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Frequently Asked Questions

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About

What is ChapterBuzz?

ChapterBuzz is a community of writers and readers where you can write & share your novel, get feedback & fine-tune your work, grow your readership, and accomplish your ultimate goal: publishing your book.

The end result? A finished novel that you know readers already love—no need to second-guess yourself, or cross your fingers hoping that people like it.


How does it work?
  • Start right now, for free. You can join for free and start posting chapters right away.
  • Fans & Fame await you. Attract readers by earning as many Fame Points as you can. The more Fame Points you earn, the more your name and your book will be featured front-and-center, with your author profile in the spotlight so you can build your readership. Your followers will get updates on your writing journey—and will also be the first to know when your book is published & available for sale!
  • Fine-tune your novel. Friendly feedback and constructive criticism from our community helps you improve your manuscript as you write, and lets you know what is resonating with readers, so that you can publish your book with confidence.


Why should I join ChapterBuzz?

With your free ChapterBuzz membership, you can:
  • Enjoy reading exciting, original books & novels-in-progress
  • Discover & support talented, up-and-coming authors
  • Get recommendations in your favorite genres
  • Help authors fine-tune their manuscripts by giving feedback
  • Write your own novel and reach new readers!
Join now


I'm nervous that people won't like my writing. Will I fit in here?

Yes, in fact, you're one of the main reasons I designed this site!

ChapterBuzz is where you can meet other authors, get more exposure for your writing, and even win an award for a job well done.

How do you become a better writer? You receive feedback on your writing, which easy to do here. We're talking about friendly feedback, and constructive criticism, by the way. That's the key to getting better and gaining confidence: constant practice and continual fine-tuning based on reader input.

One thing's for certain: you won't succeed unless you try, and literary success is all about taking risks, stretching your comfort zone, and growing as a writer. Just wait till your book becomes BuzzWorthy, then ChartWorthy, then FameWorthy, and you start climbing the Ladder of Fame—what a rush! You'll love it here. We're all seriously having a blast. We all started out a little nervous, but most of all, excited. Come on in, the water's fine.


How do I get started?

Whether you're a writer or not, start now by joining for free.

Not quite ready to join? Get wrapped up in one of our many books!


What is my Fan Club?

Your Fan Club is an easy way for you to earn ChapterBucks, which are valuable website credits you can use to publish your book once it’s finished.

Since only those readers with a Fan Club All-Access Pass—a low-cost monthly subscription—can join your Fan Club, we are able to fund a pool of ChapterBucks that we divide among our authors at the end of each month.

The bigger your Fan Club (relative to other authors), the bigger your share of ChapterBucks.

Save up your ChapterBucks and redeem them for one of our publishing packages to make your book available to the world on Amazon!

You can also use ChapterBucks to reward helpful feedback comments, become Author of the Week, or give to other writers to support them on their journey.


How do I get Buzz for my book?

Readers click the "Buzz!" button on every chapter they like. The more Buzzes you get, the faster you move up the ChapterBuzz Chart!


How do I climb the charts?

Once you start climbing the charts, you'll know people are enjoying your writing. It's a great feeling!

Quite simply, your position on the chart is based on how many readers have Buzzed your chapters.

Here are some tips for climbing ever higher:
  • Post at least 3 chapters. To be eligible for the chart, you must have publicly posted at least 3 chapters for your book. This is so that readers have plenty to enjoy!
  • Earn Fame Points. The more Fame Points you earn, the more your name shows up around the site and in the e-mails we send to everyone each week. Fortunately, Fame Points are easy to earn!
  • Invite new readers. This is a powerful way to climb to the top. Since your position on the chart is based on how many people are reading and Buzzing your chapters, simply inviting friends and social media followers to read your book can help you to soar.
Remember, it's your book that climbs the chart, not you as an author. This means that you could have more than one book on the chart, each at a different position.


What are Fame Points?

Fame Points help you keep your author profile in the spotlight.

