Project Overview
Luminary reimagines how independent writers reach readers, removing the traditional bottleneck of publishers and bookstores. It offers a complete marketplace experience with role-based dashboards, secure payments, and rich analytics.
Independent writers had no streamlined way to publish and monetize their work directly, while readers lacked a single trustworthy platform to discover original ebooks outside traditional publishing channels.
Built a full-stack MERN platform with three distinct roles — Reader, Writer, and Admin — each with a dedicated dashboard. Integrated Stripe for ebook purchases and writer verification fees, JWT + Google OAuth for secure authentication, and Framer Motion for a polished, animated UI.
Successfully launched with a fully functional purchase flow, role-based access control, and admin analytics dashboard, delivering a production-ready platform within the project timeline.
Key Features
- Role-based dashboards for Reader, Writer, and Admin
- Stripe-powered ebook purchases and writer verification payments
- JWT authentication with Google OAuth login
- Search, filter, sort, and pagination on the browse page
- Bookmarking system for saving ebooks
- Admin analytics with revenue and genre distribution charts
- Fully responsive, animated UI with Framer Motion
Challenges Faced
- 01Designing secure, role-based route protection across three distinct user types
- 02Structuring Stripe webhooks to reliably update purchase and payment status
- 03Building a responsive dashboard experience that stays consistent across mobile, tablet, and desktop
Future Improvements
- →Wishlist system with a dedicated wishlist page
- →Automated email notifications on purchase and publishing
- →Persistent dark mode toggle
- →AI-powered ebook recommendations