Welcome to The Poetic Land — a home for poets, storytellers, essayists, reviewers and readers from around the world. These Terms explain, in plain words, how TPL works, what you can expect from us and what we ask of you. Please read them together with our Privacy Policy.
1.About these Terms
These Terms & Conditions (the “Terms”) apply to your use of thepoeticland.com and the services we offer through it, including reading, submitting work, writer accounts, comments, reviews, competitions and anthologies (together, “TPL” or the “Platform”). “We”, “us” and “our” mean The Poetic Land and the team that runs it, based in Assam, India. “You” means anyone who visits or uses the Platform.
By using TPL, submitting a work, creating an account or joining a competition, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.
TPL is an international platform and is free to read and free to join. Anyone may read the public sections of the site. Some competitions charge an entry fee (see Fees and payments).
Submitting work and creating an account: you should be at least 18, or have the permission of a parent or legal guardian. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian must agree to these Terms on your behalf and should help you with any form you send us.
The 18+ section (including Dark Romance, Sensual Poetry, Erotic Fiction and Audio Erotica) is strictly for adults aged 18 or over, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher. By entering it you confirm that you are an adult and that viewing such content is legal where you are.
You are responsible for making sure that your use of TPL is allowed by the laws of the country you live in.
Writers who are approved through our application process receive a writer account with a unique TPL writer ID. Readers may also be offered accounts where available.
Keep your password private and do not share your account. You are responsible for activity on your account. Tell us at once at contact@thepoeticland.com if you think someone else has used it.
The information you give us must be true and your own. Fake names, borrowed photos or false details are not allowed.
Some profile details of verified writers (such as name and photo) can only be changed through a change request that our team reviews. This protects writers from impersonation.
The blue tick (✔) Verified Writer badge means TPL has approved the writer’s application and linked their account to their published works. It is not an endorsement of every opinion in their writing. Requirements for the badge are shown on the application page and may change.
We may suspend an account or remove the badge if these Terms are broken, if information turns out to be false, in cases of plagiarism or abuse, or if an account is inactive or misused.
You can send us poems, short stories, essays, research articles, book reviews, artwork and other creative work through our submission forms, your writer dashboard, competitions and anthology calls.
Every submission is reviewed by our editorial team. Sending a work does not guarantee that it will be published, featured or selected. We usually reply within 2–4 weeks, depending on volume.
Before publishing, we may make small editorial changes for formatting, spelling, layout, title styling and category, and add a featured image, illustration or tags. Where an image is created by us, it may be produced with digital or AI tools. We will not change the meaning of your work without asking you.
Publishing on TPL is free. Unless an event’s own rules say otherwise, publication is unpaid and does not create any employment, agency or partnership relationship.
For our main journals and anthologies we prefer unpublished work. If a piece has already appeared elsewhere (for example on your blog or social media), please tell us in your submission notes.
You keep the copyright in your work. Always. TPL does not become the owner of anything you submit.
When you submit a work and we accept it, you give The Poetic Land a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to publish, display, format, archive and promote that work, always with credit to you, on:
the TPL website;
TPL anthologies, journals and other publications, in print or digital form;
TPL’s social media channels (such as Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads and YouTube), including short excerpts, quote cards, readings and videos;
promotional material about TPL, its competitions and its writers.
“Non-exclusive” means you remain free to publish your work anywhere else. You also allow TPL to show your name or pen name, photo, short biography and country together with your work.
Removing your work: you can ask us at any time to remove your work from the website. We will do so within a reasonable time. Copies already printed in an anthology, or posts already shared on social media or by other people, may not be fully withdrawn.
Everything you submit must be your own original work, and you must have the right to share it, including any photos, artwork or audio you include.
Work generated by AI tools is not accepted as your own writing. Some calls (for example our anthologies) ask you to confirm that your work is 100% original and not AI-generated.
Copying another person’s work, in full or in part, without credit is plagiarism. If we find or are told about plagiarism, we may remove the work, revoke any badge, award or selection, and close the account.
If you believe that something on TPL copies your work, write to us at contact@thepoeticland.com with the link and proof of your original. We will look into it promptly.
TPL welcomes honest, bold and difficult writing. But you must not submit, post or share anything that:
is illegal, or promotes violence, terrorism, self-harm or crime;
attacks or harasses people because of their religion, caste, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, disability or similar characteristics;
sexualises minors in any way — this is never allowed anywhere on TPL, including the 18+ section;
contains explicit sexual content outside the 18+ section;
defames, threatens or bullies a real person, or shares someone’s private information without consent;
infringes copyright, trademarks or other rights;
is spam, advertising, a scam, or contains malware or misleading links;
impersonates another person, writer or TPL itself.
18+ section: adult literature there must involve adults only, must not depict real, identifiable people without their consent, and must follow the rules above.
Comments and reviews are public. Be respectful — disagree with ideas, not people.