As you earn Fame Points, your name and book title(s) will appear in more places on the site: in people's Discovery Feeds, in recommendations, and in e-mails sent to all ChapterBuzz members. In addition, authors with the highest Fame Scores will appear at the top of our Top Authors Page.

See also: How do I earn Fame Points?


How do I earn Fame Points?

Below are the actions that will earn you Fame Points. Keep in mind that you can earn double (or more) Fame Points with an upgraded membership to ChapterBuzz!
  • Buzz a chapter. 1 Point. These Points are awarded for each chapter you Buzz. If you like a chapter, let the author know! You'll also be helping the book move up the ChapterBuzz Chart.
  • Upvote a feedback comment. 1 Point. Whenever you upvote someone's feedback comment, you'll receive these Points.
  • Give feedback to other writers. 5 Points. Leave a feedback comment for another writer, and you'll get these Points for each member who upvotes it. Feel good knowing that your feedback is helping writers improve their novels!
  • Post chapters for us to read. 10 Points. These Points will be awarded each time a reader Buzzes one of your chapters. (Great job, by the way—it means they are enjoying your work!)
  • Get a new follower (or Fan Club member). 10 Points. Whenever you get a new follower or new member of your Fan Club, you'll be awarded these Points.
  • Make your book FameWorthy. 25 Points. Once your book becomes FameWorthy, you'll earn these Points. This is a significant milestone, because you'll also start climbing the Ladder of Fame, on your way to becoming a SuperStar Author! Learn how to make your book FameWorthy
  • Add your book to the Beta Shelf. 100 Points. Once you've typed "The End" on your first draft, you can add your novel to the Beta Shelf, where many benefits await you—as well as a ton of Fame Points.
  • Qualify for Member-Only Reads. 250 Points. Congratulations! You've published your book and added it to our Member-Only Reads section—and earned these Fame Points to boot.
Remember, you can earn double (or more) Fame Points with an upgraded membership to ChapterBuzz.

You can also rack up Fame Points in the 20-Year Novel Club. All you have to do is...
  • Join the Club. First things first: you've gotta be a Club member before you can start rolling in all of your new Fame Points. Join the Club here, we'd love to have you!
  • Post word count updates. 1–100 Points. Each day, once you write at least 10 words, let us know about it by posting your word count for all Club members to see! You'll get one Fame Point per post, but for every 30 days in a row you post, you'll earn 100 Fame Points.
  • Give a "Way to go!" compliment. 1 Point. When a Club writer posts a word count update, you can click "Way to go!" to get one Fame Point. This is similar to the "Like" button on Facebook. Do this as much as you want—we all love to be complimented and encouraged!
  • Get a "Way to go!" compliment. 5 Points. When the compliment, as described above, is directed your way, you've got some Fame Points coming to you.
See also: What are Fame Points?


How many Fame Points do I have?

Your Fame Point totals are displayed along the top of your Home page.

You'll see two totals:
  • Weekly Fame Points, or the number of Fame Points you've earned in the last 7 days (this determines your ranking on our Top Authors page)
  • Lifetime Fame Points, or the number of Fame Points you've earned since you joined ChapterBuzz

How is it possible that my Lifetime Fame Points have decreased?

The most common reason is deleted items. Your Fame Point totals only include activity pertaining to existing items, and won't reflect activity on any items that have been deleted, such as chapters, books, or feedback comments.


What is my Tier of Authorship?

Your Tier of Authorship specifies where you are in your writing journey. This helps other community members know more readily what you've achieved so far and what challenges you might currently be facing, and also helps me better personalize your Discovery Feed.

Simply find your Tier below, then set it here:
  • Tier I. I am unpublished, but plan to write a book. So far, I have not completed any chapters.
  • Tier II. I am unpublished, but currently writing a book. I've written at least one chapter.
  • Tier III. I have one published book on the market, either e-book or print. Note: Co-authored books count as long as your name (or your pen name) appears on the book. However, inclusion in an anthology, or ghostwritten works, do not count.
  • Tier IV. I have 2–4 published books on the market.
  • Tier V. I have 5 or more published books on the market.
Again, you may set or change your Authorship Tier here.


