How Storyloft Builds a Table of Contents for Your Book
First question I know every author is asking:
Can I Reorder Chapters Directly From the Table of Contents?
Yes.
In Storyloft, the table of contents is not just a list of links.
It is also a great way to reorganize the book itself.
From the Contents sidebar, you can drag a chapter or section to a new position, and Storyloft moves the actual manuscript content with it. If you move a chapter, its sections, subsections, and body text all travel together. If you move a section into another chapter, its nested subsections move with it too. Chapter numbers update automatically, so you do not have to renumber the book or rebuild the table of contents after every structural change.
That makes larger revisions much easier.
Instead of cutting and pasting pages of text, you can treat the table of contents like a visual outline of the manuscript.
Move a chapter, and Storyloft shows you where it landed, updates the book structure, and refreshes Eddy’s understanding of the new order. The result is a faster way to test chapter order, restructure a nonfiction argument, or move a scene without worrying that part of the chapter was left behind. It also keeps the table of contents tied to the manuscript itself, so the outline you see continues to reflect the book you are actually writing.
A table of contents should not become another document you have to maintain.
Change a chapter title, and the TOC should change with it.
Move Chapter 8 before Chapter 6, and the order should update.
Add a new section, and it should appear in the right place.
That sounds obvious. But if you write in one app, format in another, and prepare your print or ebook files somewhere else, the table of contents can quickly fall out of sync.
We built Storyloft differently.
Storyloft automatically builds your table of contents from the structure of your manuscript. As chapters, sections, and headings change, the TOC stays connected to the book.
That same manuscript can then be used to create your print book and EPUB without rebuilding the table of contents by hand.
What Is an Automatic Table of Contents?
An automatic table of contents is a contents page created from the actual structure of your manuscript.
Instead of typing chapter names and page numbers manually, the software reads the chapters and headings already defined in your book.
That creates one source of truth.
If the manuscript changes, the table of contents can change with it.
For authors, that removes a surprisingly annoying part of book production.
A manually maintained TOC can break when you:
- Rename a chapter
- Add a chapter
- Delete a section
- Reorder chapters
- Add front matter
- Change the book’s layout
- Change the trim size
- Add enough text to change page numbers
With an automatic TOC, you organize the manuscript.
The software handles the contents page.
How Does Storyloft Automatically Create a Table of Contents?
Storyloft builds the table of contents from the chapter and heading structure already inside your manuscript.
You do not need to maintain a separate TOC document.
Your chapters are the TOC.
Your sections create the hierarchy.
Your formatted book determines the final pagination.
This is possible because Storyloft combines manuscript writing and book formatting inside the same project.
The basic process looks like this:
- Write and organize your chapters.
- Give chapters and sections their proper structure.
- Storyloft uses that structure to build the table of contents.
- Continue writing and reorganizing the manuscript.
- Storyloft keeps the TOC connected to those changes.
- Format the finished book.
- Export your print PDF or EPUB.
You work on the book.
Storyloft keeps track of the structure.
Why Does Connecting the TOC to the Manuscript Matter?
Because books change.
A lot.
The outline you start with is rarely the exact book you finish with.
A chapter gets split in two.
Another gets deleted.
Part Two becomes Part Three.
“The Long Road Home” becomes “Coming Home.”
Your editor suggests moving Chapter 11 much earlier.
If your table of contents is separate from the manuscript, every structural change creates another job.
You have to remember to update both.
That is how mistakes happen.
A reader opens the finished book and sees a chapter listed in the TOC that no longer exists.
Or the title is wrong.
Or the page number points to the wrong place.
We would rather remove that problem entirely.
The manuscript should define the table of contents, not the other way around.
Can Storyloft Update the TOC When Chapters Change?
Yes.
Because the table of contents comes from the manuscript structure, changing that structure changes what the TOC is built from.
For example:
Rename a Chapter
If you change a chapter title, you do not need to find the contents page and type the new title again.
The chapter itself is the source.
Move a Chapter
If a chapter moves to a new position in the manuscript, the contents structure follows the new order.
Add a Chapter
A new chapter becomes part of the book structure and can appear in the table of contents.
Remove a Chapter
Remove the chapter from the manuscript and you do not have an old TOC entry sitting around waiting to embarrass you six weeks later.
This sounds like a small feature until you are working on a 300-page book with 40 chapters.
Then it feels considerably less small.
What Happens to Page Numbers When the Book Layout Changes?
