diff --git a/manual/creating_plugins.rst b/manual/creating_plugins.rst
index fe58b6e34e..b595cd1611 100644
--- a/manual/creating_plugins.rst
+++ b/manual/creating_plugins.rst
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ and query the books database in |app|.
 
 You can download this plugin from `interface_demo_plugin.zip <http://calibre-ebook.com/downloads/interface_demo_plugin.zip>`_
 
+.. _import_name_txt:
+
 The first thing to note is that this zip file has a lot more files in it, explained below, pay particular attention to
 ``plugin-import-name-interface_demo.txt``.
 
@@ -180,6 +182,73 @@ You can see the ``prefs`` object being used in main.py:
 .. literalinclude:: plugin_examples/interface_demo/main.py
     :pyobject: DemoDialog.config
 
+
+Edit Book plugins
+------------------------------------------
+
+Now let's change gears for a bit and look at creating a plugin to add tools to
+the |app| book editor. The plugin is available here:
+`editor_demo_plugin.zip  <http://calibre-ebook.com/downloads/editor_demo_plugin.zip>`_. 
+
+The first step, as for all plugins is to create the
+import name empty txt file, as described :ref:`above <import_name_txt>`.
+We shall name the file ``plugin-import-name-editor_plugin_demo.txt``. 
+
+Now we create the mandatory ``__init__.py`` file that contains metadata about
+the plugin -- its name, author, version, etc.
+
+.. literalinclude:: plugin_examples/editor_demo/__init__.py
+    :lines: 8-
+
+A single editor plugin can provide multiple tools each tool corresponds to a
+single button in the toolbar and entry in the :guilabel:`Plugins` menu in the
+editor. These can have sub-menus in case the tool has multiple related actions.
+
+The tools must all be defined in the file ``main.py`` in your plugin. Every
+tool is a class that inherits from the
+:class:`calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin.Tool` class. Let's look at ``main.py``
+from the demo plugin, the source code is heavily commented and should be
+self-explanatory. Read the API documents of the
+:class:`calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin.Tool` class for more details.
+
+main.py
+^^^^^^^^^
+
+Here we will see the definition of a single tool that does a does a couple of
+simple things that demonstrate the editor API most plugins will use.
+
+.. literalinclude:: plugin_examples/editor_demo/main.py
+    :lines: 8-
+
+Let's break down ``main.py``. We see that it defines a single tool, named
+*Magnify fonts*. This tool will ask the user for a number and multiply all font
+sizes in the book by that number.
+
+The first important thing is the tool name which you must set to some
+relatively unique string as it will be used as the key for this tool.
+
+The next important entry point is the
+:meth:`calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin.Tool.create_action`. This method creates
+the QAction objects that appear in the plugins toolbar and plugin menu.
+It also, optionally, assigns a keyboard shortcut that the user can customize.
+The triggered signal from the QAction is connected to the ask_user() method
+that asks the user for the font size multiplier, and then runs the
+magnification code.
+
+The magnification code is well commented and fairly simple. The main things to
+note are that you get a reference to the editor window as ``self.gui`` and the
+editor *Boss* as ``self.boss``. The *Boss* is the object that controls the editor
+user interface. It has many useful methods, that are documented in the
+:class:`calibre.gui2.tweak_book.boss.Boss` class.
+
+Finally, there is ``self.current_container`` which is a reference to the book
+being edited as a :class:`calibre.ebooks.oeb.polish.container.Container`
+object. This represents the book as a collection of its constituent
+HTML/CSS/image files and has convenience methods for doing many useful things.
+The container object and various useful utility functions that can be reused in
+your plugin code are documented in :ref:`polish_api`.
+
+
 Adding translations to your plugin
 --------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/__init__.py b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13fac4f6e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+from __future__ import (unicode_literals, division, absolute_import,
+                        print_function)
+
+__license__ = 'GPL v3'
+__copyright__ = '2014, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>'
+
+from calibre.customize import EditBookToolPlugin
+
+
+class DemoPlugin(EditBookToolPlugin):
+
+    name = 'Edit Book plugin demo'
+    version = (1, 0, 0)
+    author = 'Kovid Goyal'
+    supported_platforms = ['windows', 'osx', 'linux']
+    description = 'A demonstration of the plugin interface for the ebook editor'
+    minimum_calibre_version = (1, 46, 0)
diff --git a/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/images/icon.png b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/images/icon.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7512b6ef07
Binary files /dev/null and b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/images/icon.png differ
diff --git a/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/main.py b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/main.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8cda8c7f92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/main.py
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+from __future__ import (unicode_literals, division, absolute_import,
+                        print_function)
+
+__license__ = 'GPL v3'
+__copyright__ = '2014, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>'
+
+import re
+from PyQt4.Qt import QAction, QInputDialog
+from cssutils.css import CSSRule
+
+# The base class that all tools must inherit from
+from calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin import Tool
+
+from calibre import force_unicode
+from calibre.gui2 import error_dialog
+from calibre.ebooks.oeb.polish.container import OEB_DOCS, OEB_STYLES, serialize
+
+class DemoTool(Tool):
+
+    #: Set this to a unique name it will be used as a key
