Greenlight Publishing — Short tutorials
Greenlight Publishing is a digital-first imprint releasing original fiction in ePub and audiobook formats — read the first chapter of every book free, then take it home to whichever app you already love.
Before you start
- The site is www.greenlight-publishing.com. The top bar links to "Books", "Authors", "Collections", "Reviews", "News", "Pricing" and "MCP"; the footer adds About, Newsletter, Press, Rights & Licensing, Developers and Contact.
- You can browse everything and read the first chapter of any book without an account.
- Signing in is Google only: one "Sign in with Google" button, no password and no separate sign-up form.
- A free account reads the first five chapters of every book in the on-site reader, follows authors and collections, keeps a public shelf and receives the newsletter.
- Whole books, ePub downloads and send-to-device need a paid plan: "Unlimited" at $9.99 a month or "Publisher" at $49 a month (T13, T14).
- The author tools — drafts, service briefs and your own website — are free with any account. Sending a manuscript for audit needs the Professional plan billed through greenlight.film (T22).
- Greenlight.film and greenlight-audio.com are sister sites on the same account.
T1Find a book in the catalogue
- From the home page press "Browse the catalogue", or open "Books" in the top bar. The heading counts the titles and genres on offer.
- Type in "Search by title, author, genre, or keyword...". The slash key jumps to this box; Escape clears it.
- Narrow the format with "All", "ePub only" or "Has audio". Sort with "Discover" (a fresh shuffle each visit), "newest", "rating", "A→Z" or "Z→A".
- Click genre chips to filter; each shows its book count and you can pick several. "Clear genres" or "Clear all" resets.
- Switch the view with the three icons: grid, list, or "Group by genre" (six books per genre with "See all →").
- "Surprise me" opens a random book. "Load more — N remaining" shows the next thirty.
- Books you opened appear under "Recently viewed" on your next visit; "Clear" empties the strip.
If it goes wrong
- "No books found." means the filters exclude everything; press "Clear all filters".
- A "New" badge marks titles published in the last fourteen days; it is not a filter.
T2Read a book's page and its free first chapter
- Open any cover. The page shows the genre, an "ePub" badge and, where one exists, an "Audiobook" badge with its running time.
- Click the author's name for their page. Read "About this book", the full synopsis and the critic's quote with its stars.
- The strip below lists "Words", "Chapters" and "Pages (est.)".
- Press "Read the first chapter free" to jump to the "First chapter" section. It ends with "End of preview" and a link to continue on a store.
- Under "Get it on", the buttons open the book on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Audible, Spotify, Kobo or Google Play — whichever carry it.
- Signed out, the main button reads "Sign in to read" with the note "Free account — 5 free chapters of every book". Signed in, you get "Read Now", "Read Full Book", "Add to library" and "Download ePub" (T4–T6).
If it goes wrong
- "Book not found" means the link is wrong or the book is not published yet; press "Back to catalogue".
- "Cover pending" in place of a cover is normal for a brand-new title.
T3Sign in with Google
- Press "Sign in" in the top bar, or any "Sign in to read" or "Sign in to follow" button. Those buttons remember the page you were on and bring you back afterwards.
- Press "Sign in with Google" and pick your Google account. There is no password and no sign-up step; the first sign-in creates your account.
- You land on your account page, or back where you came from. Your avatar now sits in the top bar.
- Click the avatar for the menu: "Your account", "Highlights notebook", "Public reading shelf" (once your shelf is public), "Your website", "Publish a book", "Services", "Subscription & plans", "Newsletter" and "Sign out".
- "Back to books" under the Google button returns to the catalogue without signing in.
If it goes wrong
- The page shows "Loading..." while it checks your session; wait before pressing the button twice.
- If an account page says "Session not found.", press "Sign in again".
T4Read in the quick reader
- On a book page press "Read Now" (or "Read Now — Free Preview" on the free plan). The note beneath says "First 5 chapters free · N chapters total" or "All N chapters included in your plan".
- The reader fills the screen. Top-bar buttons: "A-" and "A+" for size, a font button cycling "Serif", "Sans", "Mono", line spacing, column width, a theme button (dark, sepia, light), fullscreen and the table of contents ("Contents"). The bars hide after three seconds; move the mouse to bring them back.
- Move with "Next chapter" and "Previous", the arrow keys, or the "Contents" list. Escape closes the reader.
- The bottom bar shows "% complete", chapter position, time left and a reading streak once you have read on two days running.
- Hover a paragraph and click its star to bookmark it; bookmarks are listed under "Contents".
If it goes wrong
- A locked chapter shows "Continue reading" with "See Plans — Full Access" and "About This Book"; that is the free-plan limit, not a fault.
- Bookmarks and highlights made here are kept in this browser only (T18).
T5Read the whole ePub
- On a book page press "Read Full Book", or open a cover under "Your library" or "Continue reading" on your account page.
- The toolbar has "TOC" (becomes "Hide TOC"), "A-", "A+", a chapter counter and "Back". Arrows either side of the text move between chapters.