This is where automatic book formatting becomes important.
Print page numbers depend on layout.
Change your trim size from 6 × 9 to 5.5 × 8.5 and the text reflows.
Change the font size and the page count changes.
Adjust margins and chapters may begin on different pages.
Add three paragraphs to Chapter 2 and every chapter after it may shift.
A manually typed print TOC can become outdated very quickly.
Storyloft’s print book formatting software creates a paginated version of the actual book.
That means the table of contents exists inside the same formatting system that knows where the pages actually are.
You can preview the finished book, including:
- Front matter
- Table of contents
- Chapters
- Page numbers
- Running headers
- Notes
- Page breaks
- Left and right pages
Change the book design and Storyloft can reflow the book.
You do not have to manually rebuild every page reference after every formatting change.
How Does an Ebook Table of Contents Work?
Ebooks work differently from print books.
A print book has fixed pages.
A reflowable EPUB does not.
The exact “page” a reader sees may change based on their device, screen size, font size, and reading settings.
That means an ebook table of contents is primarily about navigation, not printed page numbers.
Readers tap a chapter name and move directly to that section of the book.
Storyloft keeps that navigation tied to the same chapter structure used by the manuscript.
When you export your ebook, that structure can carry into the EPUB rather than requiring you to recreate the navigation separately.
This is one reason we built print and ebook publishing around the same manuscript.
The outputs are different.
The book underneath them is the same.
Can I Create Both a Print and Ebook TOC From the Same Manuscript?
Yes.
That is one of the main advantages of keeping the manuscript and formatting system together.
Storyloft can use the same book structure to produce different publishing formats.
For print, the table of contents works with the final paginated layout.
For EPUB, the TOC works as digital navigation through the book.
You do not need a print manuscript, an ebook manuscript, and a separate contents document.
You maintain the book.
Storyloft creates the publishing outputs from it.
If you want to see the larger workflow, our guide to formatting a book for print and ebook walks through the process from manuscript to finished files.
What Can Be Included in a Book’s Table of Contents?
The answer depends on the type of book you are writing.
A simple novel may include only chapter titles.
A nonfiction book may have a much deeper structure.
Your TOC could include:
- Parts
- Chapters
- Major sections
- Introductions
- Prefaces
- Conclusions
- Appendices
- Notes
- Bibliographies
- Other front or back matter
The important part is hierarchy.
Readers should be able to look at the table of contents and understand the shape of the book.
For nonfiction especially, the TOC often does more than help readers find a page.
It explains the argument.
A good nonfiction contents page lets someone scan the progression of ideas before they read the first chapter.
That makes manuscript structure important long before formatting begins.
How Should I Structure My Manuscript for an Automatic TOC?
Keep the hierarchy clear.
Your chapter title should be a chapter title.
A section heading should be a section heading.
A subsection should sit beneath the section it belongs to.
Avoid trying to create structure through visual tricks such as making text larger, bolding random lines, or adding blank spaces until something looks like a heading.
A well-structured manuscript gives both the author and the formatting system a clearer picture of the book.
For example:
Part One: The Problem
Chapter 1: Where We Started
Chapter 2: What Changed
Part Two: The Response
Chapter 3: A Different Approach
Chapter 4: What Happened Next
The hierarchy is obvious.
That structure becomes useful for manuscript navigation, the table of contents, ebook navigation, and final book formatting.
Does Every Book Need a Table of Contents?
No.
But many do.
Nonfiction Books
Most nonfiction books should include a table of contents.
Readers often use nonfiction books as references. They may jump between chapters rather than reading every page in order.
The TOC helps them understand the structure and return to useful sections later.
Fiction Books
A table of contents is optional for many novels.
If your chapters are simply numbered, you may decide the TOC does not add much.
But fiction with titled chapters, named parts, multiple narrators, unusual structures, or collections of stories may benefit from one.
Memoirs
Memoirs often use titled chapters, so a TOC can help establish the book’s emotional or chronological structure.
Academic and Research-Based Books
These usually need a detailed contents structure, especially when the book includes multiple heading levels, appendices, notes, references, or supporting material.
Storyloft supports both fiction and nonfiction, so you can decide what makes sense for the actual book rather than being forced into one template.
How Does Storyloft Keep the Whole Book Organized?
The TOC works well because it is not an isolated feature.
It sits on top of the manuscript structure.
