1. Community Activity Requirement

Applicants must have been a member of the Fables & Filth Discord for at least 60 days before applying, unless they have been directly invited by the Fables & Filth team.

Applicants must also meet at least three of the following activity requirements within the previous 90 days:

1. Participated meaningfully on at least six separate days across three or more weeks.

2. Made at least ten meaningful, non-promotional contributions to community conversations.

3. Helped or supported at least three other members through advice, feedback, encouragement, recommendations or practical assistance.

4. Participated in at least one Fables & Filth event, challenge, Q&A, House activity, reading activity or community project.

5. Regularly engaged outside their own promotional posts, business advertisements or service discussions.

Meaningful activity includes conversations, advice, event participation, answering questions, supporting releases, and helping other members.

The following do not count as meaningful activity:

• Reactions without conversation

• Repeated one-word responses

• Giveaway entries

• Promotional posts

• Copy-and-paste messages

• Activity created only immediately before applying

• Spam or attempts to manipulate activity records

Applicants who do not yet meet the activity requirement may reapply once they have become a more established member of the community.

Community activity may be waived for:

• Providers directly hired by Fables & Filth

• Official festival partners

• Invited specialists

• Existing providers with a proven history of successful work with Fables & Filth

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2. Minimum Business Requirements

Every provider must supply:

• A clear description of their services

• Exact or starting prices

• A clear explanation of what each service includes

• Expected turnaround times

• Revision limits

• Payment requirements

• Cancellation and refund terms

• A portfolio or examples of completed work

• At least two verifiable client references

• Details about subcontractors or assistants involved in client work

• Disclosure of any software, licensed assets or external resources used

Providers must communicate professionally and must not mislead clients about their experience, workload, turnaround time or abilities.

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3. Service Value Requirements

Fables & Filth is committed to helping indie authors access useful and reasonably priced services.

A provider does not need to be the cheapest option available. However, their price must be reasonable when compared with:

• The amount of work included

• The provider’s experience

• The quality of their portfolio

• Their turnaround time

• The number of revisions offered

• The level of communication and support included

• Comparable Fables & Filth services

• General indie publishing market rates

Higher prices may be approved when the provider can clearly demonstrate additional experience, specialist skills, faster turnaround, premium deliverables or a more comprehensive service.

An application may be declined when the provider charges substantially more than comparable services while offering fewer deliverables, less experience or a noticeably lower standard of work.

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4. Automatic Approval

An applicant will qualify for approval once the Fables & Filth team confirms that all of the following apply:

1. They have been a community member for at least 60 days.

2. They meet the community activity requirements.

3. Their application is complete and transparent.

4. Their prices and deliverables provide reasonable value.

5. Their portfolio accurately represents their own work.

6. They have completed paid work for at least three clients.

7. At least two recent client references are positive.

8. There are no unresolved complaints or serious concerns.

9. They have clear terms covering payment, delivery, revisions, cancellations and refunds.

10. Their services comply with Fables & Filth’s AI and intellectual property rules.

11. They have not received recent warnings for behaviour within the community.

12. They have disclosed subcontractors, assistants, templates, licensed assets and relevant software.

Automatic approval means that no additional suitability assessment is required once every condition has been verified. Approval may still take time while references and submitted information are checked.

The following applicants may also receive fast-track approval:

• Providers who have successfully completed paid work for Fables & Filth

• Existing festival partners with a positive history

• Providers personally invited by the Fables & Filth leadership team

• Previously approved providers renewing their status with no complaints or policy breaches

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5. Manual Review

An applicant may be placed under manual review when they do not qualify for automatic approval but may still be suitable.

Manual review may apply when:

• The provider is new and has fewer than three paid clients

• The provider offers a highly specialised or unusual service

• Pricing cannot be compared easily with other providers

• References are limited but the portfolio is strong

• The provider has recently rebranded or changed business names

• The provider has returned after a long absence

• A previous complaint was resolved but requires consideration

• The provider has been directly recommended by a trusted community member

Manual approval may include conditions such as:

• A three-month probation period

• Limited advertising permissions

• A review after the first Fables & Filth client

• Additional references

• Proof of qualifications or licences

• Updated terms and conditions

• Clearer pricing or service descriptions

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6. Automatic Decline

An application will be automatically declined when any of the following are verified.

Dishonesty or Misrepresentation

• False information is included in the application.

• Portfolio work is stolen, purchased or presented without proper disclosure.

• Testimonials or client reviews are fabricated.

• The applicant falsely claims qualifications, experience, partnerships or previous clients.