- Your place is saved to your account. Reopening shows "Resumed at chapter N" with "Start over" if you would rather begin again.
- Select text and press "Save highlight" (or the H key). "✓ Saved: …" confirms and the passage appears under "Your highlights" on your account.
- Opening this reader adds the book to your library; on a plan with a monthly allowance that spends one credit the first time.
If it goes wrong
- "Please sign in to read this book." — you were signed out; sign in and return.
- "This book requires a Library or Library Plus plan, or you need to add it to your library first." — the free plan cannot open full ePubs (T13).
- "No chapters found in ePub" or "Could not load book" means the file is missing; press "Back to book" and write to support@greenlight-publishing.com.
T6Add a book to your library and download the ePub
- On a book page press "Add to library". It becomes "In your library" and links to your account. There the book gets "Mark read", "ePub", "Send →" and a "×" to remove it (you are asked "Remove from library?").
- Press "Download ePub" on the book page, or "ePub" in your library. The button reads "Preparing…" and the file downloads with the book's web name and the .epub ending. Open it in Apple Books, Kobo, Calibre or any ePub app.
- "Unlimited" has no monthly cap. "Publisher" has a monthly allowance of library credits, shown on your account as "ePub credits" with its reset date. Re-downloading a book already in your library never costs a credit.
If it goes wrong
- "Adding books to your library requires the Library or Library Plus plan." — you are on the free plan (T13).
- "You've used all N library credits this month." — wait for the reset shown on the meter.
- "No ePub is available for this book yet." — the file has not been attached; nothing was charged.
T7Meet the authors and follow one
- Open "Authors". The header counts writers and countries; "Where they write from" shows a tile per region, and "Author of the Week" changes weekly.
- Search with "Search authors by name, nationality, or location...". Filter with "All", "Real", "Pen names"; sort "A→Z", "Most", "New"; toggle "Debut authors only"; switch "Grid" to "By region"; use "Filter by nationality" or "Jump to letter".
- Click a row. The author page shows a portrait, nationality, "Based in", genres, the biography and, where known, "Education", "Influences" and "Previous work". Some pages carry a "Narrator voice" player.
- Press "Follow"; it becomes "Following". Their new books appear under "New from people you follow" on your account, and they are listed under "Authors you follow".
- "Published works" lists every book; click a cover to open it.
If it goes wrong
- Signed out, the button reads "Sign in to follow"; press it and you return here afterwards.
- "No authors match those filters." — press "Clear all filters". "Author not found" — press "Back to roster".
T8Explore a curated collection
- Open "Collections". The intro counts the lists and the books in them; the first is shown large as "Featured Collection" with "Explore the collection".
- Type in "Search collections...". Sort with "Curated", "Largest" or "A→Z". Filter by size: "All", "Quintet (≤5)", "Set (6–12)", "Library (13+)".
- Each tile shows the book count, an estimated reading time, an average star rating and "mostly
" where the data exists. - Open a collection. Books are numbered in reading order; a small "Follow" button sits beside the count. Followed lists appear on your account under "Collections you follow".
- "Browse all collections" at the bottom returns to the list.
If it goes wrong
- "This collection is being curated. Check back soon." means the list is published but still empty.
- "Collection not found" — press "Back to collections". "No collections match." — press "Clear search".
T9Read the in-house reviews
- Open "Reviews". Every book with a critic's quote is listed; the intro counts reviews and critics.
- Skim the summary blocks: "Critic of the Month", "Rating distribution", the stats row ("Total reviews", "Critics", "Avg rating", "5-star books") and "Top 10 — highest critical praise".
- "Featured Review" rotates through five-star quotes every eight seconds; the small arrows move it by hand.
- Click a card under "The Critics" to see only that critic's reviews; click again to clear. "Critic comparison" under "The Leaderboard" opens a bar chart.
- Search with "Search reviews by quote or title...", pick a "Genre", and set "Minimum rating" to "Any", "3+ ★", "4+ ★" or "5+ ★". "Clear all" resets.
- Reviews are grouped by critic, eight per critic; click any to open the book.
If it goes wrong
- "Reviews launching soon." appears only if no book carries a quote yet.
- A critic named "Greenlight Review" is the house label where no critic name was recorded.
T10Share a book or a passage
- Hover a cover in the catalogue and press the share icon beside the title. On a phone this opens the system share sheet; on a desktop it copies the link and the icon's tooltip says "Link copied".
- On a book page the share row offers "Share on X", "Share on Facebook", "Share on WhatsApp", "Share on Telegram", "Share on LinkedIn", "Share on Reddit", "Share by email", "Copy link" (becomes "Copied!") and "More…".
- The shared link is the book page, so the cover and blurb show as a preview wherever you paste it.
- In the quick reader, select a sentence to get "Highlight", "Copy" and "Share". "Share" copies the quote with the book title and chapter number; a toast says "Quote copied!".
- On a news article, the bottom row shares to X and LinkedIn or copies the link.
