Beta FAQ
Questions beta testers are likely to ask first.
This page is the practical trust layer for closed beta users: ownership, exports, privacy, draft visibility, collaboration rules, takedowns, payments, and support.
Ownership and exports
Do I keep ownership of my writing?
Yes. Authors keep ownership of the fiction and other content they submit. LoreBranch only takes the operational rights needed to host, display, back up, process, moderate, and deliver that content through the service.
Can I get my work back out of LoreBranch?
Yes. Signed-in users can request an account export from profile settings, and series collaborators can download a per-series canon export from the private author base. That export includes the series metadata, chapters, version history, Decision Log, The Canon Engine, and Timeline.
What if the beta closes or content is reset?
The beta may change quickly, including resets after serious data issues. LoreBranch is not yet a substitute for your own backups. Keep your own copy of anything important even though export is already available in-product.
Privacy and visibility
Who can see my drafts?
Drafts are private to the series collaborators with access to that canon. Public readers see published chapters only. Draft versions, draft diffs, and collaborator-only tools remain on the private series side.
Are signals and suggestions public?
Readers can signal exact published blocks, but the detailed author-side feedback remains controlled. Suggestions go into the author inbox for review. Aggregated reader feedback is intentionally narrower than what authors and collaborators see privately.
What data does LoreBranch keep after deletion?
LoreBranch can retain limited backups, audit trails, moderation/security records, payment/accounting records if payments are ever enabled, and published/version history where needed for integrity, safety, legal, or accounting reasons.
Collaboration and canon integrity
How does collaboration work?
A series can have owners, co-authors, and editors. Owners and co-authors can publish. Editors can work on drafts but cannot publish. Accepted edits, commit history, Canon Engine changes, timeline links, and decision records can remain attached to the canon even if contributor identity is later anonymised.
Does LoreBranch settle ownership disputes between collaborators?
No. LoreBranch supports collaborative canon editing, but it does not adjudicate internal ownership splits, revenue splits, or authorship disputes between contributors. Anyone publishing collaborative work is expected to have authority to do so.
Can LoreBranch remove or unpublish my content?
Yes, where reasonably necessary for moderation, safety, legal compliance, infringement complaints, fraud prevention, abuse, or operational integrity. Incident controls can hide or restore a series or unpublish and restore a chapter when needed.
Beta expectations
What should a beta tester actually try?
Readers should browse public fiction, read a live chapter, inspect published history, follow a series or author, and place signals. Authors should create a test series, publish at least one chapter, then try the versions flow, Decision Log, The Canon Engine, and Timeline.
Are payments live in beta?
Not by default. Payments and creator payouts stay disabled unless the beta owner explicitly enables them and verifies the Stripe flows end to end.
Where should I report bugs or privacy concerns?
Use the support route for operational help, safety reports, and privacy requests. The floating beta feedback control is useful for product friction and UX notes, but support is the right path for account, privacy, or safety issues.