What is my Author Status?

Your Author Status is the combination of your Tier of Authorship and your position on the Ladder of Fame.

First, take your Tier of Authorship:
  • Tier I
  • Tier II
  • Tier III
  • Tier IV
  • Tier V
Then, combine it with your position on the Ladder of Fame:
  • Newcomer
  • Potential Star
  • Rising Star
  • Star
  • SuperStar
Example: if your Tier of Authorship is Tier II, and you've achieved the level of Rising Star on the Ladder of Fame, your Author Status is "Tier II Rising Star Author."


How is my Author Rank calculated?

Your Author Rank on ChapterBuzz is calculated using the number of Fame Points you've earned, the Buzz your books have received, and your position on the Ladder of Fame.

To rank higher, simply get involved and be as active in our community as you can! This will lead to greater visibility and help you stand out more as an author here.


What is my Authority?

Your Authority is how well your feedback comments are received by members of our community. When you provide a feedback comment, anyone reading it will have a chance to vote up or down using the arrows next to the comment.

You'll get +5 Authority for every vote up, and -1 Authority for every vote down.

To increase your Authority, give as much feedback as you can! Feedback sections are located below every chapter (as long as the author has feedback enabled).


I don't feel "qualified" to give feedback. Can I still provide it?

Most definitely! Everyone's input matters equally, just in different ways. While experienced writers can provide specific suggestions to help with wording, pacing, plot elements, and more, non-writers are very much encouraged to give their candid opinions on what they read. After all, an author's readership will likely be mostly non-writers.

Did something not make sense to you? Chances are it wouldn't make sense to other people either, and pointing that out gives the writer a chance to clarify. Maybe you noticed a discrepancy, thought a certain section dragged a little, or spotted a typo. You can make the writer aware of this by adding your feedback.

Bottom line: even the most non-technical input can help immensely, and as a community, we're all about helping our writers produce the best finished products possible.

See also: How do I accept feedback on my writing?


Is any genre allowed on ChapterBuzz?

For the most part, yes. Fiction usually works best, although non-fiction narratives are welcome too. Ultimately, keeping readers interested and wanting more is the name of the game, so if your genre can do that, you're in good shape.

Keep in mind that images are not currently supported by ChapterBuzz, so if your book relies heavily on artwork, it probably won't be a fit.

We're pretty open and flexible about genre here, but as you can imagine, more extreme material is outright prohibited on ChapterBuzz. For more, please refer to the ChapterBuzz Terms of Use.


How Do I...?

How do I search for a writer I know?

Our search page lets you search by author name or title.


How do I share my ChapterBuzz page?

Simply share your link, which is:

http://www.chapterbuzz.com/YourUsername

...anywhere you can, like social media, your blog, or your business card. Here are some powerful ways to share

Also, our invite page helps you share automatically! Try it out


How do I post and share a chapter?

From the My Books page, locate your book title, expand the chapter list, then click "+ New chapter."

You'll be guided through 3 steps:

1. Chapter title (and optionally, subtitle). Example: If your chapter is called "Chapter 5: The Plan," Chapter 5 is the title and The Plan is the subtitle.

2. Chapter text. Here, either compose or paste in your chapter text, in much the same manner you would create a blog post. Then click "Preview."

(IMPORTANT: Our text editor does not auto-save as you type, nor keep backup versions of your work. Please make sure your work is saved elsewhere before posting!)

3. Preview & post. If the preview looks good, the last step is to click "Post it!" to make your chapter public.


Why is my chapter not showing up publicly?

You may not have officially posted it yet, or you may have deactivated it at some point.

To fix this:
  1. From the My Books page, locate your book title and expand the chapter list
  2. Expand the "More" option next to the chapter you want
  3. Select "Make public" from the menu that appears, then confirm on the next screen
That should do it!