If it goes wrong
- If nothing happens on a desktop, the browser blocked the clipboard; copy the address bar instead.
- The share icon on a review card is decorative and does nothing yet.
T11Subscribe to the newsletter
- Open "Newsletter" from the footer or the avatar menu. Tick the topics you want — "New books", "Audiobooks", "Film projects". At least one must stay on.
- Enter your email and press "Subscribe"; it reads "Subscribing..." briefly.
- A new address sees "Almost there." with "Check
and click the confirmation link…". Open the email and press "Confirm subscription"; the page it opens is hosted on greenlight.film. Nothing is sent until you confirm. - An address already confirmed sees "You're already in." with the topics updated; a returning one sees "Welcome back."
- The home page has a one-field version of the same form. Signed in, "Newsletter topics" on your account page toggles the three topics without a form.
If it goes wrong
- "Something went wrong. Please try again." — retry, or use the newsletter page.
- "Link expired or invalid" on a confirmation page — press "re-subscribe".
- The small "Subscribe" box in the News page sidebar does not send anything; use the newsletter page.
T12Change topics or unsubscribe
- Signed in, open your account page → "Settings" → "Newsletter topics". The line reads "Subscribed as
— toggle topics to update your preferences." Click "New books", "Audiobooks" or "Film projects" to switch each on or off; the change saves at once. - Press "Unsubscribe from all →" and confirm "Unsubscribe?" to stop every email.
- Not signed in, use the unsubscribe link at the foot of any newsletter. The page says "Unsubscribing
…", then "Unsubscribed." and " has been removed." Links in re-confirmation emails open a similar page ending "Unsubscribed." and "We're sorry to see you go." - Both pages offer "Re-subscribe" if you change your mind.
If it goes wrong
- "Link expired or invalid" — "Please use the link in your most recent email, or reply to that email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line and we'll remove you manually."
- The topic buttons stay greyed out until your account carries an email address.
T13Choose a plan
- Open "Pricing". Three cards: "Free", "Unlimited" at "$9.99 per month" (marked "Most popular"), and "Publisher" at "$49 per month". The small print under "Publisher" says it is "Billed as the cross-site Greenlight Reader plan".
- Press "Get Unlimited" or "Upgrade to Publisher". Signed out, you are sent to sign in and brought back.
- The button reads "Loading…" and Stripe checkout opens. Pay there and you return with the plan active.
- Your current plan's button shows "✓ Current plan". On your account page "Subscription & billing" shows the plan, price, status and "Next charge" date; "Manage billing →" opens the Stripe portal for invoices, card and cancellation.
- Read the three notes at the foot of the page: "What's an unlock?", "How does audiobook streaming work?", "Can I cancel anytime?".
If it goes wrong
- "Checkout canceled — no charge was made. Pick a plan below whenever you're ready." appears if you back out of Stripe.
- "Please sign in first." / "Plan not available." / "Checkout failed: …" — retry, then write to support.
- Not verified: audiobook streaming inside this site's own reader; the audio catalogue lives on greenlight-audio.com.
T14Know what a free member and a subscriber can do
- Free ("Free account required — no card needed"): browse every book, read the first chapter on the book page and five chapters in the quick reader, follow authors and collections, keep a public shelf, get the newsletter, and use every author tool short of submitting.
- Free accounts cannot add books to the library, download ePubs, open the full reader or send to a device; those buttons answer with an upgrade message.
- "Unlimited": "Unlimited reading — the entire catalogue", "The audiobook is included with every book, at no extra cost", "Download ePubs to keep", "Send to Kindle / iPhone / iPad", "Pick up where you left off on any device". No monthly credit cap.
- "Publisher": "Everything in Unlimited" plus greenlight.film screenplay access, "Develop 1 script per month" and "10 credits per month". On this site it carries a monthly library-credit allowance shown as "ePub credits".
- Neither plan sold here unlocks sending a manuscript for audit; that needs the Professional plan on greenlight.film (T22).
If it goes wrong
- Your account names the plan Stripe actually bills, so a plan bought on greenlight.film or in the iPhone app shows here too; if it does not, sign out and back in.
T15Find your way around your account
- Open "Your account" from the avatar menu. The heading reads "Welcome back,
" with "Your website" and "Publish a book" buttons and four counters: "Books in library", "Finished", "Hours read", "Genres". - A slim bar under the site header lists the account sections — "Overview", "Publish", "Services", "Website", "Library", "Settings" — and stays put as you scroll.
- "Author desk — What you are publishing" holds three cards: "Your books" (drafts, in review, awaiting you, published), "Services" (open briefs and quotes) and "Your website" (Draft or Live, with its address). Quick actions sit below: "Start a submission", "Translate a book", "Develop a draft", "Edit website".
- Reader sections follow: "New from people you follow", "Continue reading", "Reading activity", the "This month" meters ("ePub credits", "Audiobook minutes"), "Your library" with "all", "reading", "finished" filters, "Because you read", "Authors you follow", "Collections you follow", "Your highlights", "Download history", "Subscription & billing" and "Settings".
