Bookclub

Bookclub simulates a small panel of reader perspectives reacting to selected manuscript chapters as a reading experience. It helps test delight, confusion, predictions, pacing patience, and points where different readers may disagree.

Bookclub results are simulated audience feedback, not human beta-reader feedback.

Start a session

1. Open Critic → Bookclub and select New session.
2. Choose the entire manuscript or a chapter range.
3. Enter the genre expectations and target audience.
4. Choose a Gentle, Balanced, or Direct honesty level.
5. Select three to five reader lenses.
6. Optionally request a generic browser notification.
7. Select Start simulated panel.

The session runs in the background. You can leave Bookclub and continue writing. Completed discussions stay in the session history with the manuscript revision they read.

Choose reader lenses

• Genre superfan watches promises, tropes, and satisfying subversions.
• Impatient reader notices drag, repetition, stakes, and attention.
• Literary critic considers theme, imagery, distance, and prose effect.
• Plot-hole hunter follows cause, effect, setup, payoff, and reader trust.
• Emotional reader tracks attachment, empathy, dread, and earned turns.

A deliberately mixed panel is usually more useful than a group likely to agree.

Read the result

The discussion transcript preserves each reader lens. The takeaway summarizes:

• what landed;
• what confused readers;
• what they predicted;
• where they might stop reading; and
• where the room disagreed.

Open citation markers to inspect the manuscript evidence. A Critic overlap link opens an active finding that shares the exact cited passage; it does not mean every reader reaction is a formal Critic issue.

Notifications and delivery

If enabled, the browser notification only tells you that background work is ready and opens Bookclub. The discussion itself remains inside the authenticated project and is not sent by email.

When to rerun Bookclub

Start a new session after meaningful revisions or when testing a different audience, genre expectation, honesty level, or chapter range. Earlier sessions remain useful as a record of what the selected revision communicated.

Bookclub is a substantial requested read and uses the active plan's AI allowance. Check Settings → Usage & plan before starting a large scope.