FAQ
A few things before you bring your book.
Your manuscript, the beta, and what happens to your work. If your question isn't here, ask me directly.
- What is Maldric?
- A writing desk for indie fiction authors. Write your manuscript alongside a shared series bible and timeline, ask for feedback on your draft, and export EPUB and print PDF files. Maldric is in a closed, invite-only beta.
- Can I bring the book I'm already writing?
- Yes. Import Word (.docx), EPUB, PDF or a markdown zip. Review the extracted chapters, choose what to include, and rename or reorder them before a new book is created. Import doesn't overwrite an existing chapter. Extraction can need tidying, especially from PDF, so check the preview before you continue.
- Does it work for a standalone book?
- Yes. A standalone book gets its own bible workspace for characters, places and lore. A series shares those details across its books.
- Where do I use it?
- Maldric runs in your web browser. You'll have the most room for your manuscript and the series tools on a laptop or desktop. It is an online desk: use an internet connection to sync your work and run the assistant. Download a local working copy whenever you want a copy of your files.
- How do I get into the beta?
- Request a beta invite by joining the waitlist. I'm inviting authors in small batches so I can support them personally. I'll email you when a place is available. The waitlist is not an account and does not guarantee an invitation or immediate access. Existing authors can keep using their accounts.
- What do you ask of beta authors?
- Use Maldric with your own writing and tell me what helps, what feels awkward, and where you find a problem. You can send feedback from inside the desk or contact me directly. The release notes show what's already shipped.
- Is there a free trial, and what happens after it?
- Invited authors get 30 days on the full desk, starting when they create their account, with 100 AI credits. Paid plans start at £4.99/month. You choose a subscription in Settings on the signed-in desk; joining the waitlist does not start one. If the trial ends without a paid plan, the desk becomes download-only: you can read and download your work, but writing, import and the assistant wait until you subscribe.
- What do AI credits cover?
Optional assistant work, including Chat, full book review and character conversations. Writing, autosave, organising your bible and downloading your work do not use AI credits.
About 5 credits for a selection Talk, 20 for a whole-chapter Talk. A full book review is a High spend — it reads every chapter against the bible. These are estimates; actual use depends on the text and response. A long book review may need more than the trial's 100 credits.
Monthly plan credits refill each billing period. Extra packs cost £3.99 for 1,000 credits on any paid plan; unused pack credits carry over. If your credits run out, the assistant waits until you add more. Your draft is unchanged. Compare plans.
- Does it write the book for me?
- You write the manuscript. Maldric helps you brainstorm, review and refine it when you ask. A suggested edit is never auto-applied to your chapter. You can accept it, write your own change, or leave the passage as it is.
- How does AI assistance affect KDP disclosure?
- Amazon distinguishes help with content you created from content created by AI. Accepting a suggestion doesn't itself determine the category. AI-generated cover or interior images also require disclosure, even if you wrote the manuscript yourself. Read KDP's current AI-generated and AI-assisted content guidance and make the disclosure appropriate to your work. Maldric doesn't guarantee a store's classification.
- What can I export?
- Download a finished pack containing an EPUB and print PDF, with a guided upload checklist for KDP or IngramSpark. Preview and check the files against your chosen retailer's requirements before uploading. You choose when to publish. Trial ebook exports are marked as trial copies; paid plans include clean exports.
- Can I get my draft out if I stop paying?
- Yes. Your local working copy includes your live chapters as markdown files, your bible, images and About the author. You can download it during the trial, after it ends, or if a paid plan is paused or cancelled. That copy is always unwatermarked and is separate from the finished EPUB/PDF pack. Your library is not deleted when your plan ends.
- Where is my writing stored, and when does AI see it?
- Your stored manuscripts are hosted on Railway in an EU region (privacy). Optional assistant tools send relevant text to Grok, from SpaceXAI, when you run them (privacy). That processing is separate from where your manuscript is stored. The privacy policy explains which text each tool sends and who processes it.
- Who handles payments?
- Stripe (privacy) handles subscriptions and credit packs on the signed-in desk. The waitlist is free and does not take a card.
- What emails will I receive?
- Emails about your waitlist request and invitation. AhaSend, an EU transactional mailer (privacy), also handles account activation, password resets and reader invitations. Optional product-news consent is separate; no product news is sent yet. To leave the waitlist, email chris@intrepid-developer.com.
- Who sees errors and traces?
- Sentry, with EU ingest (privacy), receives crash and performance reports from the signed-in desk, API and operator console. Chapter and bible request bodies are not sent as telemetry. This marketing site does not load Sentry.
- Who builds Maldric?
- I'm Chris Vanderplank, an indie author and software developer. I use Maldric on my own novels and build it through Intrepid Developer. Your beta feedback reaches me directly. Get in touch.