Does anybody know anything about the website called Webnovel? I just received a message from them via my website saying they want to set up a "business collaboration" and a "non-exclusive contract" for my Amber Silverblood stories. This isn't the first time I've received an offer like this, but I've at least seen ads for this site around the internet. What do you guys think?
It's come up a few times in another group I inhabit. Did you read the terms of service? Part of it says that there are parts of the app that will cost money, and that they can charge subscription fees at any time. They also state that they do not allow users to: "post, upload, or distribute any User Content or other content that is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate, or that a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate;" ... which feels like very, very broad verbiage.
I wonder what they mean by user content? If they're just talking about posting other members' stories on the internet, I'd understand that. But could there be anything else they might mean by that? And I wonder what qualifies as...all that stuff they listed. Like, one of Amber Silverblood's villains is a black guy, so could that by itself be considered "objectionable, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate"?
All good questions. Just my 2p, but the breadth of their verbiage, which basically excludes any and all redress if you feel unfairly treated, tells me that I am not the intended client; I am a product they are trying to rope onto their shelves.
I agree with all the above; and honestly, any time that a platform says they will pay you, but that would give such verbage as others have brought up, just screams of "we want you to put in all this effort to conform to us, but if you do something that we take issue with, we're just going to boot you no questions asked." In other words, they want content for their site to draw readers, yet aren't going to invest in you other than the bare minimum. Since they say non-exclusive, I'd just make sure that they don't claim any distribution or other benefits themselves, and post there for a secondary source of new readers, and just keep doing what you're doing... if they kick you off for something they find objectionable after already supposedly knowing your story (which honestly, it's probably just a mass form they send to everyone's email, so they really have little to no clue about your story or its quality; they just want content on-site and readers reading and are hoping 1/1000 people say yes to a contract). About the only problem would be if you are planning to publish your story traditionally, since many publishers wouldn't want to invest in a story widely published online (except in very rare or specific cases if, say, your story became wildly popular) but if you are self-publishing, shouldn't be much issue in that department. Hope this helps!
