Quick Start Guide

Get started with the Nellie API in 5 minutes.

API Version: v1
Base URL: https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1

Step 1: Get Your Credentials

1. Get Your API Key

Open the Nellie mobile app
Go to Settings → API Management on mobile, or https://app.nelliewriter.com/api on web
Select the API Keys tab
Tap “Create Key”
Give it a name (e.g., “My Project”)
Copy the key immediately - it won’t be shown again!

Your API key will look like: nel_abc123def456...

2. Get Your Webhook Secret (Optional)

If you plan to use webhooks to receive notifications:

Go to the Webhooks tab
Copy your Webhook Signing Secret

Your Webhook Secret will look like: whsec_...

Step 2: Make Your First Request

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key and run:

curl -X POST https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1/book \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "A mystery story about a missing artifact",
    "style": "mystery",
    "type": "novel",
    "images": true,
    "author": "Your Name",
    "custom_tone": "Snappy dialogue and high tension",
    "model": "2.0",
    "output_format": "pdf",
    "webhook_url": "https://your-site.com/webhook"
  }'

You’ll get back a response like:

{
  "success": true,
  "requestId": "uuid-of-request",
  "status": "queued",
  "statusUrl": "https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1/status/uuid-of-request",
  "message": "Job queued successfully"
}

Step 3: Check Progress

Use the requestId to check status:

curl https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1/status/uuid-of-request

Response shows progress:

{
  "requestId": "uuid-of-request",
  "status": "processing",
  "progress": 45,
  "messages": [
    "Processing.."
  ],
  "creditsUsed": 0
}

Step 4: Get Your Results

Keep polling until status is "completed":

{
  "requestId": "uuid-of-request",
  "status": "completed",
  "progress": 100,
  "resultUrl": "https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1/download/uuid-of-request",
  "creditsUsed": 250
}

Download your generated content from the resultUrl!

Parameters Explained

Required Parameters

None! All parameters are optional.

Optional Parameters

prompt (string, optional)
- Describe what you want Nellie to create.
- If omitted, Nellie will generate a unique prompt for you!
- Example: "A thriller about a hacker in Tokyo"
style (string, default: automatic)
- Pick from: automatic, action, horror, history, sci_fi, superhero, mystery, drama, romance, fantasy, adventure, crime, western, comedy, epic, thriller, mythology, folklore, fable, fairy_tale, legend, psychological, suspense, noir, paranormal, dystopian, post_apocalyptic, cyberpunk, alternate_history, gothic, tragedy, surrealism.
type (string, default: automatic)
- Output format options: automatic, novel, comic, non_fiction, manga, textbook, childrens, self_help, short_story.
images (bool, default: false)
- true to request AI-generated illustrations, false to skip.
author (string, default: Nellie)
- Attribution that will appear on the generated content.
custom_tone (string, default: "")
- Additional tone or writing guidance layered on top of the style.
model (string, default: 2.0)
- Choose Nellie release 2.0 or 3.0 depending on quality vs. speed.
output_format (string, default: txt)
- Export format options: txt, pdf, epub, md, html, json.
webhook_url (string, optional)
- A URL that Nellie will POST to when the job is finished (success or failure).
- Eliminates the need to poll for status!

Python Example

import requests
import time

API_KEY = "nel_your_key_here"
BASE_URL = "https://api.nelliewriter.com/v1"

# Start generation
response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/book",
    headers={
        "X-API-Key": API_KEY,
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "prompt": "A fantasy adventure in a magical forest",
        "style": "fantasy",
        "type": "novel",
        "images": True,
        "author": "AI Writer",
        "custom_tone": "Optimistic, whimsical narration",
        "model": "3.0",
        "output_format": "epub"
    }
)

request_id = response.json()["requestId"]
print(f"Started! Request ID: {request_id}")

# Poll for completion
while True:
    status = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/status/{request_id}").json()
    print(f"Progress: {status['progress']}%")
    
    if status['status'] == 'completed':
        print("Done! Result:", status['resultUrl'])
        break
    elif status['status'] == 'failed':
        print("Failed:", status.get('errorMessage'))
        break
    
    time.sleep(120)

Credits & Pricing

Each generation consumes credits based on:

Content length
Number of images
AI model used

Typical costs:

Full book: 250 credits (Nellie 2.0), 500 credits (Nellie 3.0)

Purchase credits in the Nellie app.

Need Help?

Full Documentation: See (OVERVIEW.md)
Email Support: support@buzzleco.com
Check Status: View your API keys and usage in the app or on the site

Tips

✅ DO

Poll every 120 seconds
Store your API key securely
Handle errors with retry logic
Check your credit balance

❌ DON’T

Share your API key publicly
Poll faster than every 120 seconds
Commit keys to git repositories
Assume instant completion (advanced generations take up to 80 minutes)

That’s it! You’re ready to generate books with the Nellie API. 🎉