Legal
Editorial Policy
This Editorial Policy describes how ZKCloud selects books, validates sources, formats editorial copy, and maintains editorial independence.
1. Mission
ZKCloud exists to make public-domain literature feel as cared-for as contemporary bestseller sites — without pretending to sell files or facilitate piracy. We publish discovery experiences, not download traps.
2. Book sourcing standards
We add titles only when:
- The work is believed to be in the public domain in the United States.
- A reputable plain-text source exists (typically Project Gutenberg or equivalent archives).
- The text can be split into readable book pages without broken encoding.
- A verifiable cover image loads from an authorized metadata source.
We do not add modern commercial bestsellers, scanlation, or user-uploaded PDFs of uncertain provenance.
3. Public-domain verification
Each catalog entry records a Gutenberg or archive identifier and external reference links. Editorial staff spot-check copyright status before publication. Jurisdiction differences are disclosed on our Disclaimer.
4. Formatting review
Automated parsing splits chapters; humans review edge cases. We remove Project Gutenberg boilerplate, fix obvious OCR artifacts where feasible, and reject titles with unusable formatting. Book pages use constrained line length and comfortable line-height for long sessions.
5. Cover validation
Covers must load from approved URLs, pass byte-size and dimension checks, and render correctly as WebP thumbnails. Broken covers block publication — we do not show empty placeholders.
6. Editorial voice
Summaries and shelf notes are written for discovery, not keyword stuffing. We avoid spam phrases like “free download” or “PDF ebook.” Ratings and difficulty tags are editorial signals, not scraped retailer scores.
7. Accessibility goals
We prioritize semantic HTML, readable contrast, keyboard-navigable menus, and responsive layouts on phones and tablets. Improvements ship incrementally as the master template evolves.
8. Corrections
Readers who spot textual errors, broken book pages, or incorrect metadata may email editors@zkcloud.co. We aim to acknowledge substantive corrections within a reasonable timeframe and note significant fixes when appropriate.
9. Content updates
The library grows on a controlled schedule. Titles may be removed if sourcing fails validation or if rights concerns arise. Legal and editorial policies are updated with dated revisions.
10. Independence
Advertising and affiliate relationships, if present, do not determine catalog inclusion or editorial text. Commercial support funds hosting; it does not buy placement inside the editorial catalog.
11. Reader submissions
We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts for publication on ZKCloud. Suggestions for public-domain titles may be considered if they meet sourcing and cover-validation requirements, but inclusion is never guaranteed.
12. Archival stability
We design chapter URLs to remain stable for indexing and reader bookmarks. If a structural change is unavoidable, we attempt to preserve redirects and update sitemaps promptly.