What Spine publishes.
And what it doesn't. Plain language, in two short lists.
What's welcome
Spine publishes fiction and creative non-fiction across all major genres for adult and YA audiences. This includes:
- Romance, including romance with explicit on-page sexual content
- Literary fiction, including work that explores difficult or transgressive themes
- Genre fiction — fantasy, science fiction, mystery, horror, thriller — across all maturity levels
- Memoir, essay, and creative non-fiction
- Translated works (with proper rights and attribution)
We expect authors to use content warnings to help readers make informed choices. This isn't censorship — it's respect.
What's not permitted
Some content is excluded for legal, payment-processor, or platform-policy reasons:
- Pure erotica — works whose primary purpose is explicit sexual content with minimal narrative. Romance with explicit scenes is welcome; works structured solely as sexual scenes are not.
- Sexual content involving minors, in any form, including drawings or written depictions
- Content that depicts non-consensual acts approvingly or instructionally
- Direct incitement to real-world violence against specific people or groups
- Doxxing or content designed to enable harassment of real individuals
- Detailed instructions for self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders intended as encouragement
- Content that infringes others' copyright, trademark, or rights of publicity
- Fraudulent content (e.g., books composed of random text, or works falsely attributed to real authors)
AI-generated content
We don't prohibit AI-assisted writing, but we require honest disclosure. Authors must declare when generative AI was used as a primary writing tool. Misrepresentation is grounds for removal.
Reporting and enforcement
Readers can report any work that appears to violate this policy. Spine reviews reports within 72 hours and takes one of four actions:
- No action — the work falls within policy
- Content warning added — the work stays public with appropriate flags
- Removal — the work is hidden from public discovery and the author is notified
- Account termination — for repeated or severe violations, with royalty clawback
Authors can appeal removal decisions. Appeals are reviewed by a different person than the original decision.
Why these lines
Spine's lines aren't arbitrary. They reflect what payment processors permit, what serves readers, and what we believe a literary publishing platform should be. We'd rather be clear about our limits than pretend we have none.