Crowns are deliberately limited recommendations. Reading earns Reader XP, Reader XP determines a reader's level, and that level determines how many stories the reader can Crown each week.
Every Crown still has exactly the same weight. A more experienced reader can recommend more stories, but their recommendation is never stronger than someone else's.
New to the concept? Start with What Are Reader Crowns?.
How readers earn Reader XP
Reader XP is earned through completed reading. Reaching the end of an accessible, published chapter records one completion; merely opening or revisiting a chapter does not create additional XP.
- 10 XP the first time a reader completes a published chapter.
- 5 XP for the first newly completed chapter on each UTC day.
- 25 XP once, when the reader first catches up to all currently published chapters in a story.
Purchases, subscriptions, coins, comments, bookmarks, and login streaks do not grant Reader XP. An unlocked paid chapter counts after it is completed, just like a free chapter; paying for access by itself does not create Crown influence.
Authors may earn Reader XP from other authors' stories, but not from their own work. Anonymous reading does not earn Reader XP because the completion cannot be connected to a reader account.
Reader Levels and weekly allowances
| Reader Level | Total XP | Crowns per week |
|---|---|---|
| Wanderer | 0–199 | 2 |
| Seeker | 200–999 | 3 |
| Pathfinder | 1,000–4,999 | 4 |
| Trailblazer | 5,000+ | 5 |
Weekly allowances refresh every Monday at 00:00 UTC. Unused Crowns do not carry over. If a reader levels up during the week, the larger allowance applies immediately to that same week.
Every recommendation costs exactly one Crown and contributes one Crown of raw support. Reader Level changes how many recommendations someone can make, never the weight of an individual recommendation.
Qualifying to Crown a particular story
A weekly allowance is only half of the rule. The reader must also read enough of the particular story they want to Crown.
A reader qualifies after completing either:
- Two published chapters;
- At least 5,000 published words; or
- All currently published work when the story is shorter than those thresholds.
Once earned, that story qualification remains in place if the author publishes more chapters later. A high Reader Level never bypasses the reading requirement for a new story.
When the Crown button is unavailable
The Crown action is unavailable when:
- The reader is not signed in;
- The story is not public, published, and readable;
- The reader has not completed enough of that story;
- The reader wrote the story;
- The reader already Crowned it during the current week; or
- The reader has used their weekly allowance.
The story page explains which rule currently applies. Locked paid content must be unlocked and completed before it can count toward Reader XP or story qualification.
Crowning the same story again
A reader may Crown the same story again during a later week if they still believe it deserves the recommendation. Each placement costs one Crown and can remain in the public rolling 28-day total until it ages out.
Crowns cannot currently be withdrawn or undone after placement.
Why experience affects quantity, not weight
Reader Levels reward demonstrated participation without creating a class of powerful voters. A Trailblazer has five choices instead of a Wanderer's two, but each choice adds exactly one Crown.
That balance gives experienced readers broader influence while keeping every individual recommendation understandable and equal.