BOOK RATINGS
A Different Kind of Rating
As authors, seeing more stars on your books makes you feel great and helps with marketing, but there's one problem for the readers: stars don't tell them about the content.
That's why we came up with a rating system for our books that helps the reader better understand the general content included in each of our books. And readers can leave reviews for each book with their own ratings!
Below, you will find the level of each rating, its meaning, and how to discern the types of content in each book.
Rating Guidelines
Angst
1 skull - No angst 2 skulls - Barely any 3 skulls - Average 4 skulls - Ow 5 skulls - Gut-wrenching
As Google says, Angst is "a feeling of deep anxiety or dread," and as readers, we love to hate it. But with it can come some intense emotions that may not be suitable for all readers.
Characters
1 happy face - They suck 2 happy faces - Uninteresting 3 happy faces - They were okay 4 happy faces - Loved them 5 happy faces - PROTECT THEM!
A story is only as good as its cast. If you have characters that are bland, it makes the story hard to get through, no matter how engaging the plot might be.
Sexual Content
1 heart - Graphic sexual content (on page) 2 hearts- Implied sexual content (off page)
3 hearts - Flirting and kissing 4 hearts - Some kissing 5 hearts - No sexual content
We want to be clear that the fewer hearts a book has, the more sexual content it's deemed to have. Our authors do not shy away from hard topics, so rape and sexual abuse are things that appear in our books, which is what we qualify as "graphic".
We will never publish erotica or anything pornographic in nature.
Language
1 flower - Graphic swearing 2 flowers - Mild swearing 3 flowers - Implied swearing 4 flowers - Some swearing 5 flowers - No swearing
Life is rarely neat and clean. Because our authors show the rawness of life through some of their stories, there will be times when strong language is used.
Violence/Gore
1 crossbones - Graphic violence and gore 2 crossbones - Mild violence and gore
3 crossbones - Implied violence/gore 4 crossbones - Some violence, no gore
5 crossbones - No violence or gore
We publish many genres, and some will include more violence and occasional gore than others. Evil and sin are a real part of real life, and as such, it's not something we're afraid to address.