Publishing chapters to beta readers and sharing private reader links

What Pendrilo Online does

Pendrilo Online connects Studio to pendrilo.com so you can share chapters with beta readers. You publish the chapters you choose, then give each reader a private link. Readers open the link in a browser and don't need an account. Their comments come back to Studio and appear highlighted on the exact words they were about. You can reply to comments, mark them resolved, or delete them.

Pendrilo Online works in Studio only. It's free during the beta, and you need a free pendrilo.com account to use it.

Studio doesn't contact pendrilo.com in the background. It connects only when you publish, make or revoke a link, check for comments, or open a book you've published.

Connect Studio to your account

You connect each computer once. Studio never sees your password.

1. In Studio, click Online in the top bar, or choose Book → Pendrilo Online…. Then click Connect….
2. Your browser opens pendrilo.com. Sign in if asked.
3. Studio shows a code, such as WDJB-MJHT. The website shows the same code and the name of this computer, and asks you to check the code matches.
4. Click Allow on the website.
5. Return to Studio. It finishes connecting by itself within a few seconds. You can close the web page.

If the browser didn't open, click Open the Page Again in Studio. Cancel stops connecting. If you click Deny, nothing is connected. If you didn't just click Connect in Studio yourself, always choose Deny.

Publish chapters

1. Open Pendrilo Online and click the Publish tab.
2. Tick the chapters readers may read. All ticks everything and None clears the ticks. The first time, every chapter is ticked except front and back matter.
3. Click Publish.
4. The first time, Studio shows Before you publish, listing exactly what will be sent. Read it, then click Publish.

Studio tells you how many chapters it published. Chapters already online are marked "online" in the list.

What leaves your computer

When you publish, Studio sends the text and titles of the chapters you ticked, plus the book's title and your author name. It also sends the book's Details for your author page: the cover, series, genre, logline, blurb and store links. To keep those on your computer, untick Also send Book Details to my author page in the Publish tab.

Nothing else leaves your computer. Your notes, comments, codex, plot, unticked chapters and pictures stay on your computer. Pictures inside chapters aren't published yet. Publishing only happens when you click Publish.

Publish again after revising

1. Open the Publish tab. It shows when you last published.
2. Change the ticks if you like.
3. Click Publish Again.

Your readers' links and their comments stay in place. If you untick a chapter that was published before, it's hidden from readers, including on links you've already made. It isn't deleted, and its comments are kept. Tick it again and publish to bring it back.

Make a beta-reader link

Publish at least one chapter first. Then:

1. Open the Beta Readers tab.
2. Click New Reader Link….
3. Fill in the form and click Create Link.

The form has these fields:

Name: the reader's name, or a group name such as "Book club," so you can tell links apart. The reader sees this name on their page and on the passphrase screen.
Chapters this reader can read: a link keeps exactly the chapters you tick. Chapters you publish later aren't added to existing links.
Passphrase (optional): the reader must type it before they can read.
Stops working after (optional): a date written year-month-day, such as 2026-12-31.
Questions to ask at the end (optional): one per line, up to two. For example, "Where did you stop wanting to read?"

If the website turns the link down, the form closes and Studio shows why. Click New Reader Link… and fill the form in again.

Share or revoke a link

Each link is listed on the Beta Readers tab.

Copy Link copies the link. Send it to your reader however you like.
Revoke stops the link working straight away, with no question first. It can't be undone from Studio. The reader's comments stay. If you revoke a link by mistake, make a new one and send that instead.

Links with a passphrase are marked "passphrase." Revoked links are marked "revoked."

Follow progress and questions

Under each link, Studio shows how far the reader has got, for example "Read 2 of 5 chapters · last read … · 3 comments." It says "not opened yet" until the reader opens the link. If the link has an end date, it's shown too. Each question you asked is listed under the link with the reader's answer, or "No answer yet." Click Refresh to bring the list up to date.

Read readers' comments in your chapter

Studio doesn't check for comments in the background. It looks when you open a published book, or when you click Check for Comments on the Beta Readers tab or in the Comments panel beside the editor. When new comments are waiting, the Online button says Online (N new).

Readers' comments are highlighted on the passage they're about, in that reader's colour, with their name in the margin. Click the highlight or the name to open the comment in the Comments tab beside the editor.

In the Comments tab, use the Mine | Readers | All switch. Choose Readers to see only readers' comments. Click Go to this passage to jump to the words. If you've changed those words since the reader commented, Studio tells you.

Reply, resolve and delete

For each reader's comment:

Reply: type in the reply box, then click Send Reply. Your reply appears on the reader's page under their note, marked "From the author." To change it, click Change your reply.
Resolve it when it's dealt with. The reader sees "✓ Resolved." Click Reopen to bring it back.
Delete it. This removes the comment here and on the reader's page. Studio asks first: click Delete to confirm, or Keep. It can't be undone from Studio.

You need to be connected to reply or delete.

Disconnect a computer

To disconnect this computer, open the Account tab in Pendrilo Online and click Disconnect. It takes effect straight away. Studio forgets the sign-in here and on the website. Your published chapters, links and comments stay on pendrilo.com, and you can connect again to manage them.

To disconnect a computer you no longer use:

1. Sign in at pendrilo.com.
2. Go to Your account and find the Pendrilo Online section. It lists each connected computer with when it was connected and last used.
3. Click Disconnect beside that computer.

Studio on that computer will ask to connect again.

When something goes wrong

"Pendrilo Online couldn't be reached, so comments weren't checked." Your computer is offline, or the website is busy. Your existing comments are still there. Try again later.
The connection code ran out of time. Click Connect… again for a new code.
"Not included in your plan." Studio shows the website's message with an Open the Website button, which takes you to your account page. Beta-reader links aren't available on your account at the moment.
Pendrilo Online is switched off. Studio can't connect computers while the feature is off. Links you've already made keep working. Try again later.
Studio asks you to connect again. Your sign-in is no longer valid, for example because you disconnected this computer on the website. Click Connect….