Creator Guidelines

1. Creator Responsibilities

By submitting a story to StoryToDieFor, creators confirm that:

• The story is original
• The creator owns the rights to the content
• The story does not infringe on intellectual property rights
• The creator has the legal right to distribute and sell the story

Creators are fully responsible for the content they publish.

Stories based on copyrighted characters, franchises, or settings may not be accepted unless the creator has the legal rights to use them.

2. Story Quality Requirements

All stories published on StoryToDieFor must meet the following standards:

• The story must be coherent and logically structured
• The narrative must be playable from beginning to end
• All necessary documents must be included
• The mystery must have a clear solution
• Character motivations and events must make sense within the story

Incomplete or confusing stories may be rejected during the review process.

3. Use of AI

AI tools may be used to help with the formatting and polishing of stories.

However:

• AI must not be used to generate or create story content
• The story — its plot, structure, and writing — must be the creator's own work
• Stories that lack coherence or appear to have been AI-generated will be rejected
• Creators remain fully responsible for the content they publish

4. Recommended File Structure

To ensure consistency across stories, creators are encouraged to follow the file structure used in the free example story “The Dead Moon Circus”.

A typical story should include the following documents:

Introduction

An overview explaining:

• The setting
• The theme of the event
• Instructions for the host
• Basic information for running the game

Creators may optionally include their contact details in this document if they are comfortable answering questions from players.

Characters (Short List)

A brief overview of all characters including:

• Character names
• Basic role or archetype
• Short description

This helps the host assign roles quickly.

Characters (Detailed Sheets)

Individual character sheets containing:

• Character background
• Secrets and motivations
• Relationships with other characters
• Objectives during the game

Timeline for the Night

A structured guide for the host explaining:

• The progression of the evening
• When clues should be revealed
• Optional phases or acts of the game

Evidence and Clues

All documents or materials used by players during the game, such as:

• Letters
• Clues
• Reports
• Evidence files

End of Game

A document explaining:

• The solution to the mystery
• The true events of the story
• Each character's motivations
• How the mystery unfolds

5. Submission Summary for Review

During submission, creators must provide a story summary for administrative review.

This summary should clearly describe:

• The central mystery
• The motivations of each character
• The overall story resolution

Creators may reuse the End of Game document for this purpose.

This summary helps StoryToDieFor verify that the story is coherent before publication.

6. Pricing

Creators set the price of their own stories.

StoryToDieFor retains a 30% commission from each sale as described in the platform Terms and Conditions.

7. Story Review Process

To maintain quality on the platform:

• Creators may submit one story at a time
• Each submission is reviewed by the platform administrator
• Once approved, the story will be marked as Published and made available to buyers
• Stories that do not meet quality standards may be rejected

Creators may be invited to revise and resubmit.

8. Payment and Buyer Review Period

When a story is purchased:

• The buyer has 7 days to review the files and raise any complaint
• Payment is held for 14 days from the date of purchase
• Payments are released after this 14-day period, provided no valid complaint has been raised
• If the buyer reports that the story is incomplete, incoherent, or missing required files, the story may be reviewed by StoryToDieFor

If the story is determined to be non-compliant with platform standards, the creator may:

• Not receive payment for the sale
• Be asked to correct the story
• Have their account suspended or removed in case of repeated violations

9. Content Moderation

StoryToDieFor reserves the right to remove stories that:

• Violate these guidelines
• Infringe intellectual property
• Contain illegal or harmful material
• Are clearly incomplete or misleading

Repeated violations may result in removal from the platform.

10. Best Practices for Creators

To improve player experience, creators are encouraged to:

• Clearly explain how the host should run the game
• Ensure each character has clear motivations and secrets
• Avoid overly complex solutions
• Provide printable documents when possible
• Test the story with players before publishing

Well-tested stories tend to receive better reviews and more sales.

11. Updates to Stories

Creators may update their stories after publication to:

• Fix errors
• Improve clarity
• Add additional materials

Major changes should maintain the core story purchased by existing buyers.

12. Questions

If creators have questions about submissions or guidelines, they may contact the StoryToDieFor team at:

storytodiefor@gmail.com