Cloning a book

Cloning a book allows a new project to be created from an existing one without changing the original. The cloned book becomes its own workspace and can continue independently.

Book owners can clone their own books intentionally to explore a new direction, reuse a structure, or create an alternate version of a project. When this happens, the cloned book inherits selected planning information and structure from the original but starts as a separate project going forward.

In community books, cloning can also occur when a contributor’s chapter submission is declined. Subscribers who submit a chapter to a community book have the option to clone the book up to that point, replacing the rejected submission with their own chapter and continuing the project independently. The cloned project remains a community book and follows the same participation rules as any other community book.

Subscribers who create community books can choose whether cloning is allowed. This option lets a book owner opt out of allowing contributors to create cloned versions of the book if their submissions are declined.

When a community book is cloned, all existing work remains properly credited. Chapters written by other authors continue to display their original authorship, and planning contributions such as plot elements, characters, or structural setup retain credit for the writers who created them. Cloning does not erase or reassign authorship.

Not all information carries over during cloning. Activity history, submission states, and review status do not transfer so the new book starts clean. The cloned book has its own checklist, progress tracking, and workspace while preserving the established content up to the point of cloning.

Only users with the appropriate permissions can initiate cloning. Contributors cannot clone private group books unless explicitly permitted, and contributors to personal books do not have access to cloning options unless they are also the book owner.

Cloning a book does not automatically make it visible beyond the platform. The cloned book follows the same rules as any other newly created book, including visibility and access based on its type.

Cloning provides a way to continue writing without friction while respecting collaboration, authorship, and the integrity of the original project.