+    name = 'demo-tool'
+
+    #: If True the user can choose to place this tool in the plugins toolbar
+    allowed_in_toolbar = True
+
+    #: If True the user can choose to place this tool in the plugins menu
+    allowed_in_menu = True
+
+    def create_action(self, for_toolbar=True):
+        # Create an action, this will be added to the plugins toolbar and
+        # the plugins menu
+        ac = QAction(get_icons('images/icon.png'), 'Magnify fonts', self.gui)  # noqa
+        if not for_toolbar:
+            # Register a keyboard shortcut for this toolbar action. We only
+            # register it for the action created for the menu, not the toolbar,
+            # to avoid a double trigger
+            self.register_shortcut(ac, 'magnify-fonts-tool', default_keys=('Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D',))
+        ac.triggered.connect(self.ask_user)
+        return ac
+
+    def ask_user(self):
+        # Ask the user for a factor by which to multiply all font sizes
+        factor, ok = QInputDialog.getDouble(
+            self.gui, 'Enter a magnification factor', 'Allow font sizes in the book will be multiplied by the specified factor',
+            value=2, min=0.1, max=4
+        )
+        if ok:
+            # Ensure any in progress editing the user is doing is present in the container
+            self.boss.commit_all_editors_to_container()
+            try:
+                self.magnify_fonts(factor)
+            except Exception:
+                # Something bad happened report the error to the user
+                import traceback
+                error_dialog(self.gui, _('Failed to magnify fonts'), _(
+                    'Failed to magnify fonts, click "Show details" for more info'),
+                    det_msg=traceback.format_exc(), show=True)
+                # Revert to the saved restore point
+                self.boss.revert_requested(self.boss.global_undo.previous_container)
+            else:
+                # Show the user what changes we have made, allowing her to
+                # revert them if necessary
+                self.boss.show_current_diff()
+                # Update the editor UI to take into account all the changes we
+                # have made
+                self.boss.apply_container_update_to_gui()
+
+    def magnify_fonts(self, factor):
+        # Magnify all font sizes defined in the book by the specified factor
+        # First we create a restore point so that the user can undo all changes
+        # we make.
+        self.boss.add_savepoint('Before: Magnify fonts')
+
+        container = self.current_container  # The book being edited as a container object
+
+        # Iterate over all style declarations int he book, this means css
+        # stylesheets, <style> tags and style="" attributes
+        for name, media_type in container.mime_map.iteritems():
+            if media_type in OEB_STYLES:
+                # A stylesheet. Parsed stylesheets are cssutils CSSStylesheet
+                # objects.
+                self.magnify_stylesheet(container.parsed(name), factor)
+                container.dirty(name)  # Tell the container that we have changed the stylesheet
+            elif media_type in OEB_DOCS:
+                # A HTML file. Parsed HTML files are lxml elements
+
+                for style_tag in container.parsed(name).xpath('//*[local-name="style"]'):
+                    if style_tag.text and style_tag.get('type', None) in {None, 'text/css'}:
+                        # We have an inline CSS <style> tag, parse it into a
+                        # stylesheet object
+                        sheet = container.parse_css(style_tag.text)
+                        self.magnify_stylesheet(sheet, factor)
+                        style_tag.text = serialize(sheet, 'text/css', pretty_print=True)
+                        container.dirty(name)  # Tell the container that we have changed the stylesheet
+                for elem in container.parsed(name).xpath('//*[@style]'):
+                    # Process inline style attributes
+                    block = container.parse_css(elem.get('style'), is_declaration=True)
+                    self.magnify_declaration(block, factor)
+                    elem.set('style', force_unicode(block.getCssText(separator=' '), 'utf-8'))
+
+    def magnify_stylesheet(self, sheet, factor):
+        # Magnify all fonts in the specified stylesheet by the specified
+        # factor.
+        for rule in sheet.cssRules.rulesOfType(CSSRule.STYLE_RULE):
+            self.magnify_declaration(rule.style, factor)
+
+    def magnify_declaration(self, style, factor):
+        # Magnify all fonts in the specified style declaration by the specified
+        # factor
+        val = style.getPropertyValue('font-size')
+        if not val:
+            return
+        # see if the font-size contains a number
+        num = re.search(r'[0-9.]+', val)
+        if num is not None:
+            num = num.group()
+            val = val.replace(num, '%f' % (float(num) * factor))
+            style.setProperty('font-size', val)
+        # We should also be dealing with the font shorthand property and
+        # font sizes specified as non numbers, but those are left as exercises
+        # for the reader
diff --git a/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/plugin-import-name-editor_plugin_demo.txt b/manual/plugin_examples/editor_demo/plugin-import-name-editor_plugin_demo.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/manual/plugins.rst b/manual/plugins.rst
index c228fcd703..f609589c70 100644
--- a/manual/plugins.rst
+++ b/manual/plugins.rst
@@ -195,3 +195,13 @@ Viewer plugins
    :show-inheritance:
    :members:
    :member-order: bysource
+
+Edit Book plugins
+--------------------
+
+.. autoclass:: calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin.Tool
+   :show-inheritance:
+   :members:
+   :member-order: bysource
+
+
diff --git a/manual/polish.rst b/manual/polish.rst
index d268f39070..43f10dc85b 100644
--- a/manual/polish.rst
+++ b/manual/polish.rst
@@ -120,3 +120,16 @@ Working with the Table of Contents
 
