---
title: "Book writing software for a novel in Slovak"
description: "Write and typeset a Slovak novel: „low-high quotes“ as you type, hyphenation by Slovak rules, the full diacritic set intact through export, and a print-ready PDF."
source: https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-slovak
---
# Book writing software for writing a novel in Slovak

TL;DR Amazon does not publish in Slovak in any format, so the file is the product. Galley gives you a print-ready PDF a Slovak printer can work from, a valid EPUB for the stores that do sell Slovak, Slovak hyphenation and the „low-high“ quote pair.

Slovenčina

## Ako napísať román po slovensky

V Galley píšete román a robíte z neho knihu. Píšete od prvej vety na skutočnej knižnej strane: váš formát, vaše okraje, písmo hotovej knihy.

Úvodzovky sú slovenské, delenie slov sa riadi slovenskými pravidlami a na výber je pätnásť knižných písem, všetky so slobodnou licenciou, takže smiete predávať to, čo vytlačíte.

Na konci máte PDF pripravené do tlačiarne a platný súbor EPUB. Rozhranie je po anglicky; kniha je po slovensky.

## Why Galley is the right book writing software for a novel in Slovak

Slovak has the same publishing shape as Czech and a smaller market, and the fact
that decides everything is the same: **Amazon does not publish in Slovak in any
format.** No Kindle store, no paperback, no hardcover. The file you make is the
whole product.

So the file has to be right. Galley’s print-ready PDF is a finished interior at
your trim, with mirrored margins, a real gutter and the font embedded, which is
what a Slovak printer wants. The EPUB is valid and belongs to no particular
store, which is what everything except Amazon wants.

The typesetting is where most tools fall over on Slovak. The quote pair is „low,
then high“ and English-first software gives you the curly one. Slovak needs
hyphenation in a justified line. And ľ, ĺ, ŕ and ô are exactly the characters a
shallow font drops. Galley picks the quote pair from the book’s language,
carries Slovak patterns, and every face on the shelf covers the full set.

Everything else is the same app: a [true book page](https://usegalley.com/features/make-the-book) at
your trim, the [story bible](https://usegalley.com/features/story-bible) beside the manuscript, a
print-ready PDF and a valid EPUB.

## How Slovak gets typeset

**Hyphenation follows Slovak rules**, in the justified print PDF only.

**The full diacritic set goes all the way through**, including the two Slovak
letters most likely to break something, ĺ and ŕ, and including into the download
filename.

**Sorting is Slovak**, so č, š, ž and ô land where a Slovak reader expects them.

**Italics work.** The italic in each of these faces was drawn, not computed.

## The typefaces you get for Slovak

Fifteen faces, all under the [SIL Open Font License](https://openfontlicense.org/).

**EB Garamond** is the safe first choice for a novel.

![Sample sentence in EB Garamond](https://usegalley.com/images/specimens/eb-garamond-en.png)

**Charis SIL** has the deepest diacritic coverage on the shelf, which is the
thing to want in Slovak.

![Sample sentence in Charis SIL](https://usegalley.com/images/specimens/charis-sil-en.png)

**Literata** reads well at small sizes and sets an even page.

![Sample sentence in Literata](https://usegalley.com/images/specimens/literata-en.png)

The rest of the shelf: Crimson Pro, Cormorant, Lora, Libre Baskerville, Source
Serif 4, Spectral, Alegreya, Vollkorn, Cardo, Gentium Book Plus, Newsreader and
Libre Caslon Text. The [typeface documentation](https://usegalley.com/docs/book-design#typeface) lists
every face by language.

## Exports for a Slovak novel

- **Print-ready PDF** at your trim, mirrored margins, real gutter, font embedded.

- **EPUB 3** with your cover, tagged `sk`.

- **Store-ready EPUBs** for Kobo and Apple Books.

- **Word and Markdown** for a redaktor or an archive.

- **Manuscript format**, double-spaced.

- **A proofreading PDF** two pages to a sheet, and a **large print PDF**.

- **A watermarked copy per beta reader**.

The Amazon-shaped tools switch off on a Slovak book and say why.

## Slovak punctuation

The quote pair you get automatically. Slovak dialogue is commonly set with a
dash at the head of the line, and that is a character you type.

Slovak keeps the same non-breaking space habit as Czech after one-letter words,
and those survive into the print PDF once you type them. The editor’s Invisibles
toggle shows where they are.

