Terms & Conditions

Hey! Welcome to Inside Story.
We know legal documents can be intimidating, so we've written this in plain English. These terms are here to protect both you and us, and to make sure everyone knows how Inside Story works.

The short version: Be respectful, don't do anything illegal, and we'll all get along great. If you need clarification on anything, just email us!

1. Definitions

To keep things clear, here's what we mean when we say:

• "Inside Story," "we," "us," "our" - The platform and service operated by Rachel Graham
• "You," "your" - You, the person using Inside Story (whether as an author or reader)
• "Platform" or "Service" - The Inside Story website, tools, and features
• "Content" - Books, covers, profiles, comments, feedback, and anything else uploaded to the platform
• "Author" - A user who uploads and distributes books
• "Reader" - A user who reads books and provides feedback

2. What Inside Story Does

Inside Story is a platform that connects authors with readers for beta reading, ARC (Advance Review Copy) distribution, and free book distribution. We provide:

• A space for authors to share their books with readers
• Distribution of beta reads, ARCs, and promotional free books (including reader magnets)
• Tools for readers to provide feedback and reviews
• In-browser reading with inline commenting features
• Download options for various formats (PDF, EPUB, etc.)
• Analytics and feedback dashboards for authors
• Community features like achievements and profiles

3. Account Requirements

Age Requirement

You must be at least 16 years old to use Inside Story. By creating an account, you confirm you meet this age requirement.

Account Security

You're responsible for:

• Keeping your account secure (whether you use a password or magic link authentication)
• Keeping your email account secure, as it provides access to Inside Story
• All activity that happens under your account
• Notifying us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access

Authentication Options:

• Password: Use a strong, unique password
• Magic Link: Passwordless login via email link

Don't share your login credentials with others.

4. Free & Paid Accounts

Free Tier

Our free tier includes basic features and limitations. You can see exactly what's included on our pricing page.

Paid Subscriptions (Starter & Pro)

When you upgrade to a paid subscription:

• You'll be charged monthly through Stripe (our payment processor)
• Your subscription auto-renews each month until you cancel
• Pricing is shown in USD
• We may adjust pricing with 30 days' notice to existing subscribers

Cancellation & Refunds

You can cancel anytime. Here's what happens:

• Your subscription remains active until the end of your current billing period
• You won't be charged for the next month
• Your account drops to free tier after the paid period ends
• Your custom profile design stays (if you had one)
• No refunds for partial months - if you need a refund for an exceptional circumstance, contact us and we'll consider it case-by-case

5. Your Content & Your Rights

What You Own

You own everything you upload. Your books, your covers, your profile content - it's all yours. We don't claim any ownership.

What You Grant Us

When you upload content to Inside Story, you give us permission to:

• Display your content on the platform
• Distribute your books to readers you've approved through your campaigns
• Show your book covers and descriptions in browse pages
• Store and process your content to provide our services
• Use excerpts, screenshots, or examples of content for marketing, promotional materials, and platform demonstrations (we'll ask permission for extensive use)

This permission is limited: We can only use your content to operate Inside Story. We won't sell your content or use it for anything outside the platform.

For Readers: When you leave reviews, comments, or feedback, you grant us permission to display this content to authors and use it in aggregate for platform improvements and marketing (e.g., testimonials, with permission).

Copyright Responsibility: You confirm that you have the right to upload any content you share on Inside Story. Don't upload other people's work without permission.

6. Copyright & DMCA

If You See Pirated Content

If you believe someone has uploaded your copyrighted work without permission, contact us at support@insidestory.app with:

• Proof of copyright ownership
• URL of the infringing content
• Your contact information

We'll investigate and remove infringing content promptly.

Our Responsibility

We provide the platform but aren't responsible for monitoring every upload. If readers pirate books they download, that's not our liability - but we'll help enforce your rights where we can.

7. Prohibited Activities

Don't do anything illegal or harmful. Specifically, you can't:

• Upload content you don't have rights to
• Spam other users
• Harass, bully, or threaten anyone
• Upload malware or viruses
• Scrape data from the platform
• Create multiple accounts to abuse free tier limits
• Manipulate our systems (fake reviews, gaming analytics, etc.)
• Use the platform for any illegal purpose

If we catch you doing any of this, we'll terminate your account immediately.

8. Content Standards

We trust you to be responsible. Inside Story doesn't censor content genres or themes (romance, horror, thrillers - bring it on!), but:

• Don't upload anything illegal in your country
• Authors should accurately describe content warnings when appropriate
• Readers can report inappropriate content

We reserve the right to remove content that violates laws, these terms, or for any other reason at our discretion.

9. How We Operate

Service Availability

We work hard to keep Inside Story running smoothly, but we can't guarantee 100% uptime. Sometimes we need to:

• Perform maintenance
• Fix bugs
• Update features
• Deal with technical issues

We'll try to give notice for planned downtime when possible.

Changes to the Platform

We're constantly improving Inside Story. We might:

• Add new features
• Modify existing features
• Remove features that aren't working
• Adjust free/paid tier benefits

We'll announce major changes through email or in-platform notifications.

10. Data & Privacy

How we handle your data is covered in our Privacy Policy. Please read it! The short version:

• We collect minimal data to run the platform
• We don't sell your information
• You can request your data or account deletion

11. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services:

• Stripe for payment processing (they handle your payment info securely - we never see your full card details)
• Email service providers for notifications
• Hosting services to keep the platform running

These services have their own terms and privacy policies.

12. Disclaimers & Limitations

Legal Stuff We Have to Say:

Inside Story is provided "as is" without warranties. We're not liable for:

• Lost data (back up your manuscripts!)
• Service interruptions
• Actions of other users
• Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages

Our total liability to you for any claims is limited to the amount you paid us in the last 12 months.

13. Dispute Resolution

Let's Talk First

If something goes wrong, please email us at support@insidestory.app. We're reasonable people and want to work things out.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by New Zealand law. Any disputes will be handled in New Zealand courts.

14. Changes to These Terms

We might update these terms occasionally. When we do:

• We'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• For major changes, we'll email you
• Continuing to use Inside Story means you accept the new terms

If you don't agree with changes, you can close your account.

15. Account Termination

You Can Leave Anytime

Cancel your account through your settings. We'll be sad to see you go, but no hard feelings!

We Might Terminate Your Account If:

• You violate these terms
• You engage in prohibited activities
• Your account is inactive for extended periods (we'll warn you first)

What Happens to Your Data:

• Your books and campaigns become inaccessible
• Users lose access to your content
• You can request a final data export within 30 days
• After that, we'll delete your content per our Privacy Policy

16. General Legal Stuff

• Entire Agreement: These terms (plus our Privacy Policy) are the complete agreement between us
• No Waiver: If we don't enforce something once, that doesn't mean we've waived it forever
• Severability: If one part of these terms is invalid, the rest still applies
• Assignment: You can't transfer your account. We might transfer our business to someone else

17. Who We Are & How to Reach Us

Inside Story is operated by Rachel Graham, a sole proprietor.

Contact us: support@insidestory.app
Business Address: 79 Station Road, Auckland, New Zealand

18. Questions?

If anything here is unclear or you need help, we're happy to chat:
Email: support@insidestory.app
We typically respond within 2 business days.