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Quick Start Guide

Nellie API 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 #

  1. Open the Nellie mobile app
  2. Go to Settings → API Management on mobile, or https://app.nelliewriter.com/api on web
  3. Select the API Keys tab
  4. Tap “Create Key”
  5. Give it a name (e.g., “My Project”)
  6. 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:

  1. Go to the Webhooks tab
  2. 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. 🎉