Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 23 September 2026

1. About the Service

Novelshell is a free, browser-based reader that helps you discover, read, and save works of literature that are in the public domain. Novelshell does not publish, host, or distribute books itself. It queries publicly available catalogs — primarily Project Gutenberg via its free Gutendex API, and may also query other open catalogs such as Open Library and Internet Archive — and presents the results inside a reading interface.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." We may add, change, or remove features at any time without notice.

2. Eligibility

You may use Novelshell only if you can form a binding contract with us and are not barred from using the Service under applicable law. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you may use the Service only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian.

By using the Service, you represent that you meet these eligibility requirements and that all information you provide (if any) is accurate.

3. Content and public domain

3.1 Nature of the content

All literary works accessible through Novelshell are, to the best of our knowledge, in the public domain in their jurisdiction of origin, or are otherwise made freely available by their original publishers. Public-domain works are not subject to copyright and may be freely read, copied, and shared.

3.2 No guarantee of public-domain status

Copyright terms vary by country and can change over time. While we make reasonable efforts to rely only on catalogs that curate public-domain works, we do not warrant that every work accessible through Novelshell is free of copyright in your specific jurisdiction. You are responsible for verifying whether a work may be legally accessed, downloaded, or reproduced in the country from which you use the Service.

3.3 Translations, annotations, and editions

Some works in the public domain may include modern translations, introductions, annotations, or cover art that are themselves still protected by copyright. Where a work is provided through a third-party catalog, that catalog's own terms may apply to those specific elements.

4. User accounts

Novelshell may offer optional features — such as saving books to a personal library or following topics — that require an account. When you create an account:

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your sign-in credentials.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
• You may not share your account with others or use someone else's account.
• You may not create accounts by automated means or for the purpose of abusing the Service.

You may sign in with an email and password, or with Google Sign-In. If you sign in with Google, we receive only the basic profile information Google shares with us (name, email address, profile picture). We never receive your Google password.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, or in violation of any applicable law or regulation.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Service, its servers, or any connected system.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service, its servers, or the networks it relies on.
• Scrape, harvest, or systematically download content from the Service by automated means, except for normal browsing and reading.
• Bypass, remove, or attempt to bypass any security, rate-limiting, or access-control feature.
• Introduce any virus, worm, Trojan, or other malicious code.
• Use the Service to infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
• Misrepresent your identity, impersonate any person, or falsely state your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Reproduce, resell, or commercially exploit the Service itself, or any part of it, without our prior written consent.
• Use the Service in a way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair it, or interfere with anyone else's use of the Service.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service if we believe you have violated these rules.

6. Third-party catalogs and services

Novelshell depends on third-party sources and services to deliver its content, including but not limited to:

• Gutendex — a free, public API over Project Gutenberg's catalog.
• Project Gutenberg — the primary source of many of the texts.
• Open Library and Internet Archive — additional open catalogs.
• Google Fonts and Cloudflare — for typography and delivery.
• Firebase (Google) — for optional account features.
• Advertising networks (see Section 7).

These services are governed by their own terms of service and privacy policies. We do not control, endorse, or take responsibility for third-party services. Your use of any third-party service is at your own risk and subject to that service's terms.

7. Advertisements

Novelshell is free to use. To sustain the Service, we display advertisements supplied by third-party advertising networks, such as Adsterra (and its affiliated domains), to visitors who are not signed in to an ad-free experience.

Advertising networks may use cookies, device identifiers, and similar technologies to serve relevant ads, measure performance, and prevent fraud. Their use of your information is governed by their own privacy policies, not ours.

We do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for the products, services, or claims made in any advertisement shown on the Service. Any interaction you have with an advertiser — including any purchase — is solely between you and that advertiser.

8. Intellectual property

8.1 The Service

The Novelshell name, logo, design, layout, source code, and all other elements of the Service (excluding the public-domain literary works and third-party content) are owned by Novelshell Inc, by Amimo LLC or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual-property laws.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service, nor may you reverse-engineer or attempt to extract the source code of the Service, except as expressly permitted by law or with our prior written consent.

8.2 Public-domain works

The literary texts themselves are not subject to copyright and remain in the public domain. Nothing in these Terms restricts your ability to freely use, reproduce, or redistribute those texts as permitted by the laws of your jurisdiction.

8.3 Feedback

If you send us feedback, suggestions, or ideas, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use them without compensation or attribution to you.

9. Copyright complaints (DMCA)

We respect the intellectual-property rights of others. If you believe that content accessible through the Service infringes a copyright you own or control, please send a notice to our designated contact with the following information:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed.
2. Identification of the material you claim is infringing, with enough detail (URL, book title, author) to locate it.
3. Your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
5. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on their behalf.
6. Your physical or electronic signature.

Please send copyright notices to the contact address in Section 18. We will respond promptly and remove or disable access to any material that we reasonably believe to be infringing.

10. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in the Privacy Policy.

11. Availability and changes

We do not guarantee that the Service will always be available, uninterrupted, or error-free. The Service may be unavailable during maintenance, updates, or for reasons outside our control — including third-party outages at Gutendex, Project Gutenberg, Open Library, Internet Archive, or any other dependency.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any feature of it) at any time, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice. We will not be liable to you or to any third party for any such modification, suspension, or discontinuation.

12. Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise. We disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
• Any warranty that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, timely, or error-free.
• Any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, legality, or reliability of any content accessible through the Service.
• Any warranty that any defect in the Service will be corrected.

No advice or information — oral or written — obtained from us or through the Service creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Novelshell Inc, Amimo LLC, their officers, directors, employees, agents, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with:

• Your access to or use of, or inability to access or use, the Service.
• Any conduct or content of any third party on the Service.
• Any content obtained from the Service.
• Unauthorised access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content.

This limitation applies regardless of whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or any other basis — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damage.

In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of certain liabilities, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

14. Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Novelshell Inc, Amimo LLC, and their officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from:

• Your use of and access to the Service.
• Your violation of any term of these Terms.
• Your violation of any third-party right — including any copyright, trademark, or privacy right.
• Any claim that your use of the Service caused damage to a third party.

15. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, with or without notice, immediately and without liability, for any reason — including if we believe you have breached these Terms or acted in a way that could harm us, other users, or third parties.

You may stop using the Service at any time. If you have an account, you may request its deletion via the contact address in Section 18.

All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including ownership, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability — will survive termination.

16. Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Amimo LLC is registered, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the courts located in that jurisdiction, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of those courts.

Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

17. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. The most current version will always be available at this URL.

If we make material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you — for example, by showing a notice on the Service. By continuing to use the Service after changes take effect, you agree to be bound by the revised Terms.

We encourage you to review this page periodically.

18. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, or wish to report a copyright infringement or an account issue, please contact us:

By using Novelshell, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.