Most applications move through review without a hitch. But every so often, we'll put one on hold, because a small part of it needs a bit more of the real you before we can let you in. If that's you right now, here's what's probably going on, and how to fix it.
Your Book Cover
Your book cover usually gets held back for one of a few reasons: it turned out to be inappropriate, it looked like an impersonation of someone else, or it was just a blank page or a plain colour screen where an actual image should be.
The good news: it doesn't have to be a photo of you. It can be abstract, a doodle, your dog, whatever captures your vibe and your aesthetic. It just needs to be a real image, and it needs to follow our community guidelines.
Your Bio
Bios get held back for a few reasons too: a random string of letters or numbers, something that crosses the line on respect or our community guidelines, a low-effort single word that doesn't really say anything, or simply sharing a personal social media link, selling a service, or promoting a brand.
What we're looking for instead is simple: something genuine. A line about who you are, what you're into, or anything real you'd actually want someone to know about you.
Your Gallery
Somewhere among your 4 to 6 photos, one or more might not have made the cut, usually because a photo was too blurred or filtered to make out, none of them actually showed you, there wasn't a clear face photo for us to verify you with, several were just duplicates of the same shot, or a photo looked like it was impersonating someone else. Random screenshots, payment QR codes, anything selling a service, or stock photos will also get a gallery rejected.
Here's what a good gallery looks like:
Use clear photos of yourself, no blur or heavy filters, we want to actually see you.
Your first photo becomes your profile picture and helps us verify it's you, so make sure your full face is visible, nothing covering it.
Feel free to add a few candid or aesthetic shots, just keep most of it about you.
Skip repeats, blank screens, or photos of anyone but yourself.
Your Chapters
Chapters get held back for some of these reasons: gibberish or random characters, content that crosses the line on respect or our guidelines, or answers so low-effort and generic they could belong to anyone.
This one's worth the extra care. Your chapters are the biggest thing we use to understand you and find your matches, so genuine, real answers aren't just what gets you through review, they're what gets you better people to meet on the other side.
Still not sure why your application's on hold? Reach out to our Support Team and we'll walk you through it.