Community Guidelines

Last Bookmark is a small, deliberate community of authors and beta readers. We're here to help each other tell better stories — that means treating people the way we'd want to be treated: warmly, honestly, and with respect.

These Guidelines are a promise you make to the rest of the community when you use Last Bookmark. Please read them.

• No harassment, targeted insults, threats, doxxing, stalking, or discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic.
• Feedback should be honest but kind — critique the work, not the person.
• Assume good faith. Ask before you accuse. Escalate to us if you need help.

When another user shares a manuscript, sample chapter, outline, feedback document, or any other creative work with you on Last Bookmark, it is confidential. You may read it, take notes on it for the purpose of giving feedback, and reference it in your review — nothing more.

Specifically, you agree that you will not:

• Copy, print, screenshot, or otherwise reproduce another user's manuscript except as strictly needed for your beta-read notes.
• Share, forward, or upload another user's manuscript to any other person, platform, or service.
• Publish, quote, or otherwise disclose the plot, characters, twists, or other private content of another user's work without their explicit written permission.
• Use another user's manuscript, feedback, or private content to train a model, feed a scraper, or generate derivative content of any kind.

Authors keep full ownership of their work. Beta readers keep full ownership of the feedback they write. Neither party's contribution can be used without the creator's permission. Respect for authors' intellectual property is a non-negotiable expectation of every user.

• Represent yourself truthfully — real name or pen name is fine; fake identities used to deceive others are not.
• Describe your experience and specialisations honestly on your profile and in Certification applications.
• Deliver the work you agreed to deliver. If you can't, communicate early.
• Don't create fake reviews, fake applications, or fake activity on the platform.

• Don't solicit or accept payment for a service you don't intend to perform.
• Don't pressure another user to move a payment or contract off-platform to avoid our reporting tools.
• Don't attempt to phish credentials, promote unrelated get-rich schemes, or run other scams targeting our community.

If someone tries any of the above with you, use the Report user button in your conversation with them, or email us at hello@lastbookmark.com. Screenshots help.

Adult and mature fiction is welcome on Last Bookmark — that's part of who we are — but the following is never permitted, in manuscripts, messages, profiles, or anywhere else:

• Any sexual content involving minors, in any form.
• Content that depicts, promotes, or glorifies real-world violence against a specific person or group.
• Content that facilitates or encourages self-harm.
• Content that infringes another person's copyright, trademark, or right of publicity.
• Malware, phishing, or content designed to compromise other users' accounts or devices.

Every user profile and every message thread has a Report useraction. Use it whenever you see harassment, a scam attempt, an impersonation, a confidentiality breach, or any other violation of these Guidelines.

You can also:

• Block a user to stop future messages from them (they won't be notified).
• Email us directly at hello@lastbookmark.com with details and screenshots. We treat reports seriously and confidentially.

Last Bookmark reserves the right to suspend or remove accounts that violate these Guidelines, harass others, scam users, or create an unsafe environment. Depending on the severity of the violation, our response may include:

• A private warning and coaching.
• Content removal.
• Temporary suspension of specific features (posting, applying, messaging).
• Full account suspension or permanent removal.
• Referral to law enforcement in cases involving illegal content or credible threats.

Certified Beta Reader status can be revoked if a certified reader violates these Guidelines. We aim to be fair, consistent, and — where safety allows — transparent about the reasons for any enforcement decision.

If you believe we made the wrong call, email us at hello@lastbookmark.com within 30 days of the action. A different admin will re-review the decision.

These Guidelines will evolve as our community grows. Material updates will bump the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, be surfaced inside the app.