Last updated: September 2026
These terms govern your use of The Novel Kit (“we,” “us,” “the service”). By using the site or buying a pass or a plan, you agree to them.
Who we are
The Novel Kit is a trading name operated by a UK-based sole trader. We're a small, independent operation, not a limited company. You can reach us at hello@thenovelkit.com with any question, including about these terms.
The service
The Novel Kit scans a manuscript you upload (.docx, .epub, .rtf, or .txt) and extracts a glossary of names, places, and invented terms using rule-based pattern matching - no AI or LLM reads your text. A free preview reports headline counts for the whole manuscript, each placed against the published novels we have measured, with no account or sign-up. It does not list any of the terms found. Full results (every term, suggested definitions, context snippets, duplicate checking, and exports) require a paid pass or plan.
We sell two shapes of access, and every plan gives you the same reports, checks and exports. What differs is how many scans you get, over how long, and whose manuscripts you may scan:
One-off passes. Final Check (7 days, 10 scans) and Revision Pass (30 days, 20 scans) are single payments. They do not renew and nothing is charged again.
Annual plans. Prolific / Series Author (120 scans a year), Editor (300 scans a year) and Editor Pro (1,200 scans a year) are subscriptions billed once a year until you cancel. Publisher is a bespoke arrangement agreed in writing.
Your account, and access without one
There is no password anywhere in the service, and we never ask you to choose one. When you buy, we create an account against the e-mail address you gave Stripe. Signing in to it means asking us to e-mail you a link: the link works once, expires after 15 minutes, and puts your access back on whichever browser you opened it in. There is nothing to reset, because there is nothing to forget.
You do not need to sign in to use what you have bought. Access is linked to your browser via a signed session cookie - see our for how that works. If you clear cookies or change browsers or devices, ask for a sign-in link at your account page and the same pass returns, for the remainder of its original access period and scan allowance. There is nothing you need to save at the time of purchase.
A recovery key is an optional alternative that involves no e-mail at all. You are not given one automatically: you can generate one for an active pass from your account page, and we then show it once as text, a downloadable file, and a QR code for you to save somewhere secure.
A recovery key works like a password even though it isn't tied to an account. Anyone who has it can restore and use the remaining pass, so don't share it or store it somewhere public. We retain only a one-way hash, not the raw key, and can't display or resend the original later. Losing both the browser session and your saved key may mean we can't restore access automatically.
Payment and pricing
All payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your card details. Prices are shown in USD or GBP at checkout; applicable tax is added where required. Once payment succeeds, your access activates automatically and immediately in that browser, and is attached to the e-mail address you gave Stripe. Restoring access later doesn't restart the period or reset the scan allowance.
Scan allowances. Every pass and plan includes a number of full scans over a stated period. Unused scans do not roll over: an annual plan's allowance resets to its full number on each renewal rather than adding to what was left. A free preview is not a scan and is never counted against an allowance.
Renewals. An annual plan renews automatically twelve months after it starts, at the price then published, and again each year until you cancel. Stripe e-mails you before each renewal. If a renewal payment fails, your access continues to the end of the period you have already paid for while Stripe retries; if it is not paid, the plan lapses on that date and nothing further is charged.
Changing plan. You can upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time from your account, which opens Stripe's billing portal. An upgrade raises your scan allowance immediately; a downgrade lowers it, and scans you have already used stay used. Any difference in price is handled by Stripe at the time of the change.
What each plan licenses. Final Check, Revision Pass and Prolific / Series Author are for manuscripts you wrote or own the rights to. Editor, Editor Pro and Publisher additionally permit you to scan clients' manuscripts as part of a professional editing, proofreading or publishing service. This is a term of sale rather than a technical limit: the reports are identical on every plan, and we ask you to buy the one that matches how you are using it.
Refunds and cancellations
Every pass and plan gives you instant access to full results as soon as payment completes - there's no delay or manual step on our side. Because delivery is immediate, we treat a completed purchase as final. Once access has activated, we don't offer refunds for a change of mind.
Cancelling an annual plan stops the next renewal. It does not end the access you have already paid for: you keep your plan, and whatever is left of its scan allowance, until the end of the period you are in. We do not refund part of a period you have used.
If something went wrong on our end - payment succeeded but access never activated, or the tool was broken or unavailable for a meaningful part of your access period - email hello@thenovelkit.com and we'll refund you or extend your access, whichever you'd prefer.
UK/EU customers: the law normally gives you 14 days to cancel an online purchase. For digital content like this, that right ends once we begin providing the service at your request, which happens immediately when your access activates. By completing checkout, you're asking us to give you access straight away, and you accept that you lose the cancellation right once that access has begun. If you'd rather keep the 14-day right and don't mind a short wait, email us before purchasing and we'll arrange delayed activation instead.
Acceptable use
Only upload manuscripts you have the rights to. Don't try to bypass access controls, abuse the free preview, automate bulk scanning outside normal use, or reverse-engineer the service. We may suspend or refuse access for abuse, fraud, or a disputed/reversed payment (chargeback).
Your content
You keep all rights to your manuscript and the glossary it produces. We don't claim any ownership over it. As explained in our , manuscript content is processed transiently and isn't retained after your session.
No warranty
Term extraction is rule-based pattern matching, not a guarantee of completeness or accuracy - it can miss terms or flag things you don't consider terms. The service is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind. To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim relating to the service is capped at the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose. Nothing here limits liability that can't legally be limited, such as for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.
Changes
We may update these terms, the service, or its pricing from time to time; the date above reflects the latest revision. If you already hold an active pass or plan, we'll honour the rest of the period you have paid for under the terms that applied when you bought it. A price change to an annual plan applies from its next renewal, and Stripe's renewal reminder gives you the chance to cancel before it is charged.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection rights you have in your own country of residence.