- "Sign out" is at the foot of "Settings".
If it goes wrong
- "Your library is empty — start reading to build your collection." is the empty state; press "Browse books".
- The page says "Loading your library..." until everything arrives; the desk cards load separately.
T16Send a book to Kindle, iPhone or iPad
- First, under "Settings" → "Send to device", paste your "Kindle email address" (it looks like user_abc123@kindle.com; find it in Amazon under Manage Devices) and press "Save settings". Add noreply@greenlight.film to Amazon's approved senders, as the note asks.
- In "Your library" press "Send →" on a book. The "Send to device" box opens with tabs "Kindle", "Email / iPhone / iPad" and "QR → Phone".
- "Kindle" sends to the saved address. "Email / iPhone / iPad" mails the ePub anywhere; on an iPhone open the attachment and tap "Copy to Books". "QR → Phone" shows a code that opens the book page on your phone, where you sign in and press "Download ePub".
- Press "Send". The confirmation reads "Sent to ." followed by "Consumed 1 library credit." or "No credit consumed (book was already in your library)."
- Every delivery is listed under "Download history" as "→ Kindle", "→ Email" or "Download".
If it goes wrong
- "No Kindle email configured — add one in settings first." / "Upgrade to a paid plan to send books to your device." / "Monthly credit limit reached (N/N)…" / "ePub isn't available for this book yet."
- Nothing reached the Kindle: check Amazon's approved-sender list; it drops mail from unknown senders.
T17Make a public reading shelf
- On your account page scroll to "Settings" → "Public reader profile". Type a "Handle" after the /reader/ prefix: 3–30 characters, letters, numbers, underscore or hyphen.
- Tick "Make my shelf public". The note explains the page "Shows books you've finished — not progress, highlights, or library additions."
- Press "Save settings"; "Saved." confirms and a "Preview:" link appears. "Public reading shelf" is added to your avatar menu.
- Mark books finished from "Your library" with "Mark read" (it becomes "✓ Read"); reaching the end in the reader also counts.
- Your public page shows your name, "N finished", "N authors followed", "N collections followed", "Since
" and the "Finished shelf", most recent first. Visitors see "Configure yours →". - Untick "Make my shelf public" and save to hide it again.
If it goes wrong
- "Handle must be 3–30 characters, letters/numbers/_/- only." or "That handle is already taken." — choose another.
- "Reader not found" on a public page means the handle is wrong or the shelf is private.
T18Keep your highlights
- In the full reader (
/read/<book>) select any passage. A green "Save highlight" button appears; press it or the H key. "✓ Saved: …" flashes to confirm. - Open "Highlights notebook" from the avatar menu, or scroll to "Your highlights" on your account page. Each card shows the book, "Ch N", the passage and when you saved it; the book title links back into the reader.
- Press "Export CSV ↓" to download every highlight as a spreadsheet.
- Hover a card and press "Delete"; confirm "Delete this highlight?".
- In the quick reader (opened with "Read Now") the "Highlight" button colours the text on the page, but those marks stay in this browser and never reach the notebook. Use the full reader for highlights you want to keep.
If it goes wrong
- The notebook says "No highlights yet." with the tip "Select text in the reader and press H to save a passage." until you save one.
- Selections shorter than two characters or longer than 2,000 are ignored.
T19Start a submission and choose a path
- Open "Publish a book" from the avatar menu or "Publish" in the account bar. "Your submissions" explains the pipeline: a proofread audit, your review, a publisher's queue, then an ISBN, cover, ePub and audiobook.
- A line under the heading shows where you stand: "Drafting is open · submitting needs a plan", or "N/1 submissions this month · resets
". - Press "+ Start a new submission" (or "Start your first"). The wizard opens on "What are you bringing?" with three cards: "A finished manuscript" ("Start the submission"), "An unfinished draft or a concept" ("Brief our editors") and "A book to translate" ("Request a translation"). The last two lead to the services desk (T25, T26).
- Unfinished drafts wait under "Drafts in progress" with "Continue →"; the list page shows them the same way.
- Choose "A finished manuscript" to enter the five steps on the rail: "The book", "The blurb", "Cover", "Manuscript", "Review & submit".
If it goes wrong
- "Draft not found" — "It may have been withdrawn, or it belongs to another account."; press "Start a new submission".
- "Not a finished manuscript?" at the foot of the list page points to the two quoted services.
T20Fill in the book, blurb and cover steps
- "The book": fill "Title", optional "Subtitle", "Pen name" (printed on the cover), "Language" (the language the text is written in), "Genre" from the list and, optionally, "Target length": "Short story", "Novella" or "Novel". Press "Continue →".
- "The blurb": write the "Back-cover blurb" (50–2,000 characters; the counter reads "N / 2,000") and, optionally, "About you" (up to 1,000) for the author page.
- "Cover": optional. "Drop an image or click", or "Choose image" — .jpg, .png or .webp up to 5 MB. Covers are designed in-house; an upload is treated as reference art unless you tell the editor it is final. With no image the button reads "Skip — we design covers in-house".
