How To Lock Chapters In Royal Road?

2026-06-18 16:40:40
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3 Answers

Jack
Jack
Favorite read: Rejecting the Alpha King
Ending Guesser Accountant
To lock a chapter on Royal Road, go to your story's admin page and find the chapter list. Click edit on the chapter you want to lock, and look for the 'Restrict Access' option—that's the key. It's part of their 'Stories Unlocked' program, so you need to opt into that first. I use this mostly for advanced chapters or behind-the-scenes lore that I share with my Discord community. The process is simple once you know where to look, though I wish the interface made it a bit more obvious. Still, it's a great tool for building a loyal reader base.
2026-06-23 03:52:14
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Responder Student
Locking chapters on Royal Road felt a bit confusing at first, but after some trial and error, here's what worked for me. You'll need to enable the 'Stories Unlocked' feature in your account settings. Once that's done, head to the chapter editor—there should be an option near the visibility settings to restrict access. I recommend testing it with a dummy chapter first to make sure it behaves how you expect.

What's cool is that you can customize the lock message, so I like to add a little note like 'Unlock this chapter early on Patreon!' to encourage subscriptions. One thing to watch out for: if you lock too many chapters upfront, it might deter casual readers. I usually lock every other chapter or just the most recent ones to strike a balance between exclusivity and discoverability.
2026-06-23 06:30:10
21
Contributor Translator
Royal Road's chapter locking feature is a godsend for writers who want to keep their work exclusive to certain readers, like Patreon supporters. Here's how I figured it out: first, you need to be a member of Royal Road's 'Stories Unlocked' program. Once you're in, go to your story's dashboard and select the chapter you want to lock. There's a toggle or checkbox labeled 'Lock Chapter'—flip that on, and voilà! Only readers with the direct link or those who meet your criteria can access it.

I love this feature because it lets me reward my most dedicated fans without pulling my story off the platform entirely. It's also handy for hiding rough drafts or bonus content. Just remember, locked chapters won't appear in public feeds, so use it strategically. I usually leave the first few chapters unlocked to hook new readers before gating the later ones.
2026-06-24 15:04:56
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