The [dialogue punctuation rules](https://usegalley.com/resources/dialogue-punctuation-rules) and
[dashes, hyphens and ellipses](https://usegalley.com/resources/dashes-hyphens-and-ellipses) sheets
cover the general cases.

## How long a Slovak novel is

Slovak publishing counts in autorské hárky, one hárok being 36,000 characters
including spaces, the same unit Czech uses. Galley counts words, so expect to
convert at roughly 6.5 characters per word with spaces.

The [word count to page count converter](https://usegalley.com/resources/word-count-to-page-count)
turns a length into a page count at your trim.

## Trim sizes for a Slovak book

Six standards, from mass market at 4.25×6.87 inches to Royal at 6.14×9.21.
Slovak trade fiction is commonly issued around 13×20cm, close to the Digest at
5.5×8.5 inches.

The [spine width calculator](https://usegalley.com/resources/book-spine-width-calculator) and the
[trim size comparison](https://usegalley.com/resources/book-trim-size-comparison) would be helpful here.

## Metadata and the copyright page

The [copyright page](https://usegalley.com/docs/publishing#copyright-page) writes itself from the
metadata you filled in. A Slovak ISBN comes from the Slovenská národná knižnica.

## Translating into or out of Slovak

A translation in Galley is its own book: its own language, its own typeface
shelf, its own ISBN, its own cover, still linked to the original, with the editor
split so the original sits read-only beside what you write.

There are pages on [writing a novel in Czech](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-czech),
[writing a novel in Polish](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-polish) and
[writing a novel in Slovenian](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-slovenian).

No machine touches the prose. Galley has
[no AI anywhere near your writing](https://usegalley.com/blog/no-ai-in-your-prose).

## Self-publishing and traditional publishing in Slovak

**Self-publishing.** Print through a Slovak printer or IngramSpark. Ebook
through Martinus, Google Play, Apple Books or Kobo. All of them take a standard
print PDF and a standard EPUB.

**Traditional publishing.** The Slovak trade is small and reads submissions
directly. The [submission package](https://usegalley.com/docs/publishing#where-it-goes) assembles the
synopsis, the bio and the opening chapters. Support from the Fond na podporu
umenia is a real part of how Slovak literary fiction gets published.

The same book exports both. The longer arguments are in
[Galley for self-publishing](https://usegalley.com/blog/galley-for-self-publishing) and
[Galley for traditional publishing](https://usegalley.com/blog/galley-for-traditional-publishing).

## Where to go next

- [Writing software for novelists who don’t write in English](https://usegalley.com/blog/write-a-novel-in-your-language)
covers every script Galley sets.

- [Book design and typefaces](https://usegalley.com/docs/book-design#typeface) lists every face by
language.

- [Series and translations](https://usegalley.com/docs/series-and-translations) covers the full
language list.

- [From manuscript to published book](https://usegalley.com/blog/manuscript-to-published-book) is the
whole route.

## Questions people ask about writing a novel in Slovak

### Can I sell a Slovak book on Amazon KDP?

No. Amazon does not list Slovak in any format. Every Galley export still works, so the file goes to a Slovak printer, to IngramSpark, or to a store that sells Slovak ebooks.

### Which quote marks does a Slovak book get?

The low-then-high pair, „like this“, which is the Slovak convention. The rule follows the book's language.

### Does Galley hyphenate Slovak?

Yes, on Slovak patterns, and only in the print PDF when you justify.

### Do ľ, ĺ, ŕ and ô survive export?

Yes, along with the rest of the Slovak set, through typing, autosave, search, sorting, both exports and the download filename.

## Other languages

- [Book writing software for Czech](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-czech)Write and typeset a Czech novel: „low-high quotes“ as you type, hyphenation by Czech rules, háček and kroužek intact through every export, and a print-ready PDF.
- [Book writing software for Polish](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-polish)Write and typeset a Polish novel: „low-high quotes“ as you type, hyphenation by Polish rules, fifteen book faces and a print-ready PDF. Including the Amazon rule that catches Polish writers out.
- [Book writing software for Slovenian](https://usegalley.com/book-writing-software-slovenian)Write and typeset a Slovenian novel: „low-high quotes“ as you type, hyphenation by Slovenian rules, č š ž intact through export, and a print-ready PDF for a Slovenian printer.

Start the book. Galley sets it in Slovak from the first sentence to the print PDF.

[Launch Galley](https://app.usegalley.com)