Storyloft’s book writing software also connects other parts of the project, including:
- Chapters
- Manuscript navigation
- Notes
- Research
- Comments
- Version history
- Worldbuilding
- Footnotes
- Endnotes
- Book formatting
- Print publishing
- Ebook publishing
That matters because a table of contents is really just a visible map of your book.
If the book underneath it is disorganized, automating the TOC only solves part of the problem.
We want the structure itself to stay clean.
How Does Eddy Help With Book Structure?
Eddy is Storyloft’s manuscript-aware AI book editor.
The important word there is manuscript-aware.
Eddy can work with the larger context of the book rather than only the paragraph you paste into a chat window.
That makes Eddy useful when the problem is structural.
You can use Eddy to help think through questions such as:
- Does this chapter belong here?
- Is this section doing the same job as another section?
- Does the argument move in a logical order?
- Is one part of the book much longer than the others?
- Did I introduce an idea before explaining it?
- Did a plot thread disappear?
- Is the chapter order working?
Eddy does not decide the structure for you.
You do.
But having an editor that can work with the manuscript as a whole can make those decisions easier.
Our broader approach to AI, authorship, privacy, and manuscript ownership is explained in AI for Authors.
Does Eddy Automatically Rewrite My Table of Contents?
No.
The TOC comes from your book structure.
Eddy can help you think about that structure, but we do not want AI silently rearranging your book or deciding what your chapter titles should be.
You remain the author.
If you want structural feedback, ask for it.
If you want to move a chapter, move it.
If you want to rename something, rename it.
The table of contents then reflects the book you chose to create.
That distinction matters to us.
Eddy suggests. You decide.
Why Is an Automatic TOC Better Than Building One by Hand?
You can absolutely create a table of contents manually.
Authors have done it for a very long time.
The question is whether you want to keep doing the same work every time the manuscript changes.
Automatic TOCs offer a few clear advantages.
Fewer Errors
There is less chance of an old chapter title or deleted section remaining in the contents page.
Less Repetitive Work
You do not need to maintain the same structure twice.
Easier Revisions
Reordering a book does not mean manually rebuilding the contents list.
Better Ebook Navigation
A structured manuscript can be turned into navigable ebook headings and chapter links.
Better Print Workflow
Your final print TOC can work with the paginated book instead of page numbers you entered before the layout was finished.
One Source of Truth
The manuscript determines the structure.
That is the big one.
Why Not Just Create the TOC in Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word can create an automatic table of contents.
For many projects, that may be enough.
The difference is what happens next.
Writing the manuscript is only one part of publishing a book.
You still have to deal with things like:
- Trim size
- Margins
- Gutters
- Pagination
- Running headers
- Chapter openings
- Front matter
- Back matter
- Ebook structure
- EPUB export
- Print-ready PDF export
Storyloft is built around the finished book, not just the word-processing document.
That means the TOC can stay connected to the same project you use for writing, formatting, previewing, and publishing.
Word can make a TOC.
Storyloft is designed to carry that structure through the rest of the book-production process.
Why Not Build the TOC in a Separate Formatting App?
You can.
That workflow usually looks something like this:
Write the manuscript → export it → import it into formatting software → recreate or inspect the chapter structure → format the book → find an error → return to the manuscript → make the change → export again.
It works.
But every handoff creates another chance for two versions of the book to disagree.
We built Storyloft around a simpler idea:
Keep one manuscript and let the publishing tools work around it.
The fewer times you have to rebuild the same book, the fewer opportunities there are for something to drift out of sync.
Can I Preview the Table of Contents Before Exporting?
Yes.
Storyloft’s print preview lets you inspect the book as a real paginated interior.
You can move through the opening pages, table of contents, chapters, notes, headers, spreads, and page breaks before exporting.
That is useful because formatting mistakes are much easier to fix before you upload a book to a printer.
You can check:
- Whether TOC entries look right
- Whether chapter names are correct
- Whether the hierarchy makes sense
- Whether the book begins on the pages you expect
- Whether page numbers line up
- Whether front matter is positioned correctly
- Whether the book feels balanced as a whole
Then you can make changes and preview the result again.
Can Storyloft Create a Print-Ready PDF After Building the TOC?
Yes.
Once the book is formatted, Storyloft can export a professional print-ready PDF.
The print workflow includes controls for details such as:
- Trim size
- Margins
- Gutters
- Bleed
- Typography
- Chapter openings
- Running headers
- Page numbers
- Front matter
- Tables of contents
- Footnotes
- Endnotes
The goal is to let authors move from manuscript to finished book without having to become professional typesetters along the way.
