Writers' Frequently Asked Questions

Writer: If I am already registered as a writer, do I also need to register as a reader to buy stories from CUT?

CUT: No, you can make purchases using your writer account, which contains the same functionality as a reader account.

Writer: What type of image should I load for my e-book cover and my portrait?

CUT: The ideal file type is a jpg, produced as standard by most digital cameras and smartphones. Gif or png files are also accepted. For website and e-book purposes, the ideal file size is between 250k and 1Mb. Please do not try to upload anything larger than 3Mb as larger file sizes can cause problems and offer no benefit in terms of their use on the site.

The portrait photo will appear on your Writer Homepage and on the last page of your e-books. For this, many of our writers use a photograph taken by a professional. That usually looks better but is not essential. For your cover image, you may choose to take a photograph yourself, draw or create a new image, or source one from one of the copyright-free image websites. Some are completely free of charge.

The cover image should be free of text. Your name and the title will be added separately when the e-book is created.

Please note that before loading your cover image, you must first select the background colour you would like to use, to ensure that the cover is assembled correctly. You may find it useful to refer to our advice about sourcing copyright-free images. 

Writer: How do I change the selling price of an e-book?

CUT: You have the ability to change pricing yourself
Just do the following:

• Log in
• Click on your name at the top right of your screen to get the drop-down menu
• Click on “My Submissions”
• Find the story you want to change
• Double click “Edit Story”
• You will then be taken through the steps you went through when you first uploaded the story
• You only need to enter information in the fields that you want to add to or change – in this case the price
• Continue through steps until complete
• Log out
• Go to your Writer Homepage and click on the e-book listing to check you have successfully amended it

You will receive an email to confirm that your change has been received

Writer: How do I change the genre in which my story is listed?

CUT: Simply follow the instructions above, just select “genre” instead.

Writer: How do I get my e-book listed under more than one genre?

CUT: Currently, when you upload your work, you have the option to select one genre. If you feel that your story fits more than one genre, please email writerhelp@cutalongstory.com and tell us the name of the story, and the additional genre(s) and we will make the necessary changes.

Writer: How do I change the cover image of one of my e-books?

CUT: Simply follow the instructions above, as you would to change the selling price. When it comes to the cover image section, simply browse the image files on your computer, and select the new image, just as you selected the original one.

Writer: How do I change the background colour of the cover of my e-book?

CUT: Simply follow the instructions above as you would to change the selling price. However, please note that as well as selecting a new background colour, you will also have to reload your cover image to complete the task. This will enable us to recreate the whole cover for your e-book, by combining the image with the new background. Please select the new colour before re-uploading the image.

Writer: Can I make changes to the text of my story after it has been published?

CUT: Yes, you can. This is done by making the changes in a new Word file and then uploading it to replace the version on the site at that time. Simply follow the instructions above, as for changing the selling price. When it comes to the story upload section, simply browse the files on your computer, and select the new Word file, just as you selected the original one. You will receive an email to confirm that new text has been submitted.

Writer: How do I change the details on my Writer Homepage?

CUT: To change any of these details, including your portrait, biography, sixty-second interview, writer tags, simply do the following:

• Log in
• Click on your name at the top right of your screen to get the drop-down menu
• Click ‘Update My Details’
• You will then be taken through the steps you went through when you registered as a writer
• You only need to enter any fields that you want to add or change
• Continue through steps until complete
• Log out
• Take a look at your Writer Homepage to check that the desired changes have taken effect

You will receive an email to confirm that your change has been received.

Writer: If I want to change the picture or biography which appears in the back of my e-books, do I need to edit the story?

CUT: No, you don’t. The biography and portrait in the back of your e-book are picked up from your current Writer Homepage. If you want to update any of these items, you should log in, and use ‘Update My Details’, as described above.

Writer: May I upload and sell work which has been published elsewhere?

CUT: Yes. Our Writer’s Agreement is non-exclusive. We are happy to publish work which is already published elsewhere, as long as you have the right to use it in this way. When you load your work, you have the opportunity to state where it has been published previously, and this will appear on the inside cover of your e-book.

Writer: I have lost my password and cannot log into my account. What can I do?

CUT: At the log-in entry screen there is a password reminder option. If you select this, we will email a reminder of your password to the email address registered against your account. Or simply contact us at writerhelp@cutalongstory.

Writer: May I use a CUT-formatted e-book of my work elsewhere?

CUT: No. The specially formatted CUT e-books are for sale only through the CUT website. When you register and upload your work, you are agreeing that they are not for distribution or circulation through any other means. However, as above, our agreement with the writer is non-exclusive, so you are at liberty to publish your creative content elsewhere.

Writer: How do you pay me for sales of my e-books?

CUT: We make payments to writers at the end of each month, if the amount in your account exceeds £25.

 If the outstanding balance on your CUT writer’s account is over £25, we will pay that amount into your nominated PayPal account.

The admin costs involved in making payments, mean that it is not feasible to pay you after every single sale. It is by keeping our admin costs to a minimum, that we are able to convert your work into e-books completely free of charge.

Writer: How do I make a video for publication on CUT?

CUT:  Please read through our guidance notes on video recordings. If you then still need any further assistance, please email us at writerhelp@cutalongstory.com 

If you have a question that hasn’t been covered here, please check our Readers’ FAQs or contact us at writerhelp@cutalongstory.com.