General Guide
Quick start, troubleshooting, and delivery basics for SyncFiction.
What is SyncFiction?
SyncFiction tracks web fiction from Royal Road and gets it onto your e-reader. When a new chapter is published, we fetch it and rebuild the EPUB. With Dropbox (PocketBook), the updated file lands on your device automatically; with email (Kindle or PocketBook), you send the new chapters with one tap whenever you like. This guide covers how to get set up, what each feature does, and how to fix common problems.
Quick Start
Connect Delivery
Choose a delivery method that fits your device on the Delivery page:
- •Kindle: Use Email (Send-to-Kindle) with an approved sender
- •PocketBook: Use Dropbox or Send-to-PocketBook via Email
Add Fictions
- •Go to Explore
- •Paste the fiction's Royal Road URL or numeric ID (e.g. both
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/12345/story-nameand12345work): the story shows up right below the search field - •Click Add
Don't have the link? Type the title instead. If the story is already in the SyncFiction catalogue it shows up as you type; otherwise pick Search Royal Road for "…" and click Add on the result.
The fiction then appears in your Library, and SyncFiction fetches its metadata and chapters automatically.
First-time processing
Large fictions may take a few minutes to process on first add. Subsequent updates are much faster.
Updates & Sending
SyncFiction checks for new chapters daily and regenerates EPUBs automatically. Delivery depends on the method:
- •Dropbox — updated EPUBs upload to your Dropbox folder automatically as soon as they're built.
- •Email — manual. In your Library, click the blue "N new to send" badge on a fiction (or open the fiction and click Email), pick the chapter range, and click Send to Email.
You should see
While a fiction is being processed, its cover shows a live status such as "Syncing" or "Creating EPUB". Once it's done, the status clears. Dropbox users get the file on-device within minutes; email users get it a few minutes after sending.
How It Works
- •Royal Road Sync — fetches metadata and chapters from Royal Road
- •EPUB Generation — formats content, images, and metadata into an EPUB file
- •Delivery — uploads to Dropbox automatically, or emails the chapters you choose when you send them
Resilient pipeline
Each step is queued and retries automatically on failure. You can send by email again at any time from the fiction's page; Dropbox copies are refreshed automatically whenever the EPUB is rebuilt.
Library Status
Your Library only shows badges when something needs your attention. A fiction with no badges is up to date.
On the cover (top right):
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Syncing / Creating EPUB / Summarizing / Delivering (with spinner) | A background job for this fiction is running right now |
| Auto-updating (with spinner) | The fiction is still being processed (EPUB, new chapters, or summary) |
| Ready | The job just finished |
| Failed | The last background job failed |
Below the title:
| Badge | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| EPUB pending | Gray outline | The EPUB hasn't been generated yet |
| N pending chapters | Yellow | New chapters were detected but not yet fetched |
| N new to send | Blue | Chapters released since you last emailed this fiction — click it to send them |
| Updated <date> | — | When the fiction last got a new chapter on Royal Road |
Badges update live while background jobs run — no need to refresh the page. If you see "Live updates delayed", the jobs are still running and the status will catch up after reconnecting or refreshing.
EPUB Uploads
You can upload your own EPUB files to SyncFiction and email them to your e-reader. This is useful if you have EPUBs from other sources.
- •Go to your Library and open the My Uploads tab
- •Drag your EPUB onto Drop your EPUB here (or click it to pick a file)
- •Once uploaded, use the mail button on the upload to email it to your e-reader, or Download to save it
Upload limits
Uploaded EPUBs are private — only you can access them. Each file can be up to 50 MB; files larger than 12 MB can't be emailed and can only be downloaded. Uploads are sent by email only — they are not synced to Dropbox.
Limits
Every account has the same limits:
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| Fictions in your Library | 10 |
| New fictions (not yet on SyncFiction) | 5 per 30 days |
| EPUB uploads | 5 |
| Emails per day | 10 |
| AI questions & recaps per day | 10 |
Daily limits reset at midnight UTC. Each send counts once per e-reader address it goes to. Automatic Dropbox deliveries don't count toward any limit.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Fiction still processing after adding?
Large fictions can take several minutes to process on first add. The status on the cover updates live — once "Syncing" / "Creating EPUB" disappears, the EPUB is ready.
Email delivery not arriving?
- •Confirm you added
noreply@syncfiction.comto your device's approved sender list (Kindle · PocketBook). - •Check on the Delivery page that your e-reader address is correct and not paused.
- •See Email Setup troubleshooting for Kindle or PocketBook for device-specific steps.
Dropbox files not syncing to PocketBook?
- •Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled on your PocketBook.
- •Try a manual sync: Settings → Accounts → Dropbox → "Synchronize files now".
- •See Dropbox Setup troubleshooting for more.
Hit your daily email limit?
Email sends are limited per day (see Limits). The limit resets at midnight UTC. Dropbox deliveries are automatic and not affected.
Fiction stuck on "pending chapters"?
This usually means the background job is still running. Wait a few minutes. If it persists for more than 30 minutes, try removing and re-adding the fiction.
I added a fiction but cannot send it yet.
Wait until the EPUB finishes generating. The EPUB download button appears on the fiction's page once it's ready, and so does the Email button if you have added an e-reader address on the Delivery page.
Why did my fiction arrive in several emails?
Very long or image-heavy fictions are too large for a single email, so SyncFiction automatically splits the chapter range into several emails. Each one covers a consecutive block of chapters. When images are what makes a range too large, the send dialog lets you choose Without images, usually just one email.
Can I use both Dropbox and email delivery?
Yes. Every fiction in your Library syncs to all connected Dropbox accounts automatically, and you can additionally email any fiction to your e-reader addresses whenever you like.
Can I use SyncFiction with Kobo or other e-readers?
SyncFiction currently supports Kindle (via email) and PocketBook (via Dropbox or email). Other devices are not supported yet. You can always download the EPUB from a fiction's page and transfer it yourself.
What AI features are available?
SyncFiction includes Ask the Story (chat about a fiction), chapter recaps, and character profiles. See the AI Features guide for details.
What's Next?
- •Set up delivery: Dropbox Setup or Email Setup
- •Learn about AI features: AI Features
- •Back to Documentation hub