Markdown workflow
Convert a Markdown file into a professional book
Folio Studio imports your .md file, automatically detects chapters and exports to epub, print-ready PDF or DOCX. No Pandoc, no CSS, no command line.
Free to start, no credit card required.
From your .md file to an exportable book in 3 steps
Import your Markdown file
Drop your .md file onto Folio Studio. Chapters are automatically detected via # and ## headings. A 60,000-word file imports in seconds.
Choose a typographic template
15 templates designed for different genres: novel, thriller, essay, poetry, academic. Real-time preview of each page, fonts loaded via Google Fonts.
Export to epub, PDF or DOCX
One click to export. The epub includes an automatic table of contents, metadata and chosen layout. Print-ready PDF meets KDP and IngramSpark specs.
Why write a book in Markdown?
Markdown is a plain text format readable by any editor. It doesn't depend on any proprietary software: your manuscript stays accessible and portable forever. Unlike a Word file, a .md file won't corrupt, won't change formatting between software versions, and integrates naturally with Git for version control.
Many authors now write in Obsidian, iA Writer, Typora or directly in VS Code. The problem has long been the last step: turning that clean file into a professional book. That's exactly what Folio Studio solves.
The limits of Pandoc and Calibre
Pandoc is a powerful tool, but it produces an epub with a generic layout. To get a typographically polished result, you need to provide a custom CSS stylesheet, configure metadata via a separate YAML file and manage fonts manually. That's developer work, not author work.
Calibre converts formats but doesn't lay out the book. The result is functional but has no visual identity. Neither allows you to preview the final page-by-page rendering before exporting.
What Folio Studio handles for you
Full Markdown syntax
H1/H2/H3 headings, bold, italic, lists, blockquotes, scene separators (---). Everything is interpreted and styled according to the chosen template.
Multiple files, one book
Import your chapters one by one (one .md file per chapter), reorder by drag-and-drop. Perfect for projects structured in separate files under Obsidian or VS Code.
No installation, no config
Folio Studio is a web application. No Pandoc to install, no CSS to write, no command line. Professional results without the technical friction.
Watermark-free export from the Free plan
The exported epub is clean, with no mention of Folio Studio. On the Free plan, one complete project. On Starter and Pro, more projects, templates and formats.
Your next book starts with a .md file
Import your Markdown manuscript, choose a template, export to epub in under 5 minutes.
Create my first book for free →Frequently asked questions
Does my Markdown need to follow a specific syntax?
Folio Studio uses standard Markdown syntax (CommonMark). Headings with # create chapters, ## creates sub-sections, --- creates a scene separator. No special syntax required.
Can I import an entire Obsidian project?
Not directly as a vault, but you can import your .md files one by one. If your vault contains internal links [[note]], these are ignored during import: only the text content is imported.
Do Pandoc and Folio Studio give the same result?
No. Pandoc produces a functional but typographically basic epub. Folio Studio applies a complete template with fonts, ornaments, drop caps and spacing calibrated for each genre. The visual result is incomparable.
Are images in my Markdown supported?
Yes, if the images are referenced with a relative path in your .md file. For a novel or essay, inline images are embedded in chapters. For an image-only book, the Illustrated Book mode is more suitable.