No and no. This is entirely on your computer, with no requirement to be connected online to run the script. In the future, if there is any new feature at all that requires connectivity, then there will be an option to turn them all off, without interrupting the core processing. Your manuscript or any related detail is not sent to the Cloud - it is entirely on your computer.
The script makes one single call when you start it, to check the latest version on the web vs. what you have. If it finds a difference, it will let you know that there is a new version. That’s it. However, if there is no connection to the web, it will ignore and do nothing—your working is not hampered in any way.
You can even turn off this version check in the global settings file by making checkCurrentVersion: false.
Common Mark spec which is simple and clearly defined.
Of course. Write it in any editor—iaWriter, notepad, VS Studio Code, or on a browser editor, on any OS you want (windows, Mac, Linux), on the plane, in the train, lounging in the coffee shop—it doesn’t matter. It’s just a simple text file, and fantastically portable. PQ has 0 dependency about what tools you use—all it cares about is that you have a .md file it can process!
Yes. KDP accepts Microsoft Word. You can produce a doc that is 98% ready, with maybe a few minor tweaks if required (such as adding TOCs or special graphics), before upload. Remember, all these books were produced using PQ, and then the only action before uploading to Amazon was adding a TOC. That’s it (5 minutes).
The default ePub is already a pretty acceptable version and includes title and author. Beyond that, you can use any ePub editing software to further refine as needed.
It depends. If you can write your articles or books in Common Mark, then it should process fine in PQ script. And that’s why you should first try the free service and make sure it works.
Generally, PQ is better suited for linear novels and narrative non-fiction books that need no tables (you’ll need to add an image for a table) or formulae.
There are some complications with integrating PDF to the workflow. You can open the produced docx in MS Word and save as PDF. Having said that, if you are tech savvy, you can write scripts that take the output of PQ (the Word doc or ePub) and use that as an input to a PDF service.
Agree. The implementation hasn’t been satisfactory so far, so perhaps at some point in the future (it is in the todo list).
No. Everything you create is on your laptop. At some point in the future we may optionally, with your permission, send non-identifiable data like number of words processed or type of document produced, and give you interesting stats. But as of now there is nothing that goes out of your laptop.
It’s free and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
You cannot re-sell or host the PQ code by yourself. It’s free for your use (including for producing books that you sell commercially). You are also free to refer to this website as part of your own promotions.
Nope! We hope you become a super successful author making millions and produce all your books with PQ, but no, you need to pay nothing. You are entirely free to sell as many books with no obligations. If you love PQ, all we ask is that you share or talk about it somewhere and spread the word. And buy the (cheap) advanced guide to learn how to use it better, that’s all.
There is no support for the code. You use it as-is. If you find bugs, please submit details through the contact form and keep an eye for new releases that may fix some.