I recently purchased Scrivener (2.5) during a MacUpdate promo (still available at the time of writing). It is a really good app, and I could list all its benefits for structuring the writing of large documents, but there are some features that if added would make it not only a better tool for writing but also an app that might be extended into book production. And it is these features that I wish to focus on here.
Note: I am very new to Scrivener, so these are early observations. If you have knowledge to contradict my findings, please post in the comments. (And of course if you have your own wishes to cast out into the world, please add those to the comments too.)
Auto-update redefined styles
You can create a style, or what Scrivener calls a preset format, by using the Format menu (Format->Formatting->New Preset From Selection). However, when you choose to redefine a format (Redefine Preset From Selection) it doesn't auto-update all the other instances in the way you'd expect a word processor to do. You need to do this update manually by highlighting the paragraphs and selecting the style again.
Word styles
There is the Formatting feature described above and you can name styles but these do not export to Word. Instead only the local formatting exports.
EPUB 3 support
Currently books are exported to EPUB 2 format. Going forwards we need EPUB 3.
Indexing
If the app is to support more than fiction, then an indexing feature is required. One that is cross-compatible with InDesign would of course be the one on my wish list, which leads me nicely on to InDesign Markup Language support.
IDML support
OK, so this is a big wish. And probably not something the majority of writers need. And Word export with styles would be a good interim measure. XML export would be nice too. But neither of these is compatible with InDesign's index tags. Only IDML achieves this. (Scrivener 4.0?)
Further reading
'What You Won't Find in Scrivener 2.0' (Literature and Latte, blog)
'Insert Word Styles on Compile?' (Literature and Latte, forum)
'Insert Word Styles on Compile?' (Literature and Latte, forum)
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