Private Publishing

Story creators can now publish stories privately using password protection. Private stories are hidden from public discovery and can only be accessed by readers who have the correct password, making it easy to share works-in-progress, beta releases, or exclusive stories with selected readers.

• Publish stories privately.
• Protect private stories with a password.
• Share stories without making them publicly discoverable.

Improved Guest Story Discovery

Guest users can now discover Teen and Mature stories while browsing Story Thyme. Although guests must register or sign in before reading age-restricted stories, creators can now showcase their work to a wider audience and encourage new readers to join the platform.

• Teen and Mature stories now appear in public listings.
• Guests are invited to register before reading age-restricted stories.
• Improves story visibility without compromising age restrictions.

Choice Analytics Improvements

Reader analytics have been improved to provide a more accurate view of how readers interact with your stories.

• Choice Analytics now exclude the author's own choices by default.
• Added an optional Include My Choices setting.
• Moved the option directly into the Choice Analytics section.
• Analytics controls now update instantly using AJAX without reloading the page.
• Changing the time range or author-choice setting refreshes the charts automatically.

Publication Date Improvements

Newly created stories no longer receive an incorrect publication date before they are published.

• published_ts now remains NULL until a story is actually published.
• Unpublished stories no longer display an incorrect "First Published" date.

Asset Protection

To help prevent broken stories and accidental asset replacement, Story Thyme now prevents assets that are currently in use from being deleted.

• Assets referenced by one or more stories cannot be deleted.
• Creators must first remove the asset from every story that uses it.
• Helps ensure published stories continue working as expected.

Quality of Life Improvements

• Smoother analytics workflow through AJAX-powered updates.
• More reliable publishing workflow.
• Improved platform stability by protecting story assets.
• Better opportunities for creators to attract new readers through guest discoverability.

Looking Ahead

Story Thyme v1.17.0 focuses on making it easier to share stories, understand reader engagement, and protect published content. These improvements continue building a safer, smoother, and more creator-friendly platform while laying the foundation for future storytelling features.