Legal
Terms and Conditions
Last updated: 5/14/2026
Note: these Terms are provided as a starting template and should be reviewed by a lawyer before launch.
1. Introduction & acceptance of terms
The Bookish Shelf is operated by Kelly Dunn ("we", "us", "our"), trading as The Bookish Shelf. By using the app you agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you don't agree, please don't use the app.
2. Who can use the app
You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum digital-consent age in your country) to use The Bookish Shelf. If you accept these Terms on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have authority to bind it.
3. User accounts
You're responsible for keeping your account credentials safe and for any activity under your account. You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it up to date.
4. Reading data and user content
You own everything you add to your shelf — reviews, notes, journal entries, quotes, and uploaded covers. By using the app you grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, store, and display that content solely so we can provide the service back to you.
5. App licence and permitted use
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the app for personal, non-commercial reading tracking, subject to your selected plan.
6. Prohibited use
Don't reverse engineer, scrape, redistribute, or use the app to harass others. Don't upload illegal content, malware, or content that infringes someone else's rights. Don't probe, attack, or interfere with the security of the service.
7. Subscription plans, payments and billing
Starter Shelf: free forever.
The Full Shelf: $9.99/month or $49.99/year (annual saves 58%).
Renewals: paid subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless cancelled beforehand.
Cancellations: you can cancel any time from your account settings; access continues until the end of the current billing period.
Payments, taxes and billing mechanics are processed by our payment processor and Merchant of Record, Stripe (see Section 9). For full payment terms, see Stripe's Consumer Terms of Service.
Refunds: see our Refund Policy.
8. Book cover and metadata accuracy
Book covers and metadata may be supplied by third-party APIs (Open Library, Google Books) and may not always be accurate. You can manually edit any book and upload your own cover. We do not scrape Amazon, Goodreads, publisher websites, or arbitrary websites for covers.
9. Third-party services and Merchant of Record
Our order process is conducted through our payment processor Stripe. Stripe acts as the Merchant of Record for all our orders, handling tax calculation, collection, and remittance, as well as fraud protection and dispute handling. Customer bank statements may show LINK.COM* alongside our brand name.
We also use third-party services such as Open Library and Google Books (book cover and metadata lookup). Their terms apply to interactions with their systems.
10. Intellectual property
The Bookish Shelf branding, design, software, and documentation belong to Kelly Dunn. Your reading data belongs to you.
11. No guarantee of uninterrupted service
We try our best to keep the app running smoothly, but we can't guarantee uninterrupted or error-free service. The app is provided "as is" and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all implied warranties including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
12. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the service is limited to the fees you paid in the 12 months preceding the claim. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages (including loss of profits, data, or goodwill). Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for fraud, death, or personal injury where it cannot be excluded by law.
13. Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate accounts for material breach of these Terms, non-payment, security or fraud risk, or repeated policy violations. You can delete your account any time. On termination, you may export your data for a reasonable period before it is deleted.
14. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which Kelly Dunn resides, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes will be brought before the competent courts of that jurisdiction.
15. Changes to terms
We may update these Terms occasionally. Significant changes will be communicated in the app or by email.
See also: Privacy Policy · Refund Policy.
