Content Policy

Before posting anything on StoryShop, or any of its related websites or applications, please familiarize yourself with the following guidelines that you have agreed to as apart of our Terms and Conditions (or Terms of Service?):

  • The story you are posting must be entirely your own original work, or you must have the original author’s permission to post the work. See our definition of copyrighted material.
  • The story you are posting, as well as all associated media, must be appropriate for this community and must be appropriated rated. See our Content Ratings and Prohibited Content.
  • The story you are posting must be categorized using the appropriate genre tags and keywords. See our genre definitions.

Content Ratings*

Everyone: Content generally suitable for ages 7 and up.

Teen: Content generally suitable for ages 13 and up. Parental monitoring is recommended.

Mature: Content generally suitable for 17 and up. Content not available via Enterprise subscription.

*EXPLICIT CONTENT is NOT permitted on StoryShop Reader. See our list of Prohibited Content.

Content Descriptors for Everyone: (WARNING: Content with an E rating might still include the following subject matter which parents may wish to further filter or monitor. Select any of the following items you wish your child reader NOT to see.)

Comic Mischief — Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor.

Crude Humor — Depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including “bathroom” humor.

Cartoon Violence — Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted.

Fantasy Violence — Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life.

Jeopardy — Mild depictions of or reference to life and death situations. Dramatic, suspenseful or tense situations that may scare some children.

Content Descriptors for Teen: (WARNING: Content with a T rating might still include the following subject matter which parents may wish to further filter or monitor. Select any of the following items you wish your child reader NOT to see.)

Consequential Drugs and Alcohol — Reference or use of drugs and/or alcohol that shows appropriate consequences and does not overly glorify its use.

Mild Language — Mild to moderate use of profanity. NO F-bombs.

Suggestive Themes — Direct and indirect references to sex or sexuality, including dialogue and adult humor.

Violence — Depictions of aggressive conflict or bodily harm that are NOT gratuitous, excessive, or sexual in nature.

Content Descriptors for Mature: (WARNING: Content with an M rating might still include the following subject matter which parents or users may wish to further filter or monitor. Select any of the following items you wish your child reader or yourself NOT to see.)

Intense Violence — Graphic and realistic depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons, and depictions of human injury and death.

Partial Nudity — Brief and/or mild depictions of nudity.

Sexual Content — Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity.

Sexual Violence References — References to rape or other violent sexual acts.

Strong Language — Frequent use of profanity.

Prohibited Content (and behaviors):

The following content is considered explicit and therefore not permitted on StoryShop or any of our websites or applications. This list is not exhaustive and we reserve the right to remove, without warning, any content we consider explicit. Posting explicit content can result in suspension and/or termination of the violating account(s).

  • Pornographic stories
  • Stories containing sexual content with persons under the age of 16.
  • Stories encouraging or promoting non-consensual sex
  • Stories intended solely for sexual roleplay or messaging
  • Stories which encourage any other illegal sex acts, such as bestiality or necrophilia.

Prohibited Media:

The following Media (including but not limited to images, videos, gifs, and sound clips) is not permitted on StoryShop or any of its websites or applications. Content determined to be in violation will be removed. Violating accounts may be suspended and/or terminated.

  • Media containing full exposure of any private parts, such as genitalia, breasts, and buttocks.
  • Media displaying sexual intercourse, or any other sexual act, regardless of whether private parts are visible.
  • Media displaying self-harm or suicide
  • Images of people posted without their consent, except for public figures and celebrities.
  • Any other media which captures an illegal act.

Talking about Others:

It is prohibited to post any content that does the following:

  • Bashes a user purely for personal reasons
  • Reveals any personally identifying information about other people, including real names, addresses, other contact information, physical descriptions, or private photographs/videos
  • Actively promotes violence or hatred. The promotion of hatred on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, age, or sexual orientation, or content that is intended to bully, threaten, or harass others, is also strictly prohibited. StoryShop’s desire is to kindle a safe environment free from sensationalism of all kinds.

Self-Harm:

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please know that help is available. For residents in the U.S. and Canada, please contact 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Help for other countries: http://w.tt/1csPgyo.

  • Any content that encourages or gives instruction on self-harm will be removed. Self-harm includes suicide and eating disorders.

Spam:

  • Any content that advertises products or services without explicit authorization from StoryShop will not be permitted and will be removed.
  • Fake accounts created for the purposes of gaming StoryShop are prohibited and will be removed. The account(s) of those responsible will be suspended and/or terminated.
  • Content that serves no purpose outside of sensationalism is prohibited and will be removed.

Copyrighted Material:

[For a full copyright FAQ, you can check here]

StoryShop takes our responsibility to protect and promote our authors very seriously, thus author rights is of utmost importance to us.

  • Posting the copyrighted works of others without their legal consent is strictly prohibited. This applies to all stories, images, and media.
  • Posting on behalf of an author and giving credit to them is still a violation of copyright. Consent is always required from the author.
  • Adaptations or slight alterations to a work, such as changing names, are a violation of copyright.
  • Any works posted in violation of these rights will be promptly removed and multiple violations may result in immediate account closure.

If you believe that your copyrights have been violated, please report it to us immediately via email: [email protected]. All StoryShop users are encouraged to report copyright infringement by clicking on the story’s ‘flag’ button. For more information on our Copyright Policy, please see our Terms of Service.

Genre Definitions:

  • Action —
  • Adventure —
  • Classic – fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools
  • Drama –
  • Early Reader — Simplified fiction appropriate and meant for younger audiences
  • Fantasy – fiction with strange or otherworldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality
  • Historical – story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting
  • Horror – fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader
  • Humor – fiction in which fun, fancy, and excitement are central to the story; meant to entertain and potentially cause laughter
  • Illustrated –
  • Middle Grade –
  • Mystery – this is fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets
  • New Adult –
  • Romance –
  • Sci-fi – story based on the impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets.
  • Thriller —
  • Young Adult —
  • Short fiction – fiction of such brevity that it supports no subplots.
  • Thriller – fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm.
  • Sports —
  • Western  – set in the American Old West frontier and typically set in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century.