- The indicator beside the rail reports "Saved on this device" while the draft is incomplete, then "Saving…" and "Saved ·
- "← Back" returns a step; "Save and finish later" goes to your list; "Discard draft" asks "Discard this draft?".
If it goes wrong
- Errors show when you press Continue: "A pen name is required. It is the author name printed on the cover.", "Pick the genre closest to the book.", "The blurb needs at least 50 characters. It is what readers see first."
- "Not saved — Could not reach the server…" keeps the draft on this device; try again online.
T21Attach the manuscript, review and submit
- "Manuscript": "Drop manuscript here or click to browse". Accepted: Word (.docx), PDF, Rich Text (.rtf), plain text (.txt, .md), up to 15 MB and 1,000–200,000 words. Old .doc, .odt and Pages files must be exported first.
- The text is extracted in your browser ("Reading manuscript…"), then uploaded ("Uploading the extracted text…"). Check "First 300 words of extracted text (preview)"; if it looks garbled, export another format. Any "Extraction warnings" are listed.
- A green line confirms "N words — attached and within bounds." "Replace file ↺" swaps it.
- "Review & submit" lists every field with an "Edit" link. The "Quota" box states "This uses your 1 submission for this month…" and the reset date.
- Press "Submit for audit". "Submission received" appears and you are taken to the status page (T23).
If it goes wrong
- "Manuscript is too short (N words). Minimum 1,000 words." / "File is too large … Max 15 MB." / "We couldn't extract any text from this file…" — fix the file and drop it again.
- "The manuscript is outside the 1,000–200,000-word bounds; replace it before submitting." keeps the button disabled.
- "Could not reach the server. Nothing was submitted." — retry.
T22Understand the submitting gate and the monthly quota
- Drafting is free. Any signed-in account can create drafts, upload a manuscript and a cover, and keep them as long as it likes.
- Sending a draft for audit is the gated step. Without the plan, the list page shows "Drafting is open. Submitting needs a plan." and the sentence "Submitting a manuscript for audit is part of the Professional plan, billed through greenlight.film." with the link "See the Professional plan on greenlight.film →". The same note sits in the Review step and "Submit for audit" stays disabled.
- The "Unlimited" and "Publisher" plans sold on this site do not unlock submitting.
- With the plan, the allowance is one submission per calendar month. Starting a fresh draft after using it shows "You have submitted this month" with "Draft it now — submit from
"; the draft waits for the reset. - Re-running the audit on the same submission, or retrying a failed audit, does not use a second submission.
If it goes wrong
- "Your submission for this month is used (1 of 1). The draft is saved; you can submit it from
." - Not verified: greenlight.film's own pricing page may list this plan under the name "Writer" at $129 a month.
T23Follow the audit and approve your book
- The status card moves through "Queued for audit", "Auditing" (it "typically finishes in a minute or two"), "Audit ready for your review", "In admin queue", "Admin review", "Approved — publishing soon" and "Published". "Declined" shows the "Reason".
- Under "Editor's audit" → "Findings" read the "Grade", "Verdict", "Est. reader rating", "Summary", "Strengths" and "Prose tics". Issues filter by "All", "Critical", "Major", "Minor"; each names the module, where it is, the issue and a "Fix". A clean pass says "No issues flagged — clean draft."
- At "Your next step" choose "↺ Upload revised manuscript" (a new audit runs), "Re-run audit on current file", or "Approve for publishing →". With critical issues the button reads "Approve anyway →".
- After approval the "Book metadata" panel gains "ISBN (eBook)" once assigned. When published: "View the live book →" and "Translate this book →".
- "Withdraw this submission" removes it for good after "Withdraw this submission?".
If it goes wrong
- "Audit failed" with "Retry the audit": press "↻ Retry audit" or "↺ Upload a different file"; retries do not touch your quota.
- "This submission is not waiting for your review." — the status moved on; reload the page.
T24Edit details or the cover after starting
- While the status is "Draft" or "Audit ready for your review", the page shows "Edit details": "Title, pen name, language, genre, blurb and bio. Editable until the audit is approved."
- Press "Edit details", change the same fields as wizard steps 1 and 2, then "Save details". A toast says "Details saved." "Cancel" drops the edits.
- The "Cover" panel takes a new image with "Choose image" or "Replace image"; "Remove" asks "Remove the cover?". After approval the cover is shown read-only as "Attached as reference art for the designer."
- A draft also shows "Finish this submission" with "Continue this draft →", which reopens the wizard at the first unfinished step.
If it goes wrong
- "This submission is no longer editable. It has moved past the draft stage." — after approval only the editors can change it; write to main@greenlight-publishing.com.
- "Upload a .jpg, .png or .webp image." / "The image is over 5 MB. Export a smaller copy and try again."
T25Ask for a translation
- Open "Services" → "Translate a book" (also reachable from the About page and from a published submission's "Translate this book →").
