Social Hub: publishing chapter previews
Narraya's Social Hub: publish selected chapters in preview, with shareable link and moderated comments. A controlled preview, not a publication.
Every independent author knows the dilemma: publishing too early risks burning the material, publishing too late risks never finding the first readers. In between lies an uncertain art, made of attempts, beta-readers, Facebook groups, newsletters, story platforms. Narraya's Social Hub offers a different option: a controlled preview, inside an environment dedicated to writing.
A preview, not a publication
The Social Hub is a social page inside Narraya where you can publish selected chapters — not the whole book, only the ones you choose — with a shareable URL. Readers (registered or not, depending on your preferences) can read the chapter in a clean typographic view. If you enable it, they can also leave comments — moderated, civil, not an open wall.
It isn't Wattpad and doesn't want to be. It isn't an editorial site with endless feeds. It's a space closer to a "shared reading room": small, curated, at the service of writing.
Who it's for
For testing an opening
You publish only the first chapter of your novel. Share the link with selected people — friends, colleagues, a mailing list. Collect reactions on the initial hook before finishing the book.
For a finished short story
You've written a self-contained story but aren't sure whether it merits formal publication. The Social Hub gives you a dignified place to propose it and measure reactions, without building a blog from scratch.
For a serialized saga
You're writing a saga and want to build an audience during the writing. You publish one chapter a week. Readers become loyal, comment, turn into your first echo chamber when the book is really out.
How to publish a chapter
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Open the chapter.
From the editor, select "Publish to Social Hub" from the chapter menu. It is an explicit action: nothing gets published by mistake.
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Configure the options.
Public or restricted visibility (with shared link), comments open/closed, a brief presentation of the chapter that readers will see.
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Confirm.
The chapter becomes available at the dedicated URL. You receive the link to share where you wish: social, mail, private messages.
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Edit or remove whenever.
You can remove the chapter from the Social Hub at any time. Comments left remain in your private archive even after removal, so you can reread them.
Publishing a preview chapter on the Social Hub doesn't make you renounce any author's rights. They remain entirely yours. Some publishers, however, consider "first publication" any online release of a chapter: if you have a publishing contract in mind, check with the publisher — it's good practice, independent of platform. In any case, the Social Hub is a controlled preview, not a commercial publication.
Privacy remains yours
The Social Hub principle is: only chapters you choose, with the options you set. The rest of the book — narrative memory, character sheets, dictionary, unpublished chapters — remains private in your Narraya space. There is no "default" visibility: every act of publication is an explicit choice, and you can revoke it at any time.
A note on comments: when you enable them, registered readers can leave messages. You are always the only moderator: you can reply, hide, remove. There are no algorithms "pushing" your content to a general audience. Access to your chapter happens through the link you share, not through a viral feed. It's an important difference from other social reading platforms.
When the Social Hub isn't needed
If you're writing a novel with a contract already signed, you probably don't want to publish previews online. If you don't want to manage comments and interactions (even few), better keep the book private until publication. If your audience already exists elsewhere — on Substack, on a personal blog, in a newsletter — the Social Hub may be an unneeded duplicate.
It is a useful tool for those who want to try, not an obligation for those who publish in Narraya.
Writing behind closed doors and writing with a reader already alongside you are two different modes — both legitimate. The Social Hub serves only in the second case, and only when needed. In the first case, you never open it, and that's fine.
Want to see what a public chapter page looks like? The live demo includes a sample published preview.