore specific paragraphs from previous versions without replacing the entire document.

Opening Partial Restore

Access: Tools → Partial Restore

Understanding the Comparison

Performing Partial Restore

  1. Select version from dropdown
  2. Review comparison (automatically loads)
  3. Select paragraphs to restore (check boxes)
  4. Choose insertion point
  5. Click "Restore Selected"
  6. Content inserted into document

Safety Features:

  • Current document saved as version before restore
  • Can undo with Ctrl+Z immediately after
  • Preview shows exact content being restored

Automated Backups

BookCatalyst automatically backs up your work to protect against data loss.

What Gets Backed Up

Backup Schedule

Backup Location:

C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\BookCatalyst\Backups\

Analysis Tools

Readability Analysis

Analyze your text using six industry-standard readability formulas.

Access: Tools → Readability Analysis

The Six Readability Formulas

Flesch Reading Ease

Scale: 0-100 (higher = easier)

  • 90-100: Very easy (5th grade)
  • 60-70: Easy (8th-9th grade)
  • 30-50: Difficult (college)
  • 0-30: Very difficult

Flesch-Kincaid Grade

Scale: US grade level

  • Shows grade needed to understand
  • 8.0 = 8th grade level
  • 12.0 = High school senior
  • 16.0 = College graduate

Gunning Fog Index

Scale: Years of education needed

  • Ideal Range: 8-10 (general audience)
  • 7-8: Fairly easy
  • 11-12: Fairly difficult
  • 13+: Difficult

SMOG Index

Scale: Years of education

  • Estimates comprehension difficulty
  • 6-8: Newspaper level
  • 9-12: Textbook level
  • 13+: Academic level

Coleman-Liau Index

Scale: US grade level

  • Based on characters, not syllables
  • 6.0 = 6th grade
  • 12.0 = High school senior
  • Easier to compute

Automated Readability Index

Scale: Grade level (1-14+)

  • Character count and sentence length
  • Fast calculation
  • Correlates well with other formulas

Interpreting Results

Writing Style Analysis

Compare your writing style with legendary authors and receive tailored feedback.

Access: Tools → Style Analysis

Author Profiles

BookCatalyst analyzes your writing against these legendary authors:

Ernest Hemingway

Style: Simple, direct, minimalist

Short sentences, concrete nouns, active voice

Best For: Action, dialogue, clear storytelling

William Faulkner

Style: Complex, flowing, stream-of-consciousness

Long sentences, rich descriptions

Best For: Literary fiction, deep introspection

Jane Austen

Style: Witty, elegant, observational

Balanced sentences, social insight

Best For: Character-driven narratives, social commentary

Stephen King

Style: Conversational, accessible, engaging

Clear storytelling, relatable language

Best For: Popular fiction, suspense

Virginia Woolf

Style: Lyrical, introspective, experimental

Stream of consciousness, poetic prose

Best For: Literary fiction, psychological depth

Mark Twain

Style: Humorous, dialectical, satirical

Dialogue-heavy, regional speech

Best For: Humor, social satire

Agatha Christie

Style: Clear, methodical, plot-driven

Precise prose, logical flow

Best For: Mystery, plotting

J.K. Rowling

Style: Imaginative, accessible, descriptive

Vivid descriptions, clear narrative

Best For: Fantasy, young adult

Templates

BookCatalyst includes 31 professional templates across six categories to jumpstart your writing.

Accessing Templates

  1. Right-click in project tree
  2. Select "New Document from Template"
  3. Browse template categories
  4. Preview template
  5. Click "Create"

Template Categories

1. Novel Writing (8 templates)

2. Screenplay (5 templates)

3. Technical Documentation (7 templates)

4. Business Documents (5 templates)

5. Academic Writing (4 templates)

6. Blogging & Content (2 templates)

Creating Custom Templates

  1. Create document with your structure
  2. Format as desired
  3. Tools → Template Manager
  4. Click "Create Template"
  5. Name template and choose category
  6. Save

Themes & Appearance

BookCatalyst offers 11 professionally designed themes to match your preference and reduce eye strain.

