Scribe

Scribe is a desktop application designed for authors, editors, and small presses who need to create, format, and export long-form manuscripts using Markdown. It addresses the workflow of book production by allowing users to write, shape layouts, and finalize export-ready files within a single environment, eliminating the need to switch between separate writing, layout, and prepress tools.

The software supports structured writing in Markdown, enabling users to maintain references and manage complex layouts, including native support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) vertical typesetting. Features include live whole-book pagination previews, which provide real-time updates as the manuscript evolves, and a live word count for tracking writing progress. Scribe also offers a built-in bibliography workflow, allowing users to manage references, automatically format bibliography sections, and keep in-text citations synchronized with source materials. For CJK books, the app provides ruby annotations and tate-chu-yoko, supporting nuanced typography and vertical writing conventions.

Scribe enables users to export their manuscripts to various formats directly from the app, including print-ready PDFs, ePub, Docx, and image files. The platform incorporates page templates, appearance libraries, and export queues to streamline the publishing process from draft to finished product. Its design focuses on keeping the entire workflow within a single document and application, aiming for an immersive and efficient writing and typesetting experience.

The application is available for desktop and is part of the Catalpas Atelier suite. Pricing information is available on the product’s website, and users are required to create an account and purchase the software to access its full capabilities.