Make an omnibus

An omnibus is one book made of several of yours: a whole series in one volume, a box set of books one to three, or any mix you like. This page shows you how to make one and what it does with your books.

The important thing to know first: an omnibus reads its books live. It doesn't copy them. Every time you build it, it prints each book as it is that day, so a typo you fix in book two is fixed in the omnibus too, with nothing to redo.

Make one from a series

In the Library, open the … menu on the series' row and choose Make an omnibus of it….
Give it a title, such as The Complete Saga, and press Enter.

Write makes the omnibus on that series' shelf, holding every book in the series in shelf order. It opens in the editor, tagged Omnibus in your Library.

To start, it borrows the first book's page setup and the way its chapters open. Both are the omnibus's own from then on, so you can change them without touching the books.

Make one from any of your books

For a mix that isn't one series—your first books from two series, say—click New omnibus at the top of the Library (it's there once you have at least two books). Give it a title, choose the pen name and page setup, and press Enter. It opens empty: add its books from the Books list, as below. The first book you add lends it its chapter openings, the same way a series omnibus borrows them.

Choose which books it holds

Where a book would list its chapters, an omnibus lists its Books.

Add a book: click + beside Books and choose any of your books, from any series.
Change the order: hover over a book and use ↑ and ↓. The order in the list is the order they print in.
Take one out: hover over it and click ×. The book itself is untouched; it just stops being in the omnibus.
Work on a book's chapters: click its title. That opens the book itself, which is where its chapters are written.

Screenshot: an omnibus open in the editor, with Front matter, the Books list (hover buttons showing on one row) and Back matter on the left.

If you archive one of the books, the omnibus keeps it in the list, faded, but leaves it out of the build until you restore it.

What prints

The omnibus's own front and back matter, such as its title page, copyright page and contents. A new omnibus starts with a contents page. Each book's own dedication, copyright page and about-the-author are left behind; add what the omnibus needs to its own front and back matter.
Each book behind its own title page: its title, subtitle, series line and byline, on a right-hand page.
Each book's chapters, numbered as that book numbers them, with its parts if the book prints parts.
A contents page that lists the books, with each book's chapters indented beneath it. The ebook's navigation is nested the same way.
Running heads that name the book a page belongs to, not the omnibus.

The whole volume uses the omnibus's page setup and chapter openings, so it reads as one designed book. Preview shows it; Publish builds it, with its own ISBNs from Book details.

Good to know

An omnibus has no chapters of its own, so you can't add one or import a manuscript into it.
Only you can change which books it holds, and only with books you own. If you share the omnibus, whoever you share it with can read its books' text in it.