- "01 The book": pick one of your Greenlight books, or "A book that is not on Greenlight yet" and fill "Title", "Pen name" and "Word count" ("A rough figure is fine; it is what the quote is based on").
- "02 Languages": "The book is in" and "You want it in". The same language on both sides is refused.
- "03 The brief": at least 30 characters; the counter reads "N / 30 minimum". Say who it is for and what the translator must know — names, dialect, verse, a glossary, a deadline.
- "04 The source text": optional; "Choose a file" — PDF, Word, RTF, text, Markdown or EPUB up to 25 MB.
- "05 Contact": leave "Email" blank to use your account address. Press "Send the brief".
If it goes wrong
- "Pick one of your books, or tell us it is not on Greenlight yet." / "Which language is the book in?" / "The brief needs at least 30 characters (N so far)."
- "Brief filed · file not attached" means the brief went through but the upload failed; press "Open the request →" and add the file there.
T26Ask for a development read
- Open "Services" → "Develop a draft into a book", or pick "An unfinished draft or a concept" in the submission wizard.
- "01 The book": a "Working title" ("It can change"), optional "Pen name", and "Genre" or "Not decided yet".
- "02 Where it stands": choose "An idea", "An outline", "A partial draft" or "A full draft" — this decides what kind of work is quoted. Add "Words so far" ("Zero is a fine answer") and a "Target length": "Open", "Short story", "Novella" or "Novel".
- "03 The brief": at least 30 characters — what exists, what is missing, where it stalled, who you imagine reading it.
- "04 The draft or outline": optionally attach notes, an outline or chapters (PDF, Word, RTF, text, Markdown, EPUB, up to 25 MB). The hint says "We read it; we do not judge it."
- "05 Contact", then "Send the brief". Nothing is charged until you accept a quote.
If it goes wrong
- "Tell us how far along the draft is." — a stage is required.
- "Wrong path? Switch to translation" sits under the heading if you picked the wrong service.
T27Track a request and accept a quote
- "Services" lists every request with a status pill: "With our editors", "Being read", "Quote ready", "Accepted — scheduling", "In progress", "Delivered", "Not taken on", "Withdrawn". The header counts "N open" and "N quotes waiting for you".
- Open a request. A progress rail runs Submitted → Reviewing → Quoted → Accepted → In progress → Delivered, each with a one-line hint.
- When a quote arrives, "Our quote for this title" shows the "Amount", "Estimated delivery", when it was "Quoted" and a note "From the editor". Press "Accept quote"; the page confirms "Quote accepted. We have told the editors; they will write when the work is scheduled." Payment is arranged by email.
- While the brief is "With our editors" or "Being read", "Edit the brief" opens the fields; "Save changes" confirms "Brief updated." "Add a file" or "Replace file" works in the same window.
- "Withdraw this request" is available until the quote is accepted; the record stays in your account.
If it goes wrong
- "This request can no longer be changed. Our editors have already picked it up; reply to their email instead."
- "There is no quote to accept yet." — the status has not reached "Quote ready".
T28Set up your author website
- Open "Your website" from the avatar menu, "Website" in the account bar, or "Open the site builder →" on your account page. The first visit creates a site named after your latest pen name or your account name ("Opening your site…", then "Setting up your site…").
- The editor has a settings column with tabs "Look", "Copy", "Books", "Media", "Connect", "Address", and a "Live preview — this is the published page" beside it.
- The header pill reads "Draft" or "Live", with "· unsaved" while you have changes. "Save" stores them ("Saved."); "Publish" saves and makes the page public ("Your site is live."). Afterwards the button reads "Update live site" and "Open →" opens the page in a new tab.
- The public address is greenlight-publishing.com/site/ (T32). The page carries none of the Greenlight header or footer.
- "Unpublish" takes it down: "Taken offline. The URL will 404 until you publish again." Visitors then see "This site isn't live".
If it goes wrong
- "Put your name on the site first — at least two characters." — fill "Display name" under "Copy" before publishing.
- "Couldn't save (…)" — check the field named in the message and save again.
T29Choose a layout and a look
- Under "Layout" pick one of five: "Classic" ("Centred hero, a card for every book, one band per section"), "The Field Manual" (from City People), "The Illustrated World" (from Dino Roost), "The Chronology" (from Origin Story) or "The Catalogue" (from Biographies and AI on the Job). A note beneath says how much the colour choice still matters for that layout.
- Under "Colour" pick one of twelve looks: "Onyx Prime", "Pop", "Swiss Modern", "The Journal", "System Shock", "Neo-Brutalist", "Frost Glass", "Midnight Pro", "Vaporwave", "Noir", "Gaia", "Gilded". "The Chronology" ignores it and tints books by year; "The Field Manual" and "The Illustrated World" keep their own palette and take only the accent.
- "Accent override" sets one signal colour; "Reset" returns to the preset.
- Tick the "Sections" you want: "About", "Books", "Pictures & film", "Appearances", "Contact".
- "See every layout and look" opens the demo ("Five layouts, twelve looks"), where you switch layouts and set "Books on the shelf" to 0, 1, 6 or 40 to see each behave with a sample author.
