Who can use Thing.pub
Thing.pub is for verified members who got in through the human verification process. Access is granted individually. Don't share your login or try to get around verification. If you do, you'll be removed for good.
How old you have to be
You need to be at least 18 to use Thing.pub, because manuscripts here may contain mature content. By using the platform, you're confirming you're old enough.
What you can do
- Share your own original manuscripts with readers you invite or approve
- Read manuscripts other authors share with you
- Leave annotations, endorsements, and feedback inside the platform
- Build a public literary profile and manage your reading identity
- Invite other people in
What you can't do
- Copy, post, or share manuscript content anywhere outside the platform
- Try to get around device locking, watermarking, or any other security feature
- Scrape or collect data about other members
- Pass off AI-generated writing as your own original work
- Harass, threaten, or act in bad faith toward anyone here
- Share your login or let someone else use your account
Who owns what
Authors own their manuscripts. When you read one here, you get permission to read it, and nothing more. You don't get any right to copy, adapt, or share it. Thing.pub doesn't claim to own anything you upload.
We do need your permission to store, send, and show your content, but only so the platform can actually work: hosting it, delivering it to your readers, and watermarking it. That permission ends when you delete the content or your account, apart from short-lived copies in backups or security records. Since manuscripts are encrypted end to end, this permission never lets us read them.
Copyright complaints
We respect copyright and expect you to as well. If you think something here copies your work without permission, email our copyright agent at dmca@thing.pub and tell us:
- what work was copied
- where the copy is on the platform
- how to reach you
- that you believe in good faith the use wasn't authorized
- that your complaint is accurate and you're allowed to make it
- your name as a signature
We'll take down content that infringes, and we'll remove people who do it repeatedly. If your content gets taken down and you think that was a mistake, you can tell us and we'll look again.
Reporting a problem
To report a broken rule, a leaked manuscript, harassment, or an account you think is compromised, email security@thing.pub with whatever detail you have.
Trust and getting removed
Thing.pub runs on trust. If you leak manuscripts, abuse the annotation system, lie about who you are, or act in bad faith, you'll be removed permanently. Because people get in by invitation, the person who invited you may share some responsibility for what you do.
Free and paid
Everything that makes Thing.pub work is free, and it will stay free. Paid subscriptions only unlock cosmetic extras. We will never put a feature that protects your work or lets you take part behind a paywall. Paying is a way to support the platform, not a requirement.
Changes and downtime
Thing.pub is still being built, so features may change, appear, or disappear. We'll tell you directly about anything important. The platform may go down for maintenance now and then. We'll do our best to prevent downtime and data loss, but we can't be held responsible if they happen.
No guarantees
We give you Thing.pub as-is. We work hard to keep it running and secure, but we can't promise it will never go down, never lose data, or never have bugs. You use it at your own risk.
What we're not responsible for
If something goes wrong, we're not responsible for knock-on losses like lost profits, lost manuscripts, or lost time. And if we're ever found responsible for something, the most we would owe you is whichever is larger: what you paid us in the last year, or fifty dollars.
Covering us
If someone brings a claim against us because of something you uploaded, something you did here, or a rule you broke, you agree to cover the costs, including reasonable legal fees.
Odds and ends
If one part of these terms doesn't hold up legally, the rest still applies. These terms plus the Privacy Notice are the whole agreement between us. If we don't enforce a rule right away, that doesn't mean we've given it up. You can't hand your account or rights to someone else, but we can transfer ours if the platform changes hands. Neither of us is responsible for problems caused by things outside our control.
Privacy
Our Privacy Notice explains what data we collect, why, and what rights you have. It's part of these terms, so please read it.
Which laws apply
These terms follow Texas law. Thing.pub is run by Thing.pub Series of Althing LLC, a Texas Series LLC. Any disputes get handled in Texas courts.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Email us at contact@thing.pub.