If Amazon KDP is part of your publishing plan, we also have a guide to preparing a print-ready book PDF for KDP.
How Much Does Storyloft Cost?
You can start with Storyloft for free.
Storyloft Free
The Free plan requires no credit card and currently includes:
- One manuscript up to 5,000 words
- Unlimited worldbuilding
- 10 image credits
- 20 Eddy AI conversations
- Notes
- Book cover creation
- Custom illustrations
- Print and ebook publishing tools
That gives you a chance to see how your own manuscript works inside Storyloft before paying for the platform.
Storyloft Pro
Storyloft Pro is currently $39 per month.
Pro adds features such as:
- Unlimited manuscripts
- Series creation and management
- Advanced research tools
- Charts and data visualizations
- Footnotes
- Endnotes
- Book themes
- Unlimited Eddy access
Storyloft Lifetime
Lifetime Access is currently $399 as a one-time purchase.
It includes the Pro feature set without an ongoing subscription.
You can always check the Storyloft pricing page for the latest plan details.
Paid plans also include a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers.
Who Benefits Most From an Automatic Table of Contents?
Almost any author with a structured book can benefit, but it becomes especially useful for a few types of projects.
Nonfiction Authors
Nonfiction books often have many chapters, parts, sections, appendices, notes, and references.
A good TOC helps the reader understand the book before they even begin reading it.
Authors With Long Manuscripts
The larger the manuscript, the more painful manual maintenance becomes.
If your book has 40, 60, or 100 chapters, automation removes a lot of repetitive work.
Authors Who Revise Heavily
If your chapter order changes often, keeping the TOC attached to the manuscript makes revisions much easier.
Self-Publishing Authors
Self-publishers often create both print and ebook versions of the same book.
Maintaining one manuscript structure for both formats reduces duplicated work.
Series Authors
Authors writing several books benefit from a repeatable publishing system.
You should not have to invent a new formatting process for every title.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automatic Tables of Contents
Can Storyloft automatically create a table of contents?
Yes. Storyloft builds the table of contents from the structure of your manuscript, including chapters and supported headings.
Does the Storyloft table of contents update when I rename a chapter?
Because the TOC is based on the manuscript’s chapter structure, changes to chapter titles are reflected in the structure used to build the contents page.
What happens if I reorder chapters?
The TOC follows the manuscript structure, so the contents order can reflect the new chapter arrangement rather than being maintained as a separate list.
Can I use the same TOC for print and ebook?
The same manuscript structure can be used for both, but the outputs work differently. A print TOC works with fixed pagination, while an EPUB TOC provides digital navigation between sections.
Does an ebook table of contents need page numbers?
Usually not. Reflowable ebooks do not have fixed page numbers in the same way print books do. Ebook TOCs normally use links that take the reader directly to chapters and sections.
Do novels need a table of contents?
Not always. A TOC can be useful for novels with titled chapters, named parts, multiple narrators, or unusual structures. Simple novels with numbered chapters may not need one.
Do nonfiction books need a table of contents?
In most cases, yes. A table of contents helps readers understand the structure of a nonfiction book and quickly return to specific topics or sections.
Can Storyloft create a table of contents for KDP?
Storyloft can format manuscripts for Amazon KDP publishing workflows. The book structure, table of contents, pagination, and print layout remain part of the same formatting process.
Can Storyloft create a table of contents for EPUB?
Yes. Storyloft’s ebook workflow uses manuscript structure to create navigable EPUB output.
Can I preview my TOC before publishing?
Yes. Storyloft’s paginated print preview lets you review the table of contents as part of the finished book before exporting your print file.
Can I change the book after the TOC has been created?
Yes. That is one of the main reasons to use an automatic TOC. You can continue revising the manuscript instead of treating the contents page as a finished document you are afraid to touch.
Final Verdict: Should You Automatically Generate Your Book’s Table of Contents?
For most structured books, yes.
A table of contents is information your manuscript already contains.
Your chapters already have names.
They already have an order.
Your sections already have a hierarchy.
Typing all of that information into a second document creates another thing you have to maintain.
We think there is a better approach.
Write the book once. Organize the manuscript once. Let the table of contents come from that structure.
That is how Storyloft works.
Your manuscript, table of contents, book formatting, print layout, and ebook navigation stay part of the same project.
Change the book and keep writing.
Storyloft handles the fussy part.
Start your book with Storyloft for free.
No credit card required.
