Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is LoveMyShorts.Com?
I like reading: can I read stories, poetry and lyrics for free?
How do I join LoveMyShorts.Com?
How safe is my data?
How much does it cost to publish in LoveMyShorts.Com?
How long can my short story be?
How many poems or lyrics can I put into a collection?
What are the rules on originality and prior publishing?
What are the rules on future republishing?
Who owns the copyright in material on LoveMyShorts.Com?
Who owns the copyright in the website at LoveMyShorts.Com?
How does LoveMyShorts.Com protect my work from being copied or stolen?
How does LoveMyShorts.Com protect my claims to my work?
Can I set a limit on how long my material will be displayed?
Can I address adult themes?
Can I write anything I please?
What editorial services do you provide?
How do readers contact writers?
What file formats can I use?
Can I include graphics?
How do I make comments?
Can I be updated when new content is added?
Can I place promotional material in comments or the microblogs?
Can I complete forms and upload my material using an iPad?
Can I read content on an iPad and other mobile devices?

What is LoveMyShorts.Com?

LoveMyShorts.Com is a self-publishing platform for writers of short stories, poetry and song lyrics.

I like reading: can I read stories, poetry and lyrics for free?

Absolutely. All short stories, poetry and lyrics are free for you to read. If you wish, you can support the work of writers if they choose to have a "Donate" button on their content. And you can support our work by clicking on advertising links: if you buy from our advertisers, we earn a small amount of revenue and it costs you nothing extra.

How do I join LoveMyShorts.Com?

This is easy! Sign up as an author, pay the fee and submit your work. We check it to make sure it meets the platform requirements and send you a bill for formatting, upload and hosting including setting up your user account so visitors can contact you privately, the comments system and all the ancillary bits that go with being a writer for LoveMyShorts.Com. Once you pay that bill, we'll put your work into the platform.

How safe is my data?

LoveMyShorts.Com is a service by Vortex Centrum Limited a UK corporation which is subject to the UK's stringent data protection laws. For writers and publishers, we hold personal data for the purposes of making sure we know who we are contracting with and how to contact them. We do not receive, hold or have access to any payment card data and payments are not processed on our servers. All payments are processed on-line by Google Checkout and subject to their data security protocols and terms. For readers, we hold simple personal data including validated e-mail addresses. We do not release those e-mail addresses to any third party unless required to do so by Court Order or equivalent authority. Our servers are maintained by third parties according to industry standard security protocols and our platform is based on Drupal, one of the most secure CMS platforms available. Finally access to the administration interface is closely controlled and in the hands of a very small number of staff. Anyone registering as a user is granted access at the lowest level of permissions and additional permissions are handled manually by the site administrators. Your personal data in your profile can be seen only to the extent that you specifically release it. We do not release any of your profile to advertisers or any other third party, unlike several other social networking sites.

How much does it cost to publish in LoveMyShorts.Com?

Writers

For writers, there are two non-refundable one-time charges for each body of work submitted.

a) on submission, GBP7.50. This is our "reading fee." It's the charge we make for making sure you have complied with the submission requirements.

b) on acceptance, GBP32.50. This is our fee for formatting, uploading, hosting your work plus setting up your profile and contact forms, comments systems, etc.

So that's a maximum of GBP40.00.

Then there's an optional charge: if you wish to place a "donate" or similar button on your page, and have provided us with the code when you submitted your work, we charge GBP10 to place that button into one page of your work.

So, the absolute maximum you will pay ( provided you stay within the quota for words / characters and until we revise the pricing structure!) is GBP50.

There is one exception: there are certain limits for the number of chapters in a story or collection and for the number of poems / lyrics in a collection. Additional chapters or poems/lyrics may be added and are charged at an additional GBP10 per chapter or poem/lyrics.

Publishers

For publishers, there is no reading fee. There is a single formatting, uploading and hosting fee of GBP85 for each body of work submitted. This is non-refundable. No "donate" button is available for publishers. Each body of work has a link to the publisher's website on the last page of each body of work and, of course, the writer has his own profile page: publishers may elect to have contact made via the publisher or direct to the writer. The e-mail address to which contact is sent is not provided to the person making contact.

How long can my short story be?

The hint is in the question, as game show hosts like to say. It's a short story. Total length is counted in characters - less than 50,000 characters. That's roughly 10,000 words.

