Where We Are
Three months ago, Writers Grove was just a landing page and a newsletter signup. Today we have a functional reading platform with user accounts, AI protection, and the foundation for everything to come.
Here’s what’s working on beta.writersgrove.net:
- Reading experience - Browse series, books, and chapters with keyboard navigation
- User accounts - Magic link authentication and username claiming
- Reader/Author toggle - Switch between modes (Author dashboard coming soon)
- AI protection - Rate limiting designed to make scraping impractical
The reading side is solid. Now it’s time to build the writing side.
The Road Ahead
We’re breaking development into focused sprints. Here’s what’s coming.
Phase 1: Infrastructure Hardening
Before we add more features, we’re strengthening the foundation.
Database Migration
Moving from Neon’s serverless PostgreSQL to AWS RDS. This gives us predictable costs as traffic grows and eliminates cold start latency.
Performance Caching
A custom in-memory cache for chapter content. Hot chapters stay in RAM, reducing database load and improving response times. Built without external dependencies - just Go and good architecture.
Reading Progress
Track where readers left off. A buffered write system that batches updates to avoid hammering the database while keeping your place saved.
Phase 2: Author Tools
This is the big one. Everything authors need to create and manage their stories.
Series Management
- Create new series with title, description, and cover image
- Set genre tags for discoverability
- Mark series as complete, ongoing, or on hiatus
- Control visibility (published vs. draft)
Book Organization
- Add books within a series
- Reorder books with drag-and-drop
- Individual book covers and descriptions
- Standalone books (no series required)
Chapter Editor
- Clean writing interface focused on the words
- Markdown support for formatting
- Draft and publish workflow
- Version history for peace of mind
- Schedule chapters for future publication
Content Warnings
- NSFW flagging at series, book, or chapter level
- AI-generated content disclosure
- Custom content warnings (violence, themes, etc.)
Phase 3: Reader Features
Making the reading experience more personal.
User Profiles
- Public author pages showing all their work
- Bio, links, and social connections
- Reader profiles (optional) for community features
Library Management
- Bookmarks and reading lists
- Follow favorite authors
- Continue reading from where you left off
- Reading history
Notifications
- New chapter alerts for followed series
- Author announcements
- Comment replies (when we add comments)
Phase 4: Discovery
Helping readers find their next favorite story.
Search
- Full-text search across series, books, and chapters
- Filter by genre, length, status, content warnings
- Author search
Browse Improvements
- Genre pages
- Trending and popular lists
- New releases feed
- Staff picks and featured content
Recommendations
- “If you liked this, try…” suggestions
- Based on reading history and follows
Phase 5: Community & Monetization
Building sustainable income for authors and the platform.
Comments & Reviews
- Chapter comments
- Series reviews and ratings
- Moderation tools for authors
Monetization (For Authors)
- Bring your own Stripe account
- Tip jar / support button
- Premium chapters (pay-to-unlock)
- No revenue share on the $14.95/month premium plan
Platform Sustainability
- Tasteful ads on free tier (author-controlled opt-out for premium)
- Premium subscriptions for ad-free reading
- Keep the core platform free forever
Timeline
We’re not putting dates on these phases. Software estimates are usually wrong, and we’d rather ship solid features than rush to meet arbitrary deadlines.
What we can promise:
- Phase 1 is actively in progress
- Phase 2 (Author Tools) is the immediate priority after infrastructure
- We’ll ship features to beta as they’re ready
- Production releases will follow once beta is stable
What We Won’t Do
Some things that aren’t on the roadmap:
- AI writing assistants - Writers Grove is for human creativity
- Algorithmic feeds that bury content - Discovery should help authors, not hide them
- Complicated pricing tiers - Free or $14.95/month, that’s it
- Taking a cut of author earnings - Premium authors keep 100% of their revenue
Get Involved
The best way to shape Writers Grove is to use it and tell us what’s missing.
- Try the beta - beta.writersgrove.net
- Join Discord - discord.gg/vd9RWGm6AP
- Sign up for updates - writersgrove.net
Your username is waiting. Claim it before someone else does.
Questions or feedback? Reach out at steven@writersgrove.net
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