diff --git a/example/CSVExtract.hs b/example/CSVExtract.hs
--- a/example/CSVExtract.hs
+++ b/example/CSVExtract.hs
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
    opt <- OP.execParser $ Option.info Option.parser
    let placeholders = ListHT.chop (','==) $ Option.columns opt
    let ignore = ListHT.chop (','==) $ Option.ignore opt
-   template <- readFile $ Option.template opt
+   template <- Option.readTemplate opt
    interact $ \input ->
       Sheet.toString (Option.quotation opt) (Option.delimiter opt) $
       (if Option.header opt then (placeholders:) else id) $
diff --git a/example/CSVExtract/Option.hs b/example/CSVExtract/Option.hs
--- a/example/CSVExtract/Option.hs
+++ b/example/CSVExtract/Option.hs
@@ -34,9 +34,7 @@
          OP.help "Emit column headers")
    <*> Option.delimiter
    <*> Option.quotation
-   <*> (OP.strArgument $
-         OP.metavar "TEMPLATE" <>
-         OP.help "Template file")
+   <*> Option.template
 
 
 data Option =
@@ -44,5 +42,5 @@
       columns, ignore :: String,
       header :: Bool,
       delimiter, quotation :: Char,
-      template :: FilePath
+      readTemplate :: IO String
    }
diff --git a/example/CSVReplace.hs b/example/CSVReplace.hs
--- a/example/CSVReplace.hs
+++ b/example/CSVReplace.hs
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 main :: IO ()
 main = do
    opt <- OP.execParser $ Option.info Option.parser
-   template <- readFile $ Option.template opt
+   template <- Option.readTemplate opt
    sheet <-
       Sheet.fromString (Option.quotation opt) (Option.delimiter opt) <$>
       getContents
diff --git a/example/CSVReplace/Option.hs b/example/CSVReplace/Option.hs
--- a/example/CSVReplace/Option.hs
+++ b/example/CSVReplace/Option.hs
@@ -27,14 +27,12 @@
          OP.help "Generate one file per CSV row")
    <*> Option.delimiter
    <*> Option.quotation
-   <*> (OP.strArgument $
-         OP.metavar "TEMPLATE" <>
-         OP.help "Template file")
+   <*> Option.template
 
 
 data Option =
    Option {
       multiFile :: Maybe FilePath,
       delimiter, quotation :: Char,
-      template :: FilePath
+      readTemplate :: IO String
    }
diff --git a/example/Option.hs b/example/Option.hs
--- a/example/Option.hs
+++ b/example/Option.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 module Option where
 
 import qualified Options.Applicative as OP
+import Control.Applicative ((<|>))
 
 import Data.Monoid ((<>))
 
@@ -31,3 +32,16 @@
       "\\t" -> Right '\t'
       _ -> Left $
          name ++ " must be one character, which " ++ show str ++ " is not"
+
+template :: OP.Parser (IO String)
+template =
+   (fmap readFile $
+    OP.strArgument $
+      OP.metavar "TEMPLATE" <>
+      OP.help "Template file")
+   <|>
+   (fmap return $
+    OP.strOption $
+      OP.long "template" <>
+      OP.metavar "TEXT" <>
+      OP.help "Template text")
diff --git a/spreadsheet.cabal b/spreadsheet.cabal
--- a/spreadsheet.cabal
+++ b/spreadsheet.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:             spreadsheet
-Version:          0.1.3.6
+Version:          0.1.3.7
 License:          BSD3
 License-File:     LICENSE
 Author:           Henning Thielemann <haskell@henning-thielemann.de>
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
   Location: http://code.haskell.org/~thielema/spreadsheet/
 
 Source-Repository this
-  Tag:      0.1.3.6
+  Tag:      0.1.3.7
   Type:     darcs
   Location: http://code.haskell.org/~thielema/spreadsheet/