Available Themes

Gruvbox (Light & Dark)

Warm, retro-inspired palette with excellent readability and low eye strain.

Best For: Long writing sessions, vintage aesthetic

Solarized (Light & Dark)

Scientific color theory design with balanced contrast and precision-crafted readability.

Best For: All-day use, scientifically optimized comfort

Catppuccin (4 variants)

Latte, Frappe, Macchiato, Mocha - soft pastel palettes with modern aesthetic.

Best For: Modern aesthetic, variety throughout day

Nord

Arctic-inspired cool blue-gray palette with professional appearance.

Best For: Professional writing, focus-intensive work

Dracula

Popular dark theme with purple and pink accents and high contrast.

Best For: Night owls, vibrant style preference

Tokyo Night

Deep blue-black background with neon accent colors, modern and sleek.

Best For: Evening/night writing, modern aesthetic

True Black

Pure black background (#000000) with maximum OLED power saving.

Best For: OLED displays, battery saving, pure dark mode

Sepia (Light & Dark)

Vintage paper color that reduces blue light with warm, nostalgic feel.

Best For: Reducing blue light, vintage book feel

Changing Themes

Quick Change:

  1. View → Themes
  2. Click desired theme
  3. Changes immediately

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+T (cycles through themes)

Auto Theme Switching

  1. Settings → Appearance
  2. Enable "Auto Theme"
  3. Set light and dark themes
  4. Set switch times

Settings & Preferences

General Settings

Editor Settings

Spell Check Settings

Storage Settings

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Shortcut
File Operations
New document Ctrl+N
Open document Ctrl+O
Save document Ctrl+S
Close document Ctrl+W
Editing
Undo Ctrl+Z
Redo Ctrl+Y
Find Ctrl+F
Replace Ctrl+H
Bold Ctrl+B
Italic Ctrl+I
View
Distraction-free mode F11
Toggle word wrap Alt+Z
Cycle themes Ctrl+T
Zoom in Ctrl+=
Zoom out Ctrl+-
Tools
Spell check F7
Custom dictionary Ctrl+D
Version history Ctrl+Shift+V
Readability analysis Ctrl+Shift+R
Style analysis Ctrl+Shift+A
Writing goals Ctrl+Shift+G

Tips & Best Practices

Writing Workflow

Start Your Session:

  1. Review yesterday's work (use versions)
  2. Set today's goal (writing goals feature)
  3. Choose your theme (match time of day)
  4. Enter distraction-free mode (F11)
  5. Write without editing

End Your Session:

  1. Run spell check (F7)
  2. Save manually (Ctrl+S creates version)
  3. Review word count vs. goal
  4. Note tomorrow's starting point
  5. Export backup (weekly)

Backup Strategy - 3-2-1 Rule

Implementation:

  1. Copy 1: BookCatalyst database (automatic)
  2. Copy 2: Manual backup to external drive (weekly)
  3. Copy 3: Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive)

Writing Productivity Tips

Beat Writer's Block:

Focus Techniques:

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Document won't open

Can't save document

Spell check not working

Application running slow

Versions not saving

Getting Help

When Reporting Issues:

  1. Note exact error message
  2. List steps to reproduce
  3. Include BookCatalyst version
  4. Mention Windows version
  5. Attach relevant log files

Log Files Location:

C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\BookCatalyst\Logs\

Need More Help?

Visit our support page for additional assistance or to contact our team.

Appendix

File Locations

Application Data:

C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\BookCatalyst\
├── custom_dictionary.txt (Custom dictionary)
├── bookcatalyst.db (Main database)
├── settings.json (User settings)
└── Backups\ (Automatic backups)

Glossary

Credits & Acknowledgments

BookCatalyst uses the following open-source libraries:

Themes inspired by:

Version Information

Happy Writing! ✍️