If it goes wrong
- "Accent has to be a hex color like #c4783a." / "That layout isn't one we offer. Pick one of the five."
T30Write the page and add your books
- "Copy": "Display name", "Tagline" ("The sentence under your name"), "About" (blank lines make paragraphs), "Portrait" ("Upload photo" / "Replace photo"; JPEG, PNG or WebP under 5 MB) and the "Primary button" — a label such as "Buy the new book" and its link, a full web address or a path like /books/your-title.
- "Books": under "From Greenlight", click a published title to put it on the shelf with its cover, blurb and store links; click again to remove it. Such titles are marked "From catalogue — you can still rewrite it".
- "+ Add a book" adds any book: "Title", "Subtitle (optional)", "Year", "ISBN", "What the book is", a "Cover image URL" or "Upload", and a "Trailer — YouTube, Vimeo, or MP4".
- Under "Where to buy it" press the chips — "Amazon", "Apple Books", "Kobo", "Google Play", "Audible", "Spotify", "Bookshop.org", "Barnes & Noble", "Indie bookstore", "Buy from me" — and paste each link, or "+ Add a link" for another shop. "Remove" drops the book.
- Press "Save"; the preview updates as you type.
If it goes wrong
- "Couldn't upload that image. Use a JPEG, PNG, or WebP under 5 MB."
- A catalogue book with no links shows a "Read" link to its Greenlight page; a manual book with none shows no button.
T31Add pictures, film, links and dates
- "Media": tick "Show pictures & film on the site". Under "Gallery" press "+ Upload a picture" (up to sixteen) or "+ Picture URL", and add a "Caption" to each. Under "Videos" press "+ Add a video" (up to eight) and paste a YouTube, Vimeo or MP4 address with an optional title. On the site the section is headed "Pictures & film".
- "Connect": enter a "Public email"; it appears under "Stay in touch". Under "Socials — any platform" press a chip — "+ Instagram", "+ X", "+ TikTok", "+ YouTube", "+ Facebook", "+ Threads", "+ Bluesky", "+ Goodreads", "+ Amazon", "+ Substack", "+ Patreon", "+ Discord", "+ LinkedIn", "+ Website" — and paste the address; "+ Add a link" covers anything else.
- "Appearances": press "+ Add a date" and fill the date, "City / venue", "Reading, podcast, fair…" and a "Ticket or listing URL". They show under "On the road" while the "Appearances" section is on.
- Press "Save", then "Update live site" if the page is already live.
If it goes wrong
- "That email doesn't look right." — check the address.
- Gallery rows without a picture address and video rows without a link are dropped on save.
T32Set your address or attach your own domain
- "Greenlight address": edit the word after /site/ and press "Set". Rules: 3–40 characters, lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens; common words such as "books", "admin" or "demo" are reserved. "Address updated." confirms and the full link is shown.
- Your site is then at greenlight-publishing.com/site/. The note also names a future subdomain, .authors.greenlight-publishing.com. Not verified: that subdomain is described as future.
- "Your own domain": type it (yourname.com) and press "Save". The reply is "Domain saved. Point DNS, then we'll activate it." with a status of "waiting on DNS" or "verified".
- At your registrar add a CNAME for www pointing to sites.greenlight-publishing.com (or the bare domain if the registrar supports flattening). An optional TXT record on _greenlight with the token shown proves ownership.
- Once verified, the domain serves the site and your Greenlight address keeps working as a backup. Not verified: how long verification takes.
If it goes wrong
- "Address must be 3–40 characters: letters, numbers, hyphens." / "That address is already in use."
- "That doesn't look like a domain we can attach." (Greenlight's own domains are refused) / "That domain is already claimed."
- On the custom domain, "No published author site is attached to this domain yet." means the site is unpublished or DNS has not verified.
T33Connect an AI assistant to the catalogue
- The page shows the single MCP endpoint (hosted on greenlight.film) with a "Copy" button that reads "Copied" once pressed.
- Book tools: "list_books" and "get_book" on the free tier, "get_book_chapter" (free-preview chapters free, the rest on Growth) and "export_book" (Growth; billed as five requests).
- Follow the card for your host: "Claude Code" (one terminal command shown), "claude.ai / Claude Desktop" (Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the endpoint, approve the sign-in), "ChatGPT" (Settings → Connectors → Developer mode → Create connector, OAuth), or "VS Code / Cursor" (the settings snippets shown).
- Two ways in: OAuth sign-in with your account, or an API key beginning gl_pk_ sent as a Bearer token; keys are made on the greenlight.film API docs.
- Rate tiers: "Free" 10 requests an hour, "Starter" 100, "Growth" 1,000, "Enterprise" 10,000. Plans and keys are managed on greenlight.film.
If it goes wrong
- Locked chapters return a permission error until the account behind the connector is on Growth.
- The full tool reference and troubleshooting live at greenlight.film/api-docs ("Full API reference").
