What you can and cannot see based on your role
What you see on Next Chapters depends on how you are involved with a book. Your role determines which books appear in your dashboard, which chapters you can read, and what actions you are allowed to take.
For private books, this is simple. For shared and community books, visibility is more structured, so collaboration remains organized.
Private books
Private books are only visible to the author who created them.
If you are writing a private book, you are the only person who can see the book, its chapters, worksheets, and settings. No other users can view or access the book in any way.
Because private books are solo projects, there are no additional roles to consider.
Community books
Community books are visible to contributors who are part of the project and, depending on the book’s configuration, may also have a public facing page.
If you are contributing to a community book, you can see the book, its chapters, and any discussions or tools made available to contributors.
What you can do inside the book depends on whether you are managing the project or contributing content. Contributors typically write and submit chapters, while managers handle approvals and coordination.
Group books
Group books are shared projects with controlled access.
Only invited contributors can see a group book. If you are invited to a group book, it will appear in your dashboard and book list.
Free members can be invited to participate in group books, but a paid subscription is required to create one.
Visibility inside a group book is limited to its contributors, keeping the project private to the invited group.
Sharing a book with Next Chapters staff
Any book, including private books, can be shared with Next Chapters staff at the discretion of the book owner.
This option is intended for authors who want writing help, feedback, editing, or collaborative support from the Next Chapters team. Sharing access does not change ownership of the book and does not grant Next Chapters any intellectual property rights over your writing.
Staff access is only enabled when the book owner chooses to allow it and can be removed at any time.
Managers and approvals
If you are managing a book, you can see all submitted chapters, review drafts, leave feedback, and approve or decline content.
If you are contributing but not managing, you can see your own chapters and approved chapters written by others, but you may not see drafts or submissions that are still under review.
This separation helps keep the review process clear and avoids confusion during collaboration.
Public visibility
Some community books may have public facing pages that allow others to read approved chapters or follow the project.
Private and group books do not appear publicly and are never visible to users who are not explicitly part of the project.
Finding what you have access to
Your dashboard and My Books page only show books you are allowed to see. If a book does not appear there, it means you do not currently have access to it.
Your My Chapters page only shows chapters you have written, regardless of which books they belong to.
If you are unsure why something is visible or hidden, it is usually related to your role in that book.