Shiori's "A Guide To Inkitt"

The moment you upload your first chapter on Inkitt, your book enters an initial evaluation period. This step ensures that each story meets Inkitt’s quality and formatting standards, giving readers a consistent and enjoyable experience. In this chapter, we’ll detail:

When the approval process begins and how priority is determined

What Inkitt’s manual review entails

Visibility limitations before approval

Tips on formatting, grammar, and content

Possible outcomes (approval, conditional feedback, or rejection)

How to stay productive and polished while you wait

1.1. When Does the Approval Process Begin?

Immediate Trigger: As soon as you upload your first chapter, Inkitt’s team flags your story for review.

Progressive Review: While you might not see an “official” review prompt right away, the platform collects data on your reads, impressions, and any early engagement to gauge reader interest.

Pro Tip: You can keep drafting or editing additional chapters while awaiting approval—just be mindful of how much you upload before the green light (see Section 1.5 and Section 1.6 for more info).

1.2. Priority Categories: Who Gets Reviewed First?

Inkitt aims to process all stories fairly. However, certain factors can push your story higher in the review queue:

Books Over 10,000 Words

Why 10K? A story hitting this mark demonstrates commitment and provides enough content for a thorough quality check.

Faster Review: Reaching (or slightly surpassing) 10,000 words can expedite the manual review.

Contest Books

Dedicated Team: If your story is in a contest, it usually gets priority due to fixed deadlines.

Timely Evaluations: Expect a shorter wait as Inkitt’s staff actively focuses on contest submissions.

All Other Books

Standard Queue: If you haven’t reached 10K words and are not in a contest, your story will still be reviewed—just possibly after higher-priority submissions.

Quality Still Matters: Fewer words doesn’t mean you can’t be approved; it only means you might wait a bit longer.

1.3. The Manual Review: What Really Happens?

Unlike purely algorithmic platforms, Inkitt uses human reviewers to maintain quality:

Story Quality and Structure

Chapters should progress logically.

Avoid large author notes or unrelated commentary within the text; Inkitt’s reviewers look for a cohesive narrative flow.

Grammar and Readability

Grammar & Punctuation: Minor mistakes might pass, but consistent errors can delay approval.

Formatting: Proper paragraph alignment, minimal spacing (only one empty line between paragraphs), and correct dialogue tags all streamline the reading experience.

Content Guidelines

No plagiarism, illegal content, or anything that promotes violence/terrorism.

Keep disclaimers (like copyright info) off the chapter list; place them on your profile if needed.

Potential Reader Engagement

Early comments or reviews can influence how positively Inkitt perceives your story’s promise.

A strong opening chapter can shine even if initial engagement is minimal.

Inkitt’s Writing & Formatting Essentials:

No Indents/Spaces: Avoid indentations at the start of paragraphs.

Consistent Spacing: No more than one blank line between paragraphs.

Inkitt’s Line Tool: Use this instead of asterisks (***), dashes (---), or zeros (000) to separate sections/scenes.

Chapter Length: Each chapter should be optimally 1,500–4,000 for smooth reading on the app.

No Author Commentary: Exclude tables of contents, dedications, or external links from the chapters themselves.

1.4. Notifications and Tracking Your Approval Status

System Notifications: The main channel where Inkitt will let you know if you’re approved, need revisions, or have been deferred.

Email Updates: You’ll typically receive an email within 48 hours (though it can take up to 1–2 weeks during high-volume periods).

Dashboard Insight: You can also watch your book’s reads/likes. If you see a spike, there’s a chance the review team has taken a closer look.

What If It’s Taking Too Long? If you feel it has been exceptionally long (over two weeks) and you have 10K+ words, you can contact [email protected] with a link to your story and any questions.

1.5. Visibility Limitations Before Approval

Until your manuscript passes Inkitt’s checks, you won’t appear on public lists or “wheels”:

Limited Discoverability

No Wheels: Your story won’t show under “Recently Updated” or “Recommended” feeds, even if you frequently update.

Direct Links Only: Readers can only access your work via a link you share or by visiting your profile directly.

Strategic Word Count

Don’t Overshoot 10K: If you keep uploading well beyond 10K words before approval, you miss out on incremental boosts from each new “Recently Updated” appearance post-approval.

Pace Yourself: Hover just above 10,000 words to unlock priority review, but save plenty of fresh chapters for after you’re approved—when updates will actually appear on the wheels.

1.6. What to Do While Waiting

Continue Writing (But Pace Your Uploads!)

Draft or refine chapters in a separate document. You want to be prepared for a surge of new readers once you do appear on the wheels.

Stagger your uploads carefully. Inkitt advises that each chapter be under 10,000 words, with 1,500–4,000 words as an ideal range.

Polish Formatting & Grammar

Remove extra spaces or manual symbols (like asterisks) to align with Inkitt’s formatting rules.

Double-check punctuation and dialogue tags (“Word,” she said. “Word!” he replied).

Promote Directly

Because you won’t be on any “Recently Updated” wheel, social media and review swaps are your main ways to gain traction.

Consider posting teasers or excerpt quotes on Facebook, Instagram, and author forums.

Assess Technical Details

Cover Image: Must be at least 500×800 pixels (though a crisp, larger image is better).

Title, Summary & Genre: Keep your title just the title—no extra info. Ensure your summary fits the 1,400-character limit.

Rating: 13+ (Everyone), 16+ (Young Adult), or 18+ (Mature).

Series Info: If it’s part of a series, clearly note this in your book details.

1.7. Possible Outcomes and Next Steps

Full Approval

Congratulations! Your story meets Inkitt’s guidelines. You’ll now appear on the “Recently Updated” wheel for each future update.

Post-Approval Strategy: Promote your story in Inkitt groups, on social media, and consider entering Inkitt’s contests for additional visibility.

Conditional Feedback

Minor Edits: The QA team might require small changes (e.g., reformatting paragraphs, removing author’s notes, or adjusting content warnings).

Resubmit: Fix the specified issues and wait for a follow-up. Once rechecked, you can gain approval quickly.

Rejection

Why It Happens: Major rule violations (plagiarism, illegal content, excessive grammar issues) can lead to rejection.

What’s Next: You’ll receive an email detailing what to correct. Revise your story, address feedback, and re-upload when ready.

1.8. Patience, Persistence, and Polishing

While the approval process can feel like waiting in line, it’s fundamentally a quality-control filter ensuring your story and the platform maintain a high standard. Think of it as your chance to shine once you’re publicly visible.

Formatting & Grammar: Follow Inkitt’s guidelines on paragraph alignment, spacing, and word counts. Properly format dialogue and avoid cluttering your chapters with personal notes.

Promotion & Networking: Engage in direct promotion to build a small readership base, ready to expand once you’re on the wheels.

Maintain Momentum: Keep writing offline or in a private doc. You’ll be ready to post more chapters and show up under “Recently Updated” as soon as you get that thumbs-up.

Bottom Line: By adhering to Inkitt’s formatting and content guidelines now, you not only speed up approval but also offer readers (and yourself) a smoother, more enjoyable experience.