 .. autofunction:: create_inline_toc
 
+
+Controlling the editor's user interface
+-----------------------------------------
+
+The ebook editor's user interface is controlled by a single global *Boss*
+object. This has many useful methods that can be used in plugin code to
+perform common tasks.
+
+.. module:: calibre.gui2.tweak_book.boss
+
+.. autoclass:: Boss
+   :members:
+
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/boss.py b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/boss.py
index 996eb1a699..dd43113e2d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/boss.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/boss.py
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         self.ignore_preview_to_editor_sync = False
         setup_cssutils_serialization()
         _boss = self
+        self.gui = parent
 
     def __call__(self, gui):
         self.gui = gui
@@ -221,6 +222,11 @@ class Boss(QObject):
             self.gui.blocking_job('import_book', _('Importing book, please wait...'), self.book_opened, func, src, dest, tdir=self.mkdtemp())
 
     def open_book(self, path=None, edit_file=None, clear_notify_data=True):
+        '''
+        Open the ebook at ``path`` for editing. Will show an error if the ebook is not in a supported format or the current book has unsaved changes.
+
+        :param edit_file: The name of a file inside the newly openend book to start editing.
+        '''
         if not self._check_before_open():
             return
         if not hasattr(path, 'rpartition'):
@@ -314,6 +320,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         self.gui.file_list.build(container)
 
     def apply_container_update_to_gui(self):
+        ' Update all the components of the user interface to reflect the latest data in the current book container '
         self.refresh_file_list()
         self.update_global_history_actions()
         self.update_editors_from_container()
@@ -581,6 +588,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
             ac.setText(text + ' "%s"'%(getattr(gu, x + '_msg') or '...'))
 
