F.A.Q.

I am a Riff™ Composer

How to build books with BookRiff™

Am I also a Creator?
How do I find and add content to a Riff?
Do I need permission from BookRiff Creators to use their content in my Riff?
Can I use works that aren't on BookRiff.com?
Can I download/purchase content without creating a Riff?
Can I use my personal text/images as content?
Is my uploaded content available to other BookRiff users?
Do I need to add an additional license to my work if I want to sell it?
How do I edit content once it is in place?
What book sizes are available?
How do I save my Riff if I want to finish/print it later?
Can I create a custom cover?
What will my Riff look like when it's printed?
When can I expect to receive my printed Riff?
How is the price of a Riff calculated?
Is there a special price for large orders?
Can I share my Riff with others?
Can I download/share my Riff in electronic form?

Am I also a Creator?

If you are primarily coming to the site to build Riffs you will find most of your questions addressed here. If you upload content and make it publicly available for others to use in their Riffs you will officially become a Creator as well. And once you begin exploring this new identity by setting up your profile, uploading and selling more content, you should also the list of questions under I am a Creator  for additional help.

How do I find and add content to a Riff?

When you navigate to the Create a Riff section, you will see an Add to this Riff button near the top left of the page. Clicking on this will reveal a set of options for searching for and adding content to your Riff. From the Search for Content menu, you can choose to search BookRiff content using a full-text search, or search the web for other content. As we enhance our search options in the near future, you will be able to filter search results to find BookRiff content based on its subject, author/Creator, date added, and popularity.

Do I need permission from BookRiff Creators to use their content in my Riff?

Authors, publishers, and other Creators who have uploaded content to BookRiff.com have agreed to allow it to be used according to our Terms of Service, and you do not need additional permission to add this content to your Riff once they have made it public. You will need to seek permission of any authors or other copyright holders before you upload, copy and paste, or create Riffs™of content that you don't find in BookRiff.com searches, however.

Can I use works that aren't on BookRiff.com?

Can I download/purchase content (without creating a Riff)?

Some publishers may provide links to their content for sale in electronic form on its own from their websites, or may request to place these for sale on the BookRiff site. Only this content may be downloaded or purchased on its own, without creating and printing a Riff. 

Can I use my personal text/images as content?

You are encouraged to use your own pictures, text, lists, notes, artwork, recipes, and more to enhance and personalize your Riffs. You may type these in by clicking on Write Your Own Content or upload them from your computer by clicking on Upload Content, both in the Add to this Riff menu on the Create A Riff section of the site. From the user interface, you can upload these formats: PDF, GIF, JPG, PNG, ODT, SXW, RTF, DOC, WPD, TXT, ODS, SXC, XLS, CSV, TSV, ODP, SXI, PPT, TXT, HTML,  and we are working on more. If you have EPUB or other XML content, let us know: we'll assist you with uploading these files separately.

Is my uploaded content available to other BookRiff users?

The only time your content is available to others is when you choose to make that content public. To do so,  you will click on the Public option next to content you've already uploaded in Your Library on your Account page, or on the upload form as you upload new content to your account.

Do I need to add an additional license to my work if I want to sell it?

Because you are the creator of the work, you hold the copyright to it and you are in control of how it can and cannot be used. As long as you do not make your content public by marking the Public option in Your Library on your Account page, only you can view and use it in Riffs. If you wish to make your work public (in other words, available on the BookRiff site for others to include in a Riff) you must allow that work to be viewed on the BookRiff site according to preview settings which you control, and to be incorporated into Riffs and printed. You will find this outlined in the Terms of Service that you agree to upon registering a Creator account.

How do I edit content once it is in place?

You can only edit content that is your own (uploaded or written), content that is licensed to allow editing, or content in the public domain. You will not be able to edit any content on BookRiff where it is a violation of the copyright on that work. To edit your own work, in the Create a Riff section, click on the edit button next to the chapter title you want to work on. You will see a text box allowing you to type and make other changes using the editing toolbar provided. When you are finished, click save. Don't worry, you can go back and edit this as many times as you need. For works that are copyright-protected, you will find these editing tools are disabled.

What book sizes are available?

To begin, we will use only one standard book size: 5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140mm), but more sizes are in the works! The next size we are working on making available is 8.25 x 11" (280 x 210mm) .
Books can range from 48 to 740 pages in length.
 

How do I save my Riff if I want to finish/print it later?

If you want to save your Riff and come back to it, you will need to register an account. While you will not have to give any financial information until you order a print copy of your Riff, you will need to provide some personal information including a valid email address and date of birth, and agree to our Terms of Service upon registration. If you already have an account and you are signed in, your Riff saves automatically as you make changes and navigate away from the page.

Can I create a custom cover?

Right now you can customize your cover by choosing from six BookRiff cover colors, and typing in your own text to appear in the title, subtitle, and author fields on the cover and spine. We are working on increasing options for users who want to create their own custom covers.

What will my Riff look like when it's printed?

All Riffs will be perfect bound trade paperbacks. Because we are currently using Lightning Source, a highly efficient print on demand (POD) service for all orders to begin, a standard acid-free high quality book grade paper will be used.

When can I expect to receive my printed Riff?

Lightning Source will print your order within 48 hours, and ship from one of its distribution centers in the U.S. or U.K. in 5 to 10 business days. Shipping times will vary depending upon where you are located. Books will take approximately 3 days to arrive in Canada from Lightning Source in the U.S.

How is the price of a Riff calculated?

The price of a printed Riff is calculated based on these factors:
The price before tax and shipping will be displayed under your Riff on the Create a Riff page of the site. As more content is added to the Riff you can see this price being calculated on the fly.

Is there a special price for large orders?

Yes! We will be offering discounted prices on orders of 50 or more Riffs. Ask us for details.

Can I share my Riff with others?

If you think others might be interested in the Riff you've created, you will soon be able to share it in two ways. First, you can make that Riff public so that it becomes available for others to view and print from the Buy Riffs section of the site. If you have included your own work in this Riff you may choose to add a price to this piece of content. Each time the Riff is printed, your account will be credited with the price you set. Second, you will be able to email a link to friends to view a preview PDF of the Riff on BookRiff.com using a Share tool we're building now.

Can I download/share my Riff in electronic form?

At this time BookRiff does not enable downloading or selling of electronic Riffs. You can only download a preview PDF of the Riff from the Create a Riff page, which allows you to view a high-res preview of Riff before purchasing it. You will be able to view all content in the Riff according to the preview set by the Creators whose works you included. For example, if a publisher has chosen to alow 20% preview on a chapter, you will be able to view 20% of that chapter in the PDF.

The Share tool being built will enable you to send an email to others with a link to view this preview PDF on the BookRiff site. We are also working on tools to place a widget of the Riff on another website, such as a personal blog.