unglue.it FAQ

De Gruyter to work with Unglue.it: Wish for your favorites!

unglue (v. t.) 1. To pay an author or publisher in full, up front, for publishing a Creative Commons ebook.

unglue (v. t.) 2. To make a digital book free to read and use, worldwide.

unglue (v. t.) 3. To make it clearly legal for a digital book to be used, distributed, archived and preserved by libraries.

unglue (v. t.) 4. For an author or publisher, to accept a fixed amount of money from the public for its unlimited use of an ebook.

unglue (v. t.) 5. To give your favorite books to everyone on earth.

unglue (v. t.) 6. To reward authors and publishers for sharing books with the world.

Learn more

We all have books we love so much, we'd like to give them to the world. We want to share them, but also reward their creators. With digital books, it can be hard to do both.

Unglue.it offers a win-win solution: Crowdfunding. We run pledge campaigns for books; you chip in. When, together, we've reached the goal, we'll reward the book's creators and issue an unglued ebook.

Creative Commons licensing means everyone, everywhere can read and share the unglued book - freely and legally. You've given your favorite book to the world.

Still have questions? We've got answers.

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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Help! My question isn't covered in the FAQs!: Please email us at support@gluejar.com. We want to make sure everything on the site runs as smoothly as possible. Thanks for helping us do that.

For Rights Holders

Running Campaigns

What do I need to create a campaign?: First, you need to be an authorized rights holder with a signed Platform Services Agreement on file. Please contact rights@gluejar.com to start this process. Once we have your PSA on file, you'll be able to claim your works and you'll have access to tools for launching and monitoring campaigns. We'll be happy to walk you through the process personally.
Can I unglue only one of my books? Can I unglue all of them?: Yes! It's entirely up to you. Each Campaign is for a individual title and a separate fundraising goal.
Can I raise any amount of money I want?: You can set any goal that you want in a Campaign. Unglue.it cannot guarantee that a goal will be reached.
What should I include in my campaign page?: Show the world why we should love your book. What makes it powerful, intriguing, moving, thought-provoking, important? How does it capture readers' imaginations, engage their minds, or connect to their emotions? Remind readers who loved the book why they loved it, and give people who haven't read it reasons they want to.

We strongly encourage you to include video. You can upload it to YouTube and embed it here. We also strongly encourage links to help readers explore further -- authors' home pages, organizations which endorse the book, positive reviews, et cetera. Think about blurbs and awards which showcase your book. But don't just write a catalog entry or a laundry list: be relatable, and be concise.
What should I offer as premiums?: Anything you think will get ungluers excited about supporting your work. Think about things that uniquely represent yourself or the work, that are appealing, and that you can deliver quickly and within your budget. For example, authors could consider offering Skype sessions as premiums for libraries or schools that might want to plan an event around the unglued book. And, of course, physical or digital editions of your other books are always popular.
What can be offered as a premium? What items are prohibited as premiums?: You can offer anything you are capable of delivering, so long as it is not illegal or otherwise restricted in the United States. For instance, your premiums may not include alcohol, drugs, or firearms. For full details, consult our Terms of Use.
Who is responsible for making sure a rights holder delivers premiums?: The rights holder.
How can I get my supporters' information (mailing address, T-shirt size, etc.) to fulfill premiums?: Unglue.it will share supporters' emails and the premiums they are owed with rights holders if, and only if, a campaign succeeds. If you need additional information to fulfill premiums, you may email ungluers directly. Rights holders are required to comply with the Unglue.it privacy policy.
What should I ask my supporters to do?: Of course you'll want them to support your campaign financially, and make that pitch. But they also want to feel like they're part of the excitement of the campaign and the love for your book. Invite them to discuss the book in the Comments tab, to share the campaign via email and social media using the Share column links, and to embed the campaign widget in their blogs. And think about other ways you can get supporters involved, too: discussions on social reading sites? A Twitter hashtag? Uploading Flickr photos or YouTube videos of themselves with your book? (Prizes or acknowledgements for the person who photographs your book in the most unusual location?) Think of ways you can invite them to express and share their enthusiasm, and how you can reward them (not just monetarily) for doing so.
How can supporters contact me?: If you'd like supporters to contact you directly, please include (or link to) your contact information in your campaign page and profile. Make sure you're also monitoring the Comments tabs on your works' pages (whether or not they have active campaigns).
What is my responsibility for answering questions from supporters and non-supporters?: It's up to you. However, our experience watching and running crowdfunding campaigns suggests that you'll do best if you're engaged, prompt, and personable. In fact, don't just think in terms of answering questions (though you should absolutely do that) -- think about cultivating and contributing to the conversation.