How can doc/docx files be converted to markdown or structured text?

Question

Is there a program or workflow to convert .doc or .docx files to Markdown or similar text?

PS: Ideally, I would welcome the option that a spec

Answer 1

You can use Word to Markdown (Ruby Gem) to convert it in one step. Conversion can be as simple as:

$ gem install word-to-markdown
$ w2m path/to/document.docx

It routes the document through LibreOffice, but also does it best to semantice headings based on their relative font size.

There's also a hosted version which would be as simple as drag-and-drop to convert.