Platform

Changelog

What changed on ChapterTrail — fixes, features, and reader-facing improvements.

  1. Account safety & UI polish

    • Admin Users page split into verified and unverified accounts, with registration and verification dates.
    • Unverified accounts are automatically removed after 24 hours.
    • Stricter email verification and signup checks reduce fake accounts.
    • Password reset no longer activates unverified accounts; email confirmation requires a button click on the verify page.
    • Trending carousel restored on the home page and browse genre shelves.
    • Mobile home page stacks Recently Posted and On The Rise in a single column.
    • Discover and Help header menus stay open when moving the mouse into the dropdown.
    • Login and register modal panels show one form at a time again.

  2. Search, payments & reader polish

    • Keyword search works again across titles, authors, genres, synopses, and tags.
    • Header search is now a one-time query instead of a saved taste filter.
    • Continue Reading and browse shelves no longer hide results when a stale search term was saved.
    • Authors can set up payouts and supporter subscriptions through Stripe Connect — bank and tax details stay with Stripe, not on ChapterTrail.
    • New Payments page in Author Studio for Stripe onboarding, payout status, and supporter pricing.
    • Home page Recently Posted list layout fixed in the scroll panel.

  3. Search, payments & reader polish

    • Keyword search works again across titles, authors, genres, synopses, and tags.
    • Header search is now a one-time query instead of a saved taste filter.
    • Continue Reading and browse shelves no longer hide results when a stale search term was saved.
    • Changelog and Contact pages added, linked from the site footer.
    • Reader page visits are now tracked for platform traffic analytics.

  4. Account & profile

    • Email verification flow for new accounts.
    • Password reset from the login screen.
    • Profile banner uploads and richer account settings.

  5. Reader tools

    • Saved discovery filters for genres, ratings, and content preferences.
    • Content reporting for fiction, chapters, and forum posts.
    • Reader actions: shelve, read later, and reading history.

  6. Platform foundations

    • Scheduled maintenance notices for readers and authors.
    • Author analytics and read-stat rollups.
    • Forums, browse shelves, and public author profiles.

  7. ChapterTrail launch

    • Serial publishing with chapter studio and fiction editor.
    • Public discovery hub with trending, newest, and completed shelves.
    • Author studio dashboard for managing works and chapters.