firstread is a private, controlled space where authors share unpublished manuscripts with beta readers — built around the protection and the analytics that serious writers actually need. It's the project we're proudest of.
Getting honest, useful feedback on a draft is harder than it should be. Most authors are stuck between two poor options: share a Google Doc — no insight into how the book is actually read, and trivially easy to copy — or pay for tools that are expensive and clunky.
firstread is the alternative. An author invites a controlled set of beta readers into a clean, distraction-free reading experience, and gets back something a shared document never could: a precise picture of how the book is really being read, page by page.
Controlled access, a proper reading experience, protection for the work, and feedback that's actually measurable.
Authors generate invite codes with a set number of reader slots, share a single link, and readers register and agree to terms before they see a page.
A clean reading interface with light, dark, and sepia modes and adjustable font sizes — comfortable for long sessions.
Text selection, right-click, copy, print, and save-as are all blocked, and content loads dynamically behind authentication — there's nothing in the page source to lift.
Every paragraph is invisibly watermarked per reader. If a draft ever leaks, the author knows exactly which reader it came from.
See how long readers spend on each paragraph, which chapters they re-read, where they put the book down, and how far they scroll.
Readers leave notes on a specific paragraph, a whole chapter, or the work as a whole — comments anchored exactly where they belong.
Beyond free-text notes, readers rate pacing, characters, writing quality, and enjoyment — and flag whether they'd recommend the book.
Authors upload cover art and collect separate reader ratings on it — so the cover gets tested alongside the writing.
When an author's invite slots fill up, a built-in waitlist keeps interested readers in line for the next opening. And firstread collects no personal data unless a reader chooses to volunteer it — the focus stays on the book, not the reader.
firstread isn't a social network, it isn't Wattpad, and it isn't a publishing platform. It does one thing deliberately well: it's a private, controlled environment for getting honest feedback on work that isn't finished yet. That focus is the entire point.
firstread started the way the best tools usually do — someone needed it. It was built to get real feedback on a set of unpublished novellas when nothing on the market fit. It's now being readied to open up, so that any author can run their beta reads the same way.
The platform is live and being prepared to welcome independent authors everywhere.
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