Book Structure
Formal manuscript conventions for books, chapters, acts, and EPUB emission.
Book Structure
Registry
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
scope | books-source-and-epub-output |
status | active |
owner | books-section |
version | books-structure-01 |
Source Convention
| Level | Path | Rule |
|---|---|---|
book | books/<slug>/book.json | book-wide metadata such as title, author, and description lives here |
chapter | books/<slug>/chapters/<nn-slug>/chapter.json | each chapter folder carries structure metadata such as act, chapter label, chapter title, and running head |
page | books/<slug>/chapters/<nn-slug>/<nnn-page-...>.md | each file is a content page, not a TOC chapter by default |
Chapter Metadata
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
actLabel | optional act marker such as Act I |
chapterLabel | chapter kicker such as Chapter 2 or Prologue |
chapterTitle | main chapter opener title |
chapterSubtitle | optional subtitle shown on the opener page |
runningHead | short label used for story-page orientation and reader UI |
tocTitle | title exposed in the EPUB table of contents |
Page Frontmatter
| Field | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
page | printed folio number for the manuscript page | derived from filename |
title | optional scene/page title stored as metadata | derived from heading or filename slug |
displayTitle | whether that page title should render visibly on the page | false |
Page Content Rule
| Part | Rule |
|---|---|
lead image | if a page has art, place it as the first markdown image in the file |
placeholder | if a page has no art yet, the EPUB builder emits a default illustration frame instead of collapsing the slot |
body | story text follows the image slot and should read correctly even when the art is still pending |
EPUB Rules
| Rule | Result |
|---|---|
chapter opener pages are emitted from chapter.json | the TOC reflects actual chapter structure |
| story pages are emitted after the opener and excluded from TOC | the reader does not treat every page file like a chapter |
page titles render only when displayTitle: true | generic Page 2 headings do not become giant visible titles |
| every story page reserves one illustration slot before the body | the reader keeps a consistent paperback rhythm even when art is missing |
| running heads and folios remain subtle | the layout reads more like a paperback than a document preview |