See also: Posting and sharing chapters


How do I make a chapter private?

If you don't want a certain chapter to show up in your book's chapter list, either keep it in saved draft form, or if you've already posted it publicly, you can deactivate it.


How do I edit my chapter information?

From the My Books page, locate your title, expand the chapter list, and click "Manage" next to the chapter you want.

You'll be able to modify:
  • Chapter title
  • Chapter subtitle
  • Your book's genre
  • Your book's content rating
  • Your chapter text

How do I deactivate a chapter?

If you would like to temporarily remove a chapter from public view, you can deactivate the chapter.

From the My Books page, locate your title and expand the chapter list. Expand the "More" option next to the chapter you want. The "Deactivate" option should appear, and you will be asked to confirm on the next screen.

See also: Deactivating your book


How do I activate my Fan Club?

Along the top of your Home page, you will see a "Fan Club" section among your other stats. Choose the "Activate!" option.

Alternatively, you can navigate directly to www.chapterbuzz.com/fanclub/activate.

See also: What is my Fan Club?


How do I make chapters "Fan Club Only"?

Two ways:

1. When you go to create your chapter, you'll see a "Fan Club only?" field on the first screen with two options: "All readers" or "My Fan Club only." Choose the latter option to make the chapter visible only to your Fan Club.

2. You can always change this setting on the My Books page. Locate your book title, expand the chapter list, and under the "Fan Club only?" column, there is an option to change the setting.


How do I accept feedback on my writing?

This is a feature that can be turned on or off, through your Settings page. You can also specify who can make comments: just readers and writers in your Circle, or any ChapterBuzz member.


How do I ask people to give me feedback?

One effective way to ask people for feedback is to post a top-level comment (a top-level comment is any comment that is not a reply) in the feedback section of the chapter you're seeking feedback for. When you, as the author, post a top-level comment in your own comment section, all of your followers (how do I get more followers?) will receive an e-mail notification with your comment.

Try to be as specific as you can, like "Just posted this chapter, please let me know if Jason's dialogue is realistic in the kitchen scene," or "Does the middle of this chapter drag?" Specific requests lead to higher quality feedback.


How do I add a book cover?

From the My Books page, locate your book title, then click the "+ Add book cover" option.


How do I deactivate my book?

From the My Books page, locate your book title, then expand the "More" option. The "Deactivate" option that appears will allow you to temporarily remove your book from public view.

See also: Deactivating a chapter


How do I post a review of a book?

At ChapterBuzz, reviews can be posted by expert reviewers only. If you are an expert reviewer and would like to be added to our Service Directory, please take a look at our Service Directory requirements.

If you are already listed as a reviewer in our Service Directory, first search for the book you'd like to post a review for, then click "Add review" on the book's page and follow the prompts.


How do I display ChapterBuzz badges or icons on my blog's sidebar?

One of the most powerful ways to bring people (your soon-to-be followers!) over to your ChapterBuzz page is to place a clickable icon or badge on your blog's sidebar. You'll just need the snippet of HTML code from our How to Share page.

Here's how to add this to your sidebar (for WordPress blogs):
  1. Go to your WordPress Dashboard:
    https://yourblogname.wordpress.com/wp-admin/
  2. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets
  3. Under the "Widgets" section, drag a "Custom HTML" widget to the "Sidebar" area at right
  4. In the Title field, type "Read my book on ChapterBuzz"
  5. In the Content field, paste the HTML code snippet we gave you
  6. Click "Save," and done!
Your badge should now appear in your blog's sidebar, which is visible from any page in your blog, and your followers will be able to click through directly to your ChapterBuzz profile.


How do I log out?

From your Settings page, scroll down to the "Account" section, where there is a "Sign out" link.


How do I delete my account?

We hope you don't want you to, but it's possible (and as permanent as can be). You'll find this option at the bottom of your settings page. You must be logged in, and have your account password handy.







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