These rules decide what can be published on Candlelit Stories. They apply to text, covers, titles, summaries and pen names.
Candlelit Stories is a place for adult readers. Everyone on the site is at least 18.
Original work. Publish only work you wrote or hold the rights to. No copying of other writers' text, no fan fiction that copies a book's text, and no translations of other people's work without permission.
Not allowed in any form: sexual content involving minors; explicit erotica or pornographic scenes; content that promotes violence against people or groups; hate against people for who they are; instructions for serious harm or crime; real people attacked, sexualised or defamed; other people's private information; spam, advertising or links used to take readers off the site.
Allowed with care: romance, including love scenes that stay non-explicit; darker themes such as grief, abuse, war or addiction when handled as fiction and not as encouragement. Where a novel contains difficult themes, say so in the summary so readers can choose.
Covers and titles follow the same rules and must not use images you have no right to use.
AI. You may use tools to help you write, and you remain responsible for the result and for the rights status you declare. Whatever you choose, we never use your writing to train AI.
Pen names. Choose a pen name that does not impersonate someone else or a known author.
Review and removal. We review each novel before it goes live and may return it with the reason. We may remove or suspend a published novel that breaks these rules. Serious or repeated breaches can lead to closure of the account.
Reports. Anyone can report a comment, and rights holders can write to us about a novel. We review reports and act within a reasonable time.