Connect Community

Connect is a calm, algorithm-free community for authors and book creatives. Share your work, follow people and topics, talk shop, join groups and events, and ask the community for help.

Joining

1. Go to /connect/community.html (or the Connect link in the site header). If you're signed out, you'll be prompted to Sign in or join.
2. New here? Create a free account first, then open the Join page (/connect/join.html) and click Pay $5 & verify — a one-time membership with a quick identity check that keeps the space safe. (It's not a subscription.)
3. Invited by someone? Their link shows who invited you; once you sign in, you'll automatically follow them.

Posting to the feed

The composer sits at the top of the feed:

1. Type your post (up to 2,000 characters).
2. Add up to 4 photos with 📷 Photo, or paste a Threads, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, or YouTube link to embed it as a preview card.
3. Optionally pick a Topic from the dropdown, and add #hashtags anywhere in your text.
4. Click Post.

Discover vs. Following

Two tabs sit above the feed. Discover shows posts from the whole community. Following (when signed in) is your personalised feed — posts from the people, topics, and hashtags you follow, all in one place.

Topics & hashtags

Two ways to organise the feed:

• Topics are a curated set (Writing Craft, Cover Design, Marketing, and so on). Pick one when you post, and use the topic chips above the feed to filter to it. Click All topics to clear.
• #hashtags are freeform — just type them in a post. Click any hashtag chip on a post to filter the feed to it.

Following topics & hashtags

When you filter to a topic or hashtag, a ☆ Follow button appears next to it. Follow it and:

• its posts start showing up in your Following feed;
• followed topics get a gold star in the topic bar;
• your followed hashtags appear as quick chips in the bar so you can jump to them anytime.

The button reads ★ Following once you're following — click it again to unfollow.

Likes, comments & reporting

Each post has a heart to like and a speech bubble to open comments (type a reply and send). The ⋯ menu lets you report a post for moderation. You can delete your own posts.

Profiles

Click anyone's name or avatar to see their profile — bio, location, links, post count, followers, community score, and rating. On someone else's profile you can Follow, Message, Block, or Report, and rate them 1–5 stars. On your own profile, click Edit profile to set your photo, banner, @handle, bio, location, website, social links, and whether you're open to mentoring.

Finding people

• Directory (/connect/directory.html) — search and filter members by role (authors, editors, illustrators, narrators, etc.) and sort by most followed, newest, or most active.
• Leaders (/connect/leaders.html) — the top contributors, ranked by a community score that grows from posting, helpful answers, followers, hosting, mentoring, and peer ratings (Bronze/Silver/Gold shields).

Asking questions (Support)

On the Support page (/connect/support.html), the community answers craft questions.

1. Click Ask a question, write your question (up to 140 characters), pick a topic, add optional details, and Post question.
2. To answer someone, open their question and use Post answer. The asker can mark one reply Mark as helpful, which flags the question ✓ Resolved.
3. The Mentors tab lists members open to mentoring — message one to start a conversation.

Groups & events

On Organize (/connect/organize.html):

• Groups — click Create to start one (name, topic, description). Open a group to Join group and post in its members-only feed.
• Events — switch to the Events tab and Create an event (title, date/time, location or online link). On an event page, RSVP with Going or Interested. Group members can host events from inside a group.

Messages

Open Messages (/connect/messages.html) for private conversations. Start one with the Message button on a profile, type in the box, and press Enter or Send. New replies arrive automatically. You'll always see messages here; email notifications are optional in your settings.

Inviting people

Click Invite at the top of the feed. Optionally enter an email to send an invite, then share the generated link — Share to Threads, Bluesky, or Copy link. When someone opens your link and signs in, they'll automatically follow you.