Reviews of TPL left on our homepage must be honest and written by you. Some programmes (for example the Verified Writer application) may ask you to leave a review; you are free to share your genuine opinion, positive or not.
We may moderate, edit for formatting, hide or delete comments and reviews that break these Terms, and we may hold new reviews for approval before they appear.
Likes and other reactions are for genuine engagement. Artificially inflating them is not allowed.
Each competition, anthology call, collaboration or event (for example Project Pahad or the TPL Mystery Box) has its own rules, dates, themes and eligibility, published with it. Those rules apply in addition to these Terms, and they prevail if the two conflict.
Entry does not guarantee selection, publication or a prize. Decisions of TPL’s editors and judges are final.
Prizes, certificates, merchandise and other benefits are given as described in the event’s announcement. We may need your postal address or other details to deliver them.
For collaborated competitions run with a partner organisation, the partner may receive the entries and details that are needed to run the event, as stated in that event’s rules.
We may change, postpone or cancel an event for reasons outside our control, and we will tell participants as early as we can.
Reading TPL and creating an account are free. At present, the only thing we charge for is entry fees for some competitions.
Prices: the entry fee for a competition is shown on that competition’s page in Indian Rupees (INR, ₹) before you pay, inclusive of taxes if any apply. See our Pricing page.
Payment processing: payments are processed by Razorpay, our payment gateway, using the methods it offers at checkout (such as UPI, cards, net banking and wallets). Razorpay’s own terms and privacy policy apply to the payment. TPL does not see or store your full card or bank details.
What you get: an entry fee pays for entering your work in that competition under its published rules. Paying a fee does not guarantee selection, publication or a prize.
Delivery: competition entry is a digital service. Nothing is shipped. Your entry is confirmed on screen and by email, immediately or within 24 hours, and certificates are digital. See our Shipping & Delivery Policy.
Refunds: entry fees are non-refundable once paid. If you are charged twice for the same entry, or a payment fails but money is debited, we refund it to your original payment method within 5–7 working days. If TPL itself cancels a paid competition, your entry fee is refunded in full to your original payment method within 5–7 working days. See our Refund & Cancellation Policy.
The name “The Poetic Land”, “TPL”, our logo, the design of the website, our own texts, graphics, videos and code belong to The Poetic Land or its licensors. You may share links to TPL and quote short extracts with credit. Please do not copy our design or brand, or present yourself as connected to TPL, without our written permission.
Works published on TPL belong to their writers. Do not republish another writer’s work from TPL without that writer’s permission.
To keep TPL safe and respectful, we may, at our discretion and without prior notice where necessary:
refuse, edit for formatting, unpublish or remove any content;
suspend or close an account, or revoke a Verified Writer badge;
block access for anyone who repeatedly breaks these Terms or tries to misuse the Platform (for example spam, fake accounts or attacks on the site).
You may stop using TPL at any time and ask us to close your account by writing to contact@thepoeticland.com. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should continue (such as the licence for already-printed anthologies, disclaimers and governing law) continue after an account is closed.
TPL links to and uses services run by others, such as social media platforms, messaging apps (for example WhatsApp), video platforms and analytics tools. We are not responsible for their content or practices, and their own terms apply when you use them.
TPL is provided “as is” and “as available”. We work hard to keep it running well, but we cannot promise that it will always be available, error-free or secure.
Works published on TPL express the views of their writers, not of The Poetic Land. Some writing deals with sensitive themes such as grief, violence, trauma or mental health. It is literature, not professional advice.
We do not guarantee any particular result from publishing on TPL, such as readership, followers, awards or income.
As far as the law allows, The Poetic Land and its team will not be liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential loss, or for loss of data, profits, reputation or opportunities, arising from your use of TPL or from content posted by other users. Because TPL is free, our total liability to you for any claim related to the Platform is limited to the amount you have paid us, if any, in the twelve months before the claim.
Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under the law that applies to you.
You agree to take responsibility for any claims, losses or costs that arise because work you submitted infringes someone else’s rights or because you broke these Terms.
We may update these Terms as TPL grows. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and for important changes we will make reasonable efforts to let writers know (for example by a notice on the site or by email). Continuing to use TPL after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
TPL is operated from India and is used by writers and readers around the world. These Terms are governed by the laws of India. If a dispute arises, please contact us first — most problems can be solved with a simple conversation. If it cannot be solved informally, the courts of Assam, India, will have jurisdiction.
If you live outside India, you keep any rights that the consumer laws of your country give you and that cannot be excluded by agreement.
If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
8.Comments, likes and reviews
- Comments and reviews are public. Be respectful — disagree with ideas, not people.
- Reviews of TPL left on our homepage must be honest and written by you. Some programmes (for example the Verified Writer application) may ask you to leave a review; you are free to share your genuine opinion, positive or not.
- We may moderate, edit for formatting, hide or delete comments and reviews that break these Terms, and we may hold new reviews for approval before they appear.
- Likes and other reactions are for genuine engagement. Artificially inflating them is not allowed.
↑ Back to contents