T34Follow the news
- Open "News" in the top bar. Type in "Search articles..." and filter with "All", "Announcement", "Industry", "Product", "Guide"; each chip shows a count.
- "Pinned" articles sit at the top; the sidebar lists the four most "Recent".
- Open an article. "Back to News" returns; the bottom row shares to X or LinkedIn or copies the link.
- "Subscribe RSS" at the top right, or the footer's "RSS Feed", gives you the feed address for a reader app.
If it goes wrong
- "No articles match those filters." — clear the search or pick "All".
- The "Subscribe" box in the sidebar is not connected; use the newsletter page (T11).
- "Post not found." — press "Back to News".
T35Get in touch: contact, press, rights and about
- "Contact" lists six inboxes at greenlight-publishing.com: "General" (hello@), "Rights & Licensing" (rights@), "Press" (press@), "Author Relations" (authors@), "Technical" (support@), "Legal" (legal@). Or fill the form — "Name", "Email", "Department", "Topic", "Message"; the line "Goes to: …" names the inbox and "Send message" confirms "Message received." Office hours are weekdays, in UTC.
- "Press" carries "Fast facts", releases, coverage, a "Media kit" section, boilerplate copy and three desks: press@, authors@ for interviews, embargo@.
- "Rights & Licensing" explains what is licensed (film and television, translation, audio, graphic novel, subsidiary), the four-step process, a FAQ, "Request PDF" for the rights catalogue and "Contact rights team".
- "About" states the mission, offers "Download the publisher profile (PDF)" and links "File a translation request from your account" (T25).
If it goes wrong
- On "Press", "Read full release", "PDF", the media-kit tiles and the "Copy →" buttons are not connected to files yet; email press@ for assets.
- The form error "Something went wrong — please try again." means the message was not stored; email the inbox directly.
Glossary
- ePub — the ebook file every title ships in; opens in Apple Books, Kobo, Calibre and most reader apps.
- First chapter / free preview — chapter one on every book page with no account; chapters one to five in the quick reader with a free account.
- Quick reader — the full-screen reader opened by "Read Now" on a book page.
- Full reader — the page at /read/
that opens the ePub itself; needs a plan or a book in your library. - Library — the books you have unlocked, listed on your account under "Your library".
- Library credit / unlock — one unit of a monthly allowance, spent the first time a book enters your library on a capped plan; shown as "ePub credits".
- Plan — "Free", "Unlimited" ($9.99 a month) or "Publisher" ($49 a month), chosen on the pricing page.
- Professional plan — the greenlight.film plan that allows sending a manuscript for audit.
- Author desk — the band on your account page showing your submissions, service requests and website.
- Submission — a manuscript in the publishing pipeline; a draft until you press "Submit for audit".
- Audit — the automated proofread that returns a grade, a verdict and a list of issues.
- Pen name — the author name printed on the cover and the book page.
- Brief — the note you write when asking for a translation or a development read.
- Quote — the editors' price for a service; nothing is charged until you press "Accept quote".
- Author site — your own page at /site/, built at /account/site.
- Layout / look — how the site is arranged (five layouts) and coloured (twelve looks).
- Address — the word after /site/ in your site's link.
- Handle — the word after /reader/ in your public shelf's link.
- Highlight — a saved passage; it reaches the notebook only when saved from the full reader.
- MCP — the connector that lets an AI assistant read the catalogue.
Coverage
| Route | Tutorial |
|---|---|
/ |
T1 (browse), T11 (newsletter form) |
/books |
T1, T10 |
/books/[slug] |
T2, T4, T6, T10 |
/read/[slug] |
T5, T18 |
/authors |
T7 |
/authors/[slug] |
T7 |
/collections |
T8 |
/collections/[slug] |
T8 |
/reviews |
T9 |
/reader/[handle] |
T17 |
/site/[slug] |
T28, T32 |
/site/demo |
T29 |
/site/custom |
T32 |
/subscribe |
T13 (redirects to /pricing) |
/pricing |
T13, T14 |
/newsletter |
T11 |
/newsletter/confirm/[token] |
T11 |
/newsletter/unsubscribe/[token] |
T12 |
/unsubscribe |
T12 |
/news |
T34 |
/news/[slug] |
T34 |
/feed.xml |
T34 |
/press |
T35 |
/rights |
T35 |
/developers |
T33 |
/mcp |
T33 (redirects to /developers) |
/contact |
T35 |
/about |
T35 |
/signin |
T3 |
/account |
T15, T16, T17, T18 |
/account/publish |
T19, T22 |
/account/publish/new |
T19, T20, T21, T22 |
/account/publish/[id] |
T23, T24 |
/account/services |
T27 |
/account/services/new |
T25, T26 |
/account/services/[id] |
T27 |
/admin/* |
not covered: staff-only admin, not a public route |
/terms, /privacy, /cookies |
not covered: legal text, nothing to operate |
/go/[code] |
not covered: link shortener redirect, nothing to operate |
/api/* |
not covered: used by the readers and downloads, not pages |