Content Guidelines

Knovel is a platform for independent authors and the readers who support them. These guidelines define what’s allowed, what isn’t, and how we handle violations.

They apply to everything published or posted on Knovel: books, chapters, derivative works, reviews, profile bios, and any other content you create on the platform.

What’s Allowed

Knovel supports a wide range of creative work across genres and styles. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, serialized work, short-form, long-form — all welcome.

We support mature content, including:

• Violence and dark themes in service of the story
• Adult language
• Morally complex characters and perspectives
• Explicit sexual content between adults, subject to the guidelines below

Content That Requires a Content Warning

The following content is permitted but must be labeled with an appropriate content warning when you publish:

• Explicit sexual content — mark as Adult/Explicit. This content will be filtered from general discovery and shown only to users who have opted in.
• Graphic violence — mark as Mature/Graphic Violence if the violence is detailed and intense.
• Sensitive topics — content dealing with suicide, self-harm, abuse, or trauma should carry a relevant content warning so readers can make informed decisions.

Content warnings are set in your book’s metadata when publishing. Deliberately mislabeling content to avoid filtering is a violation of these guidelines.

What’s Not Allowed

The following content is prohibited on Knovel regardless of framing, genre, or context:

Sexual content involving minors.

Any content that sexualizes characters under 18 — including fictional characters — is prohibited. This is an absolute rule with no exceptions.

Harassment and targeted abuse.

Content designed to harass, threaten, or harm a specific real person. This includes doxxing, targeted defamation, and content that encourages others to harass someone.

Hate speech.

Content that dehumanizes people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Fiction that explores prejudice as a theme is different from content that promotes it — we apply judgment here.

Illegal content.

Content that facilitates or promotes illegal activity, including piracy of others’ copyrighted works, distribution of malware, or content that is illegal in the jurisdiction where it is published or accessed.

Impersonation.

Publishing content under another author’s name or in a way designed to mislead readers into thinking you are someone else.

Spam.

Artificially inflated content — duplicate chapters, filler content designed to game discovery systems, or coordinated inauthentic behavior.

Reviews and Community Content

Reviews must be about the book, not the author. Personal attacks on authors in reviews will be removed. Critical reviews, including negative ones, are welcome as long as they engage with the work itself.

Profile bios and display names must not impersonate other users or public figures.

Derivative Works

Derivative works (fanfiction, translations, adaptations) must comply with:

• The license terms set by the original author
• All content standards in these guidelines
• Copyright law — you may only create derivative works from books that have explicitly permitted them on Knovel

Creating a derivative work from a book that does not permit derivatives is a violation of these guidelines and of the original author’s rights.

Reporting Violations

If you encounter content that violates these guidelines:

1. Use the Report button on any book page, chapter, or review
2. Select the type of violation and add context if helpful
3. Submit — our moderation team will review it

For urgent reports involving illegal content or imminent harm, email us directly at safety@knovel.co.

We do not share the identity of reporters with the reported user.

How We Handle Violations

Content removal. Content that violates these guidelines will be removed. Authors are notified when their content is removed and the reason why.

Warnings. For first-time or minor violations, we may issue a warning before taking further action.

Account suspension. Repeated violations or serious single violations (prohibited content, harassment campaigns, fraud) may result in temporary or permanent account suspension.

Permanent termination. Accounts that publish prohibited content involving minors, engage in coordinated harassment, or repeatedly violate these guidelines after warnings will be permanently terminated.

Appeals. If you believe your content was removed or your account was suspended in error, contact us at appeals@knovel.co within 30 days. We review all appeals and respond within 14 days.

A Note on Moderation

We are a small team. We prioritize reports by severity and will not always be able to respond to every report immediately. We are committed to building a platform where authors and readers feel safe — these guidelines reflect that commitment, and we will enforce them.

If you have questions about whether specific content is permitted, email us at safety@knovel.co before publishing.