     def add_savepoint(self, msg):
+        ' Create a restore checkpoint with the name specified as ``msg`` '
         self.commit_all_editors_to_container()
         nc = clone_container(current_container(), self.mkdtemp())
         self.global_undo.add_savepoint(nc, msg)
@@ -588,6 +596,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         self.update_global_history_actions()
 
     def rewind_savepoint(self):
+        ' Undo the previous creation of a restore checkpoint, useful if you create a checkpoint, then abort the operation with no changes '
         container = self.global_undo.rewind_savepoint()
         if container is not None:
             set_current_container(container)
@@ -613,6 +622,12 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         return d
 
     def show_current_diff(self, allow_revert=True, to_container=None):
+        '''
+        Show the changes to the book from its last checkpointed state
+
+        :param allow_revert: If True the diff dialog will have a button to allow the user to revert all changes
+        :param to_container: A container object to compare the current container to. If None, the previously checkpointed container is used
+        '''
         self.commit_all_editors_to_container()
         d = self.create_diff_dialog()
         d.revert_requested.connect(partial(self.revert_requested, self.global_undo.previous_container))
@@ -644,6 +659,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
     # }}}
 
     def set_modified(self):
+        ' Mark the book as having been modified '
         self.gui.action_save.setEnabled(True)
 
     def fix_html(self, current):
@@ -750,7 +766,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
                 self.gui.central.pre_fill_search(text)
 
     def search(self, action, overrides=None):
-        ' Run a search/replace '
+        # Run a search/replace
         sp = self.gui.central.search_panel
         # Ensure the search panel is visible
         sp.setVisible(True)
@@ -767,13 +783,13 @@ class Boss(QObject):
                    self.gui, self.show_editor, self.edit_file, self.show_current_diff, self.add_savepoint, self.rewind_savepoint, self.set_modified)
 
     def find_word(self, word, locations):
-        ' Go to a word from the spell check dialog '
+        # Go to a word from the spell check dialog
         ed = self.gui.central.current_editor
         name = editor_name(ed)
         find_next_word(word, locations, ed, name, self.gui, self.show_editor, self.edit_file)
 
     def next_spell_error(self):
-        ' Go to the next spelling error '
+        # Go to the next spelling error
         ed = self.gui.central.current_editor
         name = editor_name(ed)
         find_next_error(ed, name, self.gui, self.show_editor, self.edit_file)
@@ -855,6 +871,9 @@ class Boss(QObject):
                 self.gui.file_list.build(container)
 
     def commit_all_editors_to_container(self):
+        ''' Commit any changes that the user has made to files open in editors to
+        the container. You should call this method before performing any
+        actions on the current container '''
         changed = False
         with BusyCursor():
             for name, ed in editors.iteritems():
@@ -865,6 +884,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         return changed
 
     def save_book(self):
+        ' Save the book. Saving is performed in the background '
         c = current_container()
         for name, ed in editors.iteritems():
             if ed.is_modified or not ed.is_synced_to_container:
@@ -1094,6 +1114,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
             self.ignore_preview_to_editor_sync = False
 
     def sync_preview_to_editor(self):
+        ' Sync the position of the preview panel to the current cursor position in the current editor '
         if self.ignore_preview_to_editor_sync:
             return
         ed = self.gui.central.current_editor
@@ -1103,6 +1124,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
                 self.gui.preview.sync_to_editor(name, ed.current_tag())
 
     def sync_live_css_to_editor(self):
+        ' Sync the Live CSS panel to the current cursor position in the current editor '
         ed = self.gui.central.current_editor
         if ed is not None:
             name = editor_name(ed)
@@ -1135,6 +1157,11 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         self.gui.central.add_editor(name, editor)
 
     def edit_file(self, name, syntax=None, use_template=None):
+        ''' Open the file specified by name in an editor
+
+        :param syntax: The media type of the file, for example, ``'text/html'``. If not specified it is guessed from the file extension.
+        :param use_template: A template to initialize the opened editor with
+        '''
         editor = editors.get(name, None)
         if editor is None:
             syntax = syntax or syntax_from_mime(name, guess_type(name))
@@ -1156,6 +1183,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         return editor
 
     def show_editor(self, name):
+        ' Show the editor that is editing the file specified by ``name`` '
         self.gui.central.show_editor(editors[name])
         editors[name].set_focus()
 