Your story can be divided into sections - or chapters. There is a maximum of six sections allowed.

But you can, of course, submit more than one story in a "collection" so long as there are less than 50,000 characters and no more than six sections in each collection.

For an example of multiple stories in a single collection, see Jonathan Cooper's "The Trials of Nicholas Brand." In this case, there is a theme - almost a time-line from story to story - but this is not necessary.

Note: for a small additional fee - GBP10 per section, you may add more sections but the overall character limit remains the same. One author who has done this is Jefferson Galt: his story "The Consequences of Hello" takes the form of two people narrating their own versions of the same story and their comments are juxtaposed. But as the story comes to an end, Galt switches tactic and the comments are not on the same page i.e. not in the same section: the related comments are on the following page, so forcing the reader to break between the phrases and increasing the dramatic effect. This technique is impossible to achieve in print, demonstrating Galt's mastery of the on-line short story medium. And then he keeps the final comment to stand alone on its own page. The Consequences of Hello is powerful story written in less than 3,200 words and having less than 17,000 characters.

How many poems or lyrics can I put into a collection?

You can put up to 20 poems or lyrics into a collection. The total length of your work, however, must be no more than 50,000 characters or 10,000 words. Each poem or lyric is presented on a separate page i.e. in a separate section. See the Thomas Hardy poetry collection for a sample.

What are the rules on originality and prior publishing?

When you submit the work, you certify that it is all your own, original work and you indemnify us against all and any claims that may be made that the work is the intellectual property of any third party. The basic rule is simple: don't quote anyone unless they have been dead for at least a hundred years (the rules differ from country to country but this is a long-stop safety rule).

You also certify that the work has not been published elsewhere (this is because the terms of that publication may restrict the time and/or place where it may be republished).

In the case of publishers, this rule does not apply: they themselves already have (they certify) the right to republish material contracted to them).

What are the rules on future republishing?

It's completely up to you. One of the many unique features of LoveMyShorts.Com is that you are the publisher, not us. We are merely the equivalent of the printer who puts out your work. You own all rights in the work. You can re-publish it in any way you like. We do not ask for nor claim any rights in your work.

Who owns the copyright in material on LoveMyShorts.Com?

For writers publishing directly, the simple answer is that you do. We claim no rights in your work.

For publishers, we don't know: that will be governed by the contract between the author and the publisher. We will not get involved in any disputes: if an author contacts us saying that he has not authorised the publication of the work on LoveMyShorts.Com, we will "unpublish" it as quickly as is reasonably practicable - and leave the writer and publisher to sort out their argument without our involvement.

Who owns the copyright in the website at LoveMyShorts.Com?

The copyright in the site design is held by the designers of the template from time to time in use. The copyright in the precise layout is held by Vortex Centrum Limited, a UK Corporation. The design and execution of the features is subject to the copyright of the developers of Drupal and the various modules and services from time to time implemented. Where those are customised, the customised version is copyright in accordance with the licence relating to those specific features. All rights in the precise concept and features of and modes of execution of the modules and services in the site are held by and reserved to Vortex Centrum Limited.

How does LoveMyShorts.Com protect my work from being copied or stolen?

No website is secure against the content being copied and, believe us, our publications business would be delighted if it could find a way to do so and so would several other sites in our Group. All the little tricks that used to make it more difficult do not work any more because - in the name of security (ironically) browsers now include simple workarounds for them. Annoying? We would say so!

How does LoveMyShorts.Com protect my claims to my work?

This is an easy question to answer: when we post your work, it is time-and-date stamped. For writers, that will be the date and time of first publication. And that is evidence that your work was completed prior to that date. It's a rather more sophisticated method than posting a copy of your manuscript to yourself by recorded delivery - although that still works very nicely!

Can I set a limit on how long my material will be displayed?

Yes, we can "expire" your work after a certain period. If you wish it to be reactivated, there will be a reactivation fee according to the fees schedule in force at the time you wish to reactivate.

Can I address adult themes?

It depends what you mean by "adult." Explicit sex, perversions, drug use and/or violence, no. Adult themes such as health, wealth and relationships, yes.

Can I write anything I please?

No. You can't use bad language, but we will accept asterisks (in the correct number to represent letters up to a maximum of 6) in place of swear words.

