Do Royal Road Stories Count Toward Apple Books Reading Goals?

You can download a Royal Road story as an EPUB, add it to Apple Books, and read it offline. Apple does not say whether EPUB files you import yourself count toward daily reading time, so you will need to test the story in Apple Books and check today’s total.

Download the Royal Road story with WP Downloader

WP Downloader is a free web tool with nothing to install. You do not need a Royal Road account.

1. Open the Royal Road downloader.
2. Copy the story’s Royal Road URL. It should look like this:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/12345

3. Paste the link into WP Downloader.
4. Choose EPUB. This format is free for everyone.
5. If you want the story’s images in the book, turn on the option to include them.
6. Download the finished file.

The download contains the whole fiction, including every chapter, in one file. If the author publishes more chapters, download the story again. WP Downloader cannot add new chapters to an EPUB you already have.

You can also download a PDF after signing in with Discord for free. WP Downloader does not create MOBI, AZW3, or TXT files.

For more detail, read how to download a Royal Road story.

Add the EPUB to Apple Books

Apple Books opens EPUB and PDF files on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Imported books appear in your Library.

On iPhone or iPad

1. Find the downloaded EPUB in the Files app or Safari’s downloads.
2. Open the Share menu.
3. Choose Books.

Apple Books will add the story to your Library.

On Mac

Open the Books app and drag the EPUB into it. You can also open the File menu and choose Add to Library.

When the import finishes, open the story from your Library.

How Apple Books Reading Goals work

Apple Books tracks how many minutes you read each day and how many books and audiobooks you finish each year.

The daily goal is five minutes by default. To change it on an iPhone or iPad, open the Reading Now tab. On a Mac, use Home.

Apple’s documentation does not explain whether EPUB files you import yourself add to your daily reading time. A Royal Road story may appear in your Library and open normally without confirming whether it counts toward the goal.

Check whether your imported Royal Road EPUB counts

Test the EPUB on your device:

1. Open Apple Books and note today’s reading time.
2. Open the imported Royal Road story.
3. Read for a minute or two.
4. Return to Reading Now on an iPhone or iPad, or Home on a Mac.
5. Check whether today’s reading time has increased.

If the total increases, Apple Books is counting the reading time on your device. If it does not, the imported EPUB may not be adding to your daily goal.

This short test does not guarantee how Apple Books will record every session, but it lets you check what happens with that file on your device.

What if you downloaded a PDF?

PDF reading counts toward your goal only when Include PDFs is turned on.

On current versions of iOS, open Settings, then Apps, then Books, and turn on Include PDFs. On older versions, open Settings, then Books, and find the same option.

Once the setting is on, open the Royal Road PDF in Apple Books, read for a minute or two, and check whether today’s reading time increases.

Test the format you plan to read. An EPUB and a PDF may not be tracked the same way, and PDFs require the Include PDFs setting.

Other ways to read your downloaded story

You can also use the downloaded story with another e-reader. See the guides for sending Royal Road stories to Kindle or reading Royal Road stories on Kobo.

FAQ

Do imported Royal Road EPUBs definitely count toward Apple Books Reading Goals?

Apple’s documentation does not say whether EPUB files you import yourself count toward daily reading time. Read the story for a minute or two, then check whether today’s total has increased.

Do Royal Road PDFs count toward the daily goal?

They count only when Include PDFs is turned on in the Books settings.

Do I need a Royal Road account to download a story?

No. WP Downloader can download a Royal Road fiction without an account.

Can WP Downloader update my EPUB when new chapters appear?

No. Download the story again to create a new file with all chapters available at that time.

Can I change the Apple Books daily reading goal?

Yes. Change it from Reading Now on an iPhone or iPad, or from Home on a Mac.