@@ -1270,6 +1298,7 @@ class Boss(QObject):
         self.close_editor(name)
 
     def close_editor(self, name):
+        ' Close the editor that is editing the file specified by ``name`` '
         editor = editors.pop(name)
         self.gui.central.close_editor(editor)
         editor.break_cycles()
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/plugin.py b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/plugin.py
index 95cbf0c328..af77d58a58 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/plugin.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/plugin.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from PyQt4.Qt import QToolButton
 
 from calibre import prints
 from calibre.customize.ui import all_edit_book_tool_plugins
-from calibre.gui2.tweak_book import tprefs
+from calibre.gui2.tweak_book import tprefs, current_container
 from calibre.gui2.tweak_book.boss import get_boss
 
 class Tool(object):
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ class Tool(object):
         ' The main window of the user interface '
         return self.boss.gui
 
+    @property
+    def current_container(self):
+        ' Return the current :class:`calibre.ebooks.oeb.polish.container.Container` object that represents the book being edited. '
+        return current_container()
+
     def register_shortcut(self, qaction, unique_name, default_keys=(), short_text=None, description=None, **extra_data):
         '''
         Register a keyboard shortcut that will trigger the specified ``qaction``. This keyboard shortcut
@@ -103,12 +108,17 @@ def load_plugin_tools(plugin):
 def plugin_action_sid(plugin, tool, for_toolbar=True):
     return plugin.name + tool.name + ('toolbar' if for_toolbar else 'menu')
 
+plugin_toolbar_actions = []
+
 def create_plugin_action(plugin, tool, for_toolbar, actions=None, toolbar_actions=None, plugin_menu_actions=None):
     try:
         ac = tool.create_action(for_toolbar=for_toolbar)
+        if ac is None:
+            raise RuntimeError('create_action() failed to return an action')
     except Exception:
+        prints('Failed to create action for tool:', tool.name)
         import traceback
-        traceback.print_stack()
+        traceback.print_exc()
         return
     sid = plugin_action_sid(plugin, tool, for_toolbar)
     if actions is not None and sid in actions:
@@ -120,6 +130,7 @@ def create_plugin_action(plugin, tool, for_toolbar, actions=None, toolbar_action
         if for_toolbar:
             if toolbar_actions is not None:
                 toolbar_actions[sid] = ac
+                plugin_toolbar_actions.append(ac)
             ac.popup_mode = {'instant':QToolButton.InstantPopup, 'button':QToolButton.MenuButtonPopup}.get(
                 tool.toolbar_button_popup_mode, QToolButton.DelayedPopup)
         else:
@@ -127,9 +138,15 @@ def create_plugin_action(plugin, tool, for_toolbar, actions=None, toolbar_action
                 plugin_menu_actions.append(ac)
     return ac
 
+_tool_memory = []  # Needed to prevent the tool object from being garbage collected
+
 def create_plugin_actions(actions, toolbar_actions, plugin_menu_actions):
+    del _tool_memory[:]
+    del plugin_toolbar_actions[:]
+
     for plugin in all_edit_book_tool_plugins():
         for tool in load_plugin_tools(plugin):
+            _tool_memory.append(tool)
             if tool.allowed_in_toolbar:
                 create_plugin_action(plugin, tool, True, actions, toolbar_actions, plugin_menu_actions)
             if tool.allowed_in_menu:
@@ -141,3 +158,4 @@ def install_plugin(plugin):
             sid = plugin_action_sid(plugin, tool, True)
             if sid not in tprefs['global_plugins_toolbar']:
                 tprefs['global_plugins_toolbar'] = tprefs['global_plugins_toolbar'] + [sid]
+
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/preferences.py b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/preferences.py
index af3c5b25ed..806f7780dd 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/preferences.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/tweak_book/preferences.py
@@ -400,13 +400,16 @@ class ToolbarSettings(QWidget):
         return unicode(self.bars.itemData(self.bars.currentIndex()).toString())
 
     def build_lists(self):
+        from calibre.gui2.tweak_book.plugin import plugin_toolbar_actions
         self.available.clear(), self.current.clear()
         name = self.current_name
         if not name:
             return
         items = self.current_settings[name]
         applied = set(items)
-        if name.startswith('global_'):
+        if name == 'global_plugins_toolbar':
+            all_items = {x.sid:x for x in plugin_toolbar_actions}
+        elif name.startswith('global_'):
             all_items = toolbar_actions
         elif name == 'editor_common_toolbar':
             all_items = {x:actions[x] for x in tprefs.defaults[name] if x}