You can't write anything which is intended or tends to inflame religious or racial disharmony or tension.

You can't write libellous comments and you can't insult people and hope to fall back on any technical defence of they were to sue.

Internet law is in its infancy and courts in different countries have reached different positions: in some countries LoveMyShorts.Com might be held to be the publisher or in some way similar to the printer and, in a libel case, we would be caught up in trouble you caused.

So we will play safe and reject - at the reading stage - anything we feel breaks these rules or rules of common decency, causing the loss of your reading fee. So you should play safe, too.

And our word is law: if we say it's not going in our platform, there will be no further discussion.

We must also remember that this is an open platform and that children may read it.

Having said all of that, we don't edit your content for style, grammar or any other purpose. If you meet the content requirement, we will add it even if we conclude that it's the most utter tosh: it's not our place to judge quality and someone else might like it.

What editorial services do you provide?

You are the publisher, we are a platform provider. You have to proof read your content and make sure you are happy with it. We format the document to meet the platform requirements and we check the content to make sure that it does not breach the platform content rules but, aside from that, you are in complete control of the content. We provide no editing, proof reading, fact checking or other requirements.

How do readers contact writers?

Each write has a profile page and a contact form. To contact a writer, simply fill in the form. We send your contact to the writer. Of course, we have no control over when or even whether a writer replies to you. Only registered users of the site are able to complete a contact form.

What file formats can I use?

You submit your work in the space provided in the writer registration form. It must be in plain text only. No html or other formatting is permitted. Section headings should be double spaced. Paragraphs should have a single blank line between them. Lines within paragraphs must be single spaced.

Can I include graphics?

No graphics are permitted.

How can I make comments?

You can make comments on the work of individual authors. Comments can only be posted by registered users and, to register, you need an e-mail address which we will validate. Comments must not be insulting or contain bad language nor inflame racial or religious opinion. As always, good taste rules! We reserve the right to ban IP addresses and users who post inappropriate comments.

Can I be updated when new content is added?

Absolutely! There are several ways.

a) via Twitter: follow lovemyshortscom
b) via RSS: add http://www.lovemyshorts.com/public/rss.xml to your feed reader or Firefox

These feeds update you on all front page content as it is added.

c) create an account. This is free. You will need to verify your e-mail account so don't try to fake it! As a registered user, you can subscribe to content published by individual writers and a range of other notification services. You will receive an e-mail when relevant content is added or amended.

Can I place promotional material in comments or the microblogs?

Absolutely not. We will block your IP address and your account. In addition we will charge you a fee of USD10,000 for advertising and a daily fee of USD1,000 until you request the removal of your advertisement or we may remove your advertisement without warning. We may leave the ad running with a warning note that it is an unauthorised advertisement. Note that accessing a website in the UK for unauthorised purposes is a crime. Therefore the warning note may refer to the publishing of an unauthorised advertisement was an illegal use of the platform and therefore the company concerned has, on the face of it, committed a criminal act. If you want your ads to raise a substantial charge and for your company to be identified as a potential criminal, with all the damage that it will do to your reputation, then it's up to you.

Can I use contact forms to promote my products or services?

Absolutely not. Your permission to access the site expressly excludes any promotional activity by advertisement or "public relations" techniques. If you access the site or any part of it, including pressing a "submit" or similar button, you commit an unauthorised access. That unauthorised access is a crime in the UK (where our servers are based) and many other countries (including, probably, the country where you are based. In addition, we will charge you USD10,000 for each instance where a contact form is used for promotional purposes i.e. the charge applies to the number of recipients multiplied by the number of times each recipient receives the message not to the number of occasions you send your promo.

If you are a publisher (which term, in this case, would include a film or TV production company) or agent, you may send one message to a writer if you wish to open negotiations with regard to entering into a publishing or representation contract. However, this permission is negated if the writer's profile indicates that he does not wish to receive such contacts.

Can I complete forms and upload my material using an iPad?

You can try. We've not tried it but the general word is that the iPad doesn't work too well with the administration parts of the platform we use. However, the iPad is excellent for users who wish to read the stories.

Can I read content on an iPad and other mobile devices?

The iPad is excellent for users who wish to read the stories as are many other mobile platforms including iPhone, Symbian and Android-based phones.

Using Windows Mobile? Take your chances: it's a Microsoft product and does not use industry standard protocols.

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