Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about how the critique exchange works.
How do critiques work?
You submit a chapter or poem. The system assigns it to matched reviewers, each with a 48 hour deadline. Critiques arrive in your reading room, where you rate them for usefulness.
Who sees my name?
Nobody. You write under a pen name and submissions are anonymous by default. Reviewers see the work, never the author. Identity is only visible to platform administration through the audit trail.
What stops lazy or cruel reviews?
Every critique is scored for substance and rated by the writer who receives it. Both signals feed the reviewer's rank. Low effort costs rank, harassment costs the account.
What is Reviewer Rank?
A rating that reflects the quality of your critiques and your writing over time. It rises with good work, decays with absence, and decides how the system matches and trusts you.
Do you allow AI-written submissions?
No. Ars Calami is for human writing. The editor tracks provenance as you write, and submissions that fail those checks do not go out for review. AI on our side is limited to moderation, quality scoring, and optional summaries of critiques you receive.
How fast do I get feedback?
Reviewers work against a 48 hour deadline per assignment. Most feedback lands well inside it.
What can I submit?
Fiction and poetry. Novels chapter by chapter, short stories, and poems. You choose genre and content settings per story.
Does poetry get real support?
Yes. Poems have a dedicated mode built for short forms, and poetry goes to reviewers who read poetry.
How is mature content handled?
Stories can be marked as mature. They are only matched to reviewers who have opted in to reading mature work.
What are credits?
Credits are the currency of the exchange. Submitting work costs credits. Reviewing earns them. Paid tiers also grant a monthly allowance.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Billing runs through Stripe and you can cancel from settings at any time. Your tier stays active until the end of the paid period.
Who owns my work?
You do, entirely. Submitting for critique grants reviewers access to read and annotate, nothing more. See the Terms of Service for the details.