• The applicant conceals previous business names to avoid complaints or poor reviews.

• Work completed by employees, subcontractors or other creators is presented as entirely their own.

AI or Intellectual Property Breaches

• The provider offers AI-generated writing, editing, covers, illustrations, social media content or other services prohibited by Fables & Filth.

• AI use is concealed or falsely described.

• The provider uses stolen artwork, fonts, photographs, templates or other unlicensed material.

• The provider cannot explain the source or licensing of assets used in client work.

• The provider violates client ownership, confidentiality or intellectual property rights.

Serious Client Concerns

• There is a substantiated complaint involving non-delivery, fraud, harassment, threats, stolen work or refusal to provide an agreed refund.

• Two or more clients report a similar pattern of poor service, missed deadlines, unfinished work or misleading communication.

• The applicant has unresolved payment disputes involving services they failed to provide.

• The applicant retaliates against clients for leaving honest reviews or raising concerns.

• The applicant shares private client conversations, manuscripts, personal information or project details without permission.

One vague disagreement or personality conflict will not automatically result in decline. Concerns must be supported by evidence or form part of a repeated pattern. However, one serious and substantiated incident may be enough for automatic decline.

Community Conduct

• The applicant has joined primarily to advertise and has not participated meaningfully.

• The applicant has attempted to manipulate activity requirements.

• The applicant has repeatedly ignored promotional rules.

• The applicant has harassed, bullied, pressured or discriminated against members.

• The applicant has received serious or repeated moderation warnings.

• The applicant has encouraged members to violate Fables & Filth rules.

• The applicant has created conflict with other providers or publicly attacked competitors.

Poor Business Practices

• The provider refuses to disclose prices or basic service terms.

• The provider does not clearly explain what clients receive.

• There are no cancellation, refund or delivery terms.

• Their prices are substantially higher than comparable services without a reasonable explanation.

• The applicant uses manipulative sales practices, false urgency or misleading discounts.

• The provider takes on work they are not qualified or equipped to complete.

• The provider requires unreasonable ownership rights over a client’s manuscript, brand, artwork or intellectual property.

• Client work is outsourced without disclosure.

• The provider is unable or unwilling to supply verifiable references.

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7. Reference Checks

By applying, providers give Fables & Filth permission to contact:

• References listed in the application

• Previous clients whose work appears in the portfolio

• Members who have publicly stated that they hired the provider

• Relevant festival organisers, collaborators or business partners

Reference checks may ask about:

• Communication

• Quality of work

• Accuracy of the service description

• Turnaround time

• Revisions

• Professionalism

• Payment and refund handling

• Whether the client would hire the provider again

Fables & Filth will not publicly share confidential reference responses unless required for safety, moderation or legal reasons.

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8. Provider Approval Status

Applications may receive one of four outcomes:

Approved

The applicant meets the provider standards and may advertise according to the provider promotion rules.

Approved with Conditions

The applicant may advertise but must complete a probation period or comply with specific conditions.

Manual Review Required

Additional information, references or clarification is needed before a decision can be made.

Declined

The applicant does not currently meet the provider requirements.

Declined applicants may reapply after 90 days unless the decline involved fraud, stolen work, serious misconduct, AI policy breaches, harassment or another permanent disqualification.

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9. Ongoing Provider Requirements

Approval is not permanent.

Approved providers must continue to:

• Remain reasonably active within the community

• Follow all promotional rules

• Maintain transparent prices and terms

• Inform Fables & Filth of major changes to their services

• Complete work professionally

• Respond appropriately to client concerns

• Protect client privacy

• Follow the Fables & Filth AI policy

• Avoid public conflict with clients and other providers

Providers may be reviewed every six or twelve months.

Approval may be suspended while a complaint is investigated. Suspension is not automatically a finding of wrongdoing.

Providers may be removed when:

• They become inactive for an extended period

• Their business information is no longer accurate

• They repeatedly fail to respond to clients

• Their service quality significantly declines

• They receive substantiated complaints

• They breach community or provider rules

• They no longer provide reasonable value

• They use their provider status to pressure or mislead members

Fables & Filth may permanently remove a provider for serious misconduct, dishonesty, fraud, stolen work, harassment, confidentiality breaches or prohibited AI use.

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f application. It does not guarantee every transaction or outcome.

Clients remain responsible for reviewing contracts, deliverables, prices and payment terms before hiring a provider.

Fables & Filth is not a party to agreements made between providers and clients unless the service is purchased directly through Fables & Filth.