Editorial policy

What the catalogue is for

BookEpub helps readers identify books, understand editions and follow clearly identified retailer or library links. A bibliographic entry is not a personal review. A printed edition in the catalogue is not presented as proof that an EPUB, PDF or MOBI file exists.

Automated imports and enrichment

Our catalogue starts with a Waterstones URL inventory and retrieves available historical page captures from Internet Archive. Imports run in batches. Missing captures, incomplete records and failed requests can leave gaps; a missing archive does not prove that a book or current retailer page does not exist.

Additional information may come from Open Library, Wikidata, Wikimedia, Google Books or The New York Times where a matching record and the relevant service access are available. Matching by ISBN and edition matters: a work-level fact or another edition’s details should not be treated as confirmed facts about the edition shown. Automated imports and enrichments are not a claim that an editor has individually checked every record.

Source text and original notes

Imported publisher or retailer descriptions are source material. They must not be represented as an independent review or as original BookEpub reporting. Our own introductions, reading notes and practical guides add context where available. Automated assistance may be used in preparing or organising content; it does not establish first-hand reading, expertise or a personal recommendation.

We do not invent a reviewer, fabricate a first-hand reading experience, manufacture ratings or imply that translation removes the rights attached to source material. Factual claims should be traceable to the relevant edition, source or clearly stated context. Where information is not established, uncertainty should remain visible.

Publication and indexing

A record needs an author and usable description or editorial content before it is displayed in the public catalogue. Public visibility and search-engine indexing are separate decisions: a source-only or insufficiently developed page can remain excluded from indexing. A longer description alone is not evidence of original editorial value.

Images and attribution

Cover images refer to an edition where available. Default covers are decorative placeholders and are labelled as defaults. Default author silhouettes are illustrative and must not be mistaken for photographs of the author. Source portraits and licensed images retain the relevant credit and source information where available. Report missing or incorrect attribution through the rights-holder procedure.

Corrections and commercial independence

Readers and rights holders can report a correction with a page URL, ISBN and reliable evidence. Corrections should preserve the distinction between an older snapshot, another edition and a factual error. Material updates should use a real revision date rather than making old source information appear newly verified.

Affiliate commissions do not validate an edition or determine a factual claim. Paid promotion, if introduced, must be identified separately from editorial material. Our advertising and affiliate disclosure describes the current commercial position.