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

Funding

Are a funding goal and deadline required?: Yes.
Can I change my funding goal?: While a campaign is in progress you may lower, but not raise, your funding goal.
Can I change my deadline?: No.
Are contributions refundable?: Unglue.it cannot refund contributions. Once a campaign succeeds, supporters' credit cards will be charged the full amount of their pledge nonrefundably. However, they will not be charged until, and unless, the campaign succeeds. Before that time they may modify or cancel their pledges without charge.
What if an ungluer contests a charge?: Ungluers may contest charges, either with the payment processor or with their credit card issuer. Unglue.it is not liable for this and rights holders are liable for any chargebacks. We encourage rights holders to provide clear, timely communication to their supporters throughout the campaign to ensure they remember what they pledged to and why.
What happens if a supporter's credit card is declined?: Although credit cards are authorized at the time of pledging, a small percentage of cards will get voided between the time of authorization and the time the credit card is actually charged. Rights holders are responsible for any funding shortfall due to voided credit cards.
Can I offer tax deductions to people who pledge to my campaign?: If you are a 501(c)3 or similar, please consult your own attorneys and accountants about the tax deductibility of ungluers' contributions. Unglue.it cannot offer tax deductions or advice.
How do I know when I have started fundraising?: Unglue.it will be in communication with you about when campaigns should go live. On your rights holder dashboard, you will be able to see all works you have claimed and the status of any associated campaigns.
After a campaign succeeds, when and how will I be paid?: After we reach the threshold price Unglue.it will issue you a closing memo, which will cover your gross and net proceeds. Unglue.it will hold the proceeds until you deliver an ePub file meeting Unglue.it's quality standards, at which point Unglue.it will send you a check. If Unglue.it does not receive a suitable ePub file within 90 days, we will deduct conversion costs from your funds and release the rest to you.
What happens if my campaign reaches its funding goal before its deadline? Can campaigns raise more money than their goal?: Campaigns are scheduled to close at midnight Eastern (US) time of the day when they hit their funding threshold. They may continue to accrue pledges up to that time, including funding past their goal.
What happens if my campaign doesn't reach its funding goal by its deadline?: The campaign ends. Supporters' credit cards are not charged, so you are not paid, and not obligated to release an unglued ebook.

If you're concerned a campaign may not reach its goal you have several options. You can lower the target price to a level more likely to succeed. Or you are welcome to run a second campaign at a later time, perhaps with a different goal, duration, and publicity strategy. We'd be happy to consult with you about this.
Is there a minimum funding goal?: Yes, the minimum funding goal is $500.
What fees does Unglue.it charge?: When a campaign succeeds, Unglue.it will deduct a 6% commission (or $60, whichever is greater) on the funds raised. Our payment processor also charges a small fee on each transaction, plus (where relevant) currency conversion costs. If you do not have a suitable ePub version of your book available, you will also need to cover ebook conversion costs; please price this into your goal for a campaign. Details are spelled out in the Platform Services Agreement that rights holders must sign before launching an Unglue.it campaign.
Does it cost money to start a campaign on Unglue.it?: No.
Will I receive a 1099-K tax form?: Yes